Wrom: EJGDGVCJVTLBXFGGM Sent: Monday, June 10, 2002 2:36 PM To: Pojo@Pojo.com Subject: Martin's Mansion: San Diego WCSC report Well, it's Martin here again with my West Coast Stadium Challenge deck report. The whole stadium was a blast. I had an opportunity to meet a lot of great people like CRIMINAL, TR. Cassidy and Satoshi who is also a deck mech. here. First of all, I got to the convention center at 7:30 am and the first person I see is Jeremy Borchardt handing out decklists. So I grab one and start filling it out. Expecting to see Crobat and Dark Muk popular I chose to use Entei/Magcargo because it has sheer power and can outspeed just about any other deck in Modified. They opened up the convention center doors and the room was significantly smaller than it was for the WCSTS, but was a good size. They had a little card stand where I bought white sleeves for my deck. Upon turning in my decklist and registration stuff I see non-other than Dallas Dalton AKA Strike from the boards and third place winner of the WCSTS. I also meet up with CRIMINAL, Cody, Brandon and Satoshi again. Here is the deck I chose to use... Martin's Entei/Magcargo Pokemon-15 3-Slugma (Combustion) 1-Slugma (Flare) 4-Magcargo 3-Entei (Howl) 1-Entei (non holo) 3-Cleffa Trainers-24 4-Professor Elm 4-Misty's Wrath 4-Double Gust 3-Pokemon Trader 2-Gold berry 2-Focus band 2-Healing Feilds 2-Time Capsule 1-Scoop up Energy-21 21-Fire This Magcargo deck is teCh'ed out. The non holo Entei was put in so I can safely build something without being double-gusted. The 2-2 Gold Berry and Focus seemed real weird to everyone, but works well. Entei/Cargo has been known to be vulnerable to Pichu, but with healing field's and Gold Berry the actual KO to a Magcargo from a Pichu is not only rare, but unheard of. I chose to play band also because It was my only hope to stay alive if another Magcargo or any other big hitter got built before I could. The lone Flare Slugma is nice if the opponent survives a Focus band and KO's you, because you can deal it the last point of damage for the kill. Schoop up OR Scoop up wasn't that great in playtesting because retreating the Entei is easy, and you tend to only need the howl early game, so I stuck to 1. Right before the tournament started, Dallas Dalton (strike) came up and told me that Gatr and Kingdra was in about 1/4 of the deck lists. I was surprised, and also was worried. Swiss (7 rounds) Round 1 Vs Donphan I started with an Excellent Draw consisting of Entei, Slugma, Cargo some fire and a Misty's wrath. He opens with 2 Cleffa, a magby and 2 Pichus (niiiiiice). I win the roll and proceed to howl getting 2 energy's on slugma. He then plays focus bands on each of his 2 Pichus and thinks he has the game =\. He Zaps doing 20 to my Entei, I refuse to evolve my Slugma into Magcargo so I Combustion with Slugma for 30 getting tails, then next turn tails, then next turn tails again. With 60 on Entei I scoop it up, and by that time he has a Donphan with 2 energy and a Focus band. He passes and I double gust his Donphan and evolve my Slugma. Lava Burst...his band getting tails. He sends up his Focused Pichu and Zaps Magcargo and benches another (Uh-oh 3 Pichu up, 2 have a focus, IM scared NOW). At that point he told me my deck sucked because Pichu tears it apart, so I Play a gold berry and Healing fields and go through everything he has with my Magcargo. I got all 6 prizes in no time. I hope he learned something... 1-0-0 Between rounds I am forced to give the Jersey back to Satoshi and I find out that the Professor draft was about to start. I wish him and CRIMINAL luck and by that time 11-14 pairings were back up. Round 2 Vs. Magcargo This was a weird game. he opens with a Combustion Slugma and a Tyrogue. I have a lone Entei. I go first and Scoop up entei promoting my Slugma and attaching a fire. I Howl getting a respectable 2 fire on Slugma and pass, he smash punches tails. I evolve and attach a Gold Berry and just sweep through everything he has. 2-0-0 Round 3 Vs TJ with Crobat. This guy didn't talk much. He opens with a Cleffa and Pichu. I get a lone non holo entei. I win the roll and bench a Slugma and a Holo Entei and howl for 2 fire. He plays a Zubat and chooses to Zap instead of building his Zubat (BIG mistake). I play a gold berry, and went through his Pichu..then soon a second. He now gets frustrated and does what he should of done, power up his now Golbat and plays a Chaos gym. I wrath, tails on Chaos. Wrath again..heads. I get a healing fields and Double gust. I Drop the fields and gust his Golbat for the easy KO. All he has is a couple Cleffa and Just easily get Ko'ed. This guy ends up getting second in the tournament. 3-0-0 Between rounds, I mingle with some people and some guy comes up to me and goes "Martin, you have some guts playing fire."...Scary how so many know my name. I look to see the matches still going and I see 3 Kingdras and 4 Gatr. I laugh knowing I'm NOT making top 8. Round 4 Vs. Stephanie Borchardt with Feraligatr. This is Jeremy Borchardt's sister. He told me over AIM that if I played her I would get killed. I honestly knew I could take this game no matter the deck advantage she had. I win the roll and open up with a lone Entei, she opens with a cleffa Totodile and Tyrogue. I scoop it up bench a cleffa, and think for a minute and elm knowing I would get SOME SORT OF BASIC. Getting nothing. I attach a fire to Cleffa and Eeeeeeek getting heads on baby flip. The PERFECT Set up I got in my hand...Slugma, Entei, Double gust, focus and Non holo entei to stop her double gusts. She attaches a water to Tyrogue stupidly when she could of got a gatr turn 3 by powering totodile because a smash punch on a cleffa isn't reliable. For the game, she smash punches: heads on baby...then heads again. I lose. 3-0-1 I am furious, I couldn't believe how someone could get away with such an error. I walk over to the professor table and Jeremy Borchardt tells me her Tyroguing me was MY fault because I didn't play 22 basics in Entei/Cargo. "=/" If I get 1 more loss I can basically forget anything about top 8. All I can do is hope for good luck. Round 5 Vs. Rockets Scyther Electric? He opens with 2 Rockets Scyther while I open up with a Slugma with with the Entei and Cargo in hand. I win the roll and play a fire on Slugma and Howl discarding 5 trainers -_-. He has NOTHING and passes. I attach the second fire and Combustion doing 60 to his Scyther, then to his second one next turn and win the game. 4-0-1 All of my friends at this point have 2 losses and can't make top 8. It's lunch break time and me CRIMINAL, Satoshi and a few others walk the streets of San Diego and talk about Pocket Pastry's. Round 6 Vs. Dark Muk This match was very important because a loss is my ticket out of top 8. He opens with 2 Grimers and me a LONE ENTEI. I win the roll, scoop it up and Play a Slugma then a howl. I got 2 fire. He attaches a grass to his active and Poison Gases. I evolve to magcargo and Lava flow discarding a fire for 60. He has NOTHING and plays a Chaos Gym then Poison gases again. Tails on sleep. Next turn he sticky hands me..HEADS. then again the next turn. I have 60 on my cargo. So I bench another slugma and build a fire. He Sticky hands AGAIN and gets heads. killing my Cargo. Luckily I have another and just lava flow for the victory. 5-0-1 I need to win my last round to get top 8...I just HAVE to. I prey I don't face a gatr because I would need a good draw to win, which I haven't gotten in a while. So I walk up to pairings too see..... Round 7 Vs. Aaron Gerrardo with Gatr. Well, the pairings didn't say he played Gatr, but it was quite obvious ;x. I coulden't believe this. I would need to have everything go my way for the win. I doubt I could persuade him to Intentional draw because he knew what I was playing from watching me beat his friend TJ. I try anyway, and after 5 minutes he said "all right". 5-1-1 I am almost sure I got top 8. While waiting for standings to be posted, I watch the professor draft and see Satoshi went 4-1 in swiss and made top 8. Also, CRIMINAL went 1-4 =(. I walked to the standings posting and 6 people I didn't even know walked up to me and go "YOU MADE TOP 8!!". I am relieved and I walk to Aaron Gerrardo and tell him thanks for Drawing when he would of won. I was 7th seed and he was 6th. We walk over to the top 8 area and and get our decks taken away and checked by the judges. Mine came back fine. All I need is one win in top 8 to win the trip. So I sit at the table and I play.. Round 1 top 8 VS Kevin Chang with Slowking/Dark Golduck I knew I could take this game, I can outspeed him in every way. I mulligan twice and he gets EVERYTHING he needs. He also wins the roll (What more can you ask for?). I start with a LONE ENTEI. He promotes Psyduck and Headache stopping any trainers of mine from being played. I drop a Slugma and a fire and pass. He attaches to his Psyduck and headaches once again. I Attach another fire and drop the Entei and Howl. I get 2 fire. On Slugma. He gets Dark Golduck out and Super Psy's for 100. I send up Cargo with 4 fire and I Lava flow for the KO. He evolves all 3 of his Slowkings and plays a Rockets Hide out gym. He Sends up a cleffa and benches another Psyduck and attaches a Psychic. I attach a fire to a Benched Slugma and baby flip...heads. KO. While powering up his second dark Golduck he send up a Movie Mewtwo and energy absorbs. I attach to the bench Slugma again. I lava Flow and KO his Mewtwo. His Benched Dark Golduck is fully powered and he Super Psy's my Magcargo with a focus..TAILS ON BAND. I have a 2 card hand of a double Gust and a Gold Berry. I Am out of options. The only thing I could do is hope I can topdeck a Magcargo because my trainers aren't going to get it for me with 3 kings out. I put my hand on top of my deck and close my eyes. I sit there for literally a minute. People are staring and wondering what I'm doing. I draw my card without looking and put it into my hand..it was MAGCARGO. The crowd watching can't believe it. I am making the impossible comeback. I get the Magcargo I needed but the rest was trainers that I knew wouldn't go through his kings again. I Lava flow his Golduck, he gets heads on band. The crowd knows I had the game won, but with his amazing band flips it is looking quite improbable. He Super psy's my Magcargo for the prize. I send up My slugma and deal 30 for the KO since he had 10 HP left. He sends up his murkrow and attaches a focus band and a Darkness. I Deal 30 with Slugma he feint attacks Slugma for 40. I draw, I know he has 4 Golducks and psyducks in discard so he has NOTHING good left. I just need his last band to fail to win. I Combustion for 30..his band................HEADS. I couldn't believe it. I would kill for band flips like that. He then goes through a Cleffa the very next turn for the game. I ended up tied for fifth place. So much in that game went wrong. But it's ok. I wish good luck to him at worlds. Satoshi got eliminated from the top 8 in the Professor Draft. He did great. Brandon also made top 8 in 11-14 and got eliminated round 1 of top 8 also. My "apprentice" Chris got top 4 and the trip with basically the same decklist as mine. Props and Slops time Props to my Tiger Woods look I had going on Props to CRIMINAL for showing up Props to Satoshi for letting me wear the Pojo jersey Props to Chrisbo for feeling my pain when i got Tyrogued ;x Props to Sharif for doing well in his first large scale tournament Slops to that fake Starbucks me, CRIM and Satoshi had to eat at. Slops to Being tyrogued Slops to Opponents with lucky band flips Slops to having to get my free box of card prize in the mail Overall I had a great time and would do it all over again. ~Maaaaaaarty