Zack “Cabd” Ayello’s CA (Masters) Regionals Report: Terrible with “Yandere”

So, as I’m typing this, I just got home from my worst event to date.  I managed to go a TERRIBLE 2-5 in swiss.  I’m writing this report to show you all what horrible mistakes I made, in the hopes that anyone who might have made them, won’t.

I played the deck “Yandere” which is my personal nickname for the deck based around Magnezone Prime with Yanmega Prime.  Most people call it “Megajudge” or something similar.  There’s a GREAT list for this available on the UG, but since I’m not exactly the richest person, I could not put everything in that list into this.

As such, my personal list is quite a few cards different, and as such, I feel safe enough to post the list, as I don’t feel that it would betray the awesomeness that is 6PUG (SixPrizes Underground).

While this is a Regionals report, I feel it necessary to explain the workings of this deck, as it is not very widely known, nor has there been a front-page article about it, to the best of my knowledge.

The idea of this deck is to swarm with Yanmega Prime’s free attacks (via the Poke-Body “Insight”) in the early game, and then late game, to sweep with the Magnezone Prime you’ve been attaching all your energy to each turn.

For that reason, you run several ways to match the hand size of your opponent.  The primary engine used to do this is a combination of powers and supporters.  Judge and Copycat are both Supporters that instantly match your hand size to your opponent’s.

As such, you maximize your Judge count (four cards late-game does not bug you, I’ll explain later why) and run a few Copycat, as well.

Giratina PL #9 is used as well, to force a smaller size of hand without using up your supporter of the turn.  The other method you have of matching hand sizes between 3 and 6 is as follows:

Opponent has 6 cards:  Magnetic Draw to 6

Opponent has 5 cards:  Magnetic Draw to 6, attach energy to make 5

Opponent has 4 cards:  Magnetic draw to 6, “Regi Heal” to discard 2, making 4

Opponent has 3 cards:  Magnetic Draw to 6, “Regi Heal” to discard 2, attach energy, making 3

Opponent has 2 cards:  Attach energy or “Regi Heal” depending on your current hand.

Opponent has 1 card:  See “2 cards” or “Magnetic Draw” to six, Regi Heal, energy, Seeker to get their hand up  to a matchable number

However, if they have above 6, you’re in a spot.  Since this deck only runs one Uxie, chances are, a hand size above 6 will be unreachable.

Thankfully, we have 6 Supporters and one Pokémon to force that lower.  In addition, we have a non-orthodox option.  We can Magnetic Draw to six, and then Pokemon Collector for three basics, to reach a maximum of 8 cards.

That said, here’s the report:

Round One:  Vs Abomasnow

I have a somewhat decent start, and I quickly get out two Yanmega primes, and one Magnezone prime, along with my Registeel.   We take close prizes on both sides, and it’s down to the very last prize, 1-1.

I go to draw a card, and I know I have the win this turn.  Only one problem…  I have no deck!?!  I forgot THE important rule of this deck:  Count your deck early and often, or you’ll deck out.

0-1 bleh, but still not horrible

Round Two:  Vs Yanmega / Victreebel

We have the funniest start ever, with me turning over two Yanma TM to his one Yanma TM.

He gets off the first Sonicboom, and we trade Yanmega hits, but Yanmega’s Lightning weakness paired with the awesomeness that is Poison Structure serves too much, and I easily take the rest of my prizes by lost burning one energy a turn (mostly Warp Energy, to avoid self-damage from Poison).

1-1 looking better

Round Three:  Vs Mew (Lost World variant)

I start Spiritomb and Collector to his lone Mewtwo MD.  He stalls a few turns while I fully set up, drops an Uxie to find no other basics, and makes (in my opinion) a misplay by grabbing Mewtwo X instead of another basic.

The next turn, I’m able to retreat Yanmega, play Seeker, and then “Lost Burn” for 150 damage and the win.  I dislike winning in this fashion, so we played another round at the empty table nearby, where I pull of a more “legitimate” win, taking 6 prizes to his 5 lost zoned Pokémon.  A much closer match, and as such, a much more enjoyable one.

2-1 Hmm, could be decent now

Round Four:  Vs Luxchomp

There’s one thing I didn’t mention yet about “Yandere.”  Although it counters non-SP decks very well, it has a horrible matchup against Luxchomp, and is unfavorable to Dialgachomp.

Well, needless to say, playing my Autoloss resulted in a loss.  I actually probably could have rules-lawyered either a win or a prize penalty, but it violates my “spirit of the game” to do so.

He did not place prizes until after his second turn, where he had already collectored for three Pokémon and placed them on the bench.  I’m too nice for my own good I guess, as I let him place his prizes and continue.

2-2, I just want to go even or ahead now

Round Five:  Vs Luxchomp (again?!?! ugh)

Another Luxchomp, another loss.  For epic lulz, on one of my turns, he ended up playing more cards than I did.

He sprayed my Quick, my Magnetic Draw, AND my Regi Heal.  Needless to say, it ran much like match four, except without the prizes issue.

2-3, just don’t pair me with SP again PLEASE

Round Six:  Vs Dialgachomp (geh you’ve got to be kidding me!)

Oh, great, the one deck I lose more to than Luxchomp.  This deck makes over half of my core deck useless, as without the Yanmega swarms early game, my entire deck comes down to a horribly frail 2-2-2 magnezone line.

Which wouldn’t have been too bad, until I go to Collector in my deck.

Here were my six prizes:  Magnemite, Magnemite, Magneton, Magnezone, Yanma (TM), Expert Belt.  Really?

Needless to say, a 1-1-1 Magnezone (after Azelf) is not nearly good enough to stand up to a fully tanked Dialga G X staring me down.

2-4, fine, I get it, I’m out, just PLEASE don’t pair me against my girlfriend

Round Seven:  Vs Lantharos (yeah, you guessed it, my girlfriend.  *le sigh*)

I start with Spiritomb and Yanma, with BTS and Yanmega in hand, to her lone Pokémon start.  I know I have to play aggressive and steal the win, else her deck tears through mine, shutting off my draw, and hitting my Yanmega swarms for easy kills, so I start with my free-retreat Yanma and not the tomb.  She flips over her basic, aaaaaand lone Crobat G.

This is where, for you folks playing along at home, I save my own hide.  I’ve got the donk.  Do I take it?  Heck no I don’t!  (Survival>premier points.)  I have the means to get Magnemite, Magneton, Lightning Energy, Belt, BTS, and my Yanma has free retreat (via its Body), so I can use “Speed Ball” for 40×2=80 for the win.

Instead, I go get my Yanmega powered up, and play the game out.  Well, she sure showed me, getting a crazy swarm of three Ampharos (two PL, one HS), a fully powered Lanturn Prime, and a Manectric PL.

Needless to say, I lose.

To be entirely honest, even had I not had the donk, I had offered to scoop against her, as nobody likes being mad at each other on a three hour car drive home.

This left me with the most horrible record: 2-5.  Needless to say, I made some bad choices.  Let me elaborate upon what I regretted, so that you can be saved from my mistakes.

Rule one: Repeat after me:  “I will check my deck sizes often.”

Rule two: “I will not tech 3 cards against a matchup I already can win favorably.”

Rule three: “I will not be an idiot and try to Poison Structure an SP deck.”

Rule one stems from my first match, rule two stems from my deck list (the 1-1 Umbreon and the Frostlass GL were not used, once!)  Rule three stems from my fourth match, what can I say, I was low on sleep.

So on the off chance that you’ve actually read this entire thing, I suppose I ought to reward you with the list used, and what “other” techs I considered.

Here it is, card for card, what I used at the event:

Pokémon: 26 (!!!!)

• 4 Spiritomb AR (It’s a no-brainer in this deck, really)
• 2 Yanma TM (free retreat is helpful in case you start with it)
• 1 Yanma SV (if I’m manually evolving, it has better HP)
• 3 Yanmega Prime TM (free retreat, 70 damage for free, 40 snipe for free, etc)
• 2 Magnemite SF #66 (Free retreat if I get both, used in case I start with one)
• 2 Magneton TM (I run Lightning energy, the first attack is useful sometimes)
• 2 Magnezone Prime TM (Magnetic Draw and Lost Burn, two great assets mid/late game)
• 1 Eevee UD #48 (Used for the Umbreon UD)
• 1 Umbreon UD #10 (Used to stall, but worthless in the event, not good in this deck
• 1 Frostlass GL RR (Useful in plenty of decks, but not in this one, as my matches showed)
• 1 Crobat G PL (Obvious, I hope, as to why he’s here)
• 1 Giratina PL #9 (“Let loose” is a searchable semi-Judge)
• 1 Skuntank G PL (Makes Vilegar something like 80-20 in your favor)
• 1 Uxie LA (Only one?  Yeah, with “Magnetic Draw” we don’t need him mid/late game)
• 1 Azelf LA (Grab stuff out of your prizes, “lock up” something for teh lulz)
• 1 Unown Q MD (Free retreat stuff out in case you start with them, etc)
• 1 Registeel LA (This one is interesting, why him over Regice?  I’ll explain below)

Trainers: 22

• 4 Judge (Disrupt, match hand size, and refresh your own hand all at once. VERY useful)
• 2 Copycat (No disruption, but powers Yanmega’s attacks)
• 4 Pokémon Collector (I will never play an evolution deck in this format without 4)
• 2 Broken Time-Space (Evolve quicker, recovery card, possible donk factor with T-1 70 damage)
• 2 Sunyshore City Gym (Prevents Champ/Donaphan/Toxicroak G from ruining your Magnezones)
• 2 Seeker (re-use “Let Loose”, heal with Warp Energy + Broken Time-Space)
• 3 Bebe’s Search (not four because they’re not as useful late game)
• 1 Expert Belt (As matches proved, one is not enough)
• 1 Luxury Ball (Of course, instant “one of” staple in most lists)
• 1 Twins (on the off chance I fall behind, useful)

Energy: 12

• 1 Call (only because the PTO said playing five Collectors was illegal :~> )
• 1 Rescue (keep my Magnezone draw engine going, never Lost Burn it except last prize)
• 3 Warp (Giratina: 3 retreat, Magnezone: 3 retreat, Registeel: 4(!) retreat)
• 3 Rainbow (Use other attacks sometimes, while still Lost Burn-able)
• 4 Lightning (Basic energy, power up “Lost Burn”)

The UG article has some great tech ideas, including the one that helped this deck win States this year, but you’ll have to read that for yourself.  One idea not covered is an interesting little guy:  Breloom SV.

A 1-1 Breloom SV covers many matchups in an interesting fashion.  It is a fighting type Pokémon with 90 hp, and a +20 weakness to fire.  It does 40 damage for one fighting energy (at the cost of giving the defending Pokémon free reteat for a turn) and does 20 damage for CC.

But, if the defending Pokémon has any special energy, it does a nice 60 damage instead, while also discarding the special energy.  How does this help?

It helps me clean up against opposing Magnezone decks, it kills mew swarms (rescue energy goes bye bye) and it can OHKO a Luxray GL (X too!) if they have any special energy (see: call or warp) attached.  Against Umbreon UD, who most likely is going to be using either a rainbow or special dark, you can OHKO as well.

This card is by no means the perfect counter, but he is a fun little idea.

All that said, I sincerely hope you guys did MUCH better than I did.  Best of luck in your coming matches, and remember kids:  ALWAYS CHECK YOUR DARN DECK SIZE.