One Hit KO

A big hello to everyone in Omar-Nation, this is Pikkdogs here with a Pre-Release tourney Report and some advice for anyone going to Pre-Release tournaments next weekend.

A lot of people are saying that this is the worst set ever, while I don’t know Pokemon TCG history from Base Set to Diamond and Pearl, I do know that there are not many good cards in this set.  There are 2 good trainer cards, maybe 2 good Pokemon, and a handful of good re-prints; thats it.   No good Primes, Level X’s, or Legend Cards!  These reasons make this set not hugely impactful, but it also does make it one of the best sets ever for Pre-Releases.   

Guide to Winning a Call of Legends Pre-Release

Consistency

This set is full of re-prints of supporters that help in consistency including; Proffesor Oaks New Theory, Copy Cat, Professor Elms Training Method, Sages Training, and Cheerleaders Cheer.  When you combine this with good search/draw Pokemon like Smeargle, Mawile, Pidgey, Ninetails, Relincanth, Skarmory, and Pachirisu; you will get quite the consistent deck.  This means that if you get just a couple good attacking Pokemon, you should be able to get them out fairly quickly.  If you pull any of these cards that I mentioned, it would probably be a good idea to run them in your deck.

Attacking

This set doesn’t have the attacking power like other sets have, but this is sure to make it a fun and competitive tournament.  Most sets have a good basic or stage one Prime or Level X, not this time, you will have to rely on evolution cards.  Here are some good options.

1. The Eeveelutions– If you get enough Eevee’s and some of its evolutions, they are not a bad play.
2. The Stage 2 Guys– If you pull a decent line of one stage 2, it is to your advantage to play it.  Ampharos can provide a good attack and great energy acceleration.  While the three GS starters aren’t bad in this format.
3. Seviper– Possibly the best starter of the bunch.  If you want an early prize leader, Seviper will give it to you.  If its poisoned it can do 80 damage, but it usually takes too long to get it poisoned late game.
4. The Stage 1’s– There are several stage 1 Pokemon that are good and easy to evolve.  Donphan doesn’t have great stats but he can hit for weakness on a lot of good Pokemon.  Ursaring isn’t great but only uses Colorless energy, so he is very versatile.  And finally, Houndoom is a good card because a lot of people will play with fighting Pokemon, “Fire Counterattack” attack is almost un-matched.  Gyarados takes a lot of energy, but he can come in later for your last knock-out, if needed.
5. The Big HP basics-  No they aren’t very attractive for Modified play, but they do work well here.  Pokemon like Snorlax, Groudon, Ho-Oh, Lugia, Palkia, and Dialga; aren’t great but can be built up all game when Pokemon like Seviper are attacking, and can provide your 4th and final Knock Out.

Basic Rules for Pre-Releases

Here are some basic rules that you can apply to all pre-releases that you go to.

1. Use all the use-able trainers you have.  If you pull 6 PONT, then put them all in your deck.  Make room for any trainer or supporter that you can use to improve consistency.  The only drawback is that if you pull a card like Lost World you shouldn’t play it, because theres no way that you could use it to win the game.
2. Run about 12 energies.  Usually 12 energies is pretty good for this type of tournament, its just enough so that you will seldom be in need of energy, but won’t always draw it.  This pre-release is a little different, there are so many drawing supporters that you don’t have to run this many.  You could probably get away with about 10 or so.
3. Keep your Pokemon types fairly low.  Its usually best to stick to about 2 or 3 types of Pokemon.  It can be tough to have consistency when you are running 5-6 types of energies.  Pokemon that take only colorless energies are always nice.
4. When choosing your cards keep consistency in mind.  Try to make a deck that will setup as fast as possible every time.  If you pulled a 1-1-1 line of Feraligatr, its probably not the best idea to run it.  Its better to have a Pokemon that can hit for 50 damage, but sets up faster, then a Pokemon that you will only be able to setup once the entire game.  But, you can only make the deck that you pull, so just try to build the most consistent deck you can.

Pikkdog’s Call of Legends Pre-Release- Okemos (Lansing), Mi.

I go to the event early and meet Cheffords for some play-testing.  He plays a Vespiquen deck against my Absol G Lost World deck (expect a good deck article once I get the deck perfected).  I get, I think, 4 in the lost zone, when the packs start coming to the tables.

Of course I was more excited to pull some good cards, rather then cards for the tournament.  But, I only pulled 1 Lost World and no Mr. Mimes or anything like that.  I did pull Ninetails, Ursaring, Seviper, Mismagius, and Weesing; so those were my main Pokemon.  This let me only run 2 types of energies, and still have a fairly balanced deck.  Before pairings were up, I played Cheffords and he set up Ampharos and made quick work of me.  Thats why I was nervous when I saw the pairings.

Round 1.  vs. Cheffords Ampharos/ Gyarados

I sat down and told Cheffords that now we will see if our decks are consistent.  I start with a lone Pidgey and he starts witha Pidgey and something else.  He uses a Supporter and finds that he has prized a Flaffy, so his strategy is kind of shot.  I then get Ursaring setup and take 3 prizes fairly easily.  Then as I was about to take my last prize, he brings up this Totodile with 4 energies, and just owns everything.

Totodile has an attack, called “Aqua Tail” that for WCC does 30 damage plus 20 more for each heads you get from each water energy you have attached to Totodile.  Cheffords gets like 7 heads in a row, and knocks out everybody he sees.  As he has two prizes left I look at what I have in my hand, and what I have on the field.  I see Weezing on the bench, and a bunch of energies in my hand.  I look at Cheffords and ask him if he’s ready for sudden death.  I load 2 energies on Weezing and do “Super Explosion” for 90 for both actives, and we each take our last prize.  This takes away his Totodile and gives me an advantage, because I have two Sevipers in my deck.

So we shuffle everything and tell Cheffords that I need a Seviper start.  I take 7 cards, and thats exactly what I got.  I start with Seviper and a psychic energy, I start first and poison Seviper.  Next turn I use PONT and find the last energy I need to knock out the defending Pokemon with “Poison Effect.”

1-0, hands down the most exciting Pre-Release game I have played up to this point.  What an amazing game, a great comeback and then sudden death.

Round 2- Robert with Lugia and Houndoom.

I have talked to Robert before, but I have never played him.  He is a Poke-Dad, and is more of a collector then a player. He got a good win over my buddy Andrew last round because of Houndoom.  Too bad for him that I don’t use any fighting Pokemon in my deck.

I start with Seviper and get an early 3 prize lead.  There is nothing he can really do early game.  His Houndoom doesn’t do much against me and Lugia takes about 27 turns to get loaded up.  He stalls with Pineco and knocks out Seviper.  I switch to Ursaring and knock out the Pineco.  But, he brings out Lugia with 2 energies, he attaches 1 and then snipes for 30.  I “Confront” Palkia for 20.  Then he attaches again and hits Ursaring for 30, I miss the coin flip on “Cross Chop” and hit Lugia for 50 more.  Next turn he attaches, and knocks out Ursaring.  Just like last game, I look at my bench, but this time I see a Mismagius.  By this time we have gone to time, and on turn 2 he takes his third prize.  On turn 3 I attach my last energy to Mismagius and hopes he has 1 trainer in his hand.  He then shows an “Interviewer’s Question”, and I jump for joy.                                                 

2-0. I am informed that this is the first Pre-Release game in Michigan to go to +3, so its nice to be a part of history. So far my blood pressure has been rising with a lot of close and intense games.

Round 3- Bruce the Judge with Mightyena and Donphan.

I don’t get a great start here, so I attempt to load a bunch of energies on Snorlax.  I eventually knock out his Houndoom with “Clomp Clomp Clobber” (excellent name for an attack), but then notice that all the attacking Pokemon I have out are weak to fighting, and he has a Donphan out.  I know that I need to stall until I can get something else, but I never can get anything else, but I do stall.  I call out my Mime Jr. and put him to sleep.  His Poke-Body makes him invulnerable to attacks when he his asleep, and since his attack puts him to sleep, he just needs to stay asleep during turns.  Amazingly enough, he stays asleep during each of Bruce’s turns, it must been like 5-8 times.  But I eventually deck myself out.

2-1. I don’t know why, but I feel somewhat of a victory in getting decked out.  Its weird that I didn’t have a normal victory this whole day.  One win in sudden death, one after the +3, and a loss by decking out.  This was no doubt the most fun I had in a pre-release, it was a great day.

After the tournament, I stuck around and made some trades.  Before the game I told Jona that I had a premonition that I was going to pull a RH Lost World.  When I got back to him after my third game, he had a RH Lost World waiting for me.  I then traded him a Jirachi UD and Abamasnow (both RH) for it, awesome trade for us both.  I then trade a get a Lost Remover, a DCE, 2 Junk Arms, and a bunch of other stuff.

When I was driving home I had another Premonition, that of a certain Ghost type Pokemon.  So I stop at the Target by my house and make a purchase of a Porygon 2 Blister pack and 2 Triumphant Booster Packs.  The Boosters turn out to be nothing, and I get nothing in the Platinum pack that was in the Blister pack.  But, in the first Triumphant pack that was in the Blister I got a Gengar Prime, I was really pumped because those things are selling anywhere from 30-50 bones now a days, so I was pretty pumped.  It was a great day, and I had fun with my Michigan pals.

So long and thanks for all the fish.

Category: Tourney Report, Uncategorized | Tags: Call of Legends, pre-release report