Hey Pojo! This is my report from the 2001 East Coast STS!
It was my first DCI tournament, cause I can never find any where I live.
Anyways, I think I did alright. Here’s the deck I used. I call it “Black
Water”:
4 TR Squirtle
3 Dark Wartortle
3 Dark Blastoise
4 Promo Eevee
3 Dark Vaporeon
4 Wooper
3 Cleffa
1 Magby
4 The Boss’s Way
4 Master Ball
1 Misty’s Tears
1 Pewter City Gym
1 Narrow Gym
1 No Removal Gym
4 Darkness Energy
19 Water Energy
I built this deck pretty much to be an anti-STS metagame
deck. Dark Vaporeon is the last remaining piece of guaranteed energy removal, so
he can take down Steelix and others. Wooper is already known for his ability to
take out Electric types, especially a certain legendary bird. Dark Blastoise is
just here because he also benefits from both Darkness and Water Energy, and
he’s pretty tough. A lack of Trainers and Magby help me deal with Slowking.
Don’t yell at me about the stadium cards in this deck. They’re just Random
Gyms, OK? The explanations out of the way, here’s what happened:
Lots of stuff happened today. Early morning, while going
back up to the hotel room for my deck, I met WizPoG’s Pokesensei, who’s a
really cool guy. He was just across the hall from my room, that’s kinda cool.
Gordon Kane was also on the same floor as me. When I finally found the STS, I
went in and got registered and walked around. Neutral Ground was selling cards
really cheap, so I capitalized, even though all the cards were Base-Rocket. Just
before the tournament began, Master Trainer Pat kicked my butt in a game, but
he’s a nice guy, and he was kind enough to do an autograph. Then the tourney
got under way!
Match 1 vs. Terry Labar (Blaine and Brock Fire deck)
I started the match off with a Cleffa, she Brock’s
Vulpix. She evolved into Ninetails and Blaine’s Rapidash pretty quick, and Wil
O The Wisp’ed Cleffa to death after just one Eeeeeeek. I stalled with Wooper
for a couple turns while I powered up the Dark Blastoise I had benched. Next
turn, Wooper dies, Dark Blastoise comes out, attached another Energy, got rid of
her Cinnabar Gym, and Hydrocannon’ed everything she tossed at me in one shot.
I walked away with a win!
1-0
Match 2 vs. Lawrence Faverey (Grass deck)
Same first turn strategy, but early on I managed to get
some quick prizes, but soon so did he. Long story short, I couldn’t fight off
the power of his Dark Muk, Koga’s Muk, and Erika’s Victreebell while I was
wasting Energy running away from conditions that would have ended this match
even faster. Once the 2 Dark Blastoises and Dark Vaporeon I had out were gone,
he just plowed through my low HP and Grass-weak Basics.
1-1
Match 3 vs. David Meneghin (Blaine/Steelix/Feraligatr)
I was worried in the beginning because my only Basic at
the start was Wooper. Wouldn’t you know it, I kept getting 2/3 heads in a row
to Slam all of his Cleffas and Totodiles he was using to stall with to death in
one turn. After a few prizes, I got the Eevee I needed for the Dark Vaporeon in
my hand. Just in time, because he had a Blaine’s Charmeleon and Onix on the
Bench, so I knew either were going to cause trouble soon. By the time he had to
use Steelix, I had taken 5 of my prizes from his stall attempts that went awry.
Dark Vaporeon sucked him dry of Energy. Desperate, he used a Double Gust. Sure,
Steelix was safe, but I picked a dry Blaine’s Charmander to come out. I had a
Magby and 2 Dark Vaporeons, he picked the Magby, I retreated, killed the
Blaine’s Chamander, and he claimed defeat.
2-1
Match 4 vs. Adam Boyer (Poison)
Another hard fought match that came down to the wire, but
I’m still struggling with those stupid Poison decks!
2-2
Match 5 vs. Hale Kim (Brock Fire and Fighting)
Eeeeeeek, power up Dark Blastoise on Turn 6 or 7,
Hydrocannon, Hydrocannon, Hydrocannon, Hydrocannon, Hydrocannon, Hydrocannon,
Hydrocannon, win.
3-2
Match 6 vs. Oliver Donaldo (Psylink)
Basically, I tried to hold on him off early on with a
Dark Vaporeon, but after a while, he charged up a Rocket’s Mewtwo and
Psyburned me away. Dark Blastoise showed up at the end, but had no Energy on him
to fight.
3-3
Match 7 vs. Cathy Bittenger (Fire??)
A turn 3 Dark Blastoise vs. a lone Neo Magmar. You’ve
had Sea Monkey that lasted longer than this match.
4-3
Match 8 vs. Mary Ann Taylor (Fighting)
I played a Dark Vaporeon on turn 3, Whirlpool’ed any
Energy she had, the Bit everything to clean up.
5-3
Match 9 vs. Todd Burgess (Blaine)
Even against a Fire deck, 2 lone Woopers can’t win you
the gam, because that’s all I got before he benched me out.
Day 1 Record: 5-4
Day 1 Rank: 119/298
I switched out Magby and a Wooper for 2 Profesor Elms. I
dropped out after Round 4 because I had to catch my plane, but here’s what
happened before that.
Round 1 vs. Jean (Sabrina)
I was sweating a little when my turn 4 or 5 Dark
Blastoise was taken down with some Suffocating Gas’s, but a Cleffa from my
prizes Eeeeeeek’ed me a new one to win the game. As Pokesensei, who scored our
paper said, “Yay! Tangela Kid won!”
1-0
Round 2 vs. ??? (Steelix/Rocket’s Zapdos/Slowking)
Sorry, I forget your name. My plan worked really well at
first, but after he whittled me down, I needed some reinforcements, but the
Slowkings kept me from getting them, and I lost. D’oh!
1-1
Round 3 vs. Allen (Blaine)
I mulliganed twice before I got a Squirtle, but when I
did, I drew the whole line, a Darkness Energy, and 3 Water Energy. He used Erika
3 times, but then he used Imposter Profesor Oak’s Revenge!!! I stalled with
Mirror Shell, but he KO’ed it with a Blaine’s Charizard. He died, too, but
he had a lone Cleffa on the Bench, and I had nothing, so I lost.
1-2
Round 4 vs. Maria (Blaine)
She started with a Blaine’s Growlithe, which turned
into an Arcanine fast. She killed a Cleffa and a dry Dark Vaporeon while I
charged Dark Blastoise, then took it out in one shot (Cinnabar Gym was in play,
so I had to deal 90). She had put all of her Energy on it, so from there it was
to the discard pile for her Poke’s.
Day 2 Record: 2-2
I don’t know what place I finished Day 2
Day 1 and 2 Record: 7-6
Well, I think I did pretty darn well for my first DCI
tournament and my first STS. And I had a lot of fun. Time for Props and Slops!
Props to everyone I battled, because you are all really
cool and gracious winners/losers.
Props to Wizards for holding this tournament, making it
all free, and giving away 8 booster packs just for participating!
Props to my mom for taking me there.
Slops to the all the airlines. My friend couldn’t make
it because his flight was canceled, and I had to leave early because I had to
catch our plane home.
Slops to the bye system this year. It gave people an
unfair advantage in the tournament just because they play in DCI tournaments a
lot.
Slops to the organizers for not having anything to do at
the STS until 11 when the tournament started.
That’s it. Anyone who knows where they have DCI tourneys in Pittsburgh, PA or has some ideas on how to make this deck better in an open enviroment, e-mail me. I’d like some ideas! So, until next time, I’m Jeff Betten, and you’re not.
Jeff “Tangela Kid” Betten
Author of Pojo’s Neo Discovery Spoilers
Inventor of the Neo Beedrill Poison deck