*ding ding!*
SATOSHI: Good morning, all. As the STS draws near, I expected I'd get a few
requests to fix up decks for the mega duel. And I was right. Read on!
>>>>
Dear Satoshi,

       I created this deck about a month and 1/2 ago, and have been play
testing it ever since.  I am now preparing it for this summer's Super
Trainer Showdown at the Queen Mary, and would like some help tuning up the
deck. I think the trainers could use the biggest turn-up. If the STS
Qualifer was any indication as to what types of decks will be dominate at
the STS then I am expecting Haymaker variants (Scyther can be a real
trouble for this deck) and Wiggly-Speed decks to be all over the place. I
having working in peticular to fortify this deck against Haymakers. Below is
my deck, and underneth that is the stratagy for my deck.

Dark Punch Deck:

Pokémon (20):
3x Gengar
3x Haunter (Fossil)
4x Gastly (Fossil)
2x Mr. Mime
4x Hitmonchan
2x Scyther
2x Ditto

Trainers (16):
2x Prof. Oak
3x Bill
3x Nightly Garbage Run
2x Computer Search
3x Gust of Wind
3x PlusPower

Energy (24):
12x Psychic
8x Fighting
4x DCE

Stratagy: This deck has proved to be very versatile. However, one thing it
excels at is singling out certain Pokemon. (very handy in battling deck
based off 1 or 2 Pokemon such as Raindance, Wiggly-Speed and Moltres Stall
decks) It does this by the combination of serveral cards. In peticular,
Gengar, PlusPower and GoW. Hitmonchan is there because of all the Pokemon
that are resist. to Psychic, with Ditto and Scyther providing all-around
back-up. Mime is great against big, evolved Pokemon.

Well, thats about it! I would really appritiate your input and help on this
deck. Thanks so much.
-Jack
>>>>
SATOSHI: Well, let's get to work.
===THE POKEMON===
Hmm...you are right Jack. The Pokemon look good, and so does the energy. It
looks like the trainers do need the most work. I like the gengar family, and
how you've included Hitmonchan in case you run into psychic-resistant
Pokemon. Wigglytuff usually comes out turn two in SpeedWiggly decks, so be
ready with Hitmonchan. The Pokemon look good.
===THE TRAINERS===
Geez, this is gonna be rough. The trainers look good, but we do need a bit
of work. However, there isn't really anything I'd take out right away. This
is the sign of a good deck, people. :-) Anyway, let's take out one NGR and
put in another CPU Search. You should be fine with two NGR. I'd also like to
take out a Psychic energy for another PlusPower. This is one of the few
cards(like CPU Search, Bill, Professor Oak, etc.) that can be maxed out in a
deck and not be overkill. The trainers are looking good...no, wait. I know I
shouldn't do this, but I'm fickle. Sue me. ;-) I really am thinking aout
removing the NGR altogether. I'll leave this up to you, but think about
this: Both SpeedWiggly and Haymaker take advantage of DCE. Wigglytuff takes
three energy, as does Scyther. You'll usually see them with a DCE and
another energy attached for battle. Thus, SER messes them up BAD. By
removing the DCE and energy, they will need at least two turns to recover,
giving you some breathing room. Think about removiung the NGR for two SER.
===THE ENERGY===
The energy is looking good. Nothing needed here.
===THE OVERALL===
Here it is:

11 Psychic Energy
8 Fighting Energy
4 DCE

4 Gastly(f)
3 Haunter(f)
3 Gengar
2 Mr. Mime
4 Hitmonchan
2 Ditto
2 Scyther.

3 Bill
2 Professor Oak
3 Computer Search
3 Gust of Wind
4 PlusPower
2 Nightly Garbage Run/2 Super Energy Removal
I hope this helps, and I wish you the best of luck at the STS, Jack! :-)

===SATOSHI SPEAKS===
Yes, I have something to say. The STS...is it the beginning of WotC taking
the Pokemon TCG seriously, or is it a way to get people to stop saying, "We
don't have a Pro Tour, why not?" Waddya think? Consider this:
-The prizes are free
-The entry was free
-It was fairly well run(as I hear)
What do I think? Hmm...I think it's the beginning of something. WotC says
they are working on a Tropical Tournament, much like the one Japan had a
while back. Does this mean WotC has realized they can get people to buy more
products if they put some effort into the tournaments? You decide.

SATOSHI: Well, that's all for now!! Good Luck and Happy Gaming, everyone!!