No Way Out (Psychic/Dark)
                                    By Bryan Yamamoto      
                                    Third Planet Comics
                                    (Torrance, CA)
                                    and
                                    Toys 'R' Us
                                    (Lawndale, CA)
                                    Tuesday, December 19th, 2000
                                    Roughly 15 people at each

This Tuesday I went to TWO Pokemon Leagues on the same day (yes, TWO). One of
them is from 4-6 and one is from 5-7. I went to Third Planet first for two
hours and played 4 games. Then I hit TRU and played for an hour, playing 2
games. I played an AWESOME Occult Powers lock, complete with TOTAL SHUTDOWN.
Here it is:

4 Oddish (J)
4 Dark Gloom
3 Dark Vileplume
3 Psyduck
3 Cleffa
3 Murkrow
3 Sneasel

4 Professor Oak
4 Professor Elm
4 Computer Search
4 Pokemon Trader
2 Sprout Tower
1 Gust of Wind

6 Psychic Energy
4 Double Colorless Energy
4 Rainbow Energy
4 Full Heal Energy

The strategy: It's nice to start with an Oddish on bench and a Psyduck
active. If not, get an Oddish on the bench and Eeeeeeeek away with Cleffa. If
you cant do THAT, then use Sneasel, or lock in a Scyther or Jiggly that cant
damage you that fast with Murkrow. Once you get all your Pokemon out that are
needed, either charge up a Sneasel and waste them, or play a Sprout Tower,
confuse them with Dark Gloom, lock in a Psychic or Colorless Pokemon, and
play Dark Vileplume. by this time it will be just about game, because they
will not be able to damage you, retreat, or play trainers. You may now damage
everyone on their bench with Sneasel, and replenish or get more Dark Energy
with Cleffa. Computer Search for the single Gust and lock in a colorless
Pokemon that the opponent set down for you. Keep damaging their bench untill
you win. Ok, here are how my 6 games went...

Game 1: Vs. Nice Gym Leader lady with Haymaker/FTK varient.
Oooooh, I could see this game would be fairly easy due to all of her
Colorless Pokemon. She started with an Erika's Jiggly and no bench. I start
with Murkrow, Sneasel, and Oddish on the bench. My hand was pretty nice, Dark
Energy, a Rainbow, Sprout Tower, and Elm. I draw, getting a Dark Gloom I
believe. Play Sprout Tower, Rainbow Energy on Sneasel, and Elm. (playing
Rainbow Energy so it does the 10 damage and makes Erika's Jiggly's attack
useless). I retreat for Sneasel and Fury Swipe, getting 20. She goes, draws
an Electabuzz, Energy Removals, Scoops, and Thundershocks for no paralysis. I
retreat and bring in my Cleffa and play a Dark Energy on Sneasel. She goes,
plays a Snorlax, and Thundershocks, no para. I go, play Dark Gloom, play a
Psy on Cleffa, and Eeeeeeek. She goes, plays an energy on Electabuzz, and
thunderpunches, for tails on the Baby Power. I go, Gust of Wind in Snorlax,
play Dark Vileplume, and Mean Look. After a minute of reading over all my new
Neo cards, she realizes that she cant damage me or retreat. She plays an
Energy Removal and I tell her she cant play trainers. Then she notices that
she is... well, she's stuck. She plays a DCE on Snorlax and passes. I go, do
20 damage to Electabuzz. She goes, plays a Brock's Lickitung. I go, damage
Lickitung. She goes, another DCE, and does nothing to me. No paralize. I go,
and damage her bench. She realizes that she is stuck and just decides to try
to deck me with Paralize, because she's been getting a few heads so far. She
paralizes me a few more times while I keep damaging her bench, knocking out a
few Pokemon. She plays her last basic on the bench, a Ditto, and I KO it. I
move on to the Snorlax. Soon enough, that's gone, too. I was 4 cards away
from decking, but I had a Cleffa on the bench, ready to un-deck myself.
1-0

By my FIRST game in this store since summer, everyone knew my deck already
and they wern't happy. I moved to a different part of the room, after being
rejected a match by two players. I ask a guy to play and he says sure. I knew
he had a Wiggly so I'm thinking the game is going to go well.

Game 2: I start out with an active Cleffa with Psyduck on the bench. I also
had another Pokemon in my hand, but I had a Trader and a Dark Gloom, so I was
going to save the Pokemon to trade for an Oddish. I played a Psychic on
Psyduck, Pokemon Trader'd for an Oddish, retreated and Headache'd. He THREE,
yes 3 Jigglypuff's active. He goes, and Lullaby's, I awake. I go, play Dark
Gloom, and Professor Elm. I play a Murkrow and Sneasel, and Headache. He
goes, and Lullaby's, me staying Asleep. I go, play Sprout Tower, evolve into
Dark Vileplume, and try to wake up. I do. His turn, he Pounds. My turn, I
retreat to Murkow and Dark Gaze. He goes, plays a Scyther, plays a Grass on
the Scyther, and puts me to sleep. I wake up. I go, play a Psychic energy,
and do 20 to Scyther. It keeps going this way, him putting me to sleep about
half the time, untill he evoles to Wiggly and retreats for his damaged
Scyther. He starts on another Scyther. I bring in my Cleffa and play Oddish.
He goes, and fails on his slash. I go, play Dark Gloom, and confuse his
Scyther. I play a Dark on Sneasel and Mean Look him. He gets a tails and KO
itself. My turn I lock in his other Scyther since it had only one energy on
it, and play a Rainbow on Sneasel. His turn, he plays a Grass and SD's. I do
30 to his Scyther (the Dark Energy). He slashes for the KO. I bring in
Sneasel and KO his Scyther. It's basically game because he has only
Jigglypuffs. he brings a Wiggly in and sleeps me, but I wake up. I go,
retreat for a new Murkrow, and Mean Look. He plays a couple basics and Does
the Wave for 10. I go, and confuse his Wiggly. He goes and damages himself. I
KO a benched guy and he does 10 to me. I soon KO his Wiggly with Murkrow.
2-0

After this game, the word had gotten around that this deck was a monster. I
played the husband of the Gym Leader, I forget his name. He had a Grass deck
with Pinsers, Scythers, Muks and Dark Muk.

I start out with 1 Psyduck, 2 Oddish and a Cleffa. I go and Headache. He
goes, plays an energy on Pinser, and passes. He also has a Grimer on the
bench. I go and Trade my newly drawn Sneasel for a Dark Gloom and Professor
Elm, playing a Murkrow and Sneasel. He goes and plays an energy and does 20
with no para. I go, retreat Psyduck for Cleffa, use Gloom's power with no
confusion. I play Full Heal Energy and Eeeeeek. He goes and plays another
Grass, and fails to attack me. I play a Dark on Sneasel, play a Dark Gloom. I
try to confuse him and get heads. I Eeeeeeek. He goes and starts to power his
Grimer. I start to get sort of scared because he might have Muk, but luckily
he dosn't get him out yet. He goes and KO's me with Iron Grip. I bring in
Sneasel and waste him. He brings in Grimer and uses Poison Gas and puts me to
sleep... (?) (why not Sticky Hands). I wake up during turns, and KO the
Grimer.
3-0

This place is starting not to like me... I feel bad for the guy becuase I
dented his 3 wins in a row that he needed to get the Cool Porygon. Oh well.
since I had just 'licked' him, he played me again.

The next game was almost an exact replica with him playing a trainer this
time :(. I play first turn Sprout Tower and Elm. It sort of screwed me over
but I got a Dark Energy on Sneasel. I passed with my Cleffa out. He goes and
Iron grips (he went first...). No para. I go, play Rainbow Energy on Sneasel,
play basics, and Oak. I play Dark Gloom and Beat him Up, KOing it. He brings
in Grimer and I KO it.
4-0

Ok, it's time to leave this league. Next stop:Toys 'R' Us just 15 minutes
away.

Here we go. We arive, and this league has been going on for an hour, but
there are still people there. I watch for just a little bit and find someone
to play. He is new to the game. He has a fire deck with Ninetales, Arcanine,
Charmeleon, and I think Charizard. He goes first and Bill's. I have no worry
really because he is new to the game so I'm in no real rush. He plays a DCE
on Magmar and says "Smog". I teach him about DCE and such. He says OK and he
asks if he can switch for his Ponyta. I say sure. He does 20 to Psyduck. I
go, and headach untill he gets KO'd. Soon enough I get a Dark Vileplume out
with a Murkrow and a Sneasel vs. his non energized Arcanine and I just keep
hitting the bench untill Arcanine w/ 90 damage on it becomes a threat. Then I
KO it.
5-0

Game 6 was vs a boy from school named David with a Raindance.
He starts with Lapras and me Psyduck. I go first and Headache away with
Oddish and Cleffa on the bench. He does 10 to me. I go, Dark Gloom fail with
confusion, FHE, and headache. He goes and confuse rays me w/ no confusion. I
go, get a sneasel out with dark energy and headache. He KO's Psyduck and it's
my turn. I play Dark Energy and KO his Lapras.
6-0

So I had a great day of winning at the leagues today.

No props or slops because... I dont like them and they are overused :P

Peace out. \\|//

Bryan
shortyteam@aol.com