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AQ Scizor/EX Blastoise
TR Cassidy

Pastimes Cards, Comics & Games
Niles, Illinois
February 17, 2003

      Basically, when expedition came out I discovered blastoise. I thought, "Wow, combo'd with recycle energy, this thing could be nasty." So I made a deck with it and steelix (for those water resistant grass things =\ ) which was later swapped out for scizor. Here's the list I used for the SBZ:

3 Squirtle (exp, 50 HP)
3 Wartortle (exp)
3 Blastoise (exp, Jetstream Power)
3 Cleffa
2 Tyrogue
2 Scyther (aq, 50 HP)
2 Scizor (aq)

4 Double Gust
4 Gold Berry
4 Professor Elm
3 Trader
3 Copycat
2 Town Volunteers
2 Sprout Tower
2 Pokemon Fanclub

8 Water
4 Metal
3 Recycle
1 Rainbow
1 Darkness

       Yes, there is a bit of TecH in the deck. Darkness energy was originally Chris Fulop's idea. You get a stoise powered up to do 60 damage against a kingdra. You hit them for 60, the gold berry removes the damage to 20, you slap the dark on it to KO them and then either remove it via Jetstream next turn or retreat with it and a recycle energy. Also, if you're facing an espeon deck, you can hit them for 30 with WWM to get under their gold berry, and then slap the dark on to hit for 50, effectively removing that threat. Jason K pointed out that the deck needed a counter gym, so I decided on Sprout Tower.  The main reason I ran a countergym was because if my opponent had a steelix with a Ecogym in play and I had no way to counter it, I'd lose =\. A latent effect of this gym is that it also counters the Light Dragonite deck that I thought would make an appearence at the SBZ. I'm running pichu over magby as, well, every deck needs to run a pichu. Also, I tend to have some trouble w/ the lily pad promo mew, and this little bugger helps out. With the release of fanclub, it's not really necessary to run a 4-4-3 evolution line as you can always club for your basics and then trader your evolutions. Rainbow basically gave me another metal for scizor, and it would have helped if I needed to remove a gold berry. I chose scizor over lix as Jason pointed out to me over AIM, "You get 2-3 metals on scizor, it won't matter if you're resistant or not to grass." I ran the 50 HP scyther over the 60 HP one as I figured that if worse came to worse I could attack a mew with it and not have to fear an OHKO by an espeon next turn.  Anyway, here's my report:

       There was a threat of snow the night before, apparently we were expected to get 6 inches of it =\. Luckily, it passed us by or something, and we got less than an inch ^_^.  So I showed up around 11, hooked up with some people I knew from the boards and league in general, got the remaining cards I needed (a fanclub and 2 scythers X\ ), loaned out some cards to people and a deck to this other guy. The judges started a half hour or so behind schedule, but I didn't care because I won a free coke from the cap of the coke I had brought with me. 

Round 1
Me vs. Jeremy (Meganium/Exeggcutor)

As soon as he said Meganium, I immediately thought of how I would try to get out scizor. But...that didn't happen. He mulligan'd twice and started out with a lone cleffa. I went first so I trader'd for a rouge and smash punch'd with the double heads.  We played another game after this for fun, and I had it won, but time was called and we decided to quit with everyone else.
1-0-0

Round 2
Me vs. LizardOTC (Jumpluff/Espeon)

This was one of the decks I was worried about. But, he started out bad with only hoppips and no draw, and I had a scizor with just CM and no draw and no other energy. So, I just snatched everything eventually getting that 2nd metal, and then I just mized after that. He finally got his pluffs out, but by then I was ahead on prizes and Scizor had CMMM on it. Basically he couldn't do much to it so it was only a matter of time.... Good game though, regardless ;)
2-0-0

Round 3
Me vs. Vince (noc-lock)

God, espeon...I hate espeon...He killed my poor scizor by dropping a dark AND a stregnth charm on the espy, and it basically went downhill from there =\
2-1-0

Round 4
Me vs. James (Various Tyranitars)

I got a stoise powered up (which was weird cause scizor was the main hitter in the first couple games) and just kept removing his energies while hitting for 50-60. In the end I just gusted for a cleffa and finnished it off with scizor for my last prize as time was dwindling.
3-1-0

Right here they let us break for 20 minutes as "You should have eaten prior to the event." I tried to get my free coke thingie redeemed, but the guy wouldn't let me -_-. So I went over to the vending machine and coughed up the $1.25 for one, but it got stuck in the machine. So I called the guy over and he unlocked the machine and gave me my coke. Again I tried to ask for my free one since the machine was open and all (they had a cooler of cokes behind the counter they were selling) but again I got denied. So yeah, that was the Great Coke Conspiracy. People were telling me later that I was hyper enough without the coke, but hey, I was thirsty. =\

Round 5
Me vs. Will (the Deuce)(Kabulix)

Again, stoise just kept removaling his kabutops', so he couldn't hit me for much. He later got all 3 heads on hydrocutter to KO stoise, but I just finnished it off with scizor. A 2nd stoise removed his steelix's metals, and scizor finnished off a kabutops for the game.
4-1-0

Round 6
Me vs. Sufian (Machamp/Steelix)

I still don't know how I didn't win this. I got a prize early on in the game as he copycat'd for 5 but drew 7. I thought he'd just loose his hand, but judge said I'd get a prize, so I didn't complain. We just traded shots for most of the game, so when time was called, he was ahead by 1 prize and he won =\.
4-2-0

I check the standings and I'm in 5th. So, I figure with a draw I could get into the t8 for sure. I find out I'm facing Ryan who made a genisis gatr deck that actually worked. Fearing a crappy setup, I ask if he'd draw. He declines. So...I play anyway =\

Round 7
Me vs. Ryan(Bullados) (Gatr thing)

I can't remember much about this match, but he was playing quite conservitively, not striking until he had a parasect out, which, by that point let me build up quite a bit. Pichu proved its worth in this match KO'ing a suicune and doing sizeable damage to gatr and parasect alike.  I thought I was screwed, however, as the time was coming down to the final minutes and we were tied by prizes. He attaches an energy to his parasect and gusts out my scizor, thinking to KO it by retreating his 'sect. I smile and force out the totodile with no energy and 2 counters. He curses and passes. I draw, time is called, I finnish my turn with the KO to put me ahead on prizes. Great game, man ;)
5-2-0

By now I'm really hyper and tired and happy at the same time. Standings are posted and I'm 4th seed, w00t! I knew I was going to make t8 with the deck at the beginning of the tourney, but still, those close calls get you ;)

Quarter Finals
Me vs. Jimmy (Banginbox) (exp draggy and rainbow things)

I have this weird curse of always making t8 in important tourneys and then losing in the quarter-finals. The fact that he ran electric in his deck didn't exactly boost my confidence.  Anyway, he had a terrible start with only a bunch of dratinis. I don't remember much else other than getting 2 scizors powered and tearing through everything.  Good job and props to your daughter for taking the Good Sportsmanship award :)

Semi-finals
Me vs. Alex (Bigchuck01) (Kabulix)

I was really happy, and then I found out who I was facing the next round... But I thought, "Hey, as long as I get a stoise out, I should be ok!". I started with a scyther and scizor in my hand and he had various babies and fossils. I got my scizor out with WM, and he got a tops or two by this point. I take 30 from a tops and immediately cc for the rainbow to take my berry off. No rainbow. So I elm hoping for either the rainbow or a metal so I can survive and actually attack with heavy metal. I pull NO energy of ANY kind in my elm -_-.  So I snatched a kabuto, he retreated and killed the poor scizor.  After that it went downhill with him getting heads on the baby rule like mad and gusting anything I tried to build =\.  Regardless, if I had to loose to anyone in the t8, at least I lost to the best ;)

So yeah, I got my packs and big promo, and I'm really happy with how well the deck did.

Props:
-My mom for giving me a ride
-The Daves for giving me the cards I needed to complete my deck
-Jimmy for making t8 with his rainbow deck, and that one guy (Rulesmaster?) for making it with a funny Kingdra/Charmelion deck.
-Chelsey for doing so well with her noctowl/donphan deck. You pwn us all, girl ;)
-Jason and Chris for giving me input on my list before the event
-Everyone I playtested against ^_^
-All my oponents for good games and everyone who showed up for making it a fun day.
-The lack of snow :D

Slops
-The guy who wouldn't redeem my coke cap -_-

That's about it, looking forward to the GC schedule!
~TRC

NeoQueenJen@aol.com  

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