Jordan VH’s 2010 US Professor Cup Report

Hey all! I know some people have been waiting for this report, but I have been busy the past few days and have not had time to do it until now. So, here you go!

The Professor Cup took place on the Sunday of Nats when Top 16 cuts in the main event were going on. This year the format was Platinum-on and your deck could only contain 30 cards, with no more than 2 of any card in it. For game setup, there were 25 minute rounds and each player set out 3 prize cards instead of the usual 6.

I am going to be honest, I did not really prepare for this tournament since I spent the majority of time testing for the main event. I had decided the night before that I would just play Donphan since it is fast and has high HP. I included 2 Crobat G’s for extra damage placement, as well as a few secret techs. After playing a few games, I decided on running the following list:

Obviously everyone knows what Donphan Prime is all about, but for those who don’t, I will explain briefly why I chose to play it. First, for only 1 fighting energy, you do a whopping 60 damage with “Earthquake.” Not bad for 1 energy, eh? The drawback is that you do 10 damage to each of your benched Pokemon. Also, Donphan Prime has a body, “Exoskeleton,” which reduces damage done to Donphan Prime by attacks by 20…that’s pretty solid!

Next, since I was expecting a lot of SP to be played, I teched in a 1-1 Rapidash from Arceus. Its attacks are mediocre, but its Poke-Body is where this card really shines. This body is called “Wild Guard,” and it prevents all effects of attacks, including damage, done to Rapidash by SP Pokemon. So, by just getting this card into play and not setting any bench, you lock your SP opponent completely!

Finally, I added a 1-1 Glalie from Arceus into my deck. Glalie is a water-type Pokemon with an attack called “Wreck,” that does 20 base damage. BUT, if there is a Stadium card in play, the attack will do 70 damage and you have to discard that Stadium. Ok, big deal…so what’s the point?

Wait a sec…isn’t Donphan Prime double weak to water? Also, don’t Donphan Prime players also have Broken Time-Space in their decks? Do the math: 70 x 2 = 140. You OHKO Donphan Prime…nice!

Since I was also expecting tons of Donphan, I thought Glalie would be gold! I arrive for the tournament and sit down with my fellow Professors until the pairings go up. Here we go! Unfortunately, I forgot most of my opponent’s names, so I will explain their demographics to the best of my ability.

Round 1 vs. ????? with SP

This guy was from Missouri and was a good sport. First off, my Rapidash was prized the entire game, so I could not get it out. In all honesty, I actually don’t remember much detail about the match until the end. We are down to 1-1 in prizes and he has an active Palkia G with damage on it. I have my Glalie active with 2 energy on it. I need to rip my Expert Belt for the win. I double Pokedex, and I manage to get it…GG!

1/0

Round 2 vs. ????? with SP

I believe this guy was from Texas. Unfortunately, this match was very short. I manage to get out Rapidash turn 2 and he scoops since he told me that he had no counter for it. Sorry.

2/0

Round 3 vs. ????? with Rotom

I believe this lady was from Pennsylvania. I start off by getting out a T1 Donphan and taking my 1st prize, but she responds by promoting up Frost Rotom and attaching Double Colorless to it. She then OHKO’s my Donphan with “Crushing Ice”…sick.

I promote Glalie, attach the Double Colorless to it, lay down Crobat, Poke Turn it back, and use it again to KO the Frost Rotom. She promotes Mow Rotom and attempts “Mow Down” to discard my energy. She gets tails…phew. Next turn, I double Pokedex, lay down the 2nd Broken Time-Space, and play Expert Belt on my Glalie for game.

3/0

Round 4 vs. ????? with SP

I actually don’t remember where he was from. Anyway, this was also a short game. Once again, I get my Rapidash in play by turn 2. After having a little fun, he finally scoops. Time for lunch!

4/0

Round 5 vs. Travis Claypoole with Arceus

Finally, an opponent that I remember! Travis is from Tennessee and was a very nice guy. He was playing Arceus, a deck which I really wanted to play because it takes advantage of opponents’ weaknesses. Anyway, I get a T1 Donphan out and get my 1st prize. But he promotes his water Arceus, levels it up, and OHKO’s me using his benched fire Arceus’ attack, “Bright Flame.” On the plus side, he flips tails, and has to discard his attached Double Colorless Energy.

I am forced to promote my Glalie and hit him for 20 damage with “Wreck.” To my dismay, he rips the Double Colorless and confuses me with “Mind Bend” on his benched psychic Arceus. Here, since my hand is so bad, I am forced to attach my Expert Belt to the Glalie, and flip for the KO on the Arceus. If I get heads and KO him, I am in a great position, since he has no more energy in play. But of course, I flip tails, and he KO’s me for his last 2 prizes. GG.

4/1

Round 6 vs. Dennis Gill with Arceus

By this time between rounds, my good buddy Kyle Sucevich (Pooka!!!) is in the Top 4 of the main event, so I went to watch his T4 match with other fellow Midwesterners. But by accident, I lost track of time, and I showed up late to the round! I arrived before the 5 minute limit, so I thought it would not be a problem. However, when I get to my table, one of the Judges was picking up the slip early.

At this point I am upset, so I kind of go into a minor tirade…oops. I felt really bad because Dennis did nothing wrong, and I basically was directing my tirade towards him. Also, my action violated the Spirit of the Game. Finally, we get the matter straightened out and we get to play! I forgot to ask where he was from, but he was a super nice individual. This one was not much of a game. He pulls off a T1 “Ripple Swell” to get energy on all his Arceus’, then he gets 2 quick prizes on me. I just scoop…didn’t matter anyways! Once again, sorry Dennis! GG

4/2

Round 7 vs. ????? with Donphan

This guy was awesome! He was from Louisiana and a huge Saints fan! This game was also very short. He gets a T1 Donphan and plays an Expert Belt on it to KO my active Phanpy. I promote my Glalie, attach an energy plus an Expert Belt to it, and play a Broken Time Space to do 180 damage and OHKO the Donphan for 2 prizes. He gets out his other Donphan, but I just OHKO it with my Glalie for game.

Final Record: 5/2

At this point, I was fairly certain that I would make T16. Sure enough, I am the 9th seed. Top cut started immediately, so I had no time to take a break…here we go!

T16 vs. Dana Lynch with Dialga G/Garchomp C/Dewgong

Game 1 – He gets his Dewgong out fast and I can’t respond, so I scoop……

Game 2 - We both get a prize early and he keeps moving energy with his Bronzong G to Poke Turn damage off of his Dialgas. Finally, it’s 2-1 in his favor, but he has 30 HP remaining on his Bronzong G and 50 left on his Dialga G. I triple Crobat his Bronzong and KO his active with my Donphan for my final 2 prizes.

Game 3 – Once again, it comes down to 2-1 in his favor, and his Dewgong is active and damaged. I have my Glalie in play and I have to rip my Double Colorless in order to KO him, or he will just KO my Glalie next turn to win. So, I use a Professor Oak’s Visit and 2 Pokedexes. I am down to few cards in my deck when I realize that my Double Colorless was prized, so I scoop. GG.

5/3

After the match, I received my backpack for making T16. It had the Professor logo on the front of it, and was quite roomy. I needed a new pack anyways, so I was excited to get it! After T8, me and my crew packed our stuff and left Indy to head back home to Rockford. :( But I can’t wait till next year! :)

Props:
Making T16 with no playtesting
Putting Glalie in my deck (was money all day!!!!!)
Troy Lesky and Bullados for making T8!

Slops:
Putting on that minor tirade Round 6
Not testing out Arceus like I wanted to (I believe all of T4 was Arceus)

Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed my report. I hope you guys see how awesome the Cup is, and maybe this would entice you to become Professors and play in it next year! :D Later!

Jordog18