DRAGONS AND SHELLFISH
A rain-dance variant by J.Talbott
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I have played using various rain-dance decks for quite some time, but have
always tried to make them slightly different from the carbon template of
Blastoise-Gyarados-Articuno. My previous one used quite a few Wigglytuffs to
great effect, but I thought it was time for a revision, especially upon
receiving a box a rocket boosters…

I went to the official DCI sanctioned Pokemon League at my local Warner
brothers store in Merry Hill in Birmingham, England on the 27th of May. Due
to some new times set last week, even more people turned up than last week!
(Over 50 odd, crammed into one corner of the store…)

I am now aiming to get my Cascade badge, having got the boulder last week.
(The DCI league has only been going here for 7 weeks so far)

THE DECK

POKEMON= 22
3 Base Blastoise
(Of course, he's the centre of the deck silly)
1 Dark Blastoise
(Can cause serious damage w/ Hydrocannon! but Low Hp is the catch)
2 Base Wartortle
(I like breeders too, but they become ever more dangerous to use, and bite
can be handy in a emergency)
2 Dark Wartortle
(Absolute Crap I know, but I 'spose mirror shell can scare the opponent if
you only have one prize left)
4 Base Squirtle
(Still better than their rocket counterparts, needed for Blastoise's)
2 Dark Dragonair
(WHAT A POWER! Feints from excitement...)
3 Base Dratini
(A liability but needed for Dragonair)
2 Base Dewgong
3 Base Seel
(I prefer them to Gyarados-Magikarp because Seel can at least fight alone for
a while, as he is 30hp stronger)

TRAINERS= 15

2 Bosses Way
(Handy if I need the Dark Blastoise or the Dark Dragonair)
3 ER
(No need to explain this essential card)
1 Goop Gas
(Well, if an Aerodactyl/Mr.Mime comes out, then it might save my ass)
2 Switch
(There are some high retreats in this deck, so switch is the only way)
2 Pokemon Breeder
(To make that Blast real Fast…)
2 Nightly Garbage Run
(How bout returning Dark blastoise and wartortle to the deck, sounds good)
2 GOW
(As ER)
1 Poke Trader
(It always happens, you get a squirtle and a dewgong…which this card sorts
out)

ENERGY= 23
22 WATER
1 DCE

**-**-**-**-**-**-**-**
REPORT

Upon arrival to the Warner bros. Store, the sheer mention that I had Rocket
cards sent dozens of people swarming around all wanting to look.  Its
strange, if they haven't seen a card before, then they want to get it no
matter what they swap… oh well, all the better for me. I swapped an uncommon
Dark Machoke of mine for a Foil rare Dark Golbat! After several sales of
other common cards, totalling in six pounds profit, a guy I remembered from
last week challenged me to a match.
Match 1- vs. Clefable Stall deck
This was a challenging match to start with! This deck revolved around Mimes
and Clefables, with a stall deck flavour in reserve, including three chansey,
and some alakazam (both base and rocket variety). I started with Seel Active,
squirtle, dark blastoise and 4 water nrg. He had a chansey out with a TR abra
on the bench. He went first.
He attached energy to abra and let me go. I drew a breeder! Yahoo! I attached
an nrg to squirtle and let him go.  He attached another to abra and evolved
it to dark Kadabra. Drawing a base blastoise, I attached another to squirtle
and breedered it into this base blastoise, raindancing all 4 nrg onto him. He
looked scared… 
He drew a mime and put It down, I drew another nrg and retreated seel in
favour of Blastoise, hydro-pumping chansey for 50. He now put down another
chansey and evolved dark kadabra to dark alakazam. The chansey's continued to
stall for four more turns, by which time I drew another squirtle, a dark
wartortle and two energy cards. This of course meant dark blastoise was now
out and powered with two.

Then dark alakazam came out and used teleport blast, doing 30 and switching
to a powered mime. I drew a GOW and used it to pull out the beloved alakazam
and slaughter it in one hydro pump. Clefairy was put down with 1 energy, Mime
returned, which was annoying, and hit me for an additional 40, almost KO'ing
Blastoise.

I drew another energy and attached it to dark blastoise. I really didn't want
to lose the base blastoise, so I retreated it in favour of dark blastoise.
(Seel had been killed by a GOW and a suicidal chansey)
The dark blastoise took 10 damage, and I was a bit miffed as I couldn't get
any low damage cards. Then I drew Goop gas, my saviour using it to disable
mime and hydro-cannon it for 50.
Clefairy was evolved and hydro cannoned me for 50, leaving me with just 10
hp. I received another water energy and praised as I attached it and hydro
cannoned clefable for 70! Killing it in one drawing my last prize!

Between this some more kids looked at my folder, but didn't buy anything,
before I was challenged again.

Match 2 vs. Zapdos deck
I was kinda scared of this match as my primary weakness is electricity!
However, I was pleased with my starting hand, which contained two dratini, a
squirtle, 3 energy and a dark dragonair. I went first, attaching an nrg to
dratini and pounding his TR Magnemite for 10. He Put down a fossil zapdos and
attached energy to it. I drew my DCE which I attached to the drat, and
evolved it into dragonair, using my power to get a base wartortle, evolving
the squirtle and then using tail strike, killing the magnemite. He put down
another energy. I drew an ER! How convenient! I used this on the Zapdos and
used my power to get a base blastoise, which was actually the next card
(grr). I evolved it and raindanced two energy onto it, finishing with tail
strike for 20 to zapdos. He was getting a bit miffed now as he didn't draw
any energy and didn't appear to have one in his hand. I drew an energy and
put it on blastoise, tail-striking for 40 this time. He then used GOW to
bring out the energy-less dratini, but couldn't do anything to it. I drew
another water and used it to retreat dratini in favour of the powered
blastoise, killing his Zapdos and winning because he had no basics.

I then played another couple of matches not really worth mentioning, as they
really did NOT know how to build decks/ how to play/ the proper rules etc.
One kid had a deck with charizard, venusaur and blastoise and claimed he had
never lost a match. I soon sent him packing, as he tried to cheat twice (no
wonder he never lost)
Some more peeps looked at my folder, and somebody was desperate enough to
swap a Holo- Mr.mime, a Holo jungle electrode and Promo Pikachu for a single
Mew!! I certainly wasn't complaining, considering Mew is worth 'bout 4
dollars!
A guy who wanted to try his new TR charmanders then challenged me…

Match 6 vs. Fossil/TR Fire deck
I thought this would be a pushover, but it turned out this guy actually knew
good strategy! I started with a less than stellar hand of Seel, bosses ways,
goop gas and three energy cards. He started with fossil magmar and TR
Charmander on the bench. He went first, thankfully failing his smokescreen,
and allowing me to headbutt for 20. The second go he poisoned me! I drew a
squirtle, phew! Put it down, attached one energy card to it and head-butted
for 20 once more, sacrificing seel. Magmar successfully killed seel and it
was my go. I drew a breeder (Yahoo!) and used my bosses way to find the dark
blastoise, breedering squirtle, attaching another energy an hydro-cannoning
for 30 doubled to 60, slaughtering Magmar. The Charmander couldn't use it's
gather fire so feel easily under a hydro-cannoning blastoise, once again
netting me the win due to no basic pokemon.
Match 7 vs. Fossil/TR Fire deck
The point collection counter was going absolutely insane by this time, so we
decided to have another game to pass the time. This was remarkably similar to
the first, except I had a squirtle out first, and a base wartortle in my
hand, along with several energy and an ER. He had three TR charmanders out
this time! They kept on swapping around and changing these two fire energy
between them, while he kept on ER'ing my squirtle. When wartortle eventually
did come out, he slaughtered all the weakened charmanders easily with his
bite. I won again.

Thankfully there was a smaller queue at the collection counter now, although
the gym leader was getting a little short tempered after the rampage earlier,
and required a little assistance from another employee. 
I started to play another game, which went terribly as I had to take two
mulligans at the start that gave him a large advantage. About half way
through, we were told to pack up, as it was now 10 to 6.

Overall it was an enjoyable session, and I am now 250 points closer to the
cascade badge!
PROPS and SLOPS
PROPS to my parents for taking me to the pokemon league and back home again
PROPS to the guy with the clefable deck for a good match.
PROPS to the desperate guy who wanted a mew very badly
PROPS to the other desperate guy who swapped a foil for my uncommon
PROPS to wizards for inventing Base blastoise and Goop Gas
SLOPS to the guy who tried to cheat
SLOPS to Midland Red for not running a bus service to where I need after 5pm
SLOPS to warner bros. for changing the times so I can't catch the bus
SLOPS again to warner bros. for being drastically unorganised
SLOPS to Wizards for giving the entire Rocket series low HP

That'll be the end like
Please visit my pokemon website:- the Pokemon Platinum Palace at
http://www.platinumpalace.xs3.com/

Signing off
J. Talbott
E-mail me with any comments, suggestions, death threats etc. at
simjimm@aol.com