How to win a pre release

Tips on Winning your Dark Explorers Pre-Release

A big hello to all you OHKOers out there.  It is that time again, 4 times a year we get to attend a pre-release event.  And for every PR that there is, I try to give you guys tips on winning it.  I know winning is not always something associated with a PR, but if you go you might as well win.  Some places also give you a free pack if you win, so that is a good motivation to do well.  Before we get into the cards that you should play, I will give you my standard tips for PRs.  But, before that happens we have Pedro who wants to give us a news article.

Yes I do.  Today we have news from your favorite world, home design.  Former boy bander, Justin Timberlake has announced that he is teaming up with furniture companies to come up with Home Mint, his own interior design line.  It will feature things like furniture, pillows, and knick knacks.   Would you buy your furniture from Justin Timberlake Pikkdogs? 

No, I buy mine from Ikea, cause that’s the only store that combines my two great passions, furniture and meatballs.  How great is it when you can shop for furniture, and then follow those weird arrows to a lady who sells meatballs?  It would be like if car dealerships started selling chessesteaks.  It is just a great idea, if its one thing I love more than wicker bed frames, it is meatballs.

So you prefer meatballs to the work of Nsync?

Of course.

Who’s work do you favor more than meatballs?

I don’t know, but what if the singer Meatloaf had his own furniture store.  Than I would have to choose between Meatloaf and meatballs.

I don’t really care for either.  When I’m eating something I need a better description of a food than “meat.”  Its like we don’t really know whats in meatloaf, just throw some stuff together and call it meat. 

I could see that.  But, I gotta go and start the article now.

Principles for building your Pre-Release Deck

  1. The usual balance for a deck is 15 Pokemon, 15 Energies, and 10 Trainers.  Put more Trainers in if you have them, that will only increase consistency, and that is a great thing.  Don’t go over 15 energies unless you really need to.  And try to stay with 2 energy types, go three if you must, but 2 is best.
  2. Play as many consistency trainers that you can.  You want to try to run as many trainers as possible because that increases consistency.  Of course if you don’t have any Dark type Pokemon, you shouldn’t play Dark Patch.  But for the most part, having more trainers is a good thing.
  3. Look for consistency Pokemon.  You do not usually play a Pokemon that lets you draw 2 cards for one energy, but for a PR, this one will be a good card.  Any card that let’s you draw cards, search for cards, or evolve is great for a PR, so it is to your advantage to play these cards even though you know they will get no play after the PR season is over.
  4. Build your deck with the Ultra Rare cards in mind.  Even though this is just a PR deck, that doesn’t mean you can’t plan to counter the best cards in the format.  For example, during the Next Destinies PR I played a fighting deck.  The rationale here was that if I saw a Regigigas EX I would be able to take it, while others deck couldn’t.
  5. Be careful with Stage 2’s.  It is almost always a good idea to avoid Stage 2s in a PR deck.  It is just so hard to pull a 3-2-2 line of a Stage 2 Pokemon in a PR deck, and if you don’t have a line like that, there will be no consistency.  If you can get a Stage 2 out it will be great, but it is really hard to get it out.  There are Rare Candies in this set, so that may increase Stage 2 playability a little.  But still, be cautious of them.  Stage 1 Pokemon are the way to go, they have the best damage output and are fairly consistent.  If you can get an EX that is great, but not everybody will pull one of those.
  6. Stay away from fossils.  Consistency has always been a problem with fossils.  When you talk about consistency dropping more during PRs, that makes it even worse for fossils.  These new fossils do have a better chance at getting played since the deck is smaller.  But, I would still say that it would be smart to stay away from them if possible. 

Cards to Watch from Dark Explorers

Before we get started, at the time of writing this I didn’t have the exact setlist.  So there will be some things that aren’t in the set, and maybe some cards that I didn’t know about.  So if things are a little off, don’t beat me up too bad. 

  1. Professor Juniper–  Juniper is an overall great card, and using it will probably give you all the cards you need to win.  There is no doubt that Juniper will probably decide most of the games.  Plus, you even have Random Reciever which will let you get Juniper out easy.  Just becareful, Juniper can easily cause you to deck out with only a 40 card deck.  So make sure to count how many cards are in your deck before you use the card.  It can easily give you a sweeping win, or a deckout loss.  N is also reprinted in this set, remember N can only give you a maximum of 4 in a PR.  So don’t rely on N for a lot of draw power. 
  2. Scyther– 60 for CCC is not usually anything to write home about, but in a PR it is not bad.  If you pull some of these, I would play at least 1 or 2. 
  3. Slowpoke- For one energy, “Big Yawn” can put both actives to sleep.  This may not be an amazing attack, but it does have a good chance of providing some disruption.  So I would play one of these if I pulled it. 
  4. Carnivine– Carnivine has an attack that let’s you switch the defending Pokemon with a benched Pokemon, and then poison it.  That’s a good attack for early on, I would play that card if I pulled it.  This card may or may not be in the set. 
  5. Plusle– This Pokemon has an attack that lets you shuffle your hand into your deck and draw 4 cards, 8 if you have Minun on your bench.  Whether or not you pull any Minun, play every Plusle that you pull.  It is one of the best cards for PRs. 
  6. Sableye-If you play Darkness energy, than Sableye is a great card.  It lets you return 2 trainers from your discard pile to your hand.  This could be Dark Claw, Fossils, Rare Candy, Dark Patch, or Random Reciever.  It is a good card, but play it only if you have a lot of Dark energy and trainers in your deck. 
  7. Zorua/Zoroark– If you pull 1 Zoroark, than play all the Zoruas that you have.  Zorua #69 has the “Ascension” attack which evolves Zorua, this greatly increases consistency. 
  8. C hansey/Blissey– These Pokemon are like Scyther.  For CCC Chansey does 60 Damge and 30 to itself, and Blissey does 90 damage and 30 to itself.  Chansey also has the one energy “Sing” attack.  Blissey is nice because he has an Ability that can heal himself, but of course only play him if you have Chanseys in your deck. 
  9. The Eeveelutions– If you get enough Eevees, the Eeveelutions are always great.  But if you only pull 1 Eevee, its probably not time to play a bunch of Eeveelutions. There are two different Eevees in this set, so if you pull 3 or more, maybe you should play some Eeveelutions.  Remember, there are no card limits in a pre-release, so if you pull 8 Eevees than you can play them. 
  10. The EXs–  Of course if you are lucky enough to play an EX you should play it.  It will not win you tournament, but it should give you a big advantage. 
  11. Excadrill-If you are playing a fighting deck and can get a decent line of Excadrill you should have a fun time.  The ability to snipe, attack, and recover is all built into this one card.  Gotta love the versatility. 
  12. Volcarona- This is like Combusken but a little better.  For RCC you can do 70 damage, if you want to discard you can also burn the defending.  It also has the ability that turns the burn damage up from 2 to 4.  So if you can burn people, you want Volcarona around,
  13. If you must run a stage 2– If you gotta run a stage 2, I like Empoleon and Venasuar.  Venasuar lets you search your deck for  a Pokemon each turn, while Empoleon can attack well and has draw power.  Remember, Rare Candies are in this set, so this can help you get stage 2’s out quicker. 

Conclusion

So, you might be a little prepared for your PR now.  I hope you guys have fun in them and get some good cards.  Remember that trading cards is big at a PR, so make sure you bring all your cards so you can make some good trades.  People will usually over trade for the newer cards and give you a good deal on old cards.

Well, I’m done.  Why don’t you end this for us Pedro.

Sure.  Well, a maid service from Lubbock, Texas has been in the news recently.  Fantasy Maid service is not your regular maid service, they will clean your house, but they do it in the nude. The service employs three maids who are named Star, Hazel, and Kit.  Which don’t at all sound like stripper names do they Pikkdogs?

No.

One funny thing on their website is that they have a policy against the customer being nude.  Which seems normal for a maid service, but if they can be nude shouldn’t you?

Seems only fair. 

If you could hire a nude maid, what would you have them clean?

Well, first I would have them dust my banister……………and then I would have them clean my staircase. 

Of course.

It also wouldn’t hurt if when they dusted they used an old school feather duster with a narrow shaft and a big fuzzy end. 

I heard that you like the big fuzzy ends.

Who doesn’t like a big old fuzzy end.  Good night everybody.

 

Pikkdogs Guide to Winnning your Next Destinies Pre-Release

A big hello to all you OHKOers out there.  This is Pikkdogs here with your ticket to winning your Next Destinies Pre-Release.  ND PR’s start this weekend!!  So if you can, try to go out and hit some PRs.  They are great because they help support your TO, and they give you the best chance to get some great cards.  You not only get 8 packs, but you get a chance to do some trading with everyone else at the event.  Most people don’t go to a Pre-Release to win, but if you do win, it could give you some good momentum going into states.  Plus, it is always good to win.  Some places give the winner an extra pack, while others just give the winner bragging rights.  Here is what you need to know to win the NV pre-release.

Basic Pre-Release Tips

If you never played at a tourney before, here is what happens at a normal Pre-Release.  You sit down at a table, and a judge will come over and hand you 6 packs.  You open all of your packs, and then build a 40 card deck consisting of only the cards that you have pulled, and basic energy cards that are provided to you by the TO.  If you pulled any special energy cards you can play them, but they will not be provided to you.

When building your deck, the most important thing to focus on is consistency.  Most modified format decks have cards like Professor Juniper and Pokemon Communication that greatly increase consistency, you don’t have these in your pre-release.  So it will be harder to get Evolution cards out. and other cards that you only have 1 card of.  What you need to do is run cards that increase consistency, for example you can run Simisear. He has the “Collect” attack that let’s you draw 3 cards for just 1 energy.  Or you can run Lapras #25, he let’s you search your deck for 2 basic Pokemon and put them onto your bench.  But, consistency usually means running a lot of trainers.  In this set, we do not have a lot of search or draw trainers.  We do have Level Ball and Heavy Ball.  Level Ball lets you search out a Pokemon with 90 HP or less, while Heavy Ball does the same with a Pokemon that has 3 or more in their retreat cost.  Energy counts in a PR deck usually run around 14.  If you pull a Cilan or 2, you will be able to run about 12 or 13.  Along the same lines, make sure to not run too many energy types.  Cilan will help you with energy consistency, but try to run at the most 3 types of energy. Read More

Pikkdog’s Tips for Winning your Emerging Powers Pre Release

A big hello to all you OHKOers out there, this is Pikkdogs here.  Believe it or not, Emerging Powers pre-release tournaments are just around the corner.  Although most people go to these tournaments for the cards and trading, its always nice to win; plus a lot of organizers give an extra pack to the winner.  This article will hopefully give you all the advice you need to make the most of your pulls.

Of course the biggest goal of the event is to have fun and get the cards you want.  One of the biggest advantages of being at a pre-release is that a lot of people will trade you a good older card for a decent new card.  Values of these new cards are kind of high before and after the release the set, but they will eventually fall.  So make sure you get out there and get the best value for your trades.

Now, lets focus on the swiss rounds that are played.  Of course each player gets 6 packs and makes a 40 card deck complete with energies provided by the tournament organizer.  These decks are usually not nearly as fast as modified decks, so you need to use different strategies, here are some of my basic priniciples about pre-releases.

  1. Run about 12-13 energies.  Of course it depends on what your deck ends up being, but about a dozen energy cards is pretty standard.  You should have enough energies there, without having too many.  But, the more drawing supporters you pull, the less energies you can run.
  2. Play most of your trainers.  Draw and search power is limited, so if you pull 7 Cheren’s, then play them all.  The only trainer that I wouldn’t play a lot of is Crushing Hammer.  It is a good card for a PR but just don’t over due it.
  3. Stick to 2-3 Types.   You will not have any energy search cards, so if you run 5-6 types of energy you probably won’t be able to get the type of energy you want when you want it.  If you stick to about 2-3 types of Pokemon you should be fine.
  4. Be careful about stage 2’s.  Especially in this PR, Basic Pokemon are a lot more consistent than stage 2’s.  It is very hard to get a stage 2 out especially since you usually cannot get a decent line of Pokemon.  Just because you drew a 2-1-1 line of Klingklang does not mean that you have to play it.  If you can work it in your deck and get it out in a game or two, thats great, but just don’t rely on it.
  5. Starters are great.  As mentioned, you cannot run 4 PONT and 4 Juniper in a pre-release deck, so having anything that will let you draw or search is great.  Unfortunately, in EP there are not a lot of good starting Pokemon.  But you should be able to get a lot of the monkey Pokmeon, they all have an attack that lets you draw a card.  It’s not great, but anything is better than passing.

Strategies for winning your EP Pre-Release.

1.  Play the big HP basics.  All three of the Musketeer trio Pokemon (Coballian, Virizion, and Terakkion) and 2 of the Genies are in this set.  While not all of these Pokemon have great attacks, because of their HP, all of these Pokemon are great for Pre-Releases.  And since there are 3 of the Musketeer trio, and 4 versions (2 regular and 2 full art) of the Genies. you should have a decent chance of getting one of these big HP Pokemon. I would play any of these that I pull.

2.  Play the Monkeys.  I know I already said this, but play Panpour, Pansage, and Pansear.  They each have the “Collect” attack that lets you draw 1 card for one energy.  Their evolutions are also fairly good.  They each have an attack that costs CC and does 30 damage and a special condition.  Their other attack usually does 60 for that CC and the energy of their type. Its not mind blowing, but its not bad.

3.  The Stage 1’s are pretty good.  Even though there are a lot of good basics in this set, do  not sleep on the stage 1’s.  There are good Pokemon like Darmanitan, Zoroark, 2 Beartics, Sawsbuck, 2 Excadrills, and Braviary that can be very good in most decks.  If you pull any of these Pokemon I would probably try to play them.

4.  Sawk and Throh.  These Pokemon are not as bad as their BW counter parts.  The Sawk is fairly awesome.  For just FC, you flip 5 coins and do 20 damage times the number of heads.  This attack should be enough to knock out a lot of basics.  Throh has an attack that does 30 damage and lets you flip a coin for FC, if heads you prevent the defending Pokemon from attacking next turn.

5.  The Trainers here are great.  I would play any Cheren’s and Bianca’s that you find, they are great for draw power.  Pokemon Catchers are great in any format, Crushing Hammer is good as well, Great Ball is………well……..Great, and Recycle and Max Potion are useful.  I would use most if not all of trainers that you get.  As mentioned, the only one I would limit myself on would be Crushing Hammer. 

There are other good cards out there, but you will have to find them for yourself once you pull them in your pack.  The cards I alerted you to should be a good way to start.  Of course, PR’s are a lot about luck, but if you use these tips you will have a greater chance of having a better day.  Have fun at your PR’s everybody.

So long and thanks for all the fish.