To anyone who checked back last Friday expecting a new article from yours truly, I’d like to take this moment to apologize; I was halfway through writing it, but then my sweet laptop decided to crash on me. I lost everything I had written at that point (remember, CTRL+S is your friend). No matter though, because we are back this week and better than ever!
If you can recall my first article (http://www.onehitko.com/2013/08/30/thoughts-on-the-early-days-of-the-new-format/) I took a detailed look at the five strategies I felt were the ones to beat going into the new format. While this may go without saying, it is of the utmost importance that we have a strong understanding of what these decks are trying to do and how to best combat them. What is equally important, however, is that we keep a close eye on the decks that lurk in the shadows known as tier two, waiting for the perfect time to strike and spike the tournament; if you are not weary, you could find yourself in the losing bracket, regardless of how prepared you were for the big dogs.
So, today’s article will be a similar layout to my first article, but I will instead be taking a close look at the ‘tier 2’ strategies to expect going into Regionals and the like. I will also explain the environments each strategy needs in order to prosper, in an attempt to best prepare you for what you should expect at any given event. Let’s get started! Read More
Hello once again readers of OneHitKO, I’m back for my second article with an interesting experience for everyone to read about. This previous weekend (9/14/13), I got the opportunity to play in a BW-on tournament that was single-game Swiss rounds. The only different rule was, you couldn’t play any EX Pokemon! I actually only found out I was going to this tournament about a week in advance, so I was limited on how much I could prepare.
At first I thought the Tool-Drop deck (Trubish/Sigilyph/Masqurain) would be the best choice, but it was very inconsistent and didn’t do as well against non-EX Pokemon. Absol seemed strong, but was also easy to play around if that was the only focus of the deck. Zoroark was promising, but just didn’t hold up to some of the stage 2 decks. I wanted to play Gothitelle/Accelgor/Dusknoir but I no longer had any Gothitelle, so I decided to play Garchomp/Altaria. It was consistent, had a good damage output (100-140) without too much effort, and was easy to play. After testing a game or two and doing some theorizing, here is the list I came up with: Read More
Greetings readers of OneHitKO, my name is Mike Lesky (or Choncey as some people may know me ). I am 21 years old and graduated from Culinary School last winter. I am also a veteran of the Pokemon TCG and have had quite a bit of success in the game since 2003. I have never written anything for a website before so this is a whole new experience for me, and I am very grateful that Ed is letting me do this. I have always wanted to be a role model for players of the Pokemon TCG ever since I started helping locals in my area build decks, understand strategy, and win tournaments. I am a very competitive player when it comes to this game so I tend to take it very seriously.
I have been following OneHitKO.com for quite a while now and have always kind of thought of it as a more casual Pokemon website because of the lack of “Big Names” writing for it. As everyone has probably noticed the best way to get traffic nowadays is to put some big flashy titles and names on things to spark interest and draw in new crowds. So some of you are probably wondering, who is this guy and how do we know that he knows what he is talking about?
I’m not some big name like 3 time world champion Jason Klaczynski or consistent nationals player and worlds qualifier Kyle “Pooka” Sucevich, but I do feel that I am a strong contender at any tournament I go to no matter who is there. Some of my top accomplishments are:
2x Minnesota State Champion
1x Iowa State Champion
3rd Place 2007 Midwest Regionals
2nd Place 2007 Mississippi Valley Regionals
9-10th Place x3 Midwest Regionals 2010 2011 2012
23rd Place World Championships 2012
2x Top 128 National Championships 2012 and 2013
11x Battle Road Champion
6x City Champion
So it isn’t the most impressive list of accomplishments, but I do like to think that I know what I’m doing.
So anyways, the whole point of why I am here is to bring the competitive scene back to OneHitKO. I feel that this is the best way to bring traffic back to the site. I think this is the best way to go if we want to ensure the future of this community. And to get it started, I want to go over my experience I had this past weekend (8/30/13) at the Klaczynski Open! Read More
First off, I’d like to thank everyone who took the time to read my debut article from last week. I’m sure this much is obvious by now, but I am very passionate about Pokemon and writing alike, so it means a lot to me that people would stop what they are doing to read what I have to say. Hopefully in time, as more articles are posted, more and more people will discover this website and what we have to offer to the community. Of course, you can help with that too; if you read our articles and dig what you see, don’t hesitate to tell your friends about us! Word of mouth really does go a long way, and every single person who shares us helps us out a tremendous amount.
(In case you didn’t catch my last article, you can view it via the link directly below.)
While I am pretty confident with my predictions in last week’s article, only time will tell what archetypes truly prove themselves to be the cream of the crop. Trying to qualify for Worlds having not played in over two years is going to be a major challenge for me, and if I want to succeed, I have to make sure to make the right meta calls from the very first event. When determining what deck is an optimal play in the early days of a format, there are always a few factors I like to consider, the first of which being that since there are little-to-no results for us to analyze and learn from, everyone who turns in their deck registration sheet at that very first event is going off of theory, raw testing results and not much else.
Because of this, we can deduce that the decks that will perform the best throughout the early stages of a season are generally going to be more proactive than reactive, meaning they are more concerned with ‘asking a question’ than ‘providing an answer’; without an adequate amount of tournament results to go by, the reactive decks simply don’t know what questions they need to answer (or how to best address them, for that matter). Proactive decks, however, don’t need to know all the right answers, because, well, they are the question! This logic also applies to techs somewhat; there is nothing wrong with adding a card or two to counter what you predict you will be facing, but a fully teched-out deck is generally going to be less favored in a beginning-of-the-format tournament when compared to a consistent, streamlined one.
Take TDK for example- what is probably the biggest ‘question deck’ of this new format. The question TDK asks its opponent is this: ‘How are you going to deal with a consistent flurry of Kyurem backed by Team Plasma support?’. As we all know good and well, this is not an easy question to answer effectively, which is what makes TDK the consensus strongest strategy right now. See, TDK isn’t worried about attacking specific strategies it may or may not face; regardless of what you’re playing, TDK just wants to Blizzard Burn for obscene amounts of damage as early as possible until all six prizes are taken. This is what it means to be a proactive strategy. Read More
I don’t believe I’ve ever met any of you, so allow me a brief moment to introduce myself. My name is Tyler Lindsey (for those of you who didn’t catch that already). I’m a 21 year old lifelong gamer, hailing from the humid plains of southeast Alabama. Currently, I am making a return to the Pokemon TCG community after playing Magic: the Gathering competitively for two years. Magic was both fun and rewarding, but it was also very time consuming, and the nostalgia vibes given off by my favorite childhood game always keep me coming back! My primary goal for this season is to successfully reach the 400CP required to compete in Worlds 2014 in Washington DC, while writing resourceful and insightful strategy articles along the way. Hopefully I can deliver in both aspects!
Of course, if one wants to have a truly successful season, they must hit the ground running from day one, and I intend to do just that. The weeks after Worlds, where old season transfers into new, is definitely one of the best times to get reacquainted with the game; there is ample time to playtest, and everyone is starting with a clean slate as far as deck building goes. Fortunately, I have used this moment’s reprieve in competitive play to my advantage, and as a result, I feel I have a very good grip on what the format will shape up to in the months to come. In this article, I will delve into the five ‘main’ strategies I feel are the most noteworthy going into this new terrain, so allow me to share some of my findings with you.
(Bear in mind these archetypes are in no particular order.)
1.) TDK (and other similar flavors of Plasma)
So let’s get right to it and start with the obvious: TDK is still public enemy number one. It lost little to nothing from rotation (if you could even call it a rotation), and even gained a new toy from Plasma Blast in the form of Silver Bangle. Kyurem (PLF) continues to be one of the most efficient attackers in the format, and is still backed by all of the powerful support cards Team Plasma boasts. While Lugia-centered Plasma builds also stand to become a powerful force in the metagame, make no mistake- Kyurem is the undisputed king that all decks must answer to if they wish to excel post-rotation. Read More
Unfortunately, it seems that no one has interest in this site anymore. Hopefully we will gain some traffic due to the shout-out on The Deck Out, but I doubt it will be that much. I think the down spiral for OHKO started with Pikkdogs leaving. Please, if you can write, contact Ed and see if you can become a writer and hopefully breathe new life into this site. Also, if you still regularly check OHKO, please comment so I know about how big our following is. I will try to write as much as I can, but I will not write if no one reads it. I would really love for this site to reach its former glory. However, this requires for YOUto do some active participation.
So I’m sure most of you have heard of this by now, but for the few of you who haven’t, Jason Klaczynski, the only two-time Pokemon TCG Worlds Champion, is hosting a unsanctioned tournament next month. The hope is for it to spiral into a full-blown TCG circuit that will run alongside the official Premier tournaments. NOTE: The following information is off of the event’s webpage (http://ko2013.eventbrite.com/), and none of it has been altered in any manner.
The official logo for the 2013 Klaczynski Open (KO).
The official custom die given to all entrants of the KO.
14 & Under Event (open only to players ages 14 and under)
All entrants will receive a customized die bearing the name of the event!
Format
2013-’14 Modified (Black & White – Plasma Blast*)
*This format is preliminary and may change.
Tournament Schedule
Day 1 (Saturday)
Both events will host five or six rounds of Best 2-of-3 swiss, featuring a 75 minute + 3 turn time limit, as well as a Lunch break. Side Events will be available throughout the day.
Doors Open: 8:00 A.M.
Deck Lists Due: 9:00 A.M.
Round 1 Begins: 9:30 A.M.
If you submit a deck list online (see below for information), simply arrive by 9 AM.
Day 2 (Sunday)
Play resumes: 9:30 A.M.
14 & Under will begin Top 8, single elimination (Best 2-of-3, 90+3). Main Event players will play one to two more rounds of swiss before a lunch break and then begin a single elimination top cut (Best 2-of-3, 90+3 for Top 8/Top 4, Best-of-5, untimed for finals).
2nd Place: 18 Plasma Blast Booster Packs, The Top Cut playmat
3rd Place: 12 Plasma Blast Booster Packs
4th Place: 10 Plasma Blast Booster Packs
5th-8th Place: 8 Plasma Blast Booster Packs
Accommodations
The Tinley Park Convention Center is conveniently connected to the Holiday Inn, which is offering a discounted group rate for rooms to our group:
Friday Night: $169 +tax
Saturday Night: $149 +tax
Sunday Night: $149 +tax
Enter group code POK on their web-site to receive this discount.
Note: Only rooms with 1 King bed receive the promotional rate. Rooms with two beds are only available for Saturday & Sunday night, and are slightly more expensive.
Players that lose a game in a Best 2-of-3 match always have the option to play first in the next game of the match. (In sanctioned events, Sudden Death games replace this choice with a coin flip, allowing a player to potentially play first in all three games.)
All language Tropical Beach cards are permitted in decks.
If you’ve never played a sanctioned or premier event, or need a refresher, here’s a list of our rules.
Conduct
Because this is a family event, players are also expected to act accordingly and avoid foul and abusive language. While trading of cards is fine, selling cards or merchandise at the venue is prohibited except for the on-site vendor. Anyone who violates these rules may be asked to leave.
Cheating
Players caught cheating intentionally (at the discretion of the Head Judge) will be disqualified without prize and removed from the event. Additionally, players caught cheating may be banned from future events. Our experienced and knowledgeable staff of judges will be on the look out for players attempting to cheat. Do not risk embarrassing yourself — you will be removed from the venue.
Is the promotional rate of $149/night available on Friday night?
Because of limited rooms, the promotional rate offered by the Holiday Inn is only available for Saturday & Sunday night. The rate on Friday (and other nights) will be the standard $169/night.
Are ties possible in matches?
All matches will play down to a winner and loser. Ties may be used in future events in swiss rounds.
Is there food on site?
Food will be available at the event. Additionally, there are several nearby restaurants, some walking distance from the Convention Center.
Depending on availability, players may enter the Main Event by paying $45 at the door. Attendance is limited, so purchase your ticket online to ensure your seat at the event.
14 & Under Event players may also enter by paying $35 at the door, but attendance is limited. Purchase your ticket online to ensure your seat at the event.
Are tickets refundable?
Tickets are non-refundable and must be used by the participant listed on the ticket.
Will The Top Cut be at the event?
The Top Cut, including Kyle “Pooka” Sucevich will be at the event, streaming featured matches throughout the duration of the tournament.
Can a player age 14 or under play in the Main Event?
Yes. Younger players wishing to challenge themselves and compete for larger prizes are welcome to play in the Main Event.
Will online pairings be available?
Yes. Round pairings will be posted online in addition to at the event.
Can a player suspended from another organized play program articipate in this event?
In the interest of creating a fun, fair and enjoyable tournament atmosphere for all, players currently suspended from any other organized play program should contact the tournament organizer for approval before purchasing their ticket.
Facebook Group
Questions about the event? Wondering who’s going? Join the Klaczynski Open Facebook group!
Small changes may occur to the structure or rules of this event. Check here or our Facebook group to stay updated!
Hi my name is Owen I am new to this site and hopefully a good addition. I am a senior and this is my first article so please comment and tell me how I did.
2 Virbank City Gym to counter Beaches and to help the laser
4 Shadow Triad to get even more use of Hypnotoxic laser
2 Skyla can help get lasers into play can be switched with Cherens but I think this deck already has draw power
4 Max potion, because this deck has no energy so it is essential and very helpful
1 potion just extra healing
4 Rescue Scarf since Block is the main point in this deck you want to keep it going
Hugh to level the playing field if you mulligan since you only have 4 basics (maybe more)
1 Rock guard to add more damage
2 Tool Scrapper since the Garbodor matchup would be pretty bad without it
Techs
There are not too many good techs in quad Snorlax but you can play Audino from boundaries crossed since the laserbank combo is so big right now. You can also play Double colorless energy to use teampact for faster knockouts.
Notes
This deck is very fun to play and very cheap compared to decks like plasma rush.
Esa Juntunen from The Deck Out at the 2012 Top Cut Invitational
I’ve decided to start a new series to hopefully breathe life into this site again. I will be interviewing major players in the Pokemon community, asking them anything from their opinions on the metagame to what their favorite sport is. First off is Esa Juntunen, winner of Finnish Nationals a grand total of six times! Before I start, I would like to say that this interview took place over email in early October, 2012, so some things may seem a little dated. So without further ado, let’s get this started.
OneHitKO: A lot of people disagree on how to pronounce your name. How should it be pronounced?
Esa: That’s a question, I get asked a lot and in fact, I answered to that question in one of my blogs’ entries (right before World Championships). If you click this link: http://translate.google.com/#fi|en|esa The google translate will pronounce my name as close to the real pronunciation as artificially possible. However, in the 7 Worlds, I’ve been, I’m so used to misspelling my name that I don’t really mind it.
OneHitKO: On to some more serious stuff, what made you want to play competitively?
Esa: The competitiveness is in my nature. No matter what I do (sports, school etc.) I have always been competitive. I get the most out of any hobby when I do it competitively and aim to the top. As I’ve become older I have noticed that I’m not as competitive as before, but I still enjoy winning, so I’m still pretty competitive. I was in my first tournament in 2002 when I was 11-years old and in my first official tournament I was in 2004.
Hey OneHitKO people, it’s me again. I’m sorry for the delay in between articles, but my free time lately hasn’t been all too plentiful due to testing for the tournaments I’m writing about now. I had the privilege to attend two States this year, and I feel like writing about them, so I’m writing about them.
First things first, I had started testing a bunch of decks. I was fairly comfortable with my PlasmaKlang build until I learned that so many people would be teching against it. I also liked my Darkrai/Lasers build, but not enough to warrant playing it. I had built a Blastoise variant to test against, and although the list wasn’t very good it worked quite nicely in testing. After some tweaking I decided to play Blastoise for Week One. This was the list I used:
3 Keldeo EX
This deck is Blasphemy.
4-0-3 Blastoise BCR
1 Black Kyurem EX PLS
1 Moltres NXD
-12
4 Rare Candy
4 Energy Retrieval
4 Pokemon Catcher
3 Ultra Ball
1 Level Ball
1 Heavy Ball
1 Computer Search
4 Professor Juniper
4 Skyla
2 N
1 Colress
1 Bianca
2 Tropical Beach
-32
13 Water Energy
2 Lightning Energy
1 Fire Energy
-16
I felt like Blastoise with a tech against Plasmaklang was the best possible play for Week One, seeing as the meta was almost completely undeveloped barring a few Cities in Europe and some testing at league. I felt like my list was great because it was consistent enough and had the option to use Black Kyurem EX when I needed to.
So the first States I got to go to was Arizona, where I was one of only three NorCal Seniors there. I met up with the other two early on, found some Beach to borrow, and got registered. I got a nice little States die that said Arizona on it, which was pretty cool, and after about a 2 1/2 hour registration period and some hassle with the printer not working it finally
Unfortunately, I was not the King Of Arizona.
started up.
Round One vs. ??? (I don’t know the Arizona people well enough to recall most names) w/Flippy Stuff
I start Keldeo with a terrible hand, my only Supporter being a Bianca and a bunch of energy. I Bianca for two and draw Computer Search and Squirtle, bench the Squirtle and Computer Search for a Beach, and by Turn Three I’m Secret Swording for 110, and steamrolling everything he has.
1-0
Round 2 vs. Mr. Curtis “Kecleon” Swick
That name is legit what it said on the pairing sheet. Anyway, I saw beforehand that he was playing Lugia/Eels with Thundurus EPO, and I’m wondering what my matchup is like. I form a gameplan of trying to steamroll with Black Kyurem EX, but when I start double Squirtle with no Supporters I basically just pray I topdeck something, which I don’t. He gets a T2 Disaster Volt and does so again and I’m benched out on Turn Three.
1-1
Round 3 vs. ??? w/RayEels
All I remember about this game is steamrolling, and his build not being very good.
2-1
Round 4 vs. Logan Goad w/Garchomp/Altaria/LaserBank
I’m forced to play a NorCal player here, and that kind of sucks, but I figure that the matchup is pretty good for me.
Problem is I start Black Kyurem EX, and then I’m forced to discard two Catcher on Turn One with a Professor Juniper. He gets an early two-prize lead and I am unable to win a prize trade with him due to a lack of energy, and we both two-shot each other until I eventually lose.
2-2
At this point I know I need to win out to make cut, and even if I do it’s kinda iffy. I haven’t heard of most of the people there barring a few good Arizona players and a few good SoCal players, so I just have to hope I don’t run into them.
Round 5 vs. ??? w/Hydreigon
Remember what I said in a previous article about Hydreigon having a great Blastoise matchup? That changed when Black Kyurem EX came out, so as soon as I figure out what he’s playing I’m confident in the matchup. I start Moltres to his Registeel and immediately expect him to start looking for Klinks, so when he Ultra Balls for a Deino I’m kind of confused. I start setting up but I’m forced to discard two Blastoise and he starts Night Spearing the third, and I don’t have a way to recover them afterward. But I remember Black Kyurem EX sweeps before he gets the Catcher, and I win.
3-2
Round 6 vs. ??? w/PlasmaKlang
I don’t have a great start and he has a great one, but on T3 I draw into all the resources I need to sweep with Moltres, and I do so.
4-2
I do some quick math and it turns out that there are 9 4-2’s, 3 of which will make Top 8. After a suspenseful wait, standings are posted, and I’m 11th. Top Cut ended up being the following:
Patrick M w/Garbodor
Conner G w/Plasmaklang w/Etherdex
Blastoise
Hydreigon
Asim w/Landorus/Tornadus/Mewtwo/Something or other
Collin C w/Victini/Garbodor/Attackers
Curtis S w/Lugia/Thundurus/Eels
Sebo w/Plasmaklang
Finals was Patrick vs. Curtis, and Curtis won.
Next up is California States, and I make a couple changes to my list, notably a Tool Scrapper, 4th Blastoise, and second C0lress and Bianca for a Water, Skyla, Heavy Ball, and Level Ball. I end up regretting each one but the Tool Scrapper, but nevermind that.
I show up at the Queen Mary, find two Beaches I can borrow, and get registered, and the tournament eventually starts.
Round One vs. ??? w/Blastoise
I had heard previously that Blastoise mirror is incredibly luck based, so I feel like I have a slight advantage because I have a more consistent list (I saw him playing Super Scoop Ups and a couple other techs). I go second (Which I’m actually happy about because he doesn’t get to use my Beach, but nevermind that), and start attacking before he does. We swing for 110 for a while and I eventually have a three energy drop to OHKO his Keldeo, and it’s downhill for him from there.
1-0
Round 2 vs. ??? w/Darkrai/Lasers
I get T2 Black Ballista. I win T4.
2-0
Round 3 vs. Ivan w/Garbodor
Sue me. I’m bored.
This game was the single most hilarious game I’ve played since a Next Destinies Prerelease where I did 160 damage to my opponent’s Mewtwo EX with Hippopotas NXD’s “Sand Jet” attack before he could retreat his active Growlithe and start sweeping with Mewtwo. However, this wasn’t because I came up with an amazing and hilarious ploy to take out an EX before it could do some damage, rather because I misplayed so much and my opponent dead drew so much.
On Turn Two I have a benched Blastoise and an active Black Kyurem EX with a Lightning Energy attached and 60 damage, and his only Pokemon in play is a Mewtwo EX with a Double Colorless Energy attached. I Juniper and draw two Water, which I stupidly decide to attach to Black Kyurem and Slash for 60. He then attaches a Fighting Energy and KO’s my Black Kyurem, and I have no way to get it back.
Fast forward to later in the game, where he’s still dead drawing and I’m still misplaying. I have an active Blastoise with six Energy attached and he has a Terrakion NVI with enough energy to Land Crush, and no benched Pokemon. I decide to Beach instead of attacking and hoping he didn’t draw a benched Pokemon, and he topdecks a Giant Cape which puts me one energy away from winning with Blastoise. If I had attacked his Terrakion instead of Beaching I win that game next turn.
The game ends with me being the energy I had cut from my list short of KOing his Terrakion for my last prize, and I’m forced to try to Catcher his Mewtwo and hit for 110. He has the energy to retreat and KO my active Keldeo for his last two prizes.
2-1
Game Four vs. Troy Olbernote w/Darkrai/Lugia/Lasers
I get another T2 Black Ballista and sweep.
3-1
Game Five vs. ??? w/PlasmaKlang
Neither of us get very good starts, and I try to build up my Moltres on the bench without Blastoise. Little do I know my Fire Energy is prized. He runs out of Catcher and Switch rather quickly, however, and after I Catcher Plasmaklang to try to buy time he benches a Keldeo, Rushes In, and hits for 50. I then promote Black Kyurem EX and Black Ballista him in an attempt to draw the fire. He’s like “That does nothing”. I then explain to him that Keldeo is not a metal type, and therefore is not protected by Plasma Steel, and he facepalms. He gets back into the game rather quickly, however, and eventually takes all his prizes before I can draw my fire.
3-2
Again I’m in the position where I need to win out to make cut, but this time I have better resistance and there won’t be as many bubbles, so I’m more comfortable in this position.
Round 6 vs. Austin Bowen w/WhiteEels
This game starts out with him using Bouffalant and me trying to draw into a Lightning Energy while using Keldeo. Eventually I Computer Search for one and start sweeping with BKEX.
4-2
Round 5 vs. Will Hildebrant w/Ho-oh
I actually debate scooping this game to put Ho-oh into cut, but I decide that I need the points too much. He starts Ho-oh, and I have an amazing starting hand. I get another early Black Ballista and win with BKEX 6-0.
5-2
At this point I’m 99% sure I’m in cut, and I check the Standings to find out that I’m in as the 11 seed… playing against Garbodor.
Top 16 vs. Patrick Martinez w/Garbodor
Game One: After a terrible start I realize I can’t win and scoop to conserve time.
Game Two: See Game One, except I didn’t scoop.
5-3, 13th overall.
Honestly I’m pretty happy about my list, even if there were a few things I would have liked differently. I’m glad to be getting 20 points, putting me at 285. If I do alright at Salt Lake City Regionals I might actually get my invite this year.
Well, thanks for reading. Be sure to leave a comment, and I’ll respond to it as soon as I get the time. Farewell!
Tyler Lindsey 
Mike Lesky 
balasar 
Owen Rhoads 
coolestman22 
