The War Room, Atlanta, GA
2-6-00

It's been a while since I have done one of these, but that's because I
haven't really learned anything new recently.  However, a deck I threw
together for the tournament on 2-6 really taught me a bit, so I decided I'd
post up what happened.

People all over have been telling me what an awful card Base Set Zapdos is. 
It retreats for 3, has an attack which could do 30 to itself, and has a big
attack that kills at least 4 energy at a time.  I however, felt that it is a
very good clean-up card...  Sit there, dealing out 60s until he's about to
die, thaen dump off 100 and Scoop him up.  I really wanted to find a deck in
which I could use Zapdos to prove everyone wrong, and I ended up going back
to the turbo decks I used to love...  Here's how it turned out:

Pokemon: (19)

4 Electabuzz
4 Voltorb
4 Electrode (Base Set)
3 Zapdos
2 Scyther
2 Jigglypuff
(It just turned out to be convinient that lightning also has the best starter
in the game...  Electrode can actually attack in this deck, and that would
turn out to be a huge advantage.  Zapdos is obvious, he is the point of the
deck!  I also threw in 2 Scyther for an extra touch of fighting resistance,
and 2 Jigglypuff to kill Mimes just in case.)

Energy: (23)
23 Lightning Energy
(Just enough, as I have a ton of fairly expensive attacks, and I could really
use the extra energy just in case Electrode gets ERed.)

Trainers: (18)
4 Bill
4 Computer Search
3 Professor Oak
3 Pokemon Trader
2 Defender
2 Scoop Up
(4 Bill is obvious.  The 4 Computer Searches usually get out pokemon for me,
but I played 4 anyway for the added flexibility.  I only put in 3 Oak as this
deck often wants to hold its hand.  3 Traders simply let me get out the combo
faster.  2 Defenders were important, since 3 of the pokemon in my deck can
hurt themselves.  Scoop Up is just great, and combos with Zapdos's
Thunderbolt attack.)

We played in split age divisions again...  There were 8 people in the upper
division, including a couple of new players, both of whom I got to play
against.  It was, as usual, a 5 round tournament with finals afterwards.

Round 1:  versus Sissy
Sissy typically plays decks with a few too many evolutions for my taste, but
she seems to get them out fairly well anyway.  In the tournament game, I got
lucky and she didn't...  She had a lone scyther, and I got out a Zapdos and a
voltorb, and hit the scyther for 100 on turn 2.  We played again for fun
anyway, and her deck was amazing.  She had Clefairys which stomped out my
Zapdoses, and eventually a Nidoking which handled just about everything else.
She crushed my with ease.  All I have to say is that I was happy I got so
lucky in the real thing, or else I would have been 0-1 to start with.
WIN  1-0

Round 2:  versus Steve
When I got this draw, all I could think about was Steve's typical Rain Dance
deck, and I was actually very happy to get him.  However, when I played him,
all I saw was a bunch of grass...  I was a bit concerned.  Later, he put down
a Grimer, so it was a Muk deck...  Not the best of matchups, but I was able
to kill the Grimers before they could stop me.  As usual, his deck was fairly
defensive, and I was held of for quite some time by the ever annoying SER and
Lickitungs, but thanks to some fast thunders, I had him just trying to
survive, with no more than 1 or 2 pokemon out...  Finally, it came down to a
Grimer with 10 on it against my Electabuzz, and a heads would give me
victory...  Heads, I luck out again, especially since his prize for his last
turn was a Lickitung he would have tossed down.
WIN  2-0

Round 3:  versus Eric
Eric is one of the new guys.  I really had no clue what I was up against.  It
turned out he was playing a Wigglytuff/Muk deck with Clefairy (crud!) in it. 
Since Clefairy was a constant threat, this game saw more of my Electrodes
doing the dirty work and killing themselves whenever they were about to die. 
He did get a Muk out, but it was too late, as the only Buzzap I needed at the
time had already been done.  Clefairy never came up with enough energy on
them, and he never saw a Wigglytuff, so he went down fairly quickly.
WIN  3-0

Round 4:  versus Wayne
Always a very, very tough matchup...  Wayne is Sissy's father, and one of a
group of three who have been frequenting the War Room lately.  Wayne was
playing his very creative and very nasty offensive stall deck.  My starting
draw really doesn't help, as all I see is a Voltorb.  I spend the first few
turns trying my hardest to get it to safety, as I see that he is using
fighting energy.  When the game really starts, It remains fairly even for the
first few turns, as my Zapdoses handle his big walls, but tend to get killed
by his Chanceys.  At the major turning point of the game, I have nothing but
fighting weak pokemon out, and his hitmonchan has 2 figthing on it...  I
decide to take a risk and try to beat it with Electabuzz...  I hit it for 40,
all's well so far, but then he plays energy retrieval and kills Buzz and a
slew of other lightning pokemon.  All I can do is try to stall with Scyther,
but his Scyther brings him the win.
LOSS  3-1

Round 5:  Against Johnathan
Another new player.  I wasn't really sure what to think of him...  He was
playing all of the card drawing stuff that good players know to use, but he
was using Base Set gastly too.  I think his deck turned out to be all
colorless and psychic, but I can't remember.  Basically, with creative
Defendering and Scooping, I am able to take him out fairly quickly, even
giving him a prize when I kill his Gastly.
WIN  4-1

Well, the War room decides to do their strange "No semifinals for the older
group" bit again, but I'm #2 at the time, so I get in...  The final round:

Final:  versus Wayne
Before it even started, we had agreed to split the packs 3-3 no matter what,
so it was a very relaxed game...  A pity I can't remember it, it was one of
my best.  Both of us got very good draws, and I am able to pound away with
Zapdos for quite a while.  His deck goes very defensive, focusing on
Scrunching and Tongue Wrapping to deck me...  After some crucial decisions on
wether to Thuder or Thunderbolt with my Zapdos, our decks go all out, he with
his constant scoop ups and pokemon centers, and me with my Electrodes and
Electabuzzes.  In the end, though, Scyther knocks out his hitmonchan for the
final prize with only one card left in my deck.
WIN

I win the tourney, and the three packs we agreed on.  In case you are
wondering, I pulled a Gyarados, Nidoking, and Chancey (Lucky packs).

Now time for what I have learned from all this:

Zapdos does indeed rule. You have no clue what 60 every turn can do to you,
and the final, 100 point attack it the game's ultimate final move, and it
combos with Scoop up so well.

The turbo deck played very differently from the way I first imagined it
would...  I was thinking it would basically sacrifice prizes for a brutal
attack to finish them off, but it actually sac'd a prize or two to KO enough
pokemon to keep their deck going from pokemon to pokemon, basically hanging
on.  You're giving up a prize or two for a long term advantage.

Electrode totally rules in mono lightning...  If you ever play mono
lightning, be sure to use Base Set Electrode.

I was a bit depressed that we were split up again, as I would have liked to
have seen some of the better younger players face my deck.  Also 6 packs for
first place is kinda lame...  What's going on?

Oh well, I suppose that's about it.  See you guys later.  Now that I got my
fourth Chancey, expect a stall deck in the very near future...

Justin Purdy
daihakusei@aol.com