Phoenix Super Trainer Showdown Qualifier Tournament
6-10-00 and 6-11-00
Chad Mills
All right, this is the biggest Pokemon tournament I think I've ever attended. I've been to a single tournament with close to 70 people, but never anything like this. 3 different age groups: 10 and under, 11-14, and 15+. For each age division there are 3 tournaments saturday, and 3 tournaments sunday. Since I'm 16 years old, I competed in the 15+ age division. This tournament is different from others in several ways. First of all, it's free. No charges except getting there. Also, there's a chance to win prizes. [note: all packs are base set 2 >_<, and the tournament is single elimination] If you make it past the 2nd round you get a couple of packs. After the 3rd round you get a few more packs. After the 4th round you get an invitation to the STS in California, a couple more packs, and a free hat. If you manage to win in round 5 (the finals), you get a T-Shirt, and about 4-5 more packs. Also, the person with the most points in each age division, after all the tournaments for the weekend, wins a free trip (airfare, etc.) to the STS in california! You get one point for every prize your opponent has left after each game you play. So, if you go all 5 rounds without your opponent knocking out a single pokemon, you will get 30 points. Okay, so 32 participants, single elim, gotta get past the 3rd round to get the invitation. Since there's 32 people/tournament, and 6 tournaments per age group, that makes 192 people per age group, with a total of 576 participants in the 18 tournaments within 2 days. Now THAT is a lot of people. However, since you are allowed to go play in multiple tournaments, whether you win or not (unlike I heard on the internet before the event), that means there weren't that many people there, just that many slots for the tournaments. Okay, now that you know the basics...
I set my alarm for 6:30, and wake up at 6:30. My mother wakes me up again at closer to 7, and I'm ready by 7:15. Guess I shouldn't have stayed up that late, huh? Oh well, I had everything ready to go because I planned on not waking up on time anyway. No breakfast for me, and a long day of tournaments after no sleep: not good, but I managed. :-) Anyway, I arrive at just before 8:00, and there's a huge line outside the mall, touranament starts at 10:00. I expected a line, but not that big... Then I realize that's the line at Dillards, obviously waiting to get tickets for an upcoming concert, hehe :-). Drive around the mall, stores don't open until 9, and look for a line, but there is none. So, I wonder inside, and just happen to go in the right mall entrance... There is a small line, maybe 8 people ahead of me. I sit down, trade for a few cards (about 8 scythers for decks ;-), and the last few cards I needed to finish off my moltres stall deck without having to swap cards between it and the wiggly). Meet a few people from the usual tournaments - some people from ACP, a few from AZ Gamer, and a couple from Sports Cards 2. I get a soda, sit in line, and wait. Couple hours later, more and more people start standing up. the games i was playing are over, and I need some new deck protectors ;-). My old ones are all sticking together...sheesh, have to get a new set every week. So, we have to listen to a wonderful rendition of the jigglypuff song before the line started moving. I get a ticket to the 1st tournament, manage to wait in line for a long time getting deck protectors, run all the way upstairs to deck check-in, and get ready for the tournament.
All right, I hurry up, swap my deck protectors while waiting in line for my deck to be checked in, and re-organize my deck (few cards fell out of place while re-sleeving). Now, almost if not everyone is checked in and anticipating the start of the first round. Most of the usual good players from around the local tournaments are all in the first tournament, hoping for the early invitation, but ready to go back and give it another shot. This would probably be the most difficult tournament out of both the two days' tournaments. I shuffle my deck for a long while, and get ready to start. There is one abandoned store in the mall entirely used for this event. 3 touranment areas are set up - a large, medium, and small. Round 1 starts out with 32 people, then moves on with 16 people to the next area; and the next age division starts up in the large area again...when that rounds over they rotate again. So, anyway, reading through the "program and stuff, just waiting for the first tournament to start. I pay my friend in the 11-14 age group (starts a half hour after us so the tournament area is ready) to go get me a ticket for the 3rd tourney of the day in the 15+ age category. I hoped I'd go a long ways in the first tournament and wouldn't get knocked out early enough to get into the 2nd, so I didn't bother getting a ticket to the 2nd ;-). Anyway, here's the deck I'm playing:
Insane Wiggly
Pokemon: 16
4 Jigglypuff
4 Wigglytuff
4 Scyther
2 Chansey
2 Ditto
Energy: 16
4 Grass Energy
4 Double Colorless Energy
4 Full Heal Energy
4 Potion Energy
Trainers: 28
4 Bill
4 Computer Search
4 Professor Oak
4 Pluspower
3 Item Finder
3 Rocket Sneak Attack
2 Gust Of Wind
2 Lass
1 Nightly Garbage Run
1 Scoop Up
Before I go into the tournament report, a little on the deck and my choice of it. Pretty simple - get wiggly out turn 2 and start the beat down. Scyther is the best pokemon to start as your active, with build jiggly to wiggly with an energy and a DCE, RSA their energy removals, and have a turn 2 wiggly fully pumped. with pluspowers you take out the 70 HP hay pokemon in one hit, and Item finders can get back the pluspowers if necessary to get 6 KO's in 7 turns if you don't bench them first. That's pretty much how the deck works...Chansey was never really used except to double edge against another wiggly...don't stall withit because this is a speed deck. Ditto is there basically as anti-hay. Turn 1 Ditto + DCE + 4 pluspowers = dead electabuzz if the situation arises where they only have one active pokemon, and it's a buzz :-). Anyway, I never really use ditto or chansey much, I'm going to need to find a replacement...but there's not much out there right now. On deck choice. Since the person that wins the trip is the person that has the least prizes taken against them, Wiggly is perfect. If you don't get a fast wiggly out, you have a very good chance to lose. If you get a fast wiggly out and if necessary build a jiggly/wiggly on your bench, its pretty much gonna win. With all the CPU/IF/Oak/Bill you usually get what you need, and can take an early win, either benching them or drawing 6 prizes before they have a chance to knock out your wiggly. So, I feel that this is the perfect deck for the torunament. Oh yeah, one last thing on the trip. If you are tied for the trip on points, it goes to opponent's skill and deck counts. After every round they fill in the number of points your opponent had prior to playing you, and after the 3rd, 4th, and 5th rounds, they count the amount of cards left in your deck, to determin which player played harder opponents. Anyway, on to the first tournament:
Day 1, Tournament 1
Round 1 vs. Matt Santucci
Now that I think about it, this is pretty weird. I've played Matt in Round 1 in the last 3 tournaments I've been in =). Strange. Ah well, anyway, he's using his haymaker variants, with a couple changes from the previous week. He runs water/fire, and Lapras has always been in the deck, but he removed the fossil magmars for base magmar (hmmm, dunno why, think he wanted to KO scyther in 1 turn i guess). I start off going first, fortunately. my scyther vs. his lapras. I Rocket Sneak Attack, and he has both an oak and a CPU search. So, I computer search for another RSA, take away his CPU search, and he's in big trouble. I place an energy on my benched jiggly, and now it's his turn. energy on lapras, 10 damage to scyther. I evolve to wiggly, and then oak (saved oak from last turn so I could evolve to wiggly first). I get a full bench and a couple of pluspowers for wigglytuff, and his lapras is gone. With base set magmars and a couple scythers, I bench him before he gets any good resistance set up.
Points: 6
Opponent Skill: 0
Players left: 16
Round 2 vs. Craig Erickson
Another tough opponent. Last round I played an Arizona Gamer player, and it looks like I would be this round too. Craig is always at Arizona Gamer, and usually runs his hitmonchan/scyther/chansey/MP Mewto deck with a snorlax splashed in as anti-plume. Needless to say, I knew his deck very well. When you play a stall deck 3 weeks in a row (I did at Arizona Gamer), you tend to see all of your opponent's deck ;-). Anyway, I had an active scyther vs. his scyther. I had a jiggly on bench, he had chansey and hitmonchan. I believe he went first (not positive though). He started building his hitmo to take out the inevitable wiggly. I RSA him and find he has nothin any good anyway...the key to this game will be taking out his hitmonchan. I place an energy on jigglypuff, and he plays another energy on hitmonchan... I'll have to gust the hitmonchan, otherwise he'll get first shot at wiggly with special punch, KOing it in one turn. So, I evolve to wiggly, play a DCE, oak a couple times and end up getting a gust without having to use CPU search. I had a couple pluspowers played from before my oaks, so that wasn't a problem. Hitmonchan's dead, all he has is a chansey and a scyther. he plays an energy on chansey, hoping to scrunch until he gets an oak, then double edge when he has more basics. I take out the scyther with a pluspower, and he brings up the chansey. energy on chansey, scrunch fails. I wave for 60, his turn. Nope, no basics. No oak. Scrunch succeeds. Awww, not fair ;-). i put him to sleep, and he wakes up. No basics, scrunch fails, and wave for 60 ends the game, without him taking a prize! YAY! now that's 2 rounds at the STS qualifier and not a single prize against me, I'm _really_ happy at this point, especially since I was against 2 quality opponents.
Points: 12
Opponent Skill: 0 (how? i dunno...)
Players left: 8
Prizes so far: 2 packs
Round 3 vs. Todd Brock
youch! I know opponents are supposed to keep getting difficult, but still! I have been unluckily paired with 2 good players from arizona gamer, and now I get matched up against Todd Brock, a good player from Sports Cards 2. This round is what he came for - the invitation, along with most other sensible beings. I, however, didn't have my eyes on the tournament - i needed the trip to be able to get out there. So, I'm 2-0 and it's lookin pretty good. Getting your attention on a trip to California doesn't help you in the current match. Fortunately, he gave me a reality check :). he opened up with a lone buzz up against my scyther. First turn he RSA's, takes my CPU search and ruins my plan to kill him right away ;). Stuck with nothing but a scyther and a jigglypuff against his electabuzz, with no support and not enough energy, is _not_ a good thing. he thundershocked and paralyzed. My turn, energy on jigglypuff. His turn, he oaks in case I get the wiggly. No more basics for him! yay! I still am in this. He thunderpunches, and scyther has 5 counters. I draw my card...and it's computer search! I get an oak, and after oaking a couple more times I get a fully powered wiggly active, with a full bench. I get my reality check AND win the game, not bad, eh? Wow, 3-0 and an invitation...and he didn't get a prize!
Points: 18
Opponent Skill: 11
Players left: 4
Deck Count: 25
Prizes so far: 3 packs, 1 invitation
Round 4 vs. Gregg Sandoval
Well, top 4. Opponents keep getting tougher and tougher. I thought I had pretty difficult match-ups early on, and was waiting to play someone I didn't know. Well, now I get my chance. However, since Top 4 is the first chance I get at this, I didn't get any easy opponents this tournament :). Ah well, anyway, on to the game. I started out with scyther once again, against typical haymaker pokemon (scyther, hitmo). I get a wiggly fully powered and a jiggly on my bench by turn 2. I start ripping through his haymaker pokes with pluspowers, and he manages to get a scyther built up and hit me for 30 before I knock it out. This puts me in a bad spot - I have a jiggly on my bench with one energy, and a chansey i have 2 energy on. I don't have gusts or any way to get them. He has a hitmo with one fighting on it with a scyther active...hitmo will be up next turn. Either I retreat for Chansey and double edge, letting him ko the chansey and KO his hitmo next turn with the wiggly, or I could let wigglytuff die and either build up wigglytuff if he gets another basic or double edge with chansey for the game. Either way, one of my pokemon is gonna have to die, unless I retreat for scyther, hope he doesn't have a gust of wind, and take one more turn to build up. However, since to get the trip you have to win the game, I decided I was gonna have to give up a prize. I think I probably could have waited one more turn to build up, but I didn't want to risk it. I took out scyther with wiggly and a pluspower, and then he jabbed to KO wiggly, i brought up chansey, played a DCE, and double edged for game. Now, 1 prize against me so far today.
Points: 23
Opponent Skill: 14
Players Left: 2
Deck Count: 15
Total Deck Count so far: 40
Prizes so far: 4 packs, 1 invitation, 1 hat
FINALS vs. David Graham!
Now, the finals! YAY! 1 prize against me so far, if I win this one without letting him take too many prizes, I already have a great shot at the trip, and it's only the 1st tournament of the weekend! Anyway, he was playin a wigglytuff deck, except it wasn't just straight grass/colorless like mine. I think he actually played buzz/hitmo/wiggly, but not positive on that. I'm pretty sure of the buzz though. Anyway, I don't get the best hand in the world, but not the worst either, so i start with an active scyther. I actually did not get a turn 2 wiggly built, because I didn't have the resources. I ended up getting my chance to oak a few times, and finally got a wiggly powered. I use my pluspowers to plow through his pokemon, one by one. However, he thinks ahead, unlike other opponents. He builds a buzz and scyther on his bench to take out my wiggly. By the time it's gone, I have only a prize left and a jiggly with an energy on it. It takes 2 more turns to build up, and he manages to knock out one more pokemon while i'm busy building. I come up, wave for 60 with a pluspower and that's game. I only had 9 cards left in my deck =), but that's not too unusual for the deck... YAY! tournament winner! 4 prizes left meant i would get 4 more points, making my total 27. That's not unbeatable, but a high number for others to shoot for. I'm pretty excited at this point, and getting ready for the 3rd tournament.
Points: 27
Place: 1st
Opponent Skill: 16
Total Opponent Skill: 41
Deck Count: 9
Total Deck Count: 49
Prizes won: around 9 (not positive on that) packs, 1 invitation, 1 hat, 1 t-shirt
Wow, that was pretty cool. One tournament, one win. Done with that, and flight 2 (second tournament) is already in progress. I believe both Mark and Bruce (good local players) played in this one, but besides them I don't remember seeing anyone else in that tournament from the regular tournaments around town. I'm pretty happy with my 27 points, but my opponent skill (41) and deck count (49) seem a bit low. So, hopefully nobody will tie with me in points =). Anyway, I pay a friend for a ticket to a later tournament I had him get me, and I don't have to worry about getting one (since I was all the way into the finals, they were probably "sold out" by the time I was done). I run over to the pizza place and get a couple slices of pizza, and have just enough time to eat them before the 3rd tournament starts. Anyway, I'm pretty excited, and we start the 3rd tournament of the day.
Day 1, Tournament 3
Round 1 vs. Dusty Terrill
Hmmm, with no easy games the first tournament, i figured this would make up for it ;). He started with an active bulbasaur with a scyther and pinsir on the bench, and I had a jigglypuff. He goes first, places energy on bulbasaur. I play a double colorless and 2 pluspowers to KO bulbasaur. He swords dances with scyther. I play an energy on jigglypuff, oak twice, getting wiggly and a gust of wind for pinsir. Since I couldn't fill my bench (only 3 pokes...eek!), i had to get rid of swords dance. I gust out pinsir, attack for 40, he plays an energy on scyther. I ko pinsir, draw a scyther for a prize. He slashes wiggly, i draw a chansey - So now I have 6 pokemon on my bench, but no more pluspowers. wave for 60. He slashes me for 30, but draws no pokemon, so that's game. Opponent still has 6 prizes left again, yay!
Points: 6
Players left: 16
Opponent Skill: 0
Round 2 vs. Chris Thompson
[Note: not sure on his last name, blurry on the paper I wrote it down on]
Chris was using a wigglytuff deck, just as I was. However, his was a little less tuned, and also had hitmonchan instead of the colorless pokemon I had. I open up with a ditto against his hitmonchan, and I start the game. I attach an energy on ditto and jab, and have 2 jiggly's on the bench. He attaches his energy to hitmonchan and jabs me. He also has a jigglypuff on his bench, so I'll have to hurry up and KO two pokemon if I want to deck him. I draw my card, evolve both the jigglies to wigglies (held oak so I could evolve), then oaked twice. I played a DCE on ditto and a pluspower to KO his hitmonchan, and I have 2 wigglies waiting for action on the bench. He uses lullaby and puts my ditto to sleep. I wake up, play an energy on wiggly, and pound jiggly (just in case he gets a wiggly I can KO it with wiggly in 1 turn, instead of lullaby, to prevent ditto from being killed). He tries putting ditto to sleep, but I scoop up ditto, and KO his jiggly for the game. 6 more points for me =).
Points: 12
Players left: 8
Opponent Skill: 6
Prizes so far: 2 packs
Round 3 vs. Athena Kopenson
Athena seems to be going to Arizona Gamer every week now, so she's a regular there I suppose ;). She needed a ticket, I already had one. We started playing... I got down to 2 prizes left and so did she. Time was about up, and i had less cards in my deck by a considerable margin. I didn't see anybody around that posed a threat for winning the trip, so I didn't bother taking another prize ;). I had several opportunities...but she needed the invite and i already wasn't going to improve my old point total (4 prizes taken), so time ran out and she won. She won an invitation later on sunday again, so it didn't really matter after all, but i didn't mind. hmmm, that ended saturday's tourneys for me.
Points: 14
Total Prizes this tournament: 2 packs
I stuck around to see the finals, and nobody posed a threat as far as points goes. Since the tournament didn't end until 5 (and that's when my ride was coming), there would be about 2 hours to wait =). I was happy though, cause I hadn't had any time to wander yet... Traded a bit, played a few fun games. I found out [actually day 2, but it fits here] that the winner of tournament 2 in my age division had a single opponent that knocked out 4 prizes...not to mention what anyone else KO'd. He was using some sort of damage swap active attack/stall if necessary. So, so far out of all the winners I had the highest point total! Yay! Anyway...on to day 2
After driving me both ways saturday, my father wouldn't take me again on sunday. So, I pay Fred $5 gas money to take me :P. Thanks fred! Anyway, we arrive about 8:15...15 minutes later than on saturday, and there's still about the same size line...actually, I was sitting in the _exact_ same spot...just about 8 people ahead of us... Surprise, surprise, Ryan Crimo shows up... After a few wonderful emails (sarcasm), I didnt think he'd show. He's ranked #4 globally in the DCI standings, and he certainly lets you know about it... He signs his emails "The Great One - Ryan Crimo - Ranked 4 in the World" or something to that effect every time. Anyway, I was hoping to play him. Guess we just don't like each other any more... ah well, anyway, he was there. He doesn't need the invite because he's top 10 DCI in the US...so unless he needed the trip i don't know why he came. Well, he would be playing in the first tournament, so i'd get to play him. When the line finally started, i saw him walk up when they asked for his age, he said 14 and they gave him a card for the 11-14 age division... He went over and laughed with his freinds for a minute before going back and getting the right one. Ah well, already up to no good ;). Right after I got out of line for the first time, I went back to get my deck checked, then came back to the "line" (nobody in it then) and got a ticket for the 2nd round - a lot less crowded on sunday with everyone at church. If I get eliminated early in the first tournament, i'll be able to catch the 2nd tournament, and if not I can hopefully get a ticket for the 3rd tournament... Anyway, on to the tournament :P
Day 2, Tournament 1
Round 1 vs. Clint Tirimmer
[Note: I'm reading these LAST names (i took the 1st names down myself) off the carbon copy of the score cards the master trainers filled out...and not to mention they don't have that great of handwriting =)...so if i mess up on the last names, it's at least something close]
Clint was running a hitmonlee/scyther/? deck with mysterious fossil probably for an aerodactyl evolution. I didn't see much of his deck (thankfully), so i didn't really see what the concept was. He started with hitmonlee up front and scyther in back, and I had my jigglypuff up, with no bench (would call it a bad draw, but i had an oak in hand ;). I oaked and had a wiggly koing one pokemon/turn by turn 2... and gust of winds to take out pokemon with energy. I had picked up 5 prizes and his only pokemon left was a mysterious fossil. he doesn't draw any pokemon to give him another chance, and i take out the fossil to bench him (awww, didn't get my 6th prize for that U_U). Anyway, i gots me 6 points, so that was really no big deal.
Points: 6
Players Left: 16
Round 2 vs. Cong Ryan
He was running a pretty strange deck to make it to the 2nd round... I opened up with jiggly vs. mime, a lucky match-up for me ;). I usually would play jiggly back, but I got no other pokemon. Luckily that mime wasn't a hitmonchan :). Anyway, I go first and play the DCE to pound mime for 20. He plays a pidgey and jynx on his bench. I evolve to wiggly, energy, oak, play one pokemon on my bench and wave for 20 :)...just in case he could somehow knock the jiggly out. he brings up pidgey, who whirlwinds (or whatever that attack is called...) for my scyther on the bench...oh yay, free retreat =). I regreat for wiggly, play a couple more basics and KO pidgey, as well as put an energy on a jiggly on the bench. He brings up jynx, which is just a sitting duck since wiggly resists psychic. He starts building the pidgey on his bench, and i add the pluspower and finish filling my bench to KO jynx. He brings up the pidgey, whirlwinds for a chansey, i pay the retreat and wave for the game.
Points: 12
Players Left: 8
Opponent Skill: 0 (how? again i wonder...)
Prizes so far: 2 packs
Round 3 vs. Roman Berrones
Roman is from LA...he came to meet his brother for the first time in a year I believe. Yesterday he had used a turbo rain dance deck with dark and regular blastoise, and now he switched over to wiggly because he wanted an invite i believe. Anyway, with Ryan sitting right next to him (across the table and over one seat), this was gonna be an annoying match. Ryan started off by trying to get me to have to remove my playmat from the table because it was "disturbing him". That didn't work too well, so he started complaining about everything he could think of... He wasn't really annoying, because I knew what he was doing...I figure this is how he wins so many matches. If he lets everyone know he's 4th in the world, and he's bragging about it, they've already lost the mental game before they've started. I thought it was kind of funny he was already bugging me, because that showed he was afraid to play me ;) if he was that desperate for a win. Anyway, me and Roman started the match a little bit early. I took my turn, drew my card. He said to wait until time started. A few minutes later he finally started time, and we could continue. I asked Roman where we were (i was listening to Ryan's antics), and he said it was my turn, to start. So I draw my card...and he tells me to count the cards in my hand >_<. I realize that I must have drawn before we stopped... He called the judge over, I showed the judge the card I drew, and he put it back into my deck. eek, that's very nice of him and all, but i personally think i shoulda got in a little more trouble for it...maybe a random card from my hand removed or something? I dunno how he could believe the card I drew was a grass energy (though it was). Anyway, i'm not complaining. We start up, and i'm in a bad spot...jiggly vs a ton of good hay pokes. He oaks...and starts drawing his cards into his hand before he discards it. :P, this game is just messed up bad. I call the judge over this time, and since it's only a minute or less into the match, we just start over. *whew*. Okay, start over. good thing :). Draw my hand...no energy, but a couple pokes. He gets his hay pokes pounding and waits for a wiggly while i'm stuck with no energy and a couple scythers and a chansey. he manages to get 2 fully pumped wigglies. i finally draw an energy for jigglypuff, and he goes to sleep for a while. i play another energy. I get a wigglytuff out, but to no avail because he's already drawn 5 prizes and the wiggly has no bench support, not to mention not enough energy :(. So, unless he somehow flips tails every turn for a long time until he runs out of cards or i pull a miricle, he's gonna win. he got a couple of heads, and beat me. I must congratulate him though, he's the 1st person of the weekend to really beat me :). That was definately an interesting match...
Points: 12
Total Prizes this Tournament: 2 packs
Well, that was great. I got done just in time to get checked-in and run over to the 2nd tournament. I heard Ryan Crimo won the 1st tournament of the day, but only with 22 points. 5 points off my 1st tournament...for #4, i expected better ;). Anyway, so far out of 4 tournaments I have the highest point totals of all the winners, and i'm getting ready to enter my 4th tournament of the weekend. Anyway, on to the tournament...
Day 2, Tournament 2
Round 1 vs. Shawn Olson
Wow, i figured this'd be an easy match ;). We actually got to pick our opponents, and this guy was one of 2 with no sleeves on his cards, so i figured he'd be easy. Well, he should have been, at least ;). Unfortunately, my only pokemon is a ditto :-(. So, ditto vs. gastly and abra ;). How wonderful. Awww, this isn't too great. After about 10 turns of trying to put each other to sleep, i finally get a jigglypuff, play a DCE, retreat, and pound. Next turn i draw a computer search, get an oak, and get a fully pumped wiggly to KO his gastly and then the alakazam he had evolved to...with no bench, damage swap didn't help him out much. 6 points for me again =).
Points: 6
Players Left: 16
Round 2 vs. Jay
[Note: I can't read his last name on the scorecard (it's too faded from the carbon-copy), and that's where i got last names at, so i don't know his last name...sorry about that]
On to round 2 for my 4th time! Jay was running a typical haymaker, as far as I could tell. I start off with scyther vs. scyther, with jigglypuff on my bench and no pokemon on his. I go first, RSA away the oak, double colorless on jigglypuff, CPU for RSA for the energy removal, pound for 20. He plays an energy on scyther. I attach an energy to jigglypuff, professor oak, get a wigglytuff, fill my bench, and knock out his lonely scyther. ouch! that woulda sucked to lose like that... 2 turns with a terrible hand, but i'm certainly not disappointed :). I watch the games around me while i'm waiting for the round to end, and i only see about 3 real threats to winning the tournament, so i figure i have a pretty good shot.
Points: 12
Players Left: 8
Opponent Skill: 2
Prizes so far: 2 packs
Round 3 vs. David Jennings
Another haymaker... These hadn't been a problem yet, so I was hoping my luck wouldn't change now. I'd lost the last 2 tournaments in a row in round 3, so I really wanted to get past it since it would hopefully be my last (if I got knocked out I could go back for #3). I often play him at the weekly tournaments, so I was ready to play him agian =). He started off with one basic, and I had 2. I won the flip, and would be going first. Right as he said time, I flipped over my scyther and jigglypuff (benched) against his...dratini? Ahh, great. I get to go first...i have a double colorless in hand and a computer search. I draw a pluspower! yay! I retreat for jiggly, play the DCE, play the pluspower, computer search for another pluspower, and that was the game...all in under 20 seconds ;). I don't know what he was doing playing dratini...but it works for me =). That has to be about the fastest win I saw all weekend at the STS =). So, I got to look around at the decks, and see what everyone was playing.
Points: 18
Players Left: 4
Opponent Skill: 10
Deck Count: 48 (yay! dunno how that worked though =) shoulda been 46...)
Prizes so far: 3 packs, 1 invitation
Round 4 (top 4) vs. Todd Brock [yes, i played him yesterday in round 3 as well]
All right, this would be another good matchup. I played him yesterday and he got stuck with only an electabuzz. This time he had one pokemon again =). I had scyther against buzz, energy on jiggly on bench, RSA oak, his turn. He oaks and gets another pokemon, scyther, and thundershocks my scyther (not paralyzed). I place a DCE on jigglypuff, oak, evolve to wiggly, and do the wave for 40 because I couldn't fill my bench. He thunderpunches my wigglytuff, and i finish off his buzz after placing an energy on a benched jiggly. he plays an energy on scyther, and swords dances. I place my energy on jigglypuff, and wave for 40. He plays a DCE, and KO's wiggly >_<. My 1st knockout of the tournament. I promote scyther, oak a few times to get wigglytuff, and do the wave for the game, with only 11 cards left in my deck already >_<. Ah well, a wins a win, and i watched the other top 4 game before i would be playing in the finals next.
Points: 23 been here before =)
Players Left: 2
Opponent Skill: 11
Deck Count: 9
Prizes so far: 4 packs, 1 invitation, one hat
Round 5 (FINALS!) vs. Michelle Fredette [sp?]
Hmmm, a wiggly deck. Using a couple rocket squirtles for magmar metagame =). She claimed nobody had knocked a squirtle out all day. That's pretty cool. I play her a lot at local tourneys (again, it seems I played a lot of familiar faces), so I knew what to expect. I got an early rocket sneak attack, built up a wiggly fast, and started KOing the 70 HP pokemon like crazy (pp's). I built up a wigglytuff on my bench. She got into striking distance of the wiggly, and I had an option: sacrafice the wiggly to put me one prize away from victory that I can win next turn with my built wiggly on my bench and a gust of wind (unless she SER's or RSA or something), or I can retreat wiggly for scyther and build up my other wiggly for a turn. Since I have to win the game to get the trip, and my previous high score was 27 points, I decide that 28 will be enough, and it's not worth the risk of giving her 2 turns to find the SER. I KO a scyther with a pluspower, and then she knocks out my wiggly. I promote my wigglytuff, gust of wind for a weak squirtle to win the game. Wow! I beat my old score of 27! With a 28, but still ;). Great game Michelle!
Points: 28
Finished: 1st
Opponent Skill: 19
Total Opponent Skill: 43
Deck Count: 6
Total Deck Count: 71
Prizes Won: 1 T-Shirt, 1 Hat, 1 Invitation, about 9 packs of base set 2
It turns out, I didn't get to stay for the finals, but I saw both of the players before I left - neither of them could beat my 28 points. So, since I have 28 points, and know the winners of all the other tournaments, the only way someone can beat my score is to come in 2nd place and lose by having only 1 or 2 prizes drawn against them in the finals (example: no prizes drawn against me until finals, and then I get only one basic. My opponent knocks it out, but they still have 5 prizes left. So I still have 29 points, even though I didn't win). That's just an example...something like that would have to happen for me _not_ to win the trip. If you plan on going to an STS qualifier, I'd recommend a fast wigglytuff deck. That's about it on the strategy side, I think i've pretty much covered how everything worked. As far as prizes go, I walked away with over 20 base set 2 packs, 2 hats, 2 t-shirts, and an invitation or 2 (dunno if they'll send both or not since they send it through the mail) to the STS in California, PLUS a good shot at the free trip!
Special thanks to WotC for this great event! Everything is absolutely free (unless you have to pay someone gas money or to stand in line and get a ticket for a later tournament for you =)! Considering admission is free, they gave away great prizes...t-shirts, hats, booster packs, and all for nothing. I had a great time, and all the Master Trainers were great. The movement between tournaments was crisp and smooth, and everything was very well run. Master Trainer Niles and Master Trainer Conrad were my favorites :P (plus another one with glasses, I can't even recall if I ever heard his name, sorry U_U). They were great to talk to, and certainly knew the game. Since the tournament wasn't DCI, they could run it with a little more understanding than DCI's strict policies, not to mention typing everyone into the computer would have been hectic. I had a great time, and I'm still waiting to hear from WotC...either receive an invitation or if I get the trip (*hopes*). Well, that's about it. Had a great time, and hope they continue this with the STS in California!
All right, now for the obligatory props and slops...
Props:
Master Trainers for the great organization
WotC for putting this show on
Everyone that participated...it was really fun
Wigglytuff! How can you win with a wigglytuff deck and not thank wiggly?
Fred for the ride on Sunday
All the local tournament players for showing up (Mark, Bruce, Matt, Fred...the list goes on forever)
Prize support!
Slops:
Mall for not opening Sunday until 11 (hour after tourney started...couldn't buy deck protectors >_<)
Not too many complaints about this event...it was really great. Had a great time, and hope to see everyone in Long Beach!
Chad Mills (jediman on mIRC) - azkeeper@aol.com