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Pokemon TCG Decklists and Articles

March 2011

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Discussion of Rule Changes and Possible Format Changes

Pikkdogs 9 Comments

Last October the Pokemon world was shaken up by news from Japan.  When Japan got there Black and White sets they also got new rules changes and a mid season rotation.  Fast forward to April, and now North America, Europe, and South America are about to get the Black and White set.  What will this mean for the format?  Will we also get the rules changes and the format change?

If you haven’t guessed already, the topic of this article will be the possible changes to the rules and format changes.  Before we begin to talk about the impact of the changes too much, lets review what happened in Japan.

What were the changes in Japan?

  1. Rules change so that Trainer/Goods cards can be played on the first turn of the game.
  2. Supporters are now called “Supports” and are considered Trainer/Goods cards and can be played once per turn, even on the first turn.  They are now immediately discarded after use.
  3. Stadium cards are also considered Trainer/Goods cards and can also be played on the first turn.
  4. Rare Candy cannot be played on either player’s first turn, and they cannot be played on the same turn that you first played the basic Pokemon.
  5. Poke-Powers and Poke-Bodies are merged into one category called “Abilities”.
  6. After you knock out a Pokemon, you draw your prize card before your opponent sends out a new active Pokemon.
  7. The format was changed to HGSS-on.

Will we get them?

All signs seem to be pointing to the fact that we will get at least points 1-6.  The rules changes are already in effect on the online game simulator (www.pokemontcg.com).  It seems unlikely that they would make different rules for online play.  I also heard that someone from Portugal’s organized play stated that they would follow the rules changes that the U.S. employs.  That seems to suggest that the U.S. will have rule changes.

What about a rotation?

A mid season format rotation is a powerful thing.  It would mean that a large percentage of everyone’s cards will become almost worthless. Decks that people have been playing all season could now be deemed illegal.   It could turn a lot of people off about the game.

Regardless of the negative aspects of the rotation, I think a rotation is needed.  If there is no rotation, I think that most of games would end on the first turn of the game.  The problems in the format are trainer cards like Poke Drawer and Pokedex, that allow you to go through your deck fairly quickly.  Other problems are Sableye SF and Uxie La.  Sableye guarantee’s that you go first, so that your opponent has no chance to brace themselves against a donk. If you start Sableye all you would need to do is use a Pokemon Collector for an Unown (dark) and 2 Uxies, and you would be very close to winning the game.   Speaking of Uxie, like the Trainer cards, Uxie will help people go through their decks really quickly.   If these cards are ousted from the format longer games can take place, and games would rely less on luck.

So now that we know we need a rotation, what should it be?  Japan got rid of all of their Diamond and Pearl and Platinum sets, but Im not sure if thats really neccessary.  If we would get a similar rotation that we had the last two years, it would mean that the format would be Rising Rivals on.  To see if we need a large rotation, lets look at the problem cards in the format, and find out what sets they are from.  Besides cards that i have previously mentioned, I will also include SP cards since I believe they are the cause of our stagnant format. In the list, I will italicize cards that would be rotated if the rotation is RR-on.

  • Poke Drawer +-SF
  • Pokedex Handy 910’s-PtExpert Belt - AR
  • Super Scoop Up- Unleashed
  • Expert Belt- Arceus
  • Cyrus’s Conspiracy-Pt
  • Energy Gain- Pt
  • Power Spray- Pt
  • Sp Radar- RR
  • Uxie-La
  • Sableye-Sf
  • Unown (Dark)-UD
  • Luxray Gl-RR
  • Garchomp C-SV
  • Double Colorless Energy-HGSS

As you can see, most of the problem cards will be taken care of with a format of RR-on.  With the loss of Sableye, the important drawing Trainers, and Uxie; it will be a lot less likely for the game to end with a donk.  And, even though there will still be SP cards in the format, the SP deck will no longer work without the SP engine.  The loss of the SP engine will make sure that the format is not in the same stagnant state that we have had to deal with in the last couple of years.  But, I fear that if Japan got the HGSS-on format that we will also receive it.

Impact on The Format

Obviously a mid-season rotation would radically change the format.  The only deck that would stay similar to the way it is now is Lostgar Lock.  Other decks like Machamp, Gengar Sf, Uxie, Gyarados, Luxchomp, Dialgachomp, and many others will be wiped out.  Besides taking out main attackers, it could also take away a lot of staples like Uxie, Spiritomb Ar, and supporters like Palmer’s Contribution.

All decks would have to be changed and adjusted to the new format.  The new format would be a lot slower without Uxie, and would be more reliant on Trainers (and Trainerlock).  If a rotation comes we will all have to re-work our decks and completely change them.  It will make Nationals a lot different than States and Regionals.

Conclusion

A lot of people are understandably opposed to a large format change.  But, I think a mid-season format rotation would be great for the format, taking away the SP problem and making sure that the new rule changes will not lead to a format of all donks.  I don’t really see the need for the rules changes, but if they are going to make the rule changes they also need to rotate at least 4 sets out of the format.

Deck Discussion

Fun Deck Idea: Dusknoir

Joel 7 Comments

Hello everyone in Omar-Nation, this is Joel here with a fun deck idea to try out. I was originally going to write an article on Charizard, but with my new hectic work schedule, and a crazy idea on a Dusknoir deck, I decided to write about Dusknoir instead. I also would have had this article up sooner but as I said, my work schedule is hectic, and I don’t have as much free time as I used to have, now on with the deck!

I have always liked Dusknoir LV.X, and the Dusknoir from Stormfront. Dusknoir can allow you to draw 2 cards, and put 2 damage counters on it, however you have 7 or more cards in your hand; you have to discard cards until you have 6. Putting damage counters and discarding cards may seem like a pretty bad drawback, but Damage Even makes up for it. For a Psychic and a Colorless, you count the number of Damage counters on Dusknoir, and put that many damage counters on any one of your opponent’s Pokémon. And did I mention Dusknoir LV.X? With poke-power Ectoplasm, the level X card becomes a stadium that puts one damage counter on all of your opponent’s Pokémon between turns! Pretty sweet, isn’t it?

I got the idea to make a Dusknoir deck after seeing my friend Matt from Florida run one in a battle road. I also needed a fun deck to take to league since not everyone there can hold their own against Luxchomp. So I threw together a list with some interesting techs, took my deck to league and did pretty well with it. I tested the deck against my league’s more competitive players. I had a good matchup against my friend Austin with his Machamp/Mightyena build, and my friend Will had a hard time against the deck, and he was running Gyarados. I’ll share my list below and give you an idea on how I play it.
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Opinion

A Review of Pokemon TCG Online

Pikkdogs 5 Comments

Hey everyone in Omar-Nation.  This is Pikkdogs here with a short review of the new Pokemon TCG Online game.  This is the online TCG simulator that we’ve been hearing about.  It isn’t in its final version yet, its still in Beta testing, but you can still play with some theme decks right now.  You can find it at www.pokemontcg.com.

Right now Pokemon TCG Online doesn’t feel like the online version of the game that we’re all waiting for, it kinda feels like just a cheap Flash game.  But that could all change, in time it could become more comprehensive.

How it Works

The game is fairly simple to play.  They computer automatically deals you a hand of 7 cards, and you pick your starter and bench by clicking on the Pokemon.  After you pick heads or tails, you play out your hand as if it were a card game.  To attach an energy you click on the energy you want to attach, and then click the Pokemon you want to attach it to.  To play a trainer, stadium, or supporter card you just click it and the computer does the effect of the attack for you, unless you need to search your deck.  In that case you would be brought to a screen that displays all the cards which you can pick from and the contents of your deck, you would just pick the card that you want with a click of the mouse.  You attack by clicking on a menu button located on the right side of the screen, once you choose the attack there is a cheesy animation that pops up and damage counters are automatically placed on the defending Pokemon.

For newer players the game does give helps.  Such as if you are about to attack without playing a supporter or an energy, a box will come up and remind you.

The Plot

When you start the game you are transported to a league and are given three decks to choose from.  You can pick either of the three HGSS theme decks.  I picked the Typhlosion deck because of the damage output of Typhlosion and Flareon.  You then go through about 4 games against the other 2 theme decks, and 2 decks from other sets.  If you wish to continue, they will transport you to another league where there are about 5 other slightly more difficult decks.  If you are able to beat all comers at that league, the players are after revenge at a tournament.  When three games and you become champion.

After most games that you win you will be given a new card to add to your deck.  During my game play I added Burned Tower, 2 Fisherman, a Magmortar, 2 Raticates, 2 Professor Elm’s Training Method, and a 2-1 Arcanine line.

The Good

I gotta say that while these games were no Luxchomp versus Luxchomp slugfest, it was still a pleasant experience.  I got to easily play a fun game.  Ease of use is the best feature of Pokemon TCG Online.  No more doing the math on attacks, the computer figures out damage for you, yes even from effects from previous attacks.  Shuffling is also gone, there is no need for that.  These features make is very easy to play the game, and it is a fun experience.  

The Bad

After playing the game for a couple hours I only noticed one mistake that the game made.  It was against a girl who was using a psychic deck.  She had a Drowzee active and used “Sleep Inducer.”  This attack was supposed to switch my active and put the new active to sleep.  But, since I didn’t have a bench, it put my active to sleep.  The correct ruling would be to state that “Sleep Inducer” would have no effect.  Its not a big mistake, but it was something.

The AI seems to be reasonably decent.  There were a couple of times where the AI could have played better.  One of those moments was when I had 1 prize left and my opponent had 2 Magikarps left.  It was his turn and I saw that he just Elm’d for a Red Gyarados.  The smart play would be to evolve to Red Gyarados as the active and then wall with him while you setup someone who could attack.  Instead they gave up and just sent a karp after me and evolved to Gyarados on the bench.  Sacrificing the karp might have been a great strategy earlier in the game, but not when the game is down to 1 prize.

The Ugly

While I don’t want to make it seem like I don’t like the game, there are some things going against it.  It is a far cry from the program we want.  You can’t make your own deck, or play against human players.  I do know that some of those features are coming soon, but until then the jury is out.

One thing I can say is that gameplay is a lot better than Redshark and Apprentice.  With Redshark you don’t have card art, have to calculate damage yourself, and have to do everything manually through a menu.  With the Pokemon TCG Online, the software does just about everything for you.   It is some much easier and more fun to play than Redshark and Apprentice, that I think people may stop using those programs.

One interesting part of the game is that it uses the rules changes that were implemented in Japan back when they got their Black and White Set.  This includes being able to use trainers and supporters the first turn.  It is possible that TPCI added this feature just for this game because there is yet no way to abuse it (like with Sableye and Uxie).  But, the greater possibility is that the rule change is included in this game because it will soon be the standard ruling for all Pokemon games.  If this is true and we do get the rule change, it is all but a sign that we will also get a mid-season rotation.  If we don’t the only deck that will be playable is a Sableye SF/Uxie deck that runs through the entire deck on the first turn.  If we do get a rotation Sableye and Uxie will be gone, meaning the game will slow down and be more balanced.

Overall, for what it is the Pokemon TCG Online is pretty cool.  Its AI is decent, its easy to use, and it looks pretty cool.  It has all the building blocks of a cool program.  Now we just need the greatly enhanced features.

So long and thanks for all the fish.

State Championships

Recap of States 2011, and Your First Regionals 2011 Preview

Pikkdogs 8 Comments

Well State/Province/Territory championships are all over, and its time to see what we have learned from it.  This article well recap what happened at states, and try to give you a little view of what will come up next month at Regionals.

Overview

Well, things at States were fairly predictable this year.  Luxchomp again won most tournaments, while a couple other popular decks got a couple wins.  According to Pokegym.net this is the list of winners of States.

16 Luxchomp (1 w/Honchkrow)
4 Vileplume/Gengar
4 Gyarados
3 DialgaChomp
3 Sablelock (1 w/ Luxray SP)
2 Lostgar w/Vileplume
2 Machamp (1 w/ vileplume)
2 Chenlock
1 Arceus
1 Steelix
1 Scizor Prime
1 Vilegar / Dusknoir
1 Magnezone

From this list, we can see a couple cool rogue decks winning here; like Steelix, Scizor, Mangezone, and Arceus.  And, some second tier decks took some states as well,  with help from the good players that champion them.  We also see 6 Vilegar variants winning and 5 Sablelock variants winning.  This somewhat surprising showing by these decks show that they are strong contenders for the title of 2nd best deck.        

How Did the Rogues Do?

The rogue decks were out at full force at States.  However, we did not see a great showing by any true rogue deck.  We also did not see much of any “secret decks” doing well.  About 2 months ago I heard a lot about people making “secret deck” for States, but not wanting to share them, at states we didn’t see any of these decks doing anything.

One deck that saw a lot of play was Magnezone.  Magnezone saw almost no play until the Europeon Challenge Cup, just before States started.  Magnezone got paired up with Regirock La, for energy acceleration.  Magnezone did get 1 win at States, but with the amount of play it got, just 1 win isn’t all that impressive.  My impression of the deck is that it is just too slow to live in a world with Luxchomp running around. Perhaps after the rotation it will get better, maybe players can use Floatzel Ul instead of Regirock.

I am also pleasantly surprised with the showing of some other decks like Arceus, Steelix, and Scizor.  Arceus seems to be a deck that a few weird people can get to work on a lucky day.  When it works it can be a great deck, but it seems that Arceus is not reliable.  It wasn’t just the one win it had, at Michigan and Indiana states I saw that this deck did fairly well.  Steelix is a deck that I think is very good, especially with the drop in play that Blaziken FB has received.  I think that it can do very well if some decent players decide to play it.  Scizor Prime is one of those crazy cards, it doesn’t seem like it will be that good of a card, but yet people can get it to work.  To me it just seems like it can be easily played around, but when its played right on a good day it can have great results.  If you can get 3 Metal Energies on a Scizor, it is almost unstoppable against a Luxchomp deck.

Can Anything Stop Luxchomp?    

Well the short answer is no, but we have learned some bad news for Luxchomp.  Decks like Machamp, Vilegar, and Sablelock have had some good showing against the deck.  Before states I thought Machamp was going to get ran out of the format, but Machamp made a big comeback at States.  Vilegar and its many variants cemented its place in the format after Cities, after States it has shown that it is kicking butt and taking names.  It even won Michigan States, which had some of the better Luxchomp players around.  It is now one of the best decks in the format.  Sablelock has chosen this States to tell us all that it has not gone away.  For some reason Sablelock seems to disappear at small tournaments.  But, it did not dissapear at States.  The great Sableock players like Jwittz were out with it and did very well.  They proved that in the hands of a great player, Sablelock can be almost as good as a Luxchomp deck.

That being said, Luxchomp still dominates the format.  Nothing is faster or more versatile than Luxchomp.  It can kill almost every deck before the opponent gets going.   Even-though Vilegar and Sablelock have shown that they are great decks, Luxchomp still won the most tournaments by far.  I don’t see anything but a rotation stopping Luxchomp.

A Look Towards Regionals

I did mention the rotation, if we do get a mid-season rotation it will not be until after Regionals.  That means that I expect more of the same for Regionals.  We may still see some people get more familar with rogue decks, and give them a try.  But, for the most part since Regionals is only like 3 weeks away I don’t expect to see a big change.  Expect to see Luxchomp dominating with some tier 2 and 3 decks vying for some tournaments.  It could be different, but for the most part I think you can use States as a barometer for what will be at Regionals.

So long and thanks for all the fish!

RenaeCollects

Opening a Tepig Black & White Preview Tin

RenaeCollects No Comments

When the new fifth generation Pokémon were first released, I didn’t think I’d ever be a fan of them. I have to be honest, though. I’m incredibly excited for the new Black and White set. I had higher expectations for the preview tins, but was slightly disappointed in the fact that there are only 5 preview cards available and they come in all three tins. Nevertheless, I had to open all three! So here is the first one. I’m curious what everyone else’s opinion is on the new Pokémon and the new set.

[youtube width=”853″ height=”450″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pX2xiGI4Jwc&feature=player_embedded[/youtube] Read More

Deck Discussion

Running with Scizors, and Umbreons.

Pikkdogs 5 Comments

A big hello to all members of Omar-Nation.  This is Pikkdogs here with a deck idea for you.  It may not be the best deck ever, but it is actually a pretty good deck that deserves some credit.  

A couple weeks ago I wrote an article about walls in the Pokemon TCG, well this is a deck that uses two of those Pokemon.  The idea of this deck is to hit for a moderate amount, while not letting your opponent attack you.

The Main Attackers

Scizor Prime has the “Red Armor” Poke-Body which does not let any attack damage him from a Pokemon that has any Special Energy cards attached to it.  This means that if your opponent is playing Steelix Prime or Garchomp C Lv. X there is a good chance that those cards will need to adapt just to even scratch you.  Since Scizor Prime is a Steel type it can benefit from Special Metal Energies, making it somewhat of a tank.

Umbreon Ud has an attack called “Moonlight Fang” which does 30 damage and does not let any Pokemon with Poke-Powers or Poke-Bodies inflict any effects of an attack on to Umbreon.  Since Umbreon is a Dark type, this means he can take advantage of Special Darkness Energies, meaning his attacks do +10 damage for every Special Dark attached.  So if you put an Expert Belt on him and 2 Special Darks, Umbreon is doing “Moonlight Fang” for 70 damage!  That is not a whole lot, but if its also preventing damage its great.  It also can hit Gengar and Gengar Prime for weakness.  Umbreon also benefits from the fact that it evolves from Eevee.  You can use certain Eeveelutions to make sure that he has free retreat, no weakness,  and an extra +20 HP.

The Techs

This deck also has a few special techs in it, that give it better matchups.   

Espeon Md– As mentioned before, Umbreon’s HP can be increased by 20 with the help of Espeon MD.  Espeon can make sure Umbreon can survive 1 good hit, so you have time to Seeker him back up.  With Espeon and an expert belt, Umbreon has 130 HP!  Thats not bad.

Espeon Prime– This deck is great against decks that use Special Energies or those that use Pokemon with Poke-Power or Poke-Bodies, but what about Machamp SF?  To stand up against Machamp SF you can play an Espeon Prime and be able to “Moonlight Fang” for a 2HKO.  This is because Espeon Prime’s Poke-Body “Evolutionary Memories,” let Espeon use the attack of any Eeveelution as its own.  Its 140 HP (with Espeon MD and Expert Belt) is also very hard to knock out by Machamp.  If your opponent tries to switch to Machamp Prime, you can just use Umbreon to wall.  If you include a Lucario GL in your build you can possibly score a OHKO with “Quick Blow.”  If you don’t like Espeon Prime, instead you can use Uxie Lv. X, but you might need to include Double Colorless Energy.

Spiritomb–  This card serves many purposes.  First, if you play against Uxie donk you are basically auto-loss.  This card will give you a fighting chance against it.  Next, it helps you get a turn 2 Umbreon or Scizor even if you start first.  It also provides a little trainer lock to confuse and mess up your opponent.

The List

Pokemon- 23

  • 4- Eevee’s (either MD or RR)
  • 3-Umbreon Prime
  • 1-Espeon MD
  • 1-Espeon Prime
  • 4-Spiritomb Ar
  • 3-Scyther SF
  • 3-Scizor Prime
  • 1-Scizor Md
  • 2-Uxie
  • 1-Unown Q

Energies-12

  • Special Dark-4
  • Special Metal-4
  • Basic Metal-2
  • Basic Dark-2

Trainers/Supporters/Stadiums- 25

  • 2- Conductive Quarry-Excellent for getting back Special Metals
  • 2-Energy Exchanger- This deck is a hybrid of two decks, so you need consistency in energy
  • 4- Pokemon Collector
  • 3-Bebe’s Search
  • 2-Pokemon Communication
  • 2-Warp Point
  • 2-Expert Belt
  • 2-Judge
  • 2-Seeker
  • 3-Professor Oaks New Theory
  • 1- Luxury Ball

So there is the list, it is a basic list that can be tweaked for your own tastes.  But this is a decent list that should keep you going even in times of trainerlock.

Matchups

The two sayings I use most are, “Where’d my pants go?” and “A deck is only as good as its matchups”, so lets look at the matchups. 

Luxchomp– Its always tough to play versatile deck. Luxchomp players seem to be able to adapt to anything.  You better get your thinking caps on because this will be a very cerebral battle.  To be able to win you need to get 3-4 Special Metal energy cards on Scizor Prime and then you can tank through the field.  But a good SP player will be able to get rid of Scizor before it gets that many energies.  This is a winnable matchup for you as long as you don’t get matched up against a great player.  40-60.

Machamp–  Machamp has recently re- gained more popularity, and you need to be ready for it.  You don’t run basic Pokemon who attack, so your okay there.  This forces them to either attack with “Hurricane Punch”, or attack with Machamp Prime.  Use Espeon Prime and Espeon to make it tough for them.  The toughest part of this matchup is getting an umbreon and espeon on the bench, and an Espeon Prime active.  Once you do this, just 2 knockouts should seal the game for you.  A very winnable matchup, 70-30.

Gyarados– Easy matchup to talk about.  Unless your opponent is stupid and puts a Special Energy on Gyarados then you are auto-loss. 10-90.

Trainerlock–  This is an interesting matchup.  You have their weakness, and it is very hard for them to attack you.  But, with Gengar Prime little actual attacking needs to be done. Your opponent will try to put things in the Lost Zone.  Use Special Darkness Energies to try to OHKO a Gengar Prime, if you can do it about 2-3 times you should be able to win. 90-10

Uxiedonk– If you get an early double spiritomb you win, if you get behind on prizes or donked early, you lose.  30-70

It isn’t a great deck, but is really fun.  As you can see it has some good matchups.  It can run through trainerlock and Machamp, but SP matchup is tough and Gyarados is Autoloss.  It might not be worthy of regionals, but it still is something you should build to test against.  One of the problems of this deck is that consistency suffers.  Since it is a mix of Scizor and Umbreon you sometimes want to setup Umbreon but only have stuff for Scizor.  People will always run Umbreon and Scizor because they are both popular Pokemon, so you better be ready for them.

State Championships

Pikkdogs’ 2011 Indiana State Championship Report

Pikkdogs 4 Comments

Hey everyone in Omar-Nation, this is Pikkdogs here with a tournament report for Indiana’s states.  I again decided to run Uxie, after briefly flirting with an Umbreon/Scizor Prime deck.   

I woke up a little after 5:30, and got on the road before 6:30.  This was very early for me, but it was cool to go outside and see a huge full moon hanging in the sky before sunrise.  I then took the 3 hour drive to Fort Wayne, Indiana.  When I got there I met my friend James in the parking lot.  James, who is a testing buddy of mine, tried really hard to get me to come today and I’m glad I capitulated to his requests. Before the tournament started I made some trades with some players, borrowed some cards, said hello to a lot of my Pokemon friends, and received a cool deck box from James.  The format again was very Luxchomp heavy.  It was a little more diverse than last week, but Luxchomp was by far the most popular deck.

The tournament was held at a neat venue, a minor league baseball stadium.  Just past right field is a long narrow room where we had the tournament.  The venue was pretty sweet, though there was a noticeable lack of comfy chairs.  There was a lot of people there on that day.  I think there was 114 masters with people from Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio attending.  This meant a lot of good competition and a tough day for anyone hoping to top cut.   

My goal that day was simple, to grab the gold medal from Indiana and take it back to Michigan.   The winner of last week’s Michigan State’s was from Indiana, so nothing would feel better than to take one from them.  After turning in my decklist I was ready to get going.

Round 1- Kingdra.

He starts first with 2 Unown R’s benched, and a Horsea active.  I start with Crobat G and Unown R and get going on  my strategy.  I am able to “Flash Bite” an R to death, I seeker up the other, then “Psychic Restore” the Horsea for the win.

1-0. A good start to the day, this is what is supposed to happen.

Round 2- Matt Kish with Vilegar.

Matt was the gentleman who took 2nd last week in Michigam, for that reason and because I am auto-loss to trainerlock; I was shaking in my boots.  But, I was lucky and he has a bad start.  He starts first with Uxie and Gloom, while I start with Uxie and I am able to play the turn out until I get the Seeker+knockout.

2-0, Sorry Matt you just got a bad start.           

Round 3-Brandon with Luxchomp.

This was the rubber game for me and Brandon, and what a game it was.  We first met in the first round of a Michigan cities, he ended up winning that game and the tournament.  We also met last week in Lansing, when I had donked his two Magnemites.  This game ended up being one of the best of the season.

The game starts off really bad for me.  Even though I go 2nd, he starts with a Call energy and has a large bench when I start.  I try to knock out the Garchomp C with the energy with “Flash Bites” but am unable to do so, and I am forced to let it stay on the field.  I am not able to finish it because I got 9 tails on my first 10 dice rolls.  I also make a dumb misplay and Expert Belt an Uxie, which he can easily Dragon Rush.  I do however get one knockout on my 2nd turn.

He comes back and sets up fast getting a Cyrus chain.  However, he can only get 1 Level X on the field.  Since I went through my deck on the first turn, I can just use Uxie to draw all of the cards I need and then use Cyclone Energy to bring up a weak Pokemon for the knock out.  This pattern goes back and forth until time is called.

One funny thing about this game is that Brandon tried 3 times to spray my “Setup” but I fought it off all three times.  The first time I had a 2nd Uxie, so I just dropped the other one to draw the cards I need.  I then drew  a Pokemon Rescue for a prize. The 2nd time he again Sprayed an Uxie, and I used “Seeker” to do it again.  Then on the last turn he used his last spray, but I used the Pokemon Rescue to get another Uxie.  Brandon thought he had me there, but I planned ahead well enough to fight him off.      

On turn 2 of plus 3 prizes are even.  He has just run out of ways to draw DCE, and he has no Luxray in sight.  He has to “Claw Swipe” for 3o.  I go next and can win with a prize.  I attach a Cyclone Energy to Uxie, and he brings up Honchkrow Sv.  Honchkrow has 90 HP, one away from what Uxie can do.  But, I am able to play the last card in my hand, a Crobat G, for the win.

3-0. What an amazing game.  Brandon is a really good player and he put me through a great match.

Round 4-Andrew C. with Luxchomp

Not much to say here. I go first with a Unown R, and he has an Ambipom G, an energy gain, and a Cyrus; so I scoop.

3-1.  Getting donked sucks, but it happens.

Round 5-  Dan Machamp

This is another one of my great matchups.  Dan ended up getting 4th at the end of the day.  This game would have gone by very quickly if I would have started 2nd, but I had to start 1st.  It also would have gone quicker if the opponent didn’t run Mespirt, but he ran 2.

I start with an Unown Q active and a Crobat G on the bench.  I go first, drop an Uxie and an energy to do “Hidden Power” for 30.  He then plays a Pokemon Collector for two Mesprits, and sends out a Machoke.  I am able to take advantage of the damage counters on Machoke when  I bring up Uxie and “Psychic Restore” for the KO.  Even though he psychic binded me this turn I still was able to get a knockout.

We go back and forth trading knockouts.  He is unable to establish a second Machamp until later in the game, so I am able to get a knockout on most turns.  My big misplay came when I used Seeker, and he picked up  Mesprit, to just “Psychic Bind” me again.  Throughout the game he used VS Seeker 3-4 times for great results.

We are tied up at prizes at the end, and I have 2 Pokemon left.  He uses a VS seeker to get Seeker back and then uses it to get me down to 1 Pokemon and then uses “Take Out” on the last guy.

3-2.  I started out the day great, but then fell face first.  This was a great game, but I just couldn’t pull it out.  I knew that I needed to win out and have luck to be able to top cut.

Round 6- SP

I don’t quite know who my opponent was but I know he’s a nice guy.  He goes first and uses Call Energy to get 4 basics.

I make a bad move during this game.  My opponent left an Unown Q on the bench, and I knocked it out with “Flash Bites.”  But, I forgot to take  a prize.  Fast forward 15 minutes later when I’m still on my same turn,  but have ran out of Uxies.  My opponent has a damaged Weaville G, but I have to use Seeker to pick up an Uxie, so he picks up Weaville.  When I do that I remember,”hey I should have taken the Uxie with my prize, oh crap I didn’t take my prize.”  I call a judge over and a humorous moment occurs.

The judge asks me what cards I played after I knocked out the Q, and I handed him my discard pile full of like 45 cards.  After having a good laugh we go through the deck and find out that I didn’t play a card that would force me to put my hand in my deck, so I was okay with just taking the prize.  I did get a caution, but thats nothing more than a slap on the hand.

The game went well for me after that.  My opponent just couldn’t draw a supporter so I was able to take 5 prizes, and I win on time.

4-2. I still have a chance at making top cut, but I am feeling the pain right now.  I have a back ache and am feeling really tired.  That last game took a lot out of me.

Round 7- Andrew with Gyarados.                       

Andrew is the cool chap who wrote a Regigas article for this site a couple months ago.  But, for some reason he switched to Gyarados.

Andrew knew what was coming because he sat by me for one game.  But, he also told me that he ran Mesprits, so I also knew what was coming.

He starts with  a Registeel and a Magikarp and goes 1st.  I start Crobat G and am ready to go to town.  Andrew draws and slowly reveals a Psychic Pokemon, but I can see the yellow tail of an Uxie, instead of Mesprit.  He lays down Uxie and prays that he can survive.

I quickly knock out the Magikarp and Seeker the Uxie.  Registeel has a Psychic resistance, so this makes the game more interesting.  I am able to get 3 “Flash Bites” on the active, but do not have many Plus Powers.  I actually make a couple misplays and am unable to cycle though the deck.  But, at the end I only need 2 Plus Powers to win.  I can’t “Setup” again, but have 1 Pokedrawer + in my hand.  I use a Pokedex to reveal another Pokedrawer +, thats game!

5-2. For a second week in a row I am on the bubble and am waiting to see if I top cut.  I order my deck and talk to my buddy Robert Hall to pass the time.  The standings are finally announced and I am placed at #18, not good enough for top cut.

Props

  • The judges always do a great job, thanks to them
  • All  my opponents for being nice.
  • James for buying me lunch.
  • My Pokemon friends for being cool.
  • The nice location for the tourney.  Ft. Wayne is a cool city, and one I could see myself moving to.  It was really cool to play at a ball park too.
  • Lots of restaurants around the ball park.

Slops

  • the early 3 hour drive.
  • Not top cutting at any States.
  • A lot of my Michigan buddies not being there.
  • Having 17 people go 5-2.
  • No comfy chairs.
  • Mesprit.
I feel that I did pretty well with Uxie during States.  I went a combined 9-5 and made my rating a lot better.  But, since I didn’t top cut at all, I have to call this States season a disappointment, but not by too much.  It is really hard to do well in Michigan right now, and just having a 64% ain’t too bad.
Pokemon Education Uncategorized

Leagues, and how they provide to the Pokémon Community

Joel 5 Comments

Hello everyone out there in Omar Nation, this is Joel here with another article. This time I want to talk about leagues, and how they are an important part of the Pokémon Trading Card Game community. As a league leader myself, I cannot stress how important leagues are, and how much fun participating in one can be. I have been running my league for the past 3 years now and it is one of the busiest leagues in the Metro Detroit area. But enough about my league, lets go on to discuss what a league is, how it is ran, what makes it different from a tournament, and how it’s important to the Pokémon TCG community.                         

What is a Pokémon League?

A Pokémon league is an official Play! Pokémon event that is usually run once a week. Leagues provide players with a casual playing and trading environment for players of all ages. Most leagues are free to enter, however some charge a small fee (usually under $5), the fee is usually to help cover the cost of renting the facility, or to help cover other costs such as additional prizes and snacks. All leagues are operated in a public location, such as a hobby shop, game store, toy store, malls, libraries, schools, churches, and coffee shops.

What makes Pokémon League different from tournaments?

The main difference between Pokémon League and tournaments is that league provides a more casual play environment rather than competitive. Unlike tournaments, league rewards players whether they win or lose. League also offers the opportunity to practice new deck strategies and test your game, most people get their tournament practice done at league. League also best for newer players who are just being introduced to organized play as they don’t have to feel pressured to win, nor feel discouraged when they lose. League is also the only place where you can get important staple cards such as Uxie or Azelf for free, as Play! Pokémon provides these cards to league leaders at no cost.

How a league is ran.     

One or two people usually run the league. These people are called League Leaders, and they’re there to assign POP ID numbers, scorecards, points and promo cards. The most important part is they are there to help new players and provide accurate rulings. When a player goes to league for the first time, they’re assigned a POP ID number, if they already have a POP ID, they give that number to the league leader. Most players obtain their POP ID number by attending a league. After a POP ID number is assigned, the player then receives a scorecard. Scorecards keep track of your points that you receive from playing games. Playing a game at league will get you a point on your scorecard, some leagues will give the winner of that game an additional point (NOTE: Not all leagues do this, it depends on the league leader running the event.). The scorecard has four rows of check boxes which are your points. At the end of each row there is a Poké Ball. Once that Poké Ball is checked, the player will receive a promo card. These promo cards are mainly reprints from other sets with a special holographic foil and the Play! Pokémon logo stamped on the card. These promos are exclusive to league and can only be obtained at leagues. Most of these promo cards are also hard to get staple cards as well, which is good for the players since it puts these hard to obtain cards in players hands. Past promos have included cards such as Claydol, Uxie, Azelf, Expert Belt, Dialga G, Bebe’s Search, and Special Metal Energy just to name a few. Another cool prize that is given to players is a heat seal patch that is obtained once all the check marks are filled on the scorecard.

Why are leagues important to the Pokémon TCG Community?

For many players, Pokémon League is the first step to organized play. While most league attendees are younger children, plenty of players in the senior and masters division use it as a chance to get plenty of play testing in. The Masters Division players also become great role models to the younger players and often help them become better players. League players tend to branch out into the tournament scene as well, as league players learn about tournaments from league leaders and other players with prior experience. The most important thing I would like to point out is that many friends can be made through league. I have made a lot of friends by attending leagues, and leagues just provide an overall fun time for everybody.

I hope this article provided you with the information you needed about leagues, and if you know some younger players or people who are getting into the game, have them read this article and hopefully you all attend a league and become an important part of the Pokémon Community!

Now for something totally unrelated: You can follow me on Twitter.

www.twitter.com/TheJoelHowe

Opinion

Opinion: A Solution to the Kid Problem

Pikkdogs 9 Comments

Hey everyone in Omar-nation.  This is Pikkdogs here with an opinion article that analyzes an aspect of how tournaments are orgainized.  I want to point out that I am not a tourney orgainizer or a judge, or anything like that.  I don’t have the expierence that other people do, but I do have my expierence as a player.  And that is what this article shall be based on.

First, before I get going I want to officially welcome Joel to the Teamomar.com staff.  Joel is another Pokemon player in Michigan and I believe he runs a league in the area.  He is a nice guy and a good Pokemon player, he should be a great addition to the staff.  The only problem with Joel is his unhealthy obsession about Lady Gaga (the person not the deck).   Gaga fan or not, we are very happy to have Joel writing for us.  We thank Joel for writing and look forward to his future articles.

Pokemon tournaments are a marvel of diversity.  When I walked around the Michigan State Championships the other day I saw young people and old people, black people and white people, people who look like models and people who look like extras from the Planet of the Apes.

In today’s U.S. society diversity is a good thing, Americans are not just Finnish or Italian; they are African, Scottish, Irish, Polish, Norweigan, Croatian, Chinese etc …  It is this diversity that makes us fairly special.  But, however this article is about a diversity that I think is causing more harm than good.
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