T.M.W. of Steelix (M/L)

The Mighty Wall of Steelix (Metal/Lightning)
by Eskil Vestre ("Golduck" from Team Europe)
West Coast STS Qualifier
Liseberg Amusement Park
Gothenburg, Sweden
Saturday, June 30th, 2001
612 total participants (roughly 370 in 11-14)

This gigantic STS Qualifier was in fact the biggest in history.
The organizers expected around 300 people to meet up, but double as many as expected showed up, ending up with 600 people and 370 of them in my class.
This is going to be really hard, I thought, and started wondering if my deck was anything to go for in such a hard competition.

Here it is, anyway:

15 Pokémon:
4 Onix (Base)
3 Steelix
3 Cleffa
2 Igglybuff
3 Rocket's Zapdos

30 Trainers:
4 Oak
4 Computer Search
4 Lass
3 Goldberry
3 Item Finder
2 Ecogym
2 Gust of Wind
2 Switch
3 Plus Power
2 Energy Charge
1 Nightly Garbage Run

15 Energy:
4 Metal Energy
4 Double Colorless Energy
7 Lightning Energy

Before the tournament:
I walked around in the slightly overfilled hall and chatted with all the other Team Europe members. I met SauroN (Christoffer) and Freddy K (Faisal) real-life for the first time, and met many friends I had'nt seen in a long time, like MuxS (Max), Daniellugia (Daniel) and many more.

The organizers were very stressed because so many people met up, it took them around two hours before they actually could start the tournament.
15+ could sit down first, simply because they were the smallest group with "only" 64 people.
Finally, my group, 11-14, could sit down and find our opponent.

Match 1 - Me vs. 11 year old girl with Croconaw/Flaafy deck

I got a bad start, and couldn't power up Steelix fast enough.
I had Zappy active and some Onix and Igglies on the bench.
So I just kept using Plasma and getting no L Energies up. But I killed many small Totodiles and Flaafies this way. Suddenly, she got out Croconaw and did 50 damage to my Zappy, making it have only 10 HP left. I played Goldberry and continued until I drew an Oak (or was it a Comp Search? Don't remember) that turned the game.
I got out my Steelix with some Metal Energies and won pretty fast.

1-0-0

Match 2 - Me vs. boy with Wiggly deck

My deck is just so incredibly good against Wigglies. Why? 'Cause they always play Eco- or No Removal Gym! So I focused on one thing from the start: get those 4 Metal on Steelix. And it went like I wanted, so he sat there doing 20 to Steelix with a full bench.

2-0-0

Match 3 - Me vs. girl with High HP Colorless Pokémon deck

This girl used Kangaskhan, Lickitung and so on. I just gusted out her high-retreaters with no Energy all the time to avoid trouble.
She used some odd cards in her deck, like "Sleep!".
When I started to do 50 damage with Steelix, her Pokémon rarely survived more then two turns.

3-0-0

Match 4 - Me vs. Mono Fighting Aerodactyl deck

I started with Zappy against his bunch of Fighting Pokémon, and realized that Zappy (with his Fighting resistance) was the one to concentrate on in this match, rather then Steelix. I got 3 Lighting and one Metal on him pretty fast and killed Gligars and Hitmonchans in one hit. I always gusted out his Gligars because I knew their poison could be painful.
At the end of the game, he flipped heads with Fossil Egg and played an Aerodactyl from his hand onto his bench. At that point, I understood that it was an Aerodactyl deck. But even Aerodactyl got KOd of one single Electroburn.

4-0-0

______
TOP 16
"""""""
Now, with 4 straight wins, I was pretty sure to come to the Top 16.
I walked around and watched 15+ and 10- play their 5th match, they had one more match in their group.
My sisters in 10- went 4-1-0 and 3-2-0. That's pretty good!
Faisal, who of course played in 15+ (he's 25!), went 4-0-1.
TE member Christian Widlic went 5-0-0 in 10-!

I was very excited when they called the Top 16 in each class to sit down.
In 10-, Christian came to Top 16, but not my sisters.
And in 11-14, I and my friend Erik "Scythzor" Nordbø.
And finally, in 15+: SauroN, MuxS, Faisal and Mgz.

1/8-FINAL
Me VS. Mono-Fire

I was surprised to see a deck like this come so far, but I suppose it was because of all the Meganium decks this day.
He started with Base Magmar and Rocket Charmander.
I was really afraid of Magmar's Flamethrower, which can do 100 dmg to my Steelix. So I waited to evolve and had my Steelix in my hand a long time, using Zappy as the attacker. Charmander got KO of two Plasma. He brought out Magmar and did 50 to Zappy, but I took only 10 because of Goldberry.
When I got rid of his two Energy-loaded Magmars, I finally brought out Steelix (which seemed safe now) and Tail Crushed all his 50 HP Pokémon.

5-0-0

QUARTERFINAL
Me VS. Turbowiggly

That Wiggly was superfast, and much stronger then the previous I met this day.
He did 60 2nd turn! After he got rid of many of my Pokémon, I sat there with only an Iggly active against his fully powered Wiggly. I had a bad hand and no bench.
And what did I drew that turn? An Energy Charge? A Gust of Wind? A Nightly? No! Of all cards, I drew Oak! I was so happy. I got a great hand, powered up Steelix and killed Wiggly. Now he only had useless Scythers left (Steelix has resistance) and I won after a while.

6-0-0

SEMIFINAL
Me VS. a danish boy with Raindance (Downpour?)

He started with active Base Squirtle and benched Totodile. I started with Zappy and won the flip. First turn KO! He sent out his Totodile. He used 4 Bills (!!!!) and got an enormous hand. Then he played Squirtle on the bench and passed.
I just knew he had Blastoise and Breeder in his hand! It was just a feeling - It'd be so typical! So I used Lass and he actually had Breeder, and looked pretty angry for having to shuffle it back. Now Blastoise had to wait.
I attached Metal Energy to Zappy, got my second Lightning Energy and did 10 damage to Totodile.
And guess which card he drew? Computer Search! He searched his deck for a new Breeder and evolved into Blastoise. But that wasn't as smart as it first seemed.
He now only had one card in his hand, and that was Water Energy, which he attached to Blastoise.
He hoped to draw some more Energy later and passed.

I attached Lightning Energy to Zappy, gusted out Blastoise and did 120 damage!
He didn't understand why I only did 10 to myself.
It seemed like he had never heard of the Electroburn/Metal combo.
A judge came and helped us. It was a good judge, Harlan Levey.
I knew him from my trip to USA (and EC STS) last year.
He said that I was totally right and tried to explain this to the boy.
But he still didn't understand. Then I opened my rucksack and showed him a print of "Ness' card of the day: Metal Energy".
He gave up the fight and I drew the prize for Blastoise.

I KO'd his Totodile with Electroburn and he sent out his last Pokémon, another Totodile. It had 20 HP left and he used Leer. Heads!!!
I knew that I only needed a stupid 20 HP to win. I read Totodile's Leer carefully.
"Benching either Pokémon ends this effect..." Yes! That was it!
I retreated Zappy and brought out another Zappy. Attached Lightning and did 20 damage for the win.

7-0-0

Between the rounds, his father came to Harlan and me and wanted to know why Rocket's Zapdos hurt himself with only 10.
I tried to explain, but even he didn't get it. Then I showed him
"Ness' Card of the day " and he understood!

FINAL
Me VS. Wiggly

Another Wiggly?!
This one wasn't as though as the one in the quarterfinal. He got out Wiggly slower, leaving me more time to attach Metal Energies to Steelix. I started attacking Wiggly and he used Lullaby. I got tails and continued sleeping.
But I just played Switch, sent out Cleffa and retreated to Steelix again! Sleep was healed and I killed the Wiggly. He brought out a Jiggly and used Lullaby again.
I used Item Finder, Switch and repeated. Then I attached Plus Power and Tail Crushed for 60 to KO it.
He sent out his last pink puffball and used Lullaby again.
Frustratingly enough, I got tails and slept again! But then it was time for some luck (at last) and I drew a Switch. I repeated my little trick again and killed the pesky little monster.
He sent out his Scyther and used Slash. "Zero damage, resistance" I said.

I don't remember much from then on, just that I after killing the last few Scythers WON. I had won the biggest STS Qualifier in history, and now I'm going to the USA again in December (I won Norway's ECSTS Qualifier last year)!

8-0-0

I won a Booster Box, a trophy, a jacket, an invitation and free plane tickets and hotel. In the 15+ class, Faisal won. Check out his Killer Deck report which is also posted here on Pojo.
Now it's time for the typical, unoriginal, standard, must-have PROPS and SLOPS! (fanfare)

PROPS:
-to Wizards for listening to us in Team Europe and organizing these qualifiers.
-to Jason (Ness) for writing the Cotd about Metal Energy.
-to Metal Energy for being such a great card
-to Arne, a guy I traded cards over mail with, for sending me the two Igglies just a few days before the tournament to help me
-to all Team Europe members for doing it so well this day!

SLOPS:
-to all the people who said I couldn't use a japanese Steelix - even when I had an english one outside my deck!
-to the guy who played against my sister and cheated by saying that Totodile's Leer could do 70 damage to a Scyther. ):
-to the organizers for not letting "Red Phoenix" come to the Top 16 even when he had'nt lost once!