Feraligatr Deck
By Josh Goldstein, with help from many
Meadowlands Convention Center
Secaucus, New Jersey
Saturday, June 23rd
Started with 409 Participants
Wow. Another great STS has come and gone. This was a very great experience.
I probably would not write a report up, but I feel like I should. Most of my
matches are very fuzzy, but I'll try to remember it as good as possible.
I get to Newark Airport at about 4:30. Get in the shuttle soon after, and arrive
at the Embassey Suites at about 5:30 Friday Evening.
I go up to the room and drop the bags off. I get my deck out and take it down to
the lobby where there are many, many kids playing formatted games. I am scouting
the decks, and I see a TON of fire, and only 1 other Feraligatr, one that looks
really bad. I get in a game and win pretty quickly. I play him again and win
again. I get 1 more game in. By this time, I am totally slaughtering all the
fire decks, and people notice that Feraligatr is very strong. This is a bad
thing for me. I soon start to notice that people are scouting around and seem
very interested in how my Feraligatr deck is just beating everything. A few
games later, everyone and their mother is building a Feraligatr deck. Mind you,
this is the night before the STS. I think to myself, 'Oh God, what have I
done?'. Later that night, there are about 20+ Feraligatr decks on the lobby
floor.
I find a few new good cards that I might want to add into my deck, like Elekid,
Focus Band, and Metal Energy, but it is too late, since I have already turned in
my decklist. I'm kicking myself. Oh well.
I play until 3:00 AM. Wait for my friend to arrive from Atlanta at 3:30 AM. Go
back to the room for an hour while playing some games and such. We (Bomiester's
brother and another friend) go downstairs searching for foooood. We find nothing
in the hotel exept a vending machine. We wander around the little hotel area of
the Embassey and Holiday Inn, and find nothing.
We go back to the room until 6:00 AM, when we look outside down into the lobby.
There are a few kids playing. LOL, we jump right on it and each get a few games
in while waiting for breakfast. I meet ProffessorPokoff at about 7 AM. We all
eat breakfast at 7.
Go back to the room and get ready for the day. I can tell I'm going to be
insanely tired. We go to preregister my friend at about 8, and go into the
Meadowlands.
Boy, is it big! There was plenty of room, tables, concession stands, chairs,
everything! I get a few games in with some people I don't know, then get a game
in with Master Trainer Pat vs HIS Feraligatr, and win a Pre-Release Clefable! :D
We hear the sound system say something about everyone going to their designated
playing section. I almost don't find a seat and was freaking out that I might
not everyone would be able to play, lol. I find a seat and they announce the
rules and such. When they announce that the card 'Sneasel' is banned, I start
the clapping, and a few wussies start booing. I take out a Sneasel from my
binder and rip it up. (:P) It felt great doing that.
The pairings are up, but I don't play, since I have 3 byes. This must have been
the most boring time of the weekend, waiting for the byes to end. The byes AND
the lunch break were at the same time. It was really boring. I hung around with
my friend Griffin (Use to be from Pojo, but is now pretty much only Wizpog).
Finally, after about 2.5 hours, it is time to start round 4. It ends up that I'm
playing a friend of mine who you might know as Dark_Starman online. He is a
really good player, and played a Feraligatr that he got from me and added some
special teCh.
By the way, this is what I was running.
4 Totodile 50 HP
4 Croconaw 80 HP
3 Feraligatr 120 HP
3 Cleffa
2 Wooper
1 Magby
1 Brock's Mankey
1 Clefairy
4 Professor Elm
4 Misty's Wrath
4 Trash Exchange
3 Secret Mission
3 Double Gust
3 Gold Berry
2 Rocket's Training Gym
1 Nightly Garbage Run
17 Water
Before starting the report, I've decided to warn you that I will NOT remember
every match, and the matches that I do remember may have flaws in them. I only
remember the Top 8 matches very well, but I will try my best.
Round 1 vs Darkstarm with Feraligatr.
Well, I knew that Darkstarm can beat me, and I can beat him. This match would
most likely decide on who goes first and what their hand consists of. Both of
our hands are crap. Serious crap. We are literally arguing over who's is
worse. Lucky me, I go first. I attach to Totodile, do pretty much nothing else,
and Fury Swipes. He goes, does some wacky stuff which I forget, and Furys, also.
I attach, and fury. He also goes and does almost nothing, but, gets out a
Croconaw. Uh-oh... I draw a Cleffa really soon, Double Gust out something, and
Eeeeeek, not bothering to get out a Croconaw because I didn't want to do
anything special. He goes, and I think he gets something like a Mission or
something. I Eek again, just barely getting a Croconaw. I do 50 to it very
stupidly, setting my Croconaw in the line of danger. I was trying to get rid of
the Focus Banded Croconaw, but it lived. He goes, evolves, and KOs my Croc. It
basically is downhill from there. I can never recover.
3-1. 9 pts.
Wow, a surprising wake up call. Now I would have to win every game from here on
to get into T8.
Round 5 vs ??? with Slowking/Murkrow/Zapdos.
I go into this game wanting to win. He goes first, using Zappy vs my Cleffa. He
can't KO the Cleffa for about 3 turns, and by then I have a Croconaw to kill his
Zapdos in 2 hits, getting around Gold Berry. I keep the Croconaw at Croconaw,
fearing he might get out a lot of Slowkings, enough to prevent me from Riptiding
efficiently. I finish everything off (a couple of Slowking, a couple of Murkrow,
a Zapdos) with a Croconaw.
4-1. 12 pts.
::sigh of relief::
Round 6 vs ??? with Blaine's Arcanine.
I believe I go first, starting hard and fast with Totodile and soon after
Croconaw. He slaps down some CCGyms on me, and sitting something up front while
building up his Arcanine, but I play a Double Gust whenever he gets 2-3
Energy on it. I use Rocket's Training Gym highly to my advantage in this match.
He never gets going and I take the win.
5-1. 15 pts.
Round 7 vs ??? with speed Erika's Vileplume and Erika's Victreebell.
I really liked this kid I played. He had a great attitude and was very nice. I
think he goes first, and I get a little taste of Status Effects from an Erika's
Oddish. I don't awaken. I just attach and pass. He goes again and Sleeps me
again. I go and attach again. He goes, uses an Erika's Maids to get some
Status-n-Damage basics like Bellsprout. I go, attach and Evolve, and rip apart
an Oddish. He goes and can't get any damage going yet. I get out of a status and
get a KO. He finally just sits out sacrafices while trying to get out
Victreebell, but I Double Gust before it can happen and KO it with Feraligatr.
It's downhill for him from there. I'm glad this kid had no byes
and did this well.
6-1. 18 pts.
Round 8 vs ??? with Typhlosion/Blaine's Arcanine/Focus Band.
Sad to say, I feared this type of deck the most. I went out HARD and STRONG,
Double Gusting any Growlithe/Arcanine in sight, before they Evolved. I also
played differently, getting another Croconaw on the bench.
He got out 2 Typhlosions on me while I was busy trying to keep up with killing
his Arcanines. His Typhlos were helping get 3 energy a turn for him! It was
sick. Besides killing a grip of Growlithes/Arcanines, I also got to
KO a few babies. I love you, Double Gust! I love you, Trash Exchange! You make
Double Gust everlasting, pretty much.
7-1. 21 pts.
Round 9 vs ??? with Feraligatr.
Wow, one more game and I'm pretty much in the Top 8. I had a pretty low Opponent
Win Percentage, though :( It was like 70 or something. I KNEW I was going to
have to go hardcore in this game, and I did. It was my easiest match of the day,
though. He had a Feraligatr that was exacly like mine, pretty much. I waste
right through him once I get the Gatr out. It was sic.
8-1. 24 pts.
So, wait there, waiting for the Top8 announcements. They get posted, and I'm
looking like a mad-man. I go from 1st... to 2nd... to 3rd... to 4th... to 5th...
to 6th... to 7th! Ahh! I'm 7th place! I made it!
We go to the Top 8 area and sit there getting ready for our matches. The judges
check our decks. Mine was all fine, yay. Our Top 8 all had fine decks. I play
this kid named X Tennisgoeter or something really wierd.
Top 8 Round vs Something Tennisgeoter (Sorry!) with Feraligatr.
Wow. It really looks like it will be a Fury Swipes match. He has 2 Totodile, I
have 3. We go back in forth, Fury Swiping each other like mad mans. I'm the
lucky one, though, and he activates my Gold Berries, but he doesn't activate
mine. We go like this, just Fury Swiping, retreating to keep our good Totodile
alive, until he has only 1 Totodile with 30 damage on it and a Gold Berry.
Nothing else. He keeps going 'You've won. Go ahead and win. I'm done for'. I'm
like 'Come on, man, don't say that'. Keeps saying it. I draw a Cleffa, and have
a Double Gust in my hand. I have the choice of either Fury Swiping and going for
the KO, or Double Gusting, Eeeeeeeking, and going for
the Croconaw. I know that my luck isn't going to last forever, so I retreat (or
DG, I forget), and Eeeeeeeek. He draws his card really slowly, and passes. I go,
do 1 or 2 Misty's Wrath, get the Croconaw, and hit him for
enough to get the KO for the win. I'm in the Top 4
I sit back for about... oh... HALF AN HOUR watching the game of Darkstarman vs
some other kid that I saw at the WCSTS. I would play the winner. Darkstarman
wins.
Top 4 vs Chris (*Dark_Starman*) with Feraligatr/Focus Band.
I go second, and this match is already looking in the Trash for me. We both
immediately go for pumping up the Totodiles, but we both have crap hands. We are
once again arguing over the worst hand, lol! He gets the Focus Band on Totodile.
I believe I soon topdeck and get a Double Gust going on the energy'd Totodile
with Focus Band. The Band works! ARG! I believe he retreats and starts working
on 2 Croconaw and/or Fera. I Double Gust as much as I can, trying to get around
the Focus Band, but 1 more of them works. The third one doesn't work. I start
getting KOs with even MORE DG, due to Trash Exchange. He stalls around a little
with Wooper, but I get around it. The decks are getting low, and I need one more
KO. He is almost built up and ready to attack, so I am getting really scared. I
topdeck... DOUBLE GUST. I use it and win.
I'm in the FINALS.
Finals vs Phil Mondiello with Slowking/Steelix/Rocket's Zapdos/Mewtwo/Murkrow
I sit my Brock's Mankey with Totodile on the bench. He goes first with Murkrow
and Slowpoke. We both have nothing to draw with. Really bad hands. He attaches a
Psy and Shocks me with Paralysis. Oh crap, He's going to get the fist KO of the
match! A very bad thing to give. I attach to Totodile, Secret Mission for 2, not
discarding anything important, for I am set up, and pass. He Wraths, gets
nothing he goes and KOs me. I go, attach do Totodile, evolve,
Trash Exchange (Him LETTING ME), and Tackle. He retreats, evolves to Slowking,
and passes. I draw, attach to Croconaw, and Sweep Away. he goes, passes. I go,
Sweep Away to his Slowking which now has 70 damage on it. He sits for a second,
peeks at the card on top of his deck, and scoops up his prizes, turns to the crowd
and goes 'I'm still #1 in the world!'. I shake his hand.
I collect my cards and look around. I can't believe it. I can barely pick up my
cards, I was shaking so much. Chrisbo tells me 'Josh, put out your hand!', I do
so, and it's shaking with veins popping out, lol.
I do the whole ceremony thing, meeting one of the creators of Pokemon, get my
awesome metal, packs, hat, size the jacket, etc. Dinner on us!
The Impossible Man, Jeremy (1st Place Winner 15+), Stephanie (3rd on 2nd day in
10-), Mel (Just missed T8 2nd day, Jeremy and Stephanie's dad), Andres (Bomiester/Occult_Mastermind),
David (Bomie's brother), Jon (3rd place 10-2nd day), Juan (IPGeek21, TC Member),
Aaron (Juan's way younger bro), David, (y2ace, Top 8), Alvin, (YummyBulba), my
Bro and my Dad all went out to Round Table to celebrate.
Ok, I'm not going to give a report of the second day considering I couldn't play
in it.
I'm not doing Props and Slops... considering...
it's not what I like to do. I'd just like to thank a few people.
Thanks to everyone at Wizards, including the Tournament Director(s),
judges,everyone.
Thanks to the holder of the Westminister Qualifier directors! Without them I
would most likely never have gone!
Thanks to Alvin, Andres, Juan, Aaron, David N, David R, my bro, my dad, my mom,
my sister, Dustin Gierst.
Thanks to Janine Madrid for opening my once-ignorant mind to the world of
Pokemon, for playing me for hours straight sometimes, for helping me get cards,
for selling me cards, for transportation, for getting my brother's deck for
Westminister when he left it at home, for everything!
Thanks to everyone who has ever played me or helped me. Without every one of
you, every single person who I've played, I would be a lesser player. Thank you
to Devon, Derek, Howie, Tsukasa, Andres, David, Aaron, everyone for beating me
in tournaments.
Thank you to Crazy Cat Comics, 8 Ball Cards, Third Planet Comics, Darkstar
Comics, Westminister Wizards of the Coast, Del Amo Game Keeper, ToysRUs (both of
them), and any other store I may have played at.
Thank you to every good sport at the STS. Thanks to all the people who
appreciated it, I know I did.
Thanks to the old Pokegym, where I truely evolved. Thanks for WizPoG for having
a UBB. Thanks to Pojo for being there when I needed some news or wanted to read
a 'Killer' Deck Report. Thanks to #Pokegym in IRC for always
calling me a random. Thanks for #Pojo IRC for ALWAYS having someone who wanted a
game.
Thanks to The Third Child, you were really cool.
Thanks to Griffin for helping me with deck ideas and testing with me. You are
awesome.
Ok, that's about enough. And, if it's not, too bad, because it took a loooong
time
Look for my report about the Second Semi Annual Maple Bar Inviational!
-Josh Golstein
-Fartonsticks
-Sticks
-Aipom's_Bum
1st Place STS Winner, 11-14, Day 1.
Shortyteam@aol.com