Arkansas State Championships
By now every last one of you have no doubt went through the exact same process of making the long (3.5 hour) drive to wherever Pokémon greatness is being played, in order to participate in a tournament. For this reason I will spare you all the amazing details of our wondrous car ride and the amazing scenery of tree after tree in a continuous loop down a winding road for many hours! Just know it was early, the ride was long, and for the most part un-eventful.
The list I chose to run was the very same list I have found myself using for a long time now, I am very comfortable with it so choosing it for this tournament was a “no-brainer.” It consisted of Gengar SF with Nidoqueen RR, Spiritomb and a Dusknoir DP tech. The main objective with my deck isn’t always Gengar, actually I usually use Nidoqueen RR to “Ruthless Tail” for major damage. And since most people don’t expect DCE in a Gengar build it usually works pretty well. Plus them seeing a Gengar SF still gives you the satisfaction of seeing your opponent waste/get rid of their trainers as fast as possible expecting a “Poltergeist”. When you promote a Nidoqueen and belt that sucker, drop a DCE with the already present psychic energy and “Ruthless Tail” for 120 it usually merits a priceless look of surprise.
Pre Game Match: Roger Price – Giratina/Donphan/Mewtwo
I start the day off right, playing one of my favorite Arkansas players. Last time I played him at Cities he was running Giratina LV.X, which I thought was pretty awesome simply because I have never seen anyone make it work so well. We both get pretty decent starts. His Giratina, to my Spiritomb. He sets up as do I and we trade prizes back and forth for a really close game. His late game Donphan set up my last two prizes via shadow rooming a belted benched Pokémon. This of course makes me feel great to start my day off with a win. I thank Roger for the great game and we make our way to postings just in time for our first round matches.
Round 1: ??? SP Toolbox
Can’t remember this guy’s name but he started with various SP’s to my Spiritomb and benched Baltoy. I got to go second and I had a Roseanne’s Research in my hand so I set up with the quickness and he couldn’t do anything. I get a Nidoqueen belted and active to “Ruthless Tail” my way to victory. Poor guy couldn’t draw a prize the whole game but was a really great sport about it.
1-0
Round 2: William Millard with Ampharos/Typhlosion Prime
I get a great start, he has Baltoy active and a benched Cyndaquil, I go first and immediately use Roseanne’s Research to pull a Gastly and a Nidoran, while using Spiritomb’s “Darkness Grace” to evolve my benched Baltoy into a Claydol. He eventually knocks out my Spiritomb and I proceed to revenge kill his Baltoy with Gengar. He gets a Typhlosion Prime set up with a benched Ampharos Prime but Nidoqueen keeps the damage off, so I pretty much sweep, he does manage to knock out my Gengar though, which totally throws off the awesome “Compound Pain” I was setting up.
Everything on his bench had ten health left so when he killed my Gengar, I had to use Nidoqueen to kill everything (I seriously need to start running Crobats). He played really well and did an excellent job, but Dusknoir really hurts when your bench is full and I shuffle your only backup attacker back in then KO your active. Overall it was a great game and a really awesome opponent.
2-0
Lunch Break:
I end up playing a few games with Micah P, the number one in the masters division in Arkansas. He was judging and wasn’t able to participate in the event so we decided to get a few games in while we had the chance seeing as how we have never been paired to play each other. He plays a pretty sweet Kingdra build but I am able to “Ruthless Tail” the life from his Kingdra for two straight games. We set up to play a third when pairings go up so we have to cancel it during turn one. Micah is a great guy and I’m glad we finally got to play. I’m looking forward to our next game.
Round 3: Roger Price – Giratina/Donphan/Mewtwo
Roger is an excellent guy and we always have great games, I got an excellent start and we traded hits for a minute until I established Dusknoir and shuffled away any chance he had of attacking. I then set up a multiple KO compound pain for the win. Excellent game and always a pleasure.
3-0
Round 4: ??? – Lugia Legend, Typhlosion/Ampharos Prime
Ok so this is the part where I sadly tell you I take my one and only loss of the day and end up getting 2nd place to this guy because he was undefeated. It was a horrible match and I knew I was bound to get a really crummy opening hand eventually; sadly it came to this deck. Ultimately I started with a lone Nidoran and didn’t draw into any supporters or basics for a long while, I was able to hold him off with a Nidorina for a while then drew into a Gastly.
Gastly becomes a Gengar via Rare Candy and I’m starting to feel better but then he does the whole Lugia Legend thing and gets the energy on that thing in one turn plays a Warp Point to KO my Gengar. I roll a heads on Fainting Spell and his water bird lands itself into the discard. He eventually cleans me out with another Lugia which would have found itself shuffled back into the deck with Dusknoir if I would have drawn the Rare Candy. I had 2 left in my deck and only 14 cards remained of said deck.
I Cosmic Powered for 6, no luck so I proceeded to play a Looker’s Investigation, hoping to draw the precious Rare Candy, failed so I retreat Gengar to level up my Uxie, in order to Trade Off thinking surely I could draw into it, unfortunately I didn’t so he retreated his active for Lugia Legend and killed my Uxie LV.X. I lost my first and only match of the day.
3-1
I wasn’t too upset with this because it was my understanding there was going to be a top 2 cut, but TOM messed up and there wasn’t one so I had no chance to try and reclaim 1st place. I felt robbed, but it couldn’t be helped. That’s right Six Prizes, I lost to the kid in the fanny pack that was playing a LUGIA LEGEND deck :[ I can’t even believe it myself…
Props:
Pulling five Lv X’s from my winning packs
Team Moon Shadow
Robert Long and his brother for driving so I didn’t have to
An awesome time and almost flawless record
Mike Schell and his wife for donating the prizes even though he and the Mississippi players couldn’t make it
Slops:
Almost hitting a pack of wild dogs feeding off the rotting corpse of half a cow in the middle of the road.
Losing to LUGIA LEGEND, who would have thought?
The horrifically long drive
