A Tale of Two Cities (winning LuxChomp Report)
by Andy Wieman ~ December 9th, 2010.
It was the best of times… and then the next day it was the best of times again. Ugh, what a start. Sorry about that
Ed asked me to write a tournament report about my weekend at the Source and Dreamers. I usually tweet updates as the tournaments go on (www.twitter.com/wiem0014) so those notes helped a lot in writing this report. Sorry if I don’t remember names or all of the details.
The previous weekend Emmanuel, Lukas, Nick and I traveled to Madison and LaCrosse for the first weekend of Cities. I performed extremely sub-par that weekend, mostly due to bad luck, but also due to a costly misplay on Saturday. I ended up 2-3 Saturday (after starting 0-3) with Luxchomp This was the deck I was most comfortable with, winning States with it last year, and testing it heavily for Regionals and Nats. It was the right deck in a field of Gyarados, but I started against two Machamp decks and couldn’t recover. I finished 3-2 on Sunday while playing a Machamp deck focused on the Prime more than most. Jay Hornung (from IA) ended up winning both days with Luxchomp and going 13-1 on the weekend.
The week in between, I was able to test a bit with Ed and Abdi and had basically decided that Luxchomp would be my deck. Machamp couldn’t beat Gyarados, and I was very confident in my basic Luxchomp list. I had a few spots to tweak depending on what I though the metagame would look like, so Friday night I spoke with Mike Lesky and we determined that teching for Gyarados and the mirror would be the correct play. This turned out to be very good advice.
Saturday – Source, St. Paul, MN – 25 Masters 5 Rounds Top 4
I always like playing at the Source because Radu is banned from there (haha) which makes the field a bit easier. However, that Saturday at the Source was terrible due to some bad planning on the store’s part. They crammed almost 50 players into a space fit for 30, while allowing weekly miniature players free use of many other tables. I showed up list in hand, and visited with the South Dakota boys that traveled in. I saw a lot of Gyarados and not much Machamp and was very happy with my list.
Round 1) Rahim w/Dialgachomp
I know that Rahim has played this deck before. I saw him play it during Battle Roads and doing fairly well. He is a bit rushed, still filling out his decklist as the round is about to start. We set up, and I “win†the die roll. I start Garchomp with a Call Energy in hand. I top a Luxray, bench it and then Call for two more Garchomps. He starts relatively poorly but sacrifices a lot of resources to get a turn two Deafen. He starts to build up a Dialga but doesn’t realize that Luxray is resistant to Metal which allows me to 2-Hit KO the Dialga. This leaves him with not much on his field but an Ambipom and a Garchomp which I quickly snipe. I end up taking 6 prizes fairly quickly.
1-0
Round 2) One of the Yule’s w/Magnezone/Vileplume
Once again I “win†the die roll and have a great setup, except for the fact that I open with Dragonite and he opens with Spiritomb. I attach and pass. He basically does nothing but drop an Elektrike and use Darkness Grace to get a Magnemite. He missed his first two energy drops with killed his setup, as well as prizing Magnezone X. I use these turns to get plenty of energy on the field and end up having one turn of trainers, after manually retreating Dragonite, and KO his Tomb. He goes the agro Manetric route and uses the second attack to get some energy on a Magnezone. At this point he has a Plume setup, so I have to expend a lot of energy to KO the Manetric, then the Plume. Then I 2-Hit his Magnezone and it feels pretty secure up 4-2. However, on his last turn he drops ERL, but would end up killing two of his own as well, and scoops.
2-0
Round 3) Abdi w/Gyarados
I know that Abdi plays Blissey, so I will have to pick up cheap prizes and OHKO his Gyarados’s to win. He starts off with Sableye and Collectors for two Karps and a Regice. I don’t have much to do although I do have a Cyrus, and I end up calling for two more SP. This allows me to Spray his turn 2 and 3 Regimove, and then Looker’s his hand away with his three Karps. I then snipe his Chancey, bait an Expert Belt to kill a Garchomp, and OHKO the Belted Gyarados for my 5th and 6th Prize.
3-0
Round 4) Danyelle Simon w/Gyarados
Danyelle is playing my Gyarados deck, so I feel like I have an advantage knowing every card in her deck. The truth is though, it didn’t matter. I spray some early stuff, including Uxie two turns in a row, and she never even gets a Gyarados setup before I bench her.
4-0
Round 5) Michael Slutsky w/Gyarados/Donphan
His use of Donphan tilts this matchup a bit, but he does sacrifice consistency which shows here. We both start awful, but I rip a Cyrus to get started and setup way faster than he does. He prized Azelf and Regice (although I had Sprays aplenty), and he cannot discard any Karps. At one point he Tail Revenges’ me for zero. I make a terrible play and Looker’s away his terrible hand to get rid of his 3 Karp. He draws a great hand and goes off, but he is too far behind at this point to catch up.
5-0
I’m feeling pretty good going into top cut, until I get hit with two pieces of bad news. First, I find out we are playing best of one in the top cut, which I think is absolutely and completely wrong. Secondly, I find out I am playing against Machamp while the two Gyarados Decks slug it out.
Top 4) Emmanuel Divens w/Machamp
Once again, we both draw awful, but I am able to Call for two SP which allows me to Spray an early Uxie. He ends up getting a SF Machamp setup quickly, which I am able to OHKO with Uxie Lvl X and Lucario. He sets up another and KO’s my Uxie. I proceed to 2-hit KO that Machamp with Garchomp and Luxray. At this point he runs out of steam a bit before setting up a Machamp Prime. I am able to knock that Machamp out without it taking a prize and coast from there.
6-0
The other game is done by this time and I find out that I am playing another playtesting partner for the second round in a row.
Top 2) Ed w/Gyarados
In this game I follow the same formula for Gyarados that I have found to be effective. I spray a few early Regimove’s, which slows him down because he cannot play Junk Arm. I begin sniping around his Sableye. I find out later that he does not have energy to retreat Sableye, which I finally knock out for my fourth prize. At this point I use Luxray X to KO the Sableye, which baits the Belt on the Gyarados, which allows me to take the last two prizes with a Trash Bolt.
7-0
So I end up winning my second CC (first was in Chicago last year) and go undefeated in the process. I was overall very happy with my deck choice and knew that I would play the same deck the next day, since I expected a lot of SP. I wake up in the morning and pick Michael up for the ride to Dreamers. On the way I find out Radu will be playing Vilegar w/Mewtwo. I debate teching further for that matchup, but decide to just change one trainer to a supporter to allow setup under lock a bit easier. e
Sunday – Dreamer’s, St. Louis Park – 26 Players 5 Rounds Top 4
I walk in and socialize a bit, but for the most part I was just anxious to get started.
Round 1) Aubrey w/Kingdra
This is obviously a good matchup for me due to weakness, but it gets better when she mulligans twice, and starts with a lone Horsea. She “wins†the die roll, attaches, Smokescreen’s and it’s my turn. I start Luxray with Garchomp on the bench. I Flashbite the Horsea, Poketurn the Luxray, lay it back down (to get rid of Smokescreen) attach a DCE and bite for the donk.
1-0
Round 2) Abdi w/Gyarados
I am expecting Abdi to badly want revenge for my beating him the day before. He misplays turn one by using Time Walk to free a pokemon, but putting back a Sableye which stunts his setup. He also cannot find a BTS, and I pick up two easy prizes Bright Looking two Karps and Biting them for the KO. I then let through a few Regimoves which warp my Luxrays to the bench, and I am able to easily OHKO his Gyarados’s for the victory.
2-0
Round 3) Alex Hauser w/Mewperior
I know that I have almost no way to win this game if it goes longer than a turn or two. He “wins†the die roll and puts a Ryperior X in the Lost Zone with no other Pokemon. I start Smeargle, Portrait his hand and see a Collector. This allows me to grab Uxie, Crobat and Unown Q. I then Cyrus for an energy and Poketurn, Flash Bite his Mew twice, retreat Smeargle and KO the Mew with Uxie.
3-0
Two Donks in one day and I am feeling pretty good about my chances with plenty of SP at the top tables. I am heavily teched for the mirror and want nothing but SP for the rest of the day please.
Round 4) Mike Lesky w/Luxchomp
Right idea, wrong player. Mike has a lot of mirror experience, and I know this should be tough. I spray an Azelf turn two, then I rip a Cyrus, and end up Cyrus’ing four times before he does once. Midgame, I have won the Garchomp/Dragonite war and have four energy on the field, while he has one. He put up a good fight, but is too far behind to recover.
4-0
Round 5) Emmanuel Divens w/Machamp
Emmanuel must be feeling great with nothing but SP at the top tables. I also know that he tweaked his deck for the SP matchup, playing 3-1 Take Out/Prime split. Turn one I drop a Pokemon and Call for two more SP to allow a Power Spray. He ends up Portraiting twice, Setup once, and gets two Machamp in play turn one. Needless to say he runs through me.
4-1
I am feeling pretty darn good about my tiebreakers, but my worry is the Machamp and possibly Mewtwo in the Top Cut. Luckily, Radu ends up missing, taking 5th with Vilegar. This means Emmanuel vs. Michael, and Me vs. Mike Lesky. I also find out that we are playing best of one again in Top Cut (total BS IMO).
Top 4) Mike Lesky w/Luxchomp
This is a very close game all the way through. The following exchange takes place early on in the game:
Mike: Snipe KO Andy’s Garchomp (0-1)
Andy: Return KO with Dragonite (1-1)
Mike: Return KO with Dragonite (1-2)
Andy: Return KO with Garchomp (2-2)
Mike: KO Crobat with Luxray (2-3)
Andy: Return KO With Promocroak (3-3)
Mike: Return KO with Uxie X (3-4)
Andy: Return KO with Uxie X (4-4)
I am then able to keep my Uxie on the field long enough to find an Aarons, bring my Dragonite and Garchomps back and find the last two prizes. Great Games Mike.
5-1
Top 2) Emmanuel Divens w/Machamp
Emmanuel opens horrible again w/Lucario and goes second. He proclaims that he needs to draw a basic or he loses. He rips a Machop, but uses it to Communicate for a Uxie. I spray the Uxie. He Seekers, and uses Uxie again. I can’t stop this one and he draws a bunch. I can tell from his expression that he drew horrible. The game goes very poorly for him, with me killing three Machops over the course of the game. I end up taking four prizes, then killing my first Machamp, before sniping for the last prize and the Medal.
6-1
So, I end up going back to back, and end up 13-1 on the weekend. I know that I only beat Emmanuel both days due to sub par draws on his part, but I still feel pretty good about my weekend. I comment to a friend that “When the deck that I am most comfortable playing also happens to be the BDIF, it might allow good results.â€Â Next weekend will bring another tourney, and I will most likely show up with another version of the same deck, due to not having testing time for my Vilegar deck. See you guys there.
Props
Ed: For prompting me to write the LONG report
Abdi: For testing the week prior
Mike: Having a late night idea bouncing partner is VERY helpful
Radu: For being banned form the Source
All RH Decks: For being amazing
Emmanuel: For Drawing poorly when it counted
Slops
Emmanuel: For playing Machamp both days
Best-of-One Top Cuts: Despite the fact that this worked out well for me, I am totally against it and voiced my opinion to our PTO. As far as I know, we are the only state to do this.
LONG Tourney Reports: For being too long