Sent:
Wednesday, December 05, 2001 10:59 PM
To:
KillerDecks@pojo.com
Subject: My STS Report (Matt Moss, T8 day1, *T1*
day2)
711
The Topic: room 711 in the regency plaza.
History:
It all started months ago, with a chat
room. All these people were trash talking this one kid I had just met
earlier that week and played some games with. The kid wasn't really that
bad at all- I had played some practice games with him, and with a little
practice, he wouldn't be too bad. People like Wonderland, Indigo Master
and other randoms were going on and on about how bad and random he was, and I
was the ONLY one who defended him- saying that not only is he NOT random, but he
was gonna win the Columbus QT. Then I had to back myself up. He
tweaked out his deck that had already gotten help from fulop, and played some
practice games with him. As I later heard, he (Seena Ghazaiskar) WON THE
QT! THE MIZING BEGINS! Later, after the QT, I find out that
Seena will let me stay with him at the STS in his room (711!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
and we start our playtesting. Machamp, fire, gatr, vbell, crobat- we test
everything. For a long time, crobat is looking to be the best deck, then
we get a good fire, then we get crobat going. I start testing with
Goldstein around the time we come up with our fire deck. He loves
crobat. We all start focusing on the deck. We find that 3 pichu is
broken, and RSA+Chaos is SOME good. About a week before the STS Josh plays
in a SoCal tourney and his only losses are to slowking. The reason is
MPmew2, so we spike 2 murk and 3 dark into the deck, making it more broken w/
chaos.
The Pregame:
On the plane ride over, I meet up
with Chris (CJ-Mich) and Brian Gurta, Matt Cantalano, Matt Tenosketter (T8 day1
11-14 ECSTS2) and his dad, Jared Passanate (T4 day1 11-14 ECSTS2), and the
Cartagentas (Chris, Josh and family). We all play crazy games... I forgot
how to flip heads with Crobat's cross attack. The deck just simply isn't
working for me. In addition, Matt T has this TOTALLY anti-crobat deck
(Slowking+Trap combo+Holo Suicune) which my crobat deck (played mainly by me,
but by others too) goes 1-5 against.... Not cool. I get to the hotel, meet
up with Chris V and a couple other Chicago guys. Aaron Gerrardo and others
are there trickeling in every hour or so. The Michigan crew heads out to
lunch (Tacos at burger king? WTF!?) and we go to the beach to see the
Pacific. From the time I get back to about 1 am, I'm playtesting, becoming
less and less confident with my crobat flips (3/20 on cross attack vs
Klaczynski... never getting 2 heads at a time). Brosseau buys some skittles for
$1 (!!!!) and Jason K nabs them. Since Alex is a stupid moron, he can catch us
and after I spike the amazingly caught skittles they explode. He then buys
ANOTHER bag for yet another $1, but when he's pressing the buttons, I press a
ton more and his dollar gets jammed and lost. He finally buys his third
one for a whopping $3 bag of skittles.... STUPID IDIOT!! Later back at the
hotel room (711!), Seena and I are talking decks. I deciede to go with
what's most comfortable, fire, and I convince Seena to play crobat, cause I
predict Gatr to be overplayed in his age group. I Figured that anti-gatr
would be played a ton in mine, so fire would be a safe bet (even though
bomiester said gatr would overrun EVERY age group, even the 15+). I go to
sleep with my fire decklist filled out.
Day1:
Breakfast is bad and the line is long-
Embassy had MUCH better food. Most of my friends have 2+ byes so I play
some games with Hanley and Klaczynski. Brosseau, the stupid idiot moron, didn't
register, so he's playing standard! FOOL! I do well in my games and am
confident. I buy Hanley's wizards dice from him, as they're broken. He
says electroflip is the way to go. I BEG him not too, saying it screwed me
over so many times at the last STS. He doesn't listen. I sleeve my
deck with some tricked out Dragon Sheild Green sleeves.
Round 1+2 Awarded Bye
Round 3 Alvin Leu
WHAT? I have to play SoCal in my first round?
RANDOM! He's playing bomie's entei-cargo deck and I serve some quilava
beatings. He gets a 5 trainer holo entei thing and really only gets little
going. I win.
Round 4 Jojo Javier
WWHHAATT?! MORE SOCAL?! He's playing the same
deck as Alvin.. but I think Alvin played the deck better. Jojo like powered up
entei and stuff.. never really got anything focused. Typhlo beatings
reign.
Round 5 Sou Her
He's playing a Slowking-Espeon-Umbreon deck.
We're going back and forth. He gets TWO focus bands in a row to go his
way, and take out my rk9 because of it. We exchange prizes left and
right. I've got 2 left, and he's got 1, with him having a low deck.
he plays a dark on espeon and doulbe gusts cyndaquil. I'm about to shake
his hand when.. OMG! It only deals 40! He miscalculated! The dark kills
espeon, and I retreat cynda for cleffas to stall as he decks out.
Round 6 Tom Hanley
I had warned the fool about the dice and
electroflip. I got a char flip and he got tails, killing croc. Next
turn he had feral, which would have been beatings. I got a few other
heads, and he got tails-- not a TON, but enough for him to believe me that his
dice were broken and that electroflip sucked. =\
Round 7 Daniel Stern
Ohhh! Strait from the heart of Germany. He's
playing gatr. I eek and get a couple of typhlo going. He's got 1
feral with 2 energy on it and like 5 water in the discard. But for some
really weird reason he just like keeps on wrathing and secret missioning more
and more water into his discard! The fool! Then he elms and gets no water!
FERAL CAN'T ATTACK! AHAHAHA!! I draw, and smack his feral for 80 with
Typhlo. He gets the energy with another elm and I get tails on band.
I bring up Erika's Bellsprout and hit for the last 40, he gets heads on band,
but I KO next turn. I check his discard: 2 Mission. 4 Double Gust, 4 Elm,
4 Wrath, 0 Exchange (which lead me to believe he didn't play them). I'm
like "OMG I WIN THE STS!!" Well, I do win that game, he gets nothing
else.
Round 8 Vincent Baraone
Slowking Steelix Murkow. I don't get cleffa,
but I get an rk9. Conveniently he Gets metal turns 1,2,3 and gets a turn 2
slowking. I don't get that luck in the topdecking department, but have 2
bench cyndaquil. I heat tackel instead of firestorming steelix, and I
regret it as he drops another dark on murkow and kills rk9. I get like
nothing and draw crap. I can't find quilava to save my life. After
like 5 eeks all my cleffas die and he wins shortly. I find a quilava the
second to last turn. =/
Round 9 Her Po
The top 4 players all Draw into the
finals.
T8 (I'm 3rd seed) Dallas "Strike"
Dalton
Team Name of the Game. He plays feral.
I dont' start with cleffa. I get a typhlo going. He doulbe gusts, tails on
band. 5 Prizes for him later, 0 prizes for me later, he gets a medal and I
get a hat.
I go back and do the draft thing, losing totally to
Josh Goldstein's Piloswines (BROKEN in neo drafts). Josh makes Jason K a
REAL Aipom's bum (KILL ME NOW!!) and I work out what to play (if I play).
I ask Seena if bellcrow is a good idea, and he says it loses to gatr. I
begin to think: what DOES beat gatr. Fire doesn't, bellcrow doesn't, I
don't have the guts to play crobat (FLIPS!), and the only thing, in my opinion
that DOES beat gatr consistantly, is GATR ITSELF. I figure, I made t8 with
fire day1, so I've got nothing to prove (I don't have gatr to do well), so I
throw together a Gatr deck with antigatr maindeck. I actually would have
changed a few things, if I could play a different deck, but I was quite
comfortable playing gatr, using it at various tournies, and the ECSTS2.
Seena doesn't know what to play, but I convince him to play crobat again, as he
did well, and didn't win on bad luck basically. I go to sleep with my gatr
decklist filled out.
-
I'm writing this in 2 parts, and I forgot to
mention alot of the people who I was hanging out with, even though I KNOW I'll
miss some, I'll rattle off some names: Steve and Micheal Perruca, Eric
Brooks, David Koontz, Team Random, Everyone from Chicago, Team Springs, the
whole Michigan crew, and, of course, the other half of Team 711: Seena.
Day 2:
In the morning I cut the line (stupid
line..) with Larry Beihl and we talked a bit. I was eating with Trump
Bunny, Seena, and General Raikou, and GR gave me one of his cards (which is
crazy broken with scoop up). After I showed up, I played some games with
Hanley, and Dylan Austin shows me this total tech that someone showed him last
night. Non-holo suicune stoped my doulbe gusts... I wish I could have
added one to my deck, but I'd already registered. Oh well, my deck was
solid, and I was comfortable with every card in it.
Round 1+2: Awarded Bye
Round 3 David Simon (Goldmaster)
He's playing a
slowking deck w/ espeon. A few people like Jason K who have 3 byes are
watching our match, cause we're at table 1... I feel so important.
Anyways, I really don't get too much going and I get stuck, unable to topdeck
energy at all. He's got an espeon going, and he gets focus band TWICE, and
I have trouble killing it. I stall with smeargle until I can draw
energy. He's got out 2 Slowking and a Chaos. I NEED energy. I
play a wrath. Flip heads for chaos. He's just staring at me. I
slowly reach for my deck. I draw 7 cards. Then, slowly, I look at
the cards. I look at Klaczynski and he's got his mouth WIDE open.
Goldmaster forgot the slowking flips. Later in the match he forgets,
again, to flip for a mission. Even though I got ALL that help, I NEVER
found an energy. He's low on cards, and is trying to KO my smeargle with
Misdreavus, but since during this game, throughout the 2 of us we got 11 heads
in a row, luck is going well for both of us and he doesn't do it after 1
try. He then plays a resistance gym, and Garbage Runs when he has 0 cards
in his deck. But, he just keeps on going for the night eyes+perish song
combo, even though he's got like a 15 card hand, a 2 card deck, and an powered
espeon and cleffa on the bench. I can't imagine why he wasn't either
eeking, or KOing me with espeon. He finally KOs smeargle when he's got 1
card left. I promote cleffa. He draws, tries to eeek: tails. I
shake. Play errors like CRAZY won me that game.
Round 4 John Salalila (Professor Maple)
Wow,
this one I got by the hair on my chinny chin chin. He's playing donphan,
and I can't find double gust, so he's maiming me left and right. If
finally get the DG and take out his Donphan, and I maim him for the next few
turns. He's taken 3 prizes and so have I. I have a croc on the bench and I
removed his Training gym a few turns earlier. Time is called while I'm
playing a trash exchange. I need a prize or it's a tie. I have 6
cards left. Wrath, I get Feral and Double gust, KO. That's.... luck.
2 Point win.
Round 5 Frank Moore
OMG this match was
unfair. All the luck I had vs Prof Maple came back and hit me in this
match. I have todos, ferals, and trash exchanges in my hand. He gets
FIVE prizes with 1 croc. I finally get some card drawling, and make a nice
comeback drawling 3 prizes... but a 5 prize advantage is too hard to come back
from, and he gets a KO for the win.
Now I REALLY have to be on my game, or I'm not
in.
Round 6 Jerel Barnes
He's playing a fire deck.
Booyah. This kid wasn't really a good player at all, and his deck was very
unfocused. I mow through his deck. He takes like... MAYBE one
prize. It was quick.
Round 7 Noel Sanchez
Feral. He says he's
CRIMINAL's friend. I know that CRIM is a really good player on #pojo, so I
keep my wits up. We go back and forth at first, but then I pull ahead and
never look back.
Round 8 Heidi Crieg
Ohhhhh! The GREAT HEIDI! She
is playing feral, and by her mannerisms (keeping her discard in a card holder
and other things) she looks like a rules lawyer, so I stay sharp. I get
gatr going, and since she plays GOLD BERRY, I just mow though everything.
I think her playing gold berry won me the match... or at least it helped a ton,
as I gave TWO of her gatrs 120 damage shots.
Round 9 Dale Hunter
He wants to Draw into the
T8, but since I got a 2pt win, I can't. I tell him he's got good
tiebreakers and has a nice chance of getting in even if he does lose. He's
playing like Qwilfish or something, and gets a dangerous 3 heads against my
croc. After that I just maim everything he has.... qwilfish...
u_u;;
T8 (I'm 2nd Seed) Doug Bui
He's playing
fire. This dude is really random. I feel horrid for Jason K, as he could
have totally outplayed this guy. I have like a dude on my bench with 1 retreat,
and 2 babies. He picks the baby every time with double gust. I had
the energy to retreat the guy but... cmon.. you never do that. His deck
just seemed unfocused and random, and I think I won 6-0.
T4 Josue Rojano (CRIMINAL)
OMG. Someone who I
KNOW isn't random. I get like toto then heads on eeek, after my heads I
say "I win the game," and... I think I did cause of that. He plays this 14
card exchange and gets ALL this bad stuff, incl 2 ferals. Since he (as I
later found out) didn't play garbage run or time capsule, they were stuck
there. He got like a gatr or a croc going, but double gust won. I
had another guy waiting in the wings, and held back my double gust until the
perfect time. I'M IN THE FINALS!
Before this game, I'm talking to Dale, who last to
Robert in the quarterfinals. He says that even though Rob was playing crobat, he
was getting really good luck (I later heard that he had gotten just TOTAL luck
all through the tourney, especially with focus band), and that if I just played
hard I'd beat him. I was glad to hear that Dale had made t8, since I
didn't draw with him.
T2 FINALS Robert Fischer
I go first with a
decent hand, he's got a LONE UNOWN M!! OMG!! I'm using my card drawling, looking
for a bellsprout (win in 2 turns) or a mission to see if the win was viable. I
get neither, and settle for a Toto with croc in hand. I can get a lucky
turn 2 win (with 2/3 heads on swipes) or a turn 3 mizing attacker. I
swipe, 2 heads! I'm just SCREAMING inside my own head "DRAW YOUR CARD AND
SAY GO DRAW YOUR CARD AND SAY GO!!!" but have to stay calm. He gives his
and a horrid look and I'm just going nuts "SAY GO SAY GO" (obviously I don't
actually say any of that). He plays erika. I draw 3, he plays another 3
more. I'm thinking he got something and that it's gonna be a long
game. He then gives his hand ANOTHER bad look. I'm like OMG!! SAY
GOOOOO!!! He plays... revenge! AHhhh! I don't get croc or anything
worthwhile back. I go "swipes." 2 heads!!!! I throw my hand out! "OH
MY GOD!!!!! I WIN THE STS!!!!!!" AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
At the draft tourney, I get a bunch of congrats
from everyone, and it's all good. I meet up with Robert Fischer, and I
think about asking him to sign my Unown M.... but then I decieded it would be a
HORRIBLE thing to do, and I'd prolly end up getting choked and thrown into the
pool, etc- so I didn't. Then the whole power outage thing happens.
It was so funny listening to Freddy K yell at the old ladies to get out of their
room cause it was on fire, they were so confused! He's like "Listen mam, you're
going to have to get out of the building, it's on fire!" they were all like
"what?" It was funny. We were cracking jokes about it, since it really
wasn't a "fire" and Scott G was actually taking charge of about everyone in the
hotel.. it was really kinda weird how even though he's just a big name
person in the pokemon community, EVERYONE was listening to him, even though we
had NO IDEA of what he was telling us was the truth... but hey, I got a hotel
that was next door, so it's all good. The next morning, Seena, Dylan
Austin, the Cartegenas and David Kootz all had breakfast at the kings in.
>From the "Knock Knock" "Who's there?" "An" "An who?" "AN-THRAX!!" joke of
Klacyznki's with sugar to "What's that clinging noise? It's hurting my ears" to
having sex with a Waffleperson, Seena was the funniest man alive. I said
goodbye as I met back up with the Michigan crew for the flight back. We
played some practice games, and went over what we all SHOULD have played in the
deck. Dylan and I were going back and forth joking about how "great" we
are. We were like "I wonder if this airport has a MEDAL decetor" "Hey
david, how come the MEDAL decetor didn't go off when you went through- OH MAYBE
IT'S CAUSE YOU DIDN'T WIN ANY!!!!! AHHHHHH!!" to other stuff, we had a good
time. I got junk in my packs... my best card was like... masterball (or
"Monsterball" as the decklist of my day1 online decklist states). But It's
all good, I got the people to customize my jacket saying "MIZER" ...it's gonna
rule! Anyways, time for props and slops:
PROPS:
to 711, for owning me
to seena, for going 6-0 vs
Europeans (watch out for any mail you get from europe- CHECK FOR ANTRAX), and
for letting me stay with him, and for mizing
to josh, for making that card,
and for making an actual "Aipom's Bum"
for aaron and andres, who saved team
random from being.....random
to cj-mich, for letting my hang with you guys
and giving my rides
to WOTC for putting on such a great event
to everyone
who was in the draft
to Michigan, for getting a t8 in EVERY age group, 7 T8s
in all, and 2 medals (gold and silver)
to Tom Hanley, for the dice that won
it for me!
to the Brooks, for being more broken than 7 sneasels, 11 oaks, and
19 feraligatrs
to Scott G, for not being as random as he was made out to be
on the old pokegym and in #pokegym
SLOPS:
to Randoms, who know who they are, that doubted Seena and my
skills since before the QT season-- you are now all eating your words.
to
Rules lawyers, who were told off my judges a LOT, MUCH to my pleasure.
People who forgot to draw a prize were getting their prize, those who didn't
spend sleepless nights reading the compendium weren't shut down. If you
didn't announce your attack when you're using typhlo or something that only has
one attack, it was OK. I was very happy to see many of the Rules Lawyers
(Dallas Dalton knows who i'm talking about-- that one kid you were playing, I
was sitting next to him, I wanted to sock the kid) put in their place.
to the
Regency, that was, in about every single way, worse than the Embassy.
to
anyone who thinks that there shouldn't be another, AMAZING event like this
anymore
to $3 bags of skittles
My decklists:
Big Fire
15 Fire Energy
4 Typhlosion
4 Quilava
4 Cyndaquil
4 Cleffa
3 Blaine's
Arcanine
3 Blaine's Growlithe
1 Erika's Bellsprout
1 Elekid
4 Professor Elm
3 Misty's Wrath
4 Double Gust
3 Focus Band
2
Master Ball
2 Cinnabar City Gym
2 Nightly Garbage Run
1 Blaine
Feral
16 Water Energy
3 Feraligatr Level 69
4 Croconaw Level 41
4 Totodile Level 20
3
Cleffa Level 6
2 Magby Level 5
1 Smeargle Level 27
1 Pichu Level 5
1
Erika's Bellsprout Level 15
4 Professor Elm
4 Misty's Wrath
4 Double Gust
3 Focus Band
3
Secret Mission
3 Trash Exchange
2 Rocket's Training Gym
1 Narrow
Gym
1 Time Capsule
This concludes the first chapter of the 711 saga, but as long as there are
things in this world that have yet to be mized, the Moss+Seena combo of 711 will
reign supreme.