Muky-Sand V. 1 (Fighting/Grass)

By Yi-An Lu aka Louis

around 100 players in my age group

Saturday+Sunday 1st+2nd December

Finally we pokemaniacs in UK have a qualifier for the STS! It was a fantastic tournament and I came 1st in my age group, grabbing the trip. With me on the trip to San Diego is Sami (4th), Scott(2nd) and Mat(3rd) from my age group and Amy (1st), Tommy(2nd), Viktor(3rd) and Sophie(4th) from 10 and under. We were all VERY excited about the trip and we were all prepared for the big day. A few other Britons went with us, namely the champions brothers: Hank (my bro), Josh (Scott's Bro) and Ben (Mat's twin)

The flight was ridiculously long and we could hardly bare not playing pokemon on it. The decks we played varied a lot and I probably got the strangest deck. I can probably say that I am the only person in the STS that is playing this deck and I feel proud of my deck because it is original and can sometimes beat Gatr(which my bro and Mat plays :-( )

Anyway, this is the deck:

Muky-Sand V.1 (for Sat)

4 Brock's Sandshrew (50hp)

3 Brock's Sandslash (Needle Ball)

2 Pokemon Breeder Field

2 Rocket's Sneak Attack

2 Nightly Garbage Run

As you can see, it is an extremely weird deck, I would be surprised if you even know what Brock's Sandslash do (since so many of my opponents has too read it 3 times before doing their stuff) so I might as well include the info here:

Brock's Sandslash Lv. 34 70 HP

evolve from Brock's Sandshrew

not affected by anything like resistance etc.

Flip a coin, heads= poison

as you can see, it's not too bad and I liked it because Tim Brooks played it against me in ECSTS 2000 and defeated me.

Don't laugh, it did well for me and I am proud of it ;-)

So after we finally arrived at the Regency Plaza Hotel, it was already full of pokemon players from all over the world and I am glad I am still one of them. We did some last minute trading and headed towards the WCSTS!

now on to the report:

I got 3 byes from the qualifier and I spent the time playing with my friends. For some weird reason, my brother and Josh (who both failed to qualify) also got 3 byes! well, lucky them!

Round 4 VS Joe Spanier w/ Grass/Phy (sigh... all weakness...)

You probably have guessed, for some weird reason, I always get paired with a guy that play ALL my weaknesses. There isn't much to say really, he got out the hoppip line and killed my Sandshrews before I get to build up anything. Joe was quite kool though, he kept on going on about how good Espeon holo is but I didn't agree with him. He was also staying in our hotel.

Round 5 VS Fons Metis w/ Lightning/Psy (TR Zap/Slowking)

He started with TR Zap and me with a lone Brock's 'Shrew, we both got resistance and it was a bit of a stalemate. Unfortunately, he drew an elm and turned the game around with a chaos gym and 2 slowkings. Unlucky me, bad start.

Lunch was boring but I found out both Sami and my Bro were still undefeated! good luck to both of them!

Round 6 VS Daniel Cohen w/ Gatr

At last, a gatr deck. I finally have a chance of redeeming my deck. He started with 2 Tododiles and me with Grimers. A lucky Breeder Field got me 2 dark muks and I killed all his pokes including a fully pumped up gatr. I was very happy I managed to beat a gatr deck and I regained confidence with my deck.

Round 7 VS Ryan Watson w/ Murkrow(?)

After last match, I felt much better and I played everything right this match. A Brock's Sandslash went through all his Murkrows and Babies and I easily won the match

Unfortunately, My bro and Sami both lost this round but they still have a chance of T8...

Round 8 VS Steffen From w/ another Gatr!

Yes! another Gatr! This match saw me pumping up a dark muk and 2 brock's Sandslash, I would have killed his lone wooper if I drew an grass energy after elming. He got out a gatr but Dark Muk+Brock's Sandslash is too much for him :-)

6-2 18 points, 19th place!

That's not bad at all in my opinion and Sami+my bro both ended with the same record. Sami got into the Top 8 with very high tiebreakers but lost to Tim Brooks' Gatr deck. (sami was playing big fire =/). My bro came 20th in the 10- group, he was also very happy with his results.

I stayed to watch the Top 8 but Tim lost in the finals... unlucky Tim!

When we were back in the hotel, I didn't make many change except for I gave my Wraths to my brother and replaced them with Marys. I also took out a Rocket's Trap to make room for another Mary. So... this is the new deck:

Muky-Sand V.2 (for Sun)

4 Brock's Sandshrew (50hp)

3 Brock's Sandslash (Needle Ball)

4 Grimer

3 Dark Muk

3 Cleffa (eeeeeeek)

4 Prof. Elm

3 Mary

2 Rocket's Hideout

2 Pewter City Gym

2 Master Ball

2 Pokemon Breeder Field

2 Rocket's Sneak Attack

2 The Rocket's Trap

3 Gold Berry

2 Focus Band

2 Nightly Garbage Run

2 Double Gust

8 Fighting Energy

7 Grass Energy

Now onto the 2nd day, Sami put in Umbreon for some bench damage, Scott switched to Crobat while Josh changed to Gatr.

Round 1-3

Byes

3-0 9 points

Round 4 VS Tommy Derian (Gatr)

He got into the top 8 yesterday and lost in the quarter finals, I am feeling very nervous but I think I can cope.

He got off to a great start, Gatr came out on 4th turn but I am ready with my Dark Muks and Sandslashes. I knocked out a gatr with dark muk then stick 100 damage on the 2nd 1. I was at 1 prize and he is at 2, double gusted out my dark muk and try to slow me down with his damn igglybuff. I failed to kill it for 5 turns but he still couldn't find the energy to retreat his baby (muk's power) When he finally find 1, he retreated and sent out gatr and killed my dark muk. But my last draw was a grass energy, just enough for Sandslash's swift and I KOed gatr for the win. YAY! I beat a top 8 guy!

4-0 12 points

Round 5 VS Charles Collinsworth (Gatr)

What is wrong with everyone's mind?? Why on earth is Gatr so popular?? I cant deny that it is VERY broken but still... oh well, I lost this match, he got 3 gatrs out and I cant draw energies.

4-1 12 points

Sami and my bro were both on 4-1 but we all have a chance at the top 8 still.

Round 6 VS Briana Beasely w/Lightning/steel (Magneton, Raichu)

This is going to be tough, magnemites, magnetons and rocket's Zap have some resistance to my pokes and I just failed to get a fast enough start to win . Magnetons plasma their way through my pokes and lost me the match. Nevertheless, still quite happy with my performance.

4-2 12 points

Maybe no top 8 for me but a top 16 will be very nice. Sami lost but my bro won, good luck Britons!

Round 7 VS Philip Crusner (Gatr)

Another guy from my hotel and another gatr. I started with 'Shrews and Grimer against tododiles and cleffa. I masterballed for dark muk and killed a cleffa and a few other random basics. I trapped his hand away and he sat there, stared at his energyless gatr which got slaughtered but Dark Muk. Another Gatr win for me! I feel good!

5-2 15 points

now if I win the next game I will be in the top 16, and it will be worthwhile. Unfortunately, my bro lost and he is also on 5-2. hope he also gets into top 16. Sami won and he is now on 5-2 as well, he might have a chance of top 8 again!

Round 8 VS Ryan Watson (Murkrow/steelix/slowking/)

You probably noticed, I played this guy yesterday and he is not at all pleased playing me again. He start shouting to the judge

"I played this guy!" and "not YOU again..." to me. It was really quite funny killing him with my sandslashes and he conceded the match after I killed his steelix. He attached a dark energy to slowking just to be funny. It was quite kool

6-2 18 points 13th place!!!! YAY!! I am in the top 16!!

even better than yesterday!! Sami missed top8 by 2 place coming 10th and my bro came 25th after winning his last round by prizes.

Well, that was the end of the STS and I walk away with 44 boosters altogether (including my bro's) and I am especially pleased with my rogue deck's performance, beating 4 gatr decks out of 5 ;-)

I thought that was the end of it, but something happened in the hotel ended the trip with a blast. Our hotel caught a small fire and we all ran out to the parking space with our cards! Well we also played "street pokemon" outside, it was actually quite funny but still, I am not laughing any more after losing 2 1st edition gatrs on the way back =/ Anyway, I had a great time in San Diego and I am REALLY looking forward to enter another STS soon.

Props+Slops

Props to Sami making top 8

Props to all other Britons for doing so well

Props to Tim for coming 2nd

Props to Tom Davich for making top 4, if you are reading this, send me an e-mail! its @ the bottom

Props to my Dad for taking me

Props to Wizards for making this possible

Props to all my opponents for playing so well

And Props to Pojo.com if you post this!

Slops to the terrible breakfast

Slops to Ryan for messing about in a game

Slops to a mad woman who tried to smack my brother

that's it! hope all of you enjoyed reading this and remember one simple catch phrase:

What do you do when your hotel's on fire?

YOU PLAY POKEMON!!!!

Yi-An Lu aka Louis

ucbtjfl@hotmail.com (welcome all comments but plz don't just send me a hate mail for no reason!)