Hey everyone in Omar-Nation. This is Pikkdogs here to give you a report of my entire fall Battle Road season. I thought that instead of writing 4 BR reports, I would just write 1 big one at the end of it. So here it is. 
As you can tell from this article’s name, I had an up and down roller coaster ride of a Battle Road season. It consisted of 4 BR’s, one in Angola, Indiana and three in Michigan. I really enjoyed the season because of the time I spent playing the game i love, and hanging out with some cool people.
I started out the BR season playing Gengar Viletomb. Gengar Viletomb is a deck that is supposed to lock trainers all the way through the game. I won’t explain the strategy because I have talked about it in the past. I will share my current list of my Gengar Viletomb deck, and then talk a little about it.
Pokemon- 31
- Gastly Sf-4
- Haunter Sf-3
- Gengar Sf-3
- Gengar Lv.X-1
- Oddish La-2
- Gloom Ud-2
- Vileplume UD-2
- Spiritomb Ar-4
- Unown R-3
- Unown Q-2
- Azelf la-1
- Poocheyena pt-1
- Mightyena la-1
- Uxie la-2
- Uxie X-1
Energies-10 
- Psychic-7
- Rainbow-2
- Warp-1
Supporters- 19
- Bebes Search-4
- Pokemon Collector-4
- Sages Training-3
- Palmer’s Contribution-2
- Lookers Investigation-3
- Copycat-1
- Broken Time Space-2
So here is a little bit about my list that is diferent from most other decks.
Unown R- A great draw engine. Since Claydol is gone and Uxie is Power-Spray bait, you need some kind of draw engine. Most decks decide to use trainers or draw supporters instead, but this not an option here. You can’t play any trainers, so your supporters have to do all the searching, so using draw supporters is not an option. All thats left is Unown R. Most people don’t like to spray it, so its good in that regard. And it helps you thin your deck quickly.
Mightyena La– This is one of the better techs in the format. I gotta give it to my friend Cody B. for showing it to me. Its first attack is “BIte-On,” for 1 Darkness energy you can do 30 damage, and if the defending Pokemon is un-evolved the defending cannot retreat, attack, or use any powers. So that means if you are playing SP, and use “Bite On” the defending won’t be able to do anything in trainer lock, unless they can Level-Up or play a Warp Energy. It second attack “Harass” does ten damage for each Pokemon you have in play for CC. This means that if you are playing against a Gengar deck, you can just Harass the other Gengar for 90 damage (with weakness), then retreat for Uxie and Psychic Restore for Knock Out, and then put Uxie on the bottom of your deck to avoid “Fainting Spell.” Mightyena is a really great card, and is a must play for any Gengar Viletomb deck.
Sages Training– As mentioned, this deck is pretty slow, and needs some more speed. Sages will give you this speed, allowing you to almost always get an energy. It allows you to look at the top 5 cards of your deck, choose 2 to go to your hand, and the rest get discarded. Some people don’t like this card, if you are one of them you can substitute Underground Expedition, or Cheerleaders Cheer.
BR #1-Angola Indiana
Alright now we are to my first Battle Road in Angola Indiana. This was about a 2 and a half hour drive for me, but I went because I was pretty bored. This was probably the smallest BR that I went to, but the members of Team Warp Point Good Game were there to liven things up. I also got to meet the great Chris Fulop, at this BR, and made some trades with him.
First Round- James Hall BLG + Dialga G
Ever-since this game James has became a good friend of mine. We have spent many hours play testing on skype. James is a beginner at the game, so he was still getting used to his deck. He got a decent setup, and so did I. He was able to break the trainer lock a couple of times and did enough to stall me out, but could not stop a couple of the kills I got with “Shadow Room.” I grabbed my sixth prize on the second turn of the +3.
1-0
Second Round-Robert Hall: Luxchomp +Dialga G
Robert was a guy I have seen before, and have grown to to socialize more with. He’s a great guy and I enjoy talking to him everytime we meet at a tournament or on Skype. We shared an epic battle in Round 2. He got set up faster then I did, he had 3 or 4 top decks of whatever he needed. He got up 3 prizes on me, but I was able to come back. One turn I was able to “Level-Down” Garchomp C for a knockout and then Shadow Room Crobat G for a knock-out. Late in the game, the only thing Robert could do was “Flash Impact” with Luxray Gl, but the 30 damage he did to his bench each turn helped me pick up many knock outs with Shadow Room. We end up going into the +3 rounds, and I tie it on turn 0. On turn 2 I gave Robert a Lookers knowing that if I give him 4 Trainers Supporters and Stadiums, I win. I give him the Lookers, then use “Poltergeist” and look at his hand to find only 3 trainers. Next turn he knocks out Gengar and I roll tails on “Fainting Spell” and Robert wins.
1-1
Cody Badgley. Mirror
This game wasn’t very exciting. Cody ran Mightyena for the mirror and I didn’t (at this time). So he had a huge advantage, I still might have had a chance, but I prized two of my Gengars and I didn’t run Azelf (at this time). Cody “Harassed” my Gengar and then knocked it out with “Shadow Room.” After that, I decided to scoop.
1-2
???????- with Donphan ERL
This is one of the decks that don’t really care that I’m locking trainers. He used Donphan to knock out a couple Spiritiombs, then used ERL to knock out some Uxies. He actually knocked out 1 Gengar with ERL, and I forgot to flip for “Fainting Spell.” It could have been helpful for me if I had remembered, but I don’t think it would have mattered overall. 1-3
???????-with Luxchomp
This game was the protype game of trainer lock. We both setup fast, but with me locking trainers, there was nothing he could do. I was able to “Poltergeist” several times to take all six prizes, and he was unable to take 1.
2-3
So a 2-3 showing isn’t that great. I was disappointed, but was still happy to see some friends who I haven’t seen for a while. I did learn some tricks to help me at the next BR.
2nd Br- Rochester Hills, MI
This was the biggest BR in Michigan this year. There were 6 Swiss rounds and a top cut of 4. A lot of people showed up with some Meta decks and some rogue decks. I think two Giratina decks were able to go 4-2, causing some trouble.
First Round- Joel Howe- Luxchomp with Dialga G
Another great Trainer lock versus SP matchup. Joel is a good player and is a fun guy to talk with. We each get set up at the same time and go back and forth. I “Polterguist” for a couple prizes, and he responds with a couple “Dragon Rush’s.” The game goes until time is called, and is pushed into the +3 format. On turn 1 he knocks out my Gengar for his 5th prize. On turn 2 I have a benched Gastly with two energies on it, and a BTS in play. I Copycat for a new hand and I know I need a Haunter and a Gengar for a change at winning. I end up only getting the Gengar. I also get an unown R, so I play it and I “retire,” but the Haunter still alluded me. I am about to scoop and then I look down and see my Uxie X active, so I use “trade off” and get a Haunter! I evolve, retreat, and “Poltergeist” for a prize. Next turn he fails to top deck a DCE, and next turn I “Poltergeist” for the win. What a great win, it was a great game.
1-0
Second Round- Jumpluff
I get a Spirtomb start, and my opponent gets a bad start. She can’t seem to draw into anything except trainers that she can’t use. I get a Gengar and knock out her only Jumpluff, and apologize for being a jerk with my deck selection.
2-0
Third Round- Kingdra, Gyarados, Donphan.
This game is against a nice guy that I first met on this day. His deck was kinda slow, but it worked because mine was slow. The trainer lock really didn’t hurt him as he got a Kingdra and Gyarados out. He used “Spray Splash” to get around Fainting Spell, and I scoop. Good Game.
2-1
Fourth Round- Tyranitar
I still don’t know how I won this game. I went into this game knowing that I was at a real disadvantage, because Tyranitar can hit Gengar for weakness. I also knew that if I wanted to top cut, I had to win out. But, somehow I was able to prevail. I set up pretty fast, and got two Gengars Out. I was able to “poltergeist” one Tyranitar, and took another one out on “Fainting Spell.” After this he had no more basics and lost.
3-1
Fifth Round- SP kitchen sink
This is against another friend from “Team Warp Point Good Game.” I believe this was against Collin, but I could be wrong. Im not sure what Collin’s strategy was, but he had a lot of different SP Pokemon, and Shuppet. I was able to setup the trainer-lock all game and slowly take 6 prizes.
4-1
Sixth Round- Mirror
This one I think was against Sean Foisy, another good player. He probably had the better Gengar deck on this day, but mine was teched for the mirror, and his wasn’t. I set up faster and used Mightyena to my advantage. When time was called, I was ahead, and he was not.
5-1
Round of 4-Luxchomp with Dialga G
This was against the best player in Michigan, Tracey Key. Tracey went to a couple of Worlds Tournaments and is a great SP player. I know that if I want to beat her I need to be on top of my game.
Game 1-
In the first game I set up fast, and her Dialga G is prized or something. I get a chain of “Poltergeist’s” going and combo that with Mightyena. She scoops when I have 2 prizes left.
Game 2-
She sets up faster this game and gets up a couple prizes. In the middle of the game I misplay by knocking out a Garchomp C with Mightyena, leaving him active. The next turn she knocks it out,and am unable to respond. If I were able to retreat Mightyena and knock out the Garchomp with Gengar or uxie I could stall next turn with Mightyena and maybe turn the game around. The game goes on and I come back a little bit, but she is able to grab the second game as time is called.
In between games the judges take a long time setting up rules for the third game. Meanwhile, Tracey and I talk about what a ride we both had today. We were both exhausted after a long day of playing cards, my neck and back were sore and she claimed she was both hot and cold (I don’t know how this can be, but thats Women for ya). Then the person that won the other Top Cut game came to our table and said that he would love to play us, but he must leave to go play in his band. So me and Tracey knew that who-ever wins this game will win the victory medal.
Sudden Death-
The judges finally come back and announce that the next game will be Sudden Death. At this announcement I’m ready to pack it up. No Gengar Viletomb deck has a chance against Luxchomp in Sudden Death. Luxchomp is meant to do one thing, get cheap prizes early, and thats what wins Sudden Death. After a couple turns, I stall and she promotes Uxie and shows me a DCE and an Uxie Lv.X when I have Spiritomb active. I tell her to say no more and congratulate her on another Victory Medal.
Sure I was proud of my play that day, and happy for Tracey, but it was really hard to see someone take a picture of her and the victory medal, knowing that the medal could have easily been mine. I should have scooped early in game 2, so I could have had a better chance in Game 3. I went home that day physically drained and emotionally spent. I literally had nothing left to give, and limped home and tryed to recover for the BR the next day.
BR #3-Tecumseh, Mi
I woke up that day and knew I was in trouble. I was still tired from yesterday and found it hard to concentrate. But I went to the next BR anyway. There, I met Robert Hall and my friend Jonah. I got some good trading in and had fun talking to the guys.
Round 1- Luxchomp +Dialga
This first game was against a guy who ended up winning this tournament. I set up a little slower then him, and he was able to break the trainer lock for most of the game. Because I was still drained from the previous day, I made some mistakes and didn’t play my best. He was able to win before time was called.
0-1
Round 2- Jumpluff
This was against the girl that I played the previous day. This time she got a great start and was able to get going. I still had a chance to win, but flipped tails on two fainting spells. She gets her revenge fairly easily.
0-2
Round 3- Garchomp SV
This round I finally woke up and started playing. We had a great back and forth matchup trading KO’s each turn. I got just enough Fainting Spells to stay in the game. A game changing moment was when he played Ruins of Alph, negating my resistance. When time was called I was able to shadow room a Garchomp Lv.X for a knock-out.
1-1
Round 4- Honchkrow UD
Kind of a weird deck. I got a trainer lock on him early and thought that I would make easy work of this deck. But the weakness of Gengar made this an interesting deck. At the end of the game he makes a misplay and I end up winning.
2-2
At this point I had recovered from my bad start and was at 500. I looked at my phone and realized it was time to go. I had to go to a meeting in Detroit for school, so I dropped after round 4.
BR #4- Okemos (Lansing), Mi
This BR was about two weeks since my last tournament. In these past two weeks I have changed some of my decks around and began experimenting with some Machamp and Steelix builds. I decided that I was too tired of playing the trainer-lock deck to play that again. So I decided to play either Machamp or Steelix. Either deck would have preformed well in my Meta, but I decided with Steelix because I feel Machamp decks are luck based and a little cheap, while Steelix decks make for fun games. I will post my Steelix deck here later, but for right now I will just explain it a little. 
The objective of playing Steelix, is to set up Steelix with Blisseys on the bench to heal him. When you get an expert belt with 4 Special Metals on Steelix, it is hard to knock him out. His attacks can do 30 damage for CC and 100 damage for MMCCC.
Round 1-v.s. BLG (Blaziken Fb, Luxray Gl, and Garchomp C_+ Dialga G)
I set up pretty well and was able to get Steelix going with special metals. He was playing Blaziken FB, but since I got the special metals, I was able to survive, heal, and knockout the blaziken next turn. He had a hard time using Jet Shoot more then once, and tried to stall with “Luring Flame.” But I am able to retreat and use Warp Points to get knock outs. I finish the game on a “Warp Point, Good Game.” Always been a goal of mine to do that.
1-0
Round 2-Shuppet and walls
One of the funnest games all day. I start Chansey and am able to donk his Nincada (with Pulled Punch), but he has a benched uxie. He sets up spirtombs and slows me down with those. The tombs block my expert belt, so that hurt. He ends up using dunsparce and cyclone to knock out some benched Uxies and Chansey’s. I was able to get 5 energies two Steelixes, so he forgoes the tombs for Shedinja. I then am able to bring up a chansey, attach a DCE and belt and get a knock on the shedinja, With his main walls either knocked out or proven useless, he plays out a couple more rounds and then scoops.
2-0
Round 3- Donphan ERL
I am a little nervous because if I don’t have 4 special metals on steelix, ERL is a problem. But, my nervousness is not needed because he prizes the bottom half of ERL. He sets up a couple donphans and ends up “Earthquaking” for 40, but when I heal 2, it only ends up doing 20 each turn. And with that low damage output and my pokehealers, he starts to get mad and just scoops.
3-0 
Round 4- Robert Hall-BLG
This game goes much like my first game with BLG, but this time I can’t find ANY special metals, so Blaziken gets the OHKO. This happens twice, and I scoop.
3-1
Round 5- The Younger Faust-BLG
This game was against the son of a regular Michigan player, since Seniors are grouped with Masters today. In this game, the Younger Faust makes a deal with the devil and gets a good start (your welcome, 2 people that got that reference.) This game has a similar result as last game, except this time I find 2 special metals, but he gets a good draw and uses flash bites to make up for the difference. I have 2 pokehealers in my hand, but it does no good, if Steelix can’t take the hit.
3-2
So I end the tournament with 2 losses, and don’t get to Top Cut. I didn’t lose because of the Blaziken Fb’s,but I lost because I couldn’t get Special Metal’s at the right time. Steelix is a great deck and is not played half as much as it should be. Blaziken Fb is a matchup that the Steelix player can deal with. The only two decks that are a problem for Steelix are Scizor Prime and Charizard SV, the rare Infernape 4 matchup is also tough. I encourage you all to give it a shot, it is a great deck and is really fun to play.
So my Fall Battle Road Season is over. I did not end up getting any Victory Metals, but I did get a top cut. But, I think I sent a message to the Michigan players that Im going to come to a tournament and play you tough. I did meet a lot of new people and had fun talking to everyone. I also learned a little more about the game, and became a little better player. So I guess those are all good things.
So long and thanks for all the fish!
Pikkdogs 
#10- Nidoking
PokemanDan 
Ed 
Austino 