"Kung Fu Fighting"
by Michael Kessler

Jax's Games
Biloxi, MS
November 6, 1999
Approxomately 10 participants

I have been playing Pokemon since 'Jungle' came out
and got the hang of it pretty quick.  I am a veteran
Magic the Gathering fan who became disenchanted by the
fact Wizards is pushing for 3 to 4 expansion sets a
year.  Since I can't keep up with them, I decided to
start on the ground floor of something new.  This deck
is a hybrid of the original one I constructed,
putting in a few new cards after 'Fossil' came out. 

Pokemon: 18
2 Hitmonchan
4 Hitmonlee
4 Machop
3 Scyther
2 Aerodactyl
3 Ditto

Trainers: 18
3 Professor Oak
4 Energy Removal
2 Super Energy Removal
2 Scoop Up
2 Gust of Wind
1 Switch
2 Pokemon Center
1 Computer Search
2 Mysterious Fossil

Energy: 24
23 Fighting Energy

This was the first test run of this deck.  I went from
a lightning/fighting/forest haymaker concept to
straight fighting, replacing Electrabuzz and a few
others with Ditto and Aerodactyl.  The Aerodactyl
shuts down evolution decks and the Ditto helps against
other haymakers and psychic decks.  I also added
Hitmonlee to bench-kick opponents trying to setup an
evolution and to get some sort of action against
anti-haymaker decks.  I use the Energy Removals and
Super Energy Removals to keep the other decks at bay
and keep my energy simple by using only one color and
lots of it to keep from getting screwed.  It does need
a bit of work, but with a proper tuneup, could be
deadly.

The tournament at Jaks is usually split up:  One group
is 13 yrs old and younger, the other is 14 yrs and
older.  Since I am *gasp*  31, I wind up against the
better competition.  We play four rounds of swiss,
then the top 4 play for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd.  Let's see
how the deck faired.

Round 1 vs David M.(water deck)
     I don't think I could have gotten an easier
opponent to start with:  A water deck.  With David
trying to set up Blastiose and Gyrados, this deck does
it's job, starting a Hitmochan or Machop while warming
up a Hitmonlee on the bench.  After pounding one or
two up front, I put the Hitmonlee up and start
pounding on the bench, using energy removals to keep
his opposing pokemon from moving back or attacking.
No troubles here, just straight butt kicking.
Result 2-0
Record 1-0

Round 2 vs Brian A.
     I am writing this after the weekend, so I can't
remember all the details, including playing Brian's
deck.  I do know that last week Brian swept everyone
to take the tournament and was using a japanese
trainer that prevented all but 10 damage to his
pokemon up front AND the trainer automatically moved
back to his hand the next turn.  He played an
experimental deck this time, using a Muk and a lot of
basic pokemon.  It tried to be haymakerish, but did
not have a lot of card advantage and lost the first
time due to knocked out pokemon.  The second game was
a bit more competitive, but I got a 4 prize jump on
him before he got rolling and was able to trade some
blows with him and pull the last 2 prizes easily.
Result 2-0
Record 2-0
  
Round 3 vs Ryan Ellis
     The guy is a legend around these parts, what can
I say.  When the original set first came out he came
up with the haymaker concept on-the-spot before anyone
else that I know of.  He's also a great Magic player.
He uses a haymaker with 4 'Chans, 4Scyther's, 4
Electrabuzz, and 4 Far'Fetched.  He also has 2 Oaks, 4
Bills, 4 Energy Removals, 4 Super Energy Removals, and
a few gusts and computer searches.  He uses card
advantage to wax me in the first game, putting up
Scyther to blunt my attack and allow him to set up.
He favorite tactic is to put a Scyther up with one
grass energy, sword's dance, then put on a
double-colorless next turn, use plus-power, and kill
about any haymaker you got.  Very deadly.  Second game
I get a great draw, with a Scyther, Hitmonlee and 2
energy removals, plus Oak, but he recovers and blunts
my attack soon as he gets a Scyther out.  I don't see
him losing today.....
Result 0-2
Record 2-1

Round 4 vs Angie S.
     Angie is using a 'cute' deck:  Full of Eevee
evolutions and small basics.  She's nice to play, but
not memorable, nor much competition.  I sweep the
board twice for 2 quick wins and a spot in the final
4.
Result 2-0
Record 3-1

Round 5 vs Adam J.
     Adam uses a haymaker deck similar to Ryan's.  He
doesn't use Far'Fetched, though, and isn't quite on
the ball as Ryan.  I lose the first match to prizes
and then get a stall on the second match by using my 3
Scyther's and pokemon centers, but I had to use too
many Oaks to do is and I deck myself.  Guess I'll have
to battle for 3rd place now.
Result 0-2
Record 3-2

Round 6 vs Oliver K.
      Oliver is using a psychic deck *ouch*.  I could
really get hurt by his deck.  He gets a gastly up
immediately and starts immobilizing my pokemon.  I
desperatly try to set up the bench to tag him, but
he's too quick and getting too many good flips.  I
lose the first game.
     The second game he is unable to get a good draw
and I get a 'lee and 'Chan up right away.  Thank
goodness for the 'brothers'.  I take the second game.
     The third game goes down to the wire.  We start
off much the same as the first game, but I stabilize a
lot quicker.  I have to use 2 Oaks to do it, though,
and is shows.  My Ditto comes in handy on this as he
has a Gengar in play.  Since Ditto has resistance to
psychic and doesn't have to use his pokemon power
automatically when he moves up, I put him up front to
block while I set up the bench.  By the time I have
the bench set up, I need 4 prizes and am down to about
10 cards in my draw.  I move another Ditto up to kill
Gengar, then have him get killed a turn later, but not
before moving damage to another of his pokemon on the
bench and killing it.  This is when he makes a great
mistake.  He puts his Chancy on the bench and moves
him up to block.  I then move a 'chan (my only
fighting on the bench and in my hand)up and pound on
him.  He moves Chancy back and moves up a mime to kill
him, but after I lay out his mime, keeps his Chancy on
the bench.  It's a strange move, because he also (as I
find out) has a scoop up and could keep him alive too.
 I was down to 4 cards, but he didn't think he could
deck me.  End result?  I smack a gastly around, pull
the last prize and get my reward:  3rd place.  Two
packs of fossil 1st edition and a package of deck
protectors.  Yuck.  Oh well. 
Result 2-1
Record 4-2

Ryan got first and Adam got second, by the way.  I got
disgusted and broke up my deck and started on a new
one for the next tournament at the end of November.
Since I'm not really one to copy other people's decks,
I won't be changing to Ryan's, but rather trying to
destroy it instead. 

In retrospect, this deck needs 2-4 Bills, one less
Oak, and some grass energy.  It also might make it
without the Aerodactyl, as most the decks I
encountered were not evolution decks.  If you have any
suggestions or mad mail, send it to:

Michael Kessler
scumbunny@yahoo.com