Aaron M Gerardo
DVPlume11
ECSTS June 24th
Meadowlands, Secaucus NJ
Here is my deck
(Thanks to Alvin & Sean P for showing us the power of the deck and the rest of Team Random for 'helping' me tweak the deck) JOSH without you I WOULD NOT HAVE HAD the deck ready for Sunday!!!
3 Feraligatr lv 69
3 Croconaw lv 47
4 Totodile lv 20
3 Ceffa
1 Magby
1 B. makney (Taunt)
1 Elekid
3 Misty Wraths
4 Secret Missions
4 Elms
3 Gold Berries
2 Narrow Gyms
1 Rocket's Training Gym
2 Misty's Tears
3 Trash Exchanges
2 Nightly Garbage Runs
16 Water Energies
I played Saturday with a FIRE deck and placed 24th in the 11-14 division. Hmmm I barely missed the Top8 or a higher placing (7-2, I lost my LAST battle)... I expected to PLAY fire and a Water deck Sunday, and so I did.
My memory is a little hazy but I will do my best to write what I remember (please forgive me, this is my 1st TOURNEY report, ever)
The first three rounds I had byes, (I won the qualifier @ San Jose May 23rd.)
4th Round: I played against a Feraligator/Azumarill deck. 1st turn he leers my Totodile. I do not know why he didn't fury swip my Totodile, By Turn Three I have a powered up Feraligatr and I knock out his Totodile. By turn 4 he had an Azumarill powered up and he got tails on Bubble Shower. He had no other pokemon on the bench so I Trash Exchanged and got 5 water energy in the discard pile THEN I Misty Teared to DOWNPOUR the last Water energy I needed to Knock out Azumarill.
5th round to 7th round.... These players were not that difficult to beat. The matches got tougher BUT Feraligatr came out & helped me knock out my opponent's pokemon.
7-0
8th round: I played a Steeelix, Slowking deck... NOW we were talking... it was a TOUGH match, we were tied 3 prizes, then 2... We ended up both getting a DRAW.
7-0-1
9th Round: My opponent did not give me much trouble. He kept using his Imposter Oak Revenge on me BUT I saw no RSA's or TRAPS in his deck. I was able to just kept using Tackle & then Sweep Away to knock out his pokemon (Cleffa, Elekid, Rocket Zapdos, etc)... when I down to my last prize, then I evolved to Feraligatr and then Riptide for the last knockout.
8-0-1
I was 2nd going into the TOP 8.
Here is a summary of the FINAL Round.
1st Round: My opponent built up a Typhlosion by turn 3. I attacked with Croconaw. He got heads on Focus Band. He rolled a Dice to see if he would have knocked out my Croconaw & he got Odds (I had a Gold Berry on the Croconaw)... After that I was able to knock out his pokemon (Skarmory, cleffa) as fast as I could.
2nd Round: He was able to build an Arcanine with 3 fire energy on the bench by turn 2 with a Focus Band. I Double Gust for it and I Swept away with Croconaw and he got TAILS on his focus band. All he had left on his bench was a Brock's Mankey. He had no drawing power and with that I Knocked out his lone pokemon.
3rd ROUND: CHAMPIONSHIP Round.
I got a BAD hand. All I had was a Brock's Mankey facing a Cyndaquil. He got heads on Fireworks. I (thinking it is a good thing) TOPDECK a Secret Mission, I discarded 7 cards... and all I got was a GOLD BERRY and 4 H2O energy, 1 Magby , & a Croconaw. Then he Got all heads to Knock out my B' Mankey, My Magby & I got nothing!!!
HEY, from 24th to 2nd the Next day... Oh well.
CONGRATS to Tom L (thanks for thinking that it was a Cheap Win...)!!!
It was my 1st STS, I missed the one at the Queen Mary, I HAD SO MUCH FUN!!!
Thanks to all who helped me PLAY this well.
THANKS Guys form SoCal, it was so much fun Hanging out: Andres R (Bomiester), David R (The Vilelator), David N (y2ace), Josh G (St!cks), Jonathan G - THANKS to your Dad for DINNER Saturday-, Alvin L (yummybulba), John N (rocket zapdos6669), Jeremy (by that samne name), Stephanie, Mel (Jeremy's Dad)) - WE WERE REALLY pulling for each other... I did not bother you too much y2ace now DID I???
MBI II was memorable and I can't believe how cool DMTM, MTM, MTPat are.
The I-MAN it was cool hanging out...
And Thanks to my bro, IPGeek21... (SJ, cards, decks, etc.)