Super-Psylink (Saturday) & Firestorm Recharge (Sunday)
Colin Hu, 11-14 Division
East Coast Super Trainer Showdown II
Secaucus, New Jersey
Saturday, June 23 & Sunday, June 24
409 participants Saturday, Approximately 300 total participants Sunday

Super-Psylink (Saturday)

Pokemon 19

4 Sabrina’s Abra (Lv. 18)

4 Sabrina’s Kadabra

3 Sabrina’s Alakazam

2 Rocket’s Mewtwo

2 Mewtwo (Lv. 60)

2 Mewtwo (Lv. 30)

2 Cleffa (Lv. 6)

Energy 17

15 Psychic Energy

2 Recycle Energy

Trainers 24

4 Professor Elm

2 Misty’s Wrath

2 Secret Mission

2 Masterball

2 Double Gust

4 Gold Berry

4 Sabrina’s ESP

1 Nightly Garbage Run

3 Resistance Gym

I would’ve played Firestorm Recharge day 1 but I didn’t have a single Typhlosion :/.

Saturday was TERRIBLE. I’m a member of Team Legendary Birds, the only member, LOL! I thought since I won all my practice battles that I would do well, I thought wrong :/. Well, I don’t remember the first day very well, I made some friends and met up with many people I’ve met before; it was cool. Anyway, sorry I don’t have a real report for Day 1. I won many games turn 1, 2, or 3 with Sabrina’s Abra/Sabrina’s ESP versus Cleffa, hehe. I lost to 2 Sabrina’s Gengar Decks (what luck) one of which was a guy from Team Scizor, a Blaine’s Charizard/Arcanine (I think her name was Maria, really good deck but 8 Basics is too risky), and something else. Didn’t see a Murkrow; Resistance Gym was a waste. I should have dropped out. I came out 5-4, 154^th place, yay. I will never play another Psychic deck again, sigh. This’ll hurt my ranking, ouch. Day 2 was a whole different story J .

5-4

Firestorm Recharge (Sunday)

Pokemon 23

4 Cyndaquil (Lv. 21)

4 Quilava (Lv. 35)

4 Typhlosion (Lv. 55)

3 Blaine’s Growlithe (Lv. 20)

3 Blaine’s Arcanine

2 Magmar (Lv. 37)

3 Cleffa (Lv. 6)

Energy 19

19 Fire Energy

Trainers 18

4 Professor Elm

3 Misty’s Wrath

2 Double Gust

4 Blaine

3 Gold Berry

2 Cinnabar City Gym

If I could go back, I would +2 Giovanni’s Nidoran (F), +2 Metal Energy, +2 Masterball, -2 Magmar (Neo) a waste of deck space IMHO, -3 Fire Energy, -1 Blaine.

Wow, I did surprisingly well the second day! I had to give and arm and a leg to get 4 Typhlosion! I also traded a LOT for 4 Blaine’s Charizard which I realized sucked compared to Phlosion (I watched many games from the side since many of my wins were so fast, I saw a deck like mine easily take out Blaine’s Charizard). Thanks to everyone who traded me the Typhlosions, especially the guy who traded me one after I gave him the Warp Point he needed. It goes to show that you should always help people whenever you can, even when you don’t get anything in return. Typhlosion/Blaine’s Arcanine (along with Feraligatr) tore up the competition! IMHO other decks (including other Water and Fire Decks such as Misty’s Poliwhirl and Blaine’s Charizard) simply didn’t have the speed or the damage. Much thanks to Jeremy Dover for the inspiration to make this deck instead of a Blaine’s Charizard deck. Sorry helping me with the deck kind of backfired in your face Jeremy. Too bad I didn’! t think of 2 Giovanni’s Nidoran (F)

Round I vs. Guy with Misty’s Poliwhirl/Erika’s Victreebel

I might have mixed up the order for the first five battles, they went by so fast. If I mixed something up and you faced me, feel free to e-mail me with corrections. I was Body Slamming his Erika’s Bellsprouts with Growlithe until I had an Arcanine and he brought up Marril. Guess I underestimated it. I had Cinnabar City Gym thank God. He kept flipping heads with Marril and Paralyzing me. I was building Typhlosion on the bench. He almost KOed my Arcanine but I put a Gold Berry on him and KOed Marril. He brought up Misty’s Poliwhirl with a Water and a Grass, then put a Dark on it to KO Arcanine which had 40 damage left. He had forgotten that I had Typhlosion on the bench and that it did 60 damage. I brought up Typhlosion fully powered to KO Poliwhirl (It had 10 damage due to Darkness Energy). He had a Bellsprout on the bench but forfeits. He said he always loses to Chinese guys, LOL! (Note: He never got out Erika’s Victreebel but I naturally assumed this after seeing 2 Bells! prouts)

1. (3 points)

   Round II vs. Guy with Mono Water Deck

   I forgot what was in this deck (I think Misty’s Poliwhirl) and I think I mixed this round up, I don’t seem to remember the order of the people I played in the first 5 rounds. I hope it doesn’t make too much of a difference. Again, feel free to E-mail me with corrections. I don’t remember the match much. I believe Arcanine came out fully powered with Cinnabar and it was over.

2. (6 points)

Round III vs. Guy with Mono Psychic (Sabrina’s Hypno/Kadabra)

This could have been round 4, LOL! Sorry! Anyways, I had Cyndaquil vs. Sabrina’s Abra (Energy Loop). I attack with Fireworks and keep the Energy. He puts down Sabrina’s Drowzee and Energy Loops. I Evolve, attach energy and Smokescreen for KO. He brings up Drowzee and searchs for energy. I attack with Smokescreen. He evolves to Hypno, attaches energy, Invigorate with 1 heads, 20 damage. I put down a Gold Berry and eventually kill it for the win.

3-0 (9 points)

Lunch Break:

Round IV vs. Girl with Steelix

Wow, she got a bad hand. She has a lone Onix while I have Blaine’s Growlithe. She has Onix and puts a Metal on it and says go (for some reason she doesn’t bother Screeching, dunno why). I put an energy down and Stoke. She puts another Metal on and says go. I Evolve and Heat Tackle for 20. She puts down a Gold Berry and says go. I draw an Energy and Firestorm for the win.

4-0 (12 points)

Round V vs. Guy with Blaine’s Arcanine

I take out his Arcanine with mine for the win, with a Typhlosion on the bench. This was a fast one, I believe 3 or 4 turns.

5-0 (15 Points)

Round VI vs. MATT TOWNEND with Blaine’s Arcanine/Rocket’s Zapdos

The second game in a row sitting in Seat #1! (In "Colin’s Theory", rank is determined by seat number multiplied by 2, it’s pretty accurate. 2^nd place so far, alright!) I had heard of him before, he won 5^th at the WCSTS. This kinda got me psyched. This match was lost due to TERRIBLE luck. I got the worst hand, most other games I started with Growlithe and Elm. I didn’t see an Elm all game. He built up his Arcanine with 6 or 7 Fire Energy while I had a benched B Arcanine with 3 Fire. I got all tails on Recharge and couldn’t get a 4^th energy to KO RK9. Damn it! This ends my winning streak. He was cool though. Luck is too much of a factor in Pokemon, way too much.

5-1 (15 points)

Round VII vs. Annoying Kid ("Your Mom", LOL!) with Murkrow/Poliswine/Dark Golduck

This battle started out tough. He kept freezing my Arcanine making me have to waste energy and retreat (He had a built Murkrow on the bench). I got the energy back with Phlosion though. And I get some Double Gust, very helpful. I’m killing everything with Blaine’s Arcanine and luckily I get Cinnabar City Gym early on. Lucky he didn’t get a Gym out, or my deck would be watered down by Dark Golduck. Well, I kill em all off with RK9 for the win. I would have lost though if he had a Gym or if he Lt. Surged a Murkrow down.

6-1 (18 Points)

Round VIII vs. JEREMY DOVER with a Mirror Match-Up

WTF!!! OMG!!! Friggin coincidence!!! I’m surprised and POed I have to face Jeremy. I met Jeremy at the IL Qualifier (he got 2^nd with his Slowking, a surprising number of people underestimated him because of his height, LOL!) and I knew he’d make it when I saw his deck. I was cheated out of T8 by Crispy M&Ms (DarkStarMan), c’mon, calling stalling after the game ended, what is that? Oops, got off the subject. Jeremy has been so cool at the STS and the Q. He told me to use the deck I was using! Well, I thought for sure I would lose, I had little experience with a Typhlosion! Anyway, I might kinda mix things up but this is how I remember it. Early on I had Cyndaquil up vs. Cleffa. Then I get out Quilava to Smokescreen successfully. Next turn I attack his Cleffa but Focus Band is successful. He’s building Blaine’s Arcanine on the bench, IMHO 2 Blaine in the deck is too little. He gets out Blaine’s Arcanine, I build one and KO his. I get one Phlosion while he has! 2. My one Phlosion is flipping abodropped out. Man I feel bad for Jeremy :/.

7-1 (20 points)

Round VIIII vs. "Mr. Collusion" with "Never-saw-his-deck"

The match never started. While shuffling our decks and I said, "Too bad I had to play Jeremy last round and too bad time ran out, I have no chance to go T8 now, sigh (I was talking to myself out loud)." So he says, "You have no chance to win, I do. How about I give you 5 bucks to lose?" I say, "What, are you nuts, no way!" Then he says, "How about I give you Booster Packs, you want booster packs?" I was pissed, I said, "I could disqualify you for bribery. In a matter of fact I will" so I raise my hand and a judge comes over. The guy next to me to my left says, "Whoa, you are so lucky you get to win like that!" This loser starts crying and I tell the judge what happened. The guy says, "Bribery is illegal?" with tears in his eyes so the judge (DMTM was close by too, you’re the coolest!) goes easy on him and gives him a game loss instead of disqualifying him. There goes my Resistance Points. So I hand out Arcticuno, Moltres, Zapdos counterfeit promo cards to him and the peop! le next to me, like I do after ever

8-1 (23 points, later 24 somehow)

I end up in 10^th place (WTF!) because of terrible resistance. I managed to get 24 points somehow, thanks Jeremy if it was you. I was robbed, robbed...

Props to...

Getting 10^th Place, not 8^th but T16 isn’t too bad.

Wizards for having the STS

People from Gurnee, Libertyville, and everyone from Illinois except... (I’ll get to that)

People from Lancaster and everyone from Pennsylvania except... (I’ll get to that)

Jeremy for recommending the deck I used

Blaine’s Arcanine for coming in a theme deck (3 Decks for $10, sweet!)

Keith and friends for being cool day 1, didn’t see ya day 2

Rocket Girl, too bad you had to drop out to leave (I’m guessing you are Jennifer from the Baby Gym report?)

Everyone I played

PKMN X for the "Promo"

Everyone who traded me Typhlosion except... (I’ll get to that)

Electroflip guy, thanks

8 Packs to all players

DMTM for being cool and the other people working there (esp. the girl working in metal gym)

Not facing a single Gator

Slops to...

Getting 10^th place, damn resistance points

Wizards’ Resistance system

Wizards’ Bye System

My conscience for preventing me from using a metal Lugia coin vs. Townend, I bet it would have won me the game. I wanted to be fair, stupid, stupid me.

P. Ditto for cheating me out of the IL Qualifier, that was cheap (good job getting 3^rd)

Guy from PA who got me kicked out of Pokemon League, how well’d you do?

Not thinking of Nidoran (F) and Metal Energy, I’m not creative like Ness and his team

Not being able to get a Sneasel ZEO card, Purity ran out and no one would trade any :/

The guy who tried to bribe me, not cool; ripping up cards I give you, not cool

Typhlosion for being so damn hard to get, try trading for 4 Typhlosion at the STS...

Foreign guy who traded me a 1^st Edition German Typhlosion, I’ll get you...

Having to get 2 Typhlosions minutes before entering on Sunday

Power Bars, blech

Sabrina’s Gengar, grrr...

Luck being too much of a factor in Pokemon

Forgetting to get my Boosters on Sunday, I got enough cards anyhow

Alex Elkins for not being able to go, you already made T8 so that’s good enough

Colin Hu – TRCassidy@Hotmail.com