Once again, City Championship tournaments are underway, and we already know many of the big names that are taking down these equally big events: Magnezone; ZPST; Kyurem; Cobalion.
We know what’s been winning, but just what is the process that goes into preparing for, playing in, and learning from these events? Today, I will do my best to explain that process: by detailing my preparation for the start of the City Championship tournaments, my experiences in two recent events, and by discussing preparation ideas for the upcoming City Championship marathons.
This season, late November to early January is arguably the most important period of Organized Play. When it comes to earning an invitation to compete in the 2012 World Championships, knowing what to do, as well as how to do it, is pivotal in maximizing your chances of earning boku Championship Points.
City Championship Weekend!
After not getting a chance to compete during week one, I was eager to play any tournament I could during the second week. Since I had two within a forty mile radius, I knew what this meant: a Pokémon weekend. Of course, any Pokémon weekend needs the right degree of planning…
What Deck to Use?
So far this season, the two types of decks I have played have been polar opposites: conservative, slow decks such as The Truth; and hyper-aggressive archetypes such as ZPST. My main problem with the former was that I could not make much of an aggressive push in my games unless I relied on Donphan Prime, and my concern with the latter was that I could potentially collapse in the late game. Heading into Cities, the one deck that could overcome its weakness via Noble Victories inclusions would be my choice.
Looking to reinvent the Ross wheel, I turned to Cobalion. With four Special Metal, attack lock through Iron Breaker, Reuniclus Damage Swap, and healing by virtue of Blissey Prime/Seeker, it is almost undoubtedly the ultimate defense. I was then reminded of one of my favorite cards from Emerging Powers: Beartic, now known as Cobalion’s crippled ice cousin.
Regardless, it offered a ton of type coverage, and so I knew what my starting point for a Cities deck was: Cobalion/Beartic (a.k.a., “Patience”).
