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Ness's Nest
Today's Top Pokémon TCG Players
People often ask me who I consider to be the best Pokemon
TCG players. Playing for 11 years now, I've played against
the best in the world. I've battled every U.S. National
Champion, other countries' bests, and fellow World
Champions. I've seen the decks these players use and how
they build them. I'm going to break down for you who the
best are, and what makes them so good. In no particular
order...
Kyle Sucevich, 21
United States of America (Wisconsin)
Current Deck:
Dialga G/Garchomp C LV X
"Some people just have the natural talent to play and some
don't. Now, I'm not saying players can't get better - they
certainly can - but there's a reason some people can play
for 10 years and never win anything while others are
constantly at the top tables. Fortunately, I was gifted with
a natural talent to play the game. From there, it's all
about practicing and honing your skills to make sure you
aren't rusty," explains Sucevich.
Sucevich took 1st & Top 4 at the two toughest Pokemon TCG
tournaments ever held: U.S. Nationals 2009 and U.S.
Nationals 2010, respectively. He bested over 700 players to
win his 2009 Nationals title, and only two of 824
outperformed him this year. Success in tournaments this
large leaves no room for doubt: Sucevich is good, really
good. Rather than switch decks midseason, he almost always
sticks with one deck, mastering its match-ups. Not only is
Sucevich one of the top players in the game, he's also a
great sport, and widely respected.
Accomplishments
1st U.S. Nationals 2009
2nd U.S. Nationals 2004
3rd U.S. Nationals 2010
Top 8 U.S. Nationals 2005
Top 16 Worlds 2004
Top 32 U.S. Nationals 2008
1st Midwest Regionals 2010
Strengths
Sucevich is always focused and prepared. He enters
Weaknesses
Though his deck choices have strongly improved in the last
two years, I must say I rarely see Sucevich choose what I
would consider the format's best deck. He recently placed
Top 4 at Nationals with Dialga G/Garchomp C LV X, while most
players chose Luxray GL LV X > Dialga G because of its
speed, and option to run
Entei & Raikou Legend. Going back to 2008, a format
dominated by Gardevoir/Gallade (Secret Wonders) and Empoleon
(Majestic Dawn), he chose to play an Eeveelution deck - a
deck with shaky match-ups against the top decks. Don't think
Kyle is playing bad decks, he is simply playing what is
often the 2nd or 3rd best deck in the format.
Sucevich refused to play a deck without Meganium in it for
five years straight. Then, he started playing good cards.
Now, no one knows how to beat him.
Stephen Silvestro, 21
United States (Florida)
Current Deck:
Tyranitar/Machamp/Nidoqueen
Our reigning world champion, Steve Silvestro is a solid
combination of deck inventing and in-game tactics. You can
say his Worlds-winning deck revolutionized the game; it
foreshadowed what kind of decks would dominate the upcoming
2010 season.
Luxray LV X's Bright Look Poke-Power allowed Silvestro to
bring up weak Pokemon for easy prizes when Beedrill's Band
Attack wasn't enough to score a One-Hit KO. This modern "go
for six prizes any way possible" strategy dominated the 2010
season, with decks like Jumpluff, Gyarados and Luxray GL LV
X/Garchomp C LV X employing it.
Accomplishments
1st Worlds 2009
1st West Coast Super Trainer Showdown 2001
Top 8 U.S. Nationals 2006
Top 8 U.S. Nationals 2005
Top 16 Worlds 2006
Top 32 U.S. Nationals 2009
Top 128 U.S. Nationals 2010
Strengths
Silvestro is a master of metagame. He adapts well to
changing formats and is one of the best at inventing decks
that beat the top decks. He is never tied down to one deck
and is comfortable changing decks repeatedly midseason,
while still managing to play each deck extremely well.
Silvestro is the inventor of the highly disruptive Sableye/Honchkrow
G deck that took down U.S. Nationals this year. The deck was
designed to beat top decks like Jumpluff and other SP-Pokemon
decks.
Weaknesses
Sometimes, Steve may get a little too fancy with new ideas.
He tends to undervalue consistency in his decks, which is
the last thing a player of his tactical caliber wants to do,
as he is able to outplay so many opponents when his deck
simply sets up.
Chris Fulop, 24
United States of America (Ohio)
Current Deck:
Kingdra/Machamp
What makes Chris Fulop good? Fulop played Magic: The
Gathering since 3rd grade, so trading card games were
nothing new to him when he picked up a Machamp starter deck
in 1998. You can say Fulop is always "one step ahead" of the
format. He quickly realizes which decks are dominating, and
then tries to find a way to beat them. But, unlike Stephen
Silvestro, who usually searches for that new deck, or new
concept, Fulop's expertise is "tech," a single card or thin
evolution lines added to a deck designed to beat other
popular decks. Rather than pick a completely new deck, Fulop
often sticks with one of the established, solid decks, and
then introduces new cards to the deck designed to gain an
edge on the most popular decks. This unique approach has
qualified him for every Pokemon TCG World Championship ever
held.
Fulop's 2006 Worlds "LBS" relied on abusing Blastoise ex's
Poke-Power and Holon's Castform to power a variety of
powerful attacks. How much variety? The deck ran a whopping
23 single copies of cards.
Accomplishments
1st U.S. Nationals 2007
2nd Worlds 2004
1st Professor Championship 2002
Top 8 U.S. Nationals 2006
Top 32 Worlds 2009
Top 32 Worlds 2008
Top 32 Worlds 2006
Top 32 U.S. Nationals 2008
1st Mississippi Valley Regionals 2005
1st Mississippi Valley Regionals 2006
Strengths
Fulop is hands down the best "tech" innovator in the world.
How good is he at it? Anytime you hear some bizarre idea for
a deck and it ends up being good, I'd say there's about a
50% chance you can trace that idea back to him. Fulop's
revelations and ideas often completely change the format. He
is the single most powerful Pokemon player in the world. Why
do I say that? He finds ways to beat so many top decks that
he makes everyone second-guess their deck choice. I know
he's made me second-guess my deck choice more than once.
Fulop was the first to discover the power of Chatot in the
2007-2008 season. The card was great for bailing out bad
opening hands, and also a midgame counter for tough spots
where your opponent limited your hand size. By the time
Worlds came around, almost everyone had 1 Chatot in their
deck. 2nd place Khahn Le (Norway) even ran two in his
Blissey deck.
Weaknesses
"Sometimes, I get a bit too fancy," admits Fulop. His
strength can be his Achille's Heel, too. In 2005, Fulop
chose Ludicargo, a deck based on an obvious combo between
Ludicolo & Magcargo, for his Nationals deck. Worried about
his match-ups against EX-Pokemon, he then added another
combo to the deck: Weezing & Desert Ruins. These extra cards
greatly weakened his deck's consistency.
Fulop's last minute addition of both Weezing & Desert Ruins
in 2005 resulted in several unplayable hands, and a sub-par
Nationals performance.
There's no question Fulop has gone overboard teching his
deck before. Battle Frontier & Pidgeot was perhaps his most
mind-boggling combination of cards in the same deck.
Alex Brosseau, 23
United States of America (Illinois)
Current Deck:
Dialga G/Garchomp C LV X
There is no one in the Pokemon TCG world I fear more than
friend of 11 years Alex Brosseau. Watching Brosseau play is
actually fun. He is hands-down the game's best tactical
player. He stays away from "mechanical," decks, and prefers
decks that leave him with a lot of options and ways to
outplay his opponents.
Accomplishments
1st Professor Challenge 2002
Top 8 Worlds 2006
Top 8 U.S. Nationals 2007
Top 32 U.S. Nationals 2010
Top 32 Worlds 2008
Top 16 Worlds 2007
Top 32 Worlds 2005
Strengths
Brosseau's ability to outplay people is unmatched. Getting
into a drawn out game against him is like playing chess
against a supercomputer; he will simply find a way to
outthink you and beat you. I've watched him pass for four
turns against 2009 U.S. National Champion Kyle Sucevich in a
lob-sided mirror match this year at Nationals. Then, one
card card was all he needed to begin his unbelievable
4-prize comeback. I've seen him prize both of his Baltoy
against 2004 World Champion Tsuguyoshi Yamato and still find
a way to come back and win without getting Claydol out - a
card that every deck that year needed to set up. He's beaten
me in games I'd lay 100-1 odds I had in the bag. How did
Brosseau get so good? I'd like to believe he got good the
same way I did. When we were growing up, Pokemon was all we
did. We'd play all day, building every deck we could and
doing our own tournaments. We'd even bet cards on it (which
often led to us being grumpy at each other for a few days,
but we'd always get over it.) The next day, we were back at
it. This competitive nature we both had, and the desire to
beat each other fueled us to get as good as we could.
Brosseau looks at Pokemon differently than anyone I've ever
met. He knows how to think "outside the box" and find
unconventional ways to win. He never limits his plays to a
strategy he enters the game with, but rather is able to
adapt and play his deck in different, unconventional ways
depending on the situation. He is a master at manipulating
the board, which ultimately ends up in him drawing his sixth
prize before you. He will leave you scratching your head,
asking yourself "How the heck did I lose that?"
Brosseau was a master of Empoleon's Dual Splash attack,
always knowing which two Pokemon to attack, anticipating
perfect damage for KOs 5+ turns ahead. He used this deck to
9-0 the 2008 Last Chance Qualifier and earn a Worlds invite,
and then continued his undefeated streak through the swiss
rounds of Worlds.
Weaknesses
Brosseau's major weakness is my personal strength: his deck
tweaking abilities. Now, keep in mind, at this level of
play, when I say he isn't the best deck builder, that
doesn't mean he's splashing Smoochums and Feebas into every
deck he can - it simply means some part of his supporter
engine or evolution line is off, or there is some fatal
"imperfection" that keeps his deck from running smoothly and
having an "on paper edge" against other decks. He also is
reluctant to concede games he should when entering Best 2 of
3 series, which leaves him without enough time to complete a
Game 2, resulting in a loss of the series.
Brosseau played his "Rock Lock," deck through both the 2005
& 2006 season. While most players gave up on this deck in
2006, Brosseau's experience with the deck & natural talent
allowed him to dominate another season with it.
Drew Holton, 22
United States of America (Ohio)
Current Deck:
Luxray GL LV X/Garchomp C LV X
Holton is a well-balanced player that infrequently misplays
and plays solid decks. There's no hidden secret to Holton's
success: He simply puts in the hours and playtests. This
extensive testing leaves him comfortable against just about
anything come tournament day. Like Sucevich, Holton goes
into each tournament knowing what to expect and how to deal
with it. One cool note about Holton? He took a three year
break from Pokemon between 2005-2007, only to come back in
2008 and take 2nd at U.S. Nationals.
Accomplishments
2nd U.S. Nationals 2008
Top 8 Worlds 2004
Top 32 Worlds 2009
Top 32 Worlds 2008
Top 32 U.S. Nationals 2009
Top 64 U.S. Nationals 2010
1st 2009 Great Lakes Regionals
Strengths
Holton has a game plan every tournament he enters. If he is
not comfortable against an expected deck, he'll change decks
& playtest it long before tournament day.
Holton recognized the strength of Gardevoir & Gallade in
2008, taking 2nd at Nationals and making Top 32 at Worlds,
losing both times to a mirror match.
Weaknesses
Like Brosseau, Holton's deck tweaking isn't perfect. His
lists will often have small imperfections that will weaken
certain matches or consistency.
(
Sami Sekkoum, 20
England
Current Deck:
Luxray GL LV X/Garchomp C LV X
Sekkoum might as well be the King of the U.K. when it comes
to Pokemon. His Nationals performances are unmatched in any
country with a legitimate player base. Not only that, but he
has one of the most, if not most impressive Worlds resumés,
and has never missed qualifying for a World Championship.
Accomplishments
1st U.K. Nationals 2010
1st U.K. Nationals 2009
1st U.K. Nationals 2007
1st U.K. Nationals 2005
2nd Worlds 2009
2nd U.K. Nationals 2008
3rd U.K. Nationals 2006
Top 8 Worlds 2007
Top 8 Worlds 2005
Top 16 Worlds 2008
Top 32 Worlds 2004
Strengths
Sekkoum, like all top players, is a solid tactical player.
He seldom misplays, and finds ways to win that others would
overlook.
Sekkoum's 2007 "Speed Spread" Worlds Deck wasn't an easy
deck to play. Even I was turned off by the headache of
options the deck presented. Sami took the deck to Top 8.
Weaknesses
"I don't build decks, and have never really come up with
anything groundbreaking," admits Sekkoum, "My in-game
strategy is probably my best asset." Fortunately for Sekkoum,
he playtests with some of the best deck creators in the
game, including Chris Fulop.
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