Wisconsin Regionals Report

Hi everyone! Coming into Regionals I had decided to play DialgaChomp, but due to my confidence in it, I decided to make a last minute change to Gyarados. I wanted to play the TrainerDos or SpeedDos version. I’m going to give a short analysis of the deck, and then my Regionals tournament report.

Strategy

You have the basic Gyarados strategy: get 3 Magikarps in your Discard with Regice’s “Regi Move” and Junk Arms. But in this version, you can make the deck a ton faster using Dual Balls, Pokedexs, Poke Drawer +s, and 4 Junk Arms to reuse the Poke Drawer +s.

Matchups

DialgaChomp: Favorable; you can beat the deck provided they don’t get an extensive Deafen Lock on you. You just Tail Revenge everything for KO.

Mirror: Even; whoever gets set up faster pretty much wins the game.

LuxChomp: Slightly favorable; yes they can KO your ‘Dos with Luxray GL, Lucario GL, and a Crobat G, but if you can out speed them, you will win.

VileGar: Unfavorable; since you rely on so many Trainers, you can’t play them if they set up a Vileplume. From there if you’re lucky, you can get a Gyarados out and hit for 60, or 90 if you’re really lucky.

Machamp: Favorable; the Machamp’s attacks will only do a little damage to your Gyarados, while you can almost KO the ‘Champs every turn!

Sabelock: Favorable/Unfavorable; basically if they don’t ruin your hand, then you can just KO everything they have. If they ruin your hand, well you just lose, unless you top deck.

MagneRock: Even/Slightly Unfavorable; if you can set up an early Gyarados, then you can just out speed them. Now if they start with a Spiritomb and set up an early hard hitting Magnezone, they’ll beat you. The ‘Tomb will lock you and the ‘Zone will KO all your Gyarados’s.

Tournament Report

So on Friday, the day before the tournament, I go to the tournament site and play in an eight person warm up pod. I go 3-0 and win the pod. I’m feeling pretty confident in my deck choice.

On Saturday, I arrive at the tournament at about 7:40am. I’m pretty pumped. I turn in my deck list, and play a few warm-up games. I lose two, and win one. Even though I lost two, I still feel very confident.

The pairings were delayed for a long time, so the tournament didn’t start for a long time. Finally at about 10:30am, the pairings are posted. We’re playing six rounds with Top 8. I think I’ll have to at least go 4-2 to have a chance at Top Cutting. If I go 5-1 or 6-0 I know I’ll make it for sure. Now to the report!

Round 1: vs. Ben M. w/ Gallade 4 / Infernape 4

I’ve never beaten Ben. I played him at States in 2009 when I was a Junior. It was a Top 4 match, in which he won both games. I’m kind of worried about playing a better player Round 1, but we’ll see.

I open Magikarp Active and Unown R on my Bench. He opens Gallade 4. We roll the dice, and he’s going first. He attaches a Fire Energy to Gallade 4, and then passes. I play Pokemon Collector; get Regice, Magikarp, and Uxie. I play BTS, and Set up with Uxie. I get the Gyarados, Magikarp, and Expert Belt I need for the win. I evolve to Gyarados, and attach the Expert Belt, and Regi Move, discarding two ‘Karps, Tail Revenge FTW!

WIN 1-0

Cool! I start the day with a donk, and a win.

Round 2: vs. Jack H. w/ ERL Typhlosion Prime

When I first saw him I wasn’t too worried. But my start is pretty bad. I have a Warp Energy, Junk Arm, Combee, Crobat G, Seeker, and two other bad cards.

I go first with Combee active. I draw a bad card, attach my Warp Energy to my Combee, and play Crobat and Flash Bite on his Cyndaquil which he has active. I use Alert to draw a card.

He uses Pokemon Communications for an ERL bottom. He plays the whole ERL out of his hand and attaches a Fire to it. I know I’m going to have to KO it before it becomes trouble.

I draw into an Uxie; I Junk Arm and from there Set Up to draw into a Collector. I get one Magikarp, a Regice, and an Uxie. I Regi Move to switch him for his ERL. I Set Up and draw into a BTS, Gyarados, Magikarp and Dual Ball. I play Dual Ball and get a Magikarp. I play my Junk Arm in hand to discard the Magikarps. I retreat my Combee to Gyarados and Tail Revenge his ERL for KO.

He plays a Rayquaza and evolves his Cyndaquil to Quilava and then to Typhlosion Prime. From here I just KO everything he plays and 6-0 him.

WIN 2-0

2-0, not bad! I’m pretty pumped for Round 3.

Round 3: vs. Sabrina K. w/ LuxChomp

I’ve never seen this girl before so I don’t know what to expect. I’m pretty worried.

I start with a decent hand. She starts decent too. She has a Garchomp active and two Luxrays on her Bench. I start Magikarp and Unown R on Bench.

She goes first attaching a Lightning to her Garchomp C. I go, Pokemon Collector, get two ‘Karps and an Uxie. I Junk Arm the Magikarps, and play Uxie to get a BTS and G-Dos. I do 60 to the Garchomp C.

She goes and sets up Garchomp C LV.X and heals the damage off of her Garchomp C. She then snipes my Uxie off my Bench with Dragon Rush.

I go and get my last Magikarp in the Discard and attach an Expert Belt to my Gyarados. I can now hit for 110 and KO everything she has; and that’s what I do. When she attacks me, I just Super Scoop it up.

She does make one misplay that might have changed the outcome of the game. She sends a Luxray GL up and Levels Up. She Bright Looks up my Regice up and Flash Impacts it. If I were her, I would have just Flash Impacted the Gyarados I had active. Now I just Warp Energy my Regice, promote Gyarados, and wreak her for the rest of the game.

WIN 3-0

3-0 is really good! I just need to win 1-2 more games to make Top Cut! (Or so I thought…)

Round 4: vs.  Yakira T. w/ VileGar with Machamp

Coming into this one, I’m feeling this as an auto loss. I basically lose automatically to Trainer Lock if they get it set up quick enough.

We roll the dice and I’m going first. She starts Spiritomb active and Gastly on Bench. Not good. I start Magikarp Active and Unown R on Bench.

I go draw and Sea Spray for one card. She goes and starts Darkness Gracing into a Gengar.  I can’t do anything for five turns straight while she sets up her Vileplume and Machamp.

I finally get the Collector and Gyarados I need. Finally about turn eight and I get two Magikarps in Discard with Regi Move. I evolve my Magikarp in play to Gyarados, and KO her Spiritomb.

She then snipes my Regice on Bench with Shadow Room for 60. I go and try to discard all my Trainers from my hand so she can’t Poltergeist for a ton of damage. I attack with 60 damage with Tail Revenge. She Shadow Rooms my Regice for KO.

Next turn I make my only misplay of the day. I have my last Magikarp and a Gyarados in my hand; I should have played them down. I think I might have been able to win the game if I had done that… Instead I used Combee’s Honey for Regice. I Regi Move my final Magikarp and KO Gengar, and she doesn’t get heads on Fainting Spell. I do the same thing to another Gengar, and this time she gets heads. Now she KOes everything and I lose.

LOSS 3-1

3-1 is still pretty good. I feel I want to win the next round to be more confident.

Round 5: vs. Nick G. w/ DialgaChomp

I’ve played this guy once at a State tournament in Top 4 last year. He was playing CurseGar back then and I beat him in two games. I’ve been told before the match he’s playing DialgaChomp, which is a good matchup for me, provided he doesn’t Deafen Lock the whole game. The Deafen Lock caused me a Top 4 match at my last State tournament; I was playing Machamp. I’m kind of worried about the lock, but we’ll see.

He opens a Dialga G Active and a Bronzong G on Bench. Not a good sign. I start Magikarp and play my Uxie for one card to prevent a possible donk. He goes second and Crobat G, Poke Turn, Deafen my Magikarp for KO.

I promote Uxie and go into my deck with Collector to get two Magikarp and an Uxie. I discard the Magikarps with my Regice I top decked this turn. Now I Set Up, and pass. He proceeds to Deafen for three more turns. Talk about annoying.

Finally he breaks the lock, and I burn all my Trainers in hand. I set up a ‘Dos and E-Belt it, and discard my remaining Magikarp with Junk Arm. I then Crobat, Flash Bite his Dialga G LV.X and KO it with Tail Revenge. Now I just KO everything he sends up and win.

WIN 4-1

Yes! 4-1 is very good. I now just need to win to seal a Top cut place.

Round 6: vs. Tommy B. (I think that’s his last name initial.) w/ Sabelock

Tommy’s a pretty cool guy. I know he’s playing Sabelock, which I have a decent match to, and I feel like I can win this.

I open Magikarp Active and Azelf on Bench. He opens Sableye Active, Garchomp and something else on Bench. He goes first automatically, and attaches a Special Darkness to his Sableye to KO my Magikarp. I’m so glad I decided to play my Azelf down. If I didn’t it would have led to a donk. Not a good way to end a “life-or-death” game.

I play Uxie from my hand, and rip Broken Time Space and Gyarados. I Warp Energy my Azelf to Bench, attach Expert Belt to Gyarados, and then use Tail Revenge for 50 damage. He proceeds to set up a Garchomp C LV.X, and sends it up to snipe my Azelf off the Bench.

I go, play the Pokemon Collector I drew for my turn and go in my deck to get the two Magikarps and Crobat G I need to KO his Sableye off his Bench. Only problem is, one Magikarp is Prized, and so is the Crobat G! NO! Not in this game! So I get a Magikarp, Regice, and an Uxie. I Regi Move and discard the Magikarp. I play my Uxie and get decent draws. Now I attack, and KO his Crobat G which he sent up.

He goes, sends his Garchomp C LV.X up, plays a Crobat, and attaches a Double Colorless Energy to his Garchomp C LV.X and KOes my Regice. I play my Combee to get my Regice back. Now I attack his Garchomp C with 80 damage. He goes and sends Blaziken FB up off his Bench, and does Luring Flame to my Regice. In my turn I Junk Arm to try to get a heads on a Super Scoop Up to pick up my Azelf; and I get a tails… I play my Warp Energy from my hand, and send Gyarados up to KO his Blaziken.

He goes and sends his Murkrow up and Switcheroo’s my Expert Belt to my Combee on my Bench. I KO the Combee with Tail Revenge. Now he sends up his other Garchomp C and Levels Up and snipes my Combee for two Prizes. Now I just need three more KOes to win. He needs two.

I go and Tail Revenge his Garchomp C for 80. He goes, sends his other Garchomp C with one Energy on it, and snipes my Uxie off my Bench. This pretty much seals the game. I Super Scoop Up my Azelf and Time Walk to get the Magikarp I needed to win the game. But it was too late. I attacked, but he just sent up the other Garchomp, and sniped my Azelf FTW. I lose, and drop to 4-2…

LOSS 4-2