Hi
Just the other day i got to test my new raindance deck at a local tournament in Livingston, NJ at a place called New World Manga(great place for pokemon tournaments, e-mail me for info). Here's the deck i played with:
4 Rocket Squirtle
4 Articuno
4 Lapras
3 Blastoise
3 Dark Blastiose
3 Prof. Oak
3 Item Finder
3 Computer Search
1 Challenge
1 Energy Retrieval
4 Breeder
3 Nightly Garbage Run
3 Gust of Wind
3 Bill
18 Water Energy
There were 32 people there on 5/26, a full tournament. When I got there I playtested with my friend Jim's dad. He was playing an old raindance deck. We played a long game that went back and forth until i decked myself. I had an amazing draw with I think a turn 3 or 4 Blastoise, Oak. I had him at 2 prizes and he turned the tables when he got 2 Blastoises on the table and a base set Squirtle that kept on flipping heads to paralyze my Blastoise. His Squirtle did a good 60 damage to my already beat up Blastoise to knock it out leaving me with nowhere to go having no energy in hand and only 2 on my articuno. In the long run, I realized that it wasnt the flips that lost me the game, it was the SER's he played that kept me without enough energy to attack. As we finished it was time for the tournament.
Game 1:Mike(? I forget his name, sorry) playing who knows what
I have won one tournament there so I am considered a "Pokemon Master." The rule there is that if u are a Pokemon Master more times than your opponent, then they get to go first. Anyway, i started with an Articuno and 2 Squirtles. He had a Poliwag. He draws and waterguns my bird. I draw a Comp. Search. I am holding a Blastois and an Oak so I decide to wait a turn to see what happens. I play an energy on Articuno and end my turn. He draws, plays an energy and waterguns for 20. I draw a GOW. I drop 2 GOWS to my Comp. Search to get a breeder. I breed out blastoise, play an energy and Oak. I draw 4 more energy and raindance them onto the Articuno. I BLizzard for the turn 2 win. So far, so good.
1-0
Game 2: Brian with Dark Vileplume.dec
This kid's older brother is a 13 time Pokemon Master(maybe more?) so I expect him to be a good fight. I start out with a Lapras and an Articuno on bench with another Articuno as my active. He has a Oddish. Looks like an easy win. He draws and puts my Articuno alseep with sleep powder. He wakes up at the end of the turn. I draw a Bill which gets me a Squirtle and a NGR. I play an energy on articuno and end my turn. He gets a Boss's Way and evolves to Dark Gloom. He uses the power and ends up condusing himself. For the next 3 turns or so I get no pokemon, no card drawers, and no energy, just NGRs, GOWS, and Blastoises. He, in the meantime, gets his Goom to the bench for a Snorlax with 2 Drowzees to make it a looooong game. He gusts for a Lapras and puts me asleep. I cant wake up. I get an energy and play it then end my turn by waking him up. He puts me to sleep again and has 2 energy on ! the snorlax. I wake up and k, Oaks away like 7 energy and gets nothing useful except another oddish. He confuses me and puts me to sleep. I wake up. I draw and get another Oak. I successfully retreat the Lapras for Articuno and Oak. I get a Dark Blastoise, 3 energy, a Comp. Search and a Challenge. I search dropping the Challenge and an energy for a breeder, get out the Dark Blastoise, put an energy on it and 1 on Articuno, and attcak for 50. I deal 10 to each of my bech by flipping tails . I knock out the gloom and draw a prize. He draws a challenge. I decline it. He draws into another Challenge, which I decline. He draws yet another which I decline. He drew NO BASICS(why challenge anyway in his situation, he isn't in trouble yet). The game goes on in a big sleep/confusion stalemate becuase he evolves to Dark Gloom and keeps me unable to do anything. He decks himself. I move o! n to the final 4.
2-0
Game3:Adam(Brian's brother) Playing "I have 10 cards against every deck in here".dec
I know exactly whats in his deck and I know i am in for a beating. I get a Squritle and a Lapras with 2 energy, a GOW, and 2 NGRs. He draws a Ditto, a Chansey, a Scoop Up, and some other things. I draw ANOTHER NGR, play an energy on Lapras, Hit Chansey for 10, and end the turn. He Scoops Chansey, brings out ditto with a DCE on it, and plays Lass. He loses a GOW and I lose almost my whole hand. He plays a Hitmonchan, Water Guns for 20 and finishes. I continue to draw no Oaks, searches, Bills, or Pokemon as he beats me with a Ditto. I finally draw a breeder and a Blastoise. I play them and play all 6 energy I drew. I deal 30 to the Ditto and knock it out. Unfortunately he has another one waiting on the bench. He gusts for Blastoise, plays an energy on Ditto(which can do 50 damage now), and Oaks. There were 2 Plus Powers, a Sneak attack or 2, and some other random things that helped d! efeat me.
2-1, I am eliminated
I get $12 in packs as prize which is an $8 profit on what I paid to get in. I get a foil Dark Weezing, a non-foil Dark Golbat, and a Base 2 non foil Venomoth for those who care. Also, I traded for that new Promo Computer Error(i didnt know about its existance until the tournament). For those who do not know what it does its a Rocket's Secret Machine crad and its #16. The effect is that you may draw up to 5 cards, your opponent may draw up to 5 cards. Your turn is over now (you don't get to attack). I donno about this card. It has potential. Oh well. That's all for now.
Matt D'Alessio