Hi this is a tournament report about the Huntley, IL City Championships that took place on 1/10/10. My name is Clinton Chan and I’m in the Masters Division. I’m a resident of Chicago, IL and a frequent visitor and commenter on sixprizes.com. So this was going to be the last possible City Championship I was going to be able to attend for this season and I really wanted a win to cap of a solid showing of top 4 and a finals in my previous 2 Cities appearances.
My friend and Estrada teammate Jeremy also known as jesus69 has already won a Cities and decided to be head judge at this event instead of playing. I decided to go with the deck that I thought had the best shot at winning, and that choice was Blaziken FB / Luxray GL / Garchomp C. I chose this deck because it’s really fast early and provides so many options mid to late game it’ll drive your opponents nuts. Also I believe it’s a good match up call because it has favorable match ups withh two of the more popular and successful decks in Dialga G/Garchomp C and Gengar variations.
So for Masters division there were 6 rounds so that mean there were at least 32 people. Some notable players entered included fellow Lafonte players: Kyle Sucevich (Pooka), Jason Klaczynski (Ness), Matt Alvis, Seena Ghaziaskar, James Flint and other notable quality players including fresh from a cities win the day before Rob A. from Green Bay and Rob Downs. So the field included some accredited players and up and comers, making it a tough field.
Round One vs. K Silva w/ Fire??
I don’t remember this opponent’s first name but remember she looked very young for her age but was very nice and hopefully wasn’t offended that the first thing she sat at the table was “You’re in Masters!?” Any way, the match lasted 4 turns total because she only ever had a lone Growlithe and my turn 2 I was able to attach a 2nd energy, an Energy Gain, and Claydol Cosmic Power for 5 for an Energy needed with the last card to Trash Bolt for the KO and Bench Out.
1-0
Round Two vs. J Coleman w/ Gengar(Fainting Spell)
This match I went first with a lone Uxie attached a Fire Energy and attacked for 30 with no bottom deck of course to his Unown G. On his turn he was able to use a variety of moves including playing a Ghastly with a Psychic Energy, Rare Candied into Gengar, Uxie for like 4 cards, Super Scooped Up the Unown G, Super Scooped Up the Uxie to setup again, benched a Baltoy, and Guarded his Gengar. He was just one Crobat G from getting the turn 1 donk, but I was able to survive barely after a Shadow Room.
The turn leading up afterward was a struggle as I was down 2 prizes for awhile trying to setup while he was going to town on my Uxie and Azelf. I was able to stay in the game with the signature move of attacking with a recently leveled up Luxray GL with Expert Belt and 2 energies to Flash Impact knockout a Bright Looked Claydol. At this time I was able to control the amount of Trainers/Supporters/Stadiums in my hand so I wouldn’t be wrecked by Poltergeist.
As from many tested games vs. Gengar, it loses a lot of steam after Claydol is taken out. After many more turns of scrapping by I was able to take the prize count to 1-1, and had a Power Spray for Level Down and my turn I PokeTurn said Luxray GL with Expert Belt promoted my fresh played Uxie. I attached an Energy and the Expert Belt and Psychic Restored bottom decking to get the exact knockout on his injured Gengar LV.X for game.
2-0
I was happy with this comeback win but from so much slouching from the past game my back was really starting to hurt and I heavily contemplated dropping or conceding so I can lie down and rest, but my friend and Teammate Javier kept telling me to “Man Up” and least start the match and maybe I’ll get the donk and I was like I can at least do that.
Round 3 vs. Rob A. w/ Gengar(Curse)/Spiritomb
I started with a Luxray GL and Call Energy and used it going first to setup my bench. He started with Baltoy attached a Call of his own, played a Nidoran F and got out a Gastly and Spiritomb. I leveled up next turn and Flash Impacted his Baltoy for knock out. This alone was too much damage too early for the Gengar deck and I kept the pressure on with repeated knockouts and Power Spray a crucial Dark Palm attempt and had a Dragon Rush for last prize. Afterward Rob told me had several crucial cards prized and I was very happy that I decided to play and by the end my back’s pain was bearable and I managed to get a zip lock bag and filled it with snow as a makeshift icepack.
3-0
Round 4 vs. Ryan Alperstein (Bullados) w/ Flygon/Dusknoir
I don’t remember too much about this game besides the fact he opened with a Trapinch and drew and benched another one. I took a very early lead from Trash Bolt on a Trapinch and leveling up and Flash Impact a Baltoy. Out of nowhere he got out 2x Claydol, a Dusknoir (Shadow Command), and a Flygon. I let him drew tons of cards with his 2 Claydol because I knew I had to save Power Sprays strategically for Shadow Command so he won’t do anything too funny with Damage Even. I just made sure I never attacked into that Dusknoir unless it was for the knockout and I eventually won with a Dragon Rush. Things never got too out of hand because I was up so far ahead on prizes and energy.
4-0
Round 5 vs. Colin Peterik w/ Machamp/Flygon
This match he was able to get a quick Machamp on his turn 2, but luckily I started first with a Lucario GL and a Call Energy. He was able to Take Out my Lucario, but I did get a critical Power Spray on his Uxie to stem the bleeding. I responded with a Toxicroak G (Leap Away) with 2 energies and an Unown G attached and Poison Revenged for 60 and poison. After this point Colin had to play real tight because he didn’t have any access to card draw and I was able to take controland took many prizes with a Guarded Blaziken FB LV.X. Eventually I won with an Uxie LV.X with 2 energies and an Expert Belt to knock out a Nidoqueen with an Expert Belt followed up with what might have been a Dragon Rush.
5-0
Round 6 vs. Kyle Sucevich (Pooka) w/ Gyarados/Luxray GL
I never played against Gyarados before, but I have played my own version of it a lot. My whole strategy was to do what Pooka did to me in an earlier City in which I played Gyarados and he played Blaziken FB/Blaziken/Luxray GL. Even though I started well and got a lot of pressure, his masterful use of one Luxray GL worked me over the whole game resulting in my loss due to burn flip when both on final prize.
He started first with Sableye to my Blaziken FB and got a Magikarp and something else with Call Energy. I Call of my own to setup a Luxray GL and a Lucario GL. After vapor Kicking for knockout next turn I was able to cut down on Pooka’s draw and he wasn’t able to setup a Gyarados for awhile. Critical point was Pooka trying to buy a turn by tanking with a Luxray GL LV.X with 2 damage counters and an Expert Belt. I was saving 3 Poketurn in my had to get a funny Magikarp kill, but I had to use them all right there to go with Jet Shoot to go down to one prize and was able to secure the game; if not, next turn he was able to finally get out the Gyarados and Poketurn the Luxray GL LV.X and bulldozing his way back.
6-0
Top 8 vs. Matt Alvis w/ Dialga G/Garchomp C
Game 1: Was a disaster I didn’t get any energies yet I was still hopeful of getting one Roseanne’s Research to turn the game around, but by my turn 7 I scooped after drawing 5 trainers in a row that didn’t help, also the fact that 15 minutes passed already didn’t help.
Game 2: I was able to start well but not realizing my Claydol was prized led me to waste a VS Seeker for a Bebe’s Search so I had to settle for an Uxie LV.X. I was ahead 3-5 for awhile and was trying to setup something more substantial. Also time was passing by real fast this game and I knew my number 1 priority was to take one more prize so this game would count and force a sudden death. Somehow Matt’s deck was not providing much energies or at least search able ones so he never mounted a full comeback. I tried to Flash Bite and setup a dragon Rush to knock out his benched Bronzong G to take 4th prize but I noticed he did have Snowpoint Temple out and after realizing that I had to Poketurn Crobat G and Flash Bit an Uxie on his bench and proceeded to Dragon Rush that to go up 2-4 with time running pretty low. Time was called soon and I held the lead to get a win.
Game 3 Sudden Death: Ness made a very good point that Matt should have scooped so he could go into game 3 with his choice of who goes first instead of the rule of flipping. I won the decision and started with Luxray GL and used Call Energy for another Luxray GL and a Blaziken FB. He started with an Unown G and after a SP Radar for a Garchomp C which he benched he attached a Call Energy to Unown G and decided it was better to retreat into Garchomp and Guard it up. My turn I drew Crobat G and with a Poketurn in my hand I Flash Bite it 2x and used Cyrus’s Conspiracy for Lightning Energy and a SP Radar in which I got Luxray GL LV.X and took the game. My friend Javier afterward told me why I didn’t just go into Blaziken FB LV.X instead since it would have also won and didn’t have to go through all of that, and I was like “I guess because I own a $40 card I should use it as much as I can.”
7-0
Top 4 vs. Seena Ghaziaskar w/ Gengar/Spiritomb.
Game 1: This was a very long game. I was able to surprise him early and knocked out a Haunter with 2 energies early with a Blaziken FB LV.X because he decided to use Hoodwink on my Azelf thinking it would be safe instead of retreating into Spiritomb in which he was contemplating . I don’t remember the exact details but I was only able to get another prize out of that Blaziken before it was knocked out by Gengar(curse) with Shadow Skip and Expert Belt into a Spiritomb with an Unown Q attached. I try to get slick by sending up my Azelf with 6 damage counters attached a Psychic Energy to Psychic Bind the Spiritomb for 20 and preventing it from retreating. Next turn he use Curse to knock out the Azelf.
I follow up with a Luxray GL and proceed to Level it up and Bright Look up the loaded Gengar attached a 2nd Energy and an Expert Belt I also Cyrus’s Conspiracy and noticed I had no more basic energies so I took another Cyrus and debated between Power Spray and SP Radar. I ended up taking SP Radar and got a Crobat G with it and used it to Flash Bite the damaged Spiritomb to put it at 3 damage counters. I attacked Gengar for 80 with Flash Impact and next turn he leveled up, Level Down my Luxray GL and used Crobat+Poketurn to knock for 2 prizes.
So things were starting to look really bad. Now I’m down 4-2 and decided to just send and Uxie and bottom deck with Psychic Restore to put the Spiritomb with Q equipped at 50 and promoted a Blaziken. I had a Garchomp C with an Energy and Energy Gain on the bench and could have used Bebe’s for the LV.X but did have an energy so I decided to use Aaron’s Collection for a Luxray GL and a Lightning Energy that I attached to Uxie. He Shadow Skips my Blaziken next turn to go up 1-4 and things were looking bad.
I promoted the Luxray GL and leveled up to Bright Look Claydol then I Poketurn my Crobat G and replayed him to Flash Bite to knock out a Spiritomb and got a Fire Energy from my prize. I attached the Fire energy to Garchomp and used my Luxury Ball for Claydol and evolved and Cosmic Power into 5 new cards and I was able to Bebe’s Search into the Garchomp C LV.X, retreated into Garchomp C LV.X and Dragon Rushed the damaged Gengar LV.X with Expert Belt for 2 prizes tying it 1-1 after I Poketurn and relay my Luxray GL with an Energy Gain. Seena drops a Relicanth and tried to get into a Fighting Energy and a way to get Claydol out of active through a Cosmic Power that I Power Sprayed and a Cynthia’s Feelings but he didn’t get it and next turn I retreated leveled up and Bright Looked a Spiritomb and Cyrus for the Lightning Energy I bottomed early with Uxie for game. Very exciting.
Game 2: Only like 10 minutes left and Seena decided to concede and give me the match.
8-0
Finals vs. Kyle Sucevich(Pooka) w/ Gyarados/Luxray GL
Game 1: I don’t remember too much about this game besides going aggressive with a Luxray GL to Trash Bolt and that I used Power Spray on Luxray GL 3 times and me knocking out Luxray GL 3 times. I made sure Luxray GL LV.X could not beat me and it paid off. It took him a long time to setup Magikarps in the discard pile and by the time it tuned into a threat I was able to have backup Luxrays GL to respond.
Game 2: Pooka got a really bad hand and had to keep using Sableyes to Impersonate into some cards while I got out an early Luxray GL and used Flash Impact repeatedly to keep knocking out Sableyes with him using Pokémon Rescue 3 times for Sableye and retreating a Crobat G into Impersonate. After my bench was littered with 3 damage counters all over the place I finally managed to take the last prize on a Gyarados I believe and won.
9-0
So I’m pretty happy that I finally won a City Championship. So my 4 City Championships showing this year got progressively better and I knew I was due. In chronological order I had a missed cut, top4, finals, and finally a win. I would like to thank my friends in the Pokémon Community for being such outstanding people and tough competitors.
Props:
My ghost busting abilities
Team Estrada
Javier for telling me to man up through pain
Jeremy for an excellent head judging job and driving the group
Jimmy Ballard for owning the best card store, Collect a Card N‘ Comics and a fantastic tournament organizer
Follow Lafonte members that continues to be the apex of sportsmanship, and all around great people to be around with
Cons:
Back Pain
Losing $1 to Javier that the Patriots would beat the Ravens
Once again not winning a mat from door prizes
Thank you all for reading and I wish everybody good luck for States and beyond.
