Pokemon Home

Pokedex

Price Guide Set List

Message Board

Pokemon GO Tips

Pokemon News

Featured Articles

Trading Card Game
- Price Guide
- Price Guide
- Card of the Day
- Professional Grading
- Killer Deck Reports
- Deck Garage
- William Hung
- Jason Klaczynski
- Jeremy's Deck Garage
- Johnny Blaze's Banter
- TCG Strategies
- Rulings Help
- Apprentice & Patch
- Apprentice League
- Spoilers & Translations
- Official Rules
- Featured Event Reports
- Top of the World
- An X-Act Science
- Error Cards
- Printable Checklist
- Places to Play

Nintendo Tips
- Red/Blue
- Yellow
- Gold & Silver
- Crystal
- Ruby & Sapphire
- Fire Red & Leaf Green
- Emerald
- SNAP
- Pinball
- TCG cart
- Stadium
- PuPuzzle League
- Pinball: Ruby/Sapphire
- Pokemon Coliseum
- Pokemon Box
- Pokemon Channel

GameBoy Help
- ClownMasters Fixes
- Groudon's Den
- Pokemon of the Week

E-Card Reader FAQ's
- Expedition
- Aquapolis
- Skyridge
- Construction Action Function
- EON Ticket Manual

Deck Garage
- Pokemaster's Pit Stop
- Kyle's Garage
- Ghostly Gengar

Cartoon/Anime
- Episode Listing
- Character Bios
- Movies & Videos
- What's a Pokemon?
- Video List
- DVD List

Featured Articles

Pojo's Toy Box

Books & Videos

Downloads

Advertise With Us
- Sponsors
- Links

Chat

About Us
Contact Us

Pokemon Tournament Reports

Pokemon Worlds Report 2009
8/22/09
By Jay

First a few people I owe thank you's, for helping me this year

Drew G. (TheDarkTwins)
Gino
Con L.
Alex F.

Going into Worlds I had 3 Major decks I was thinking about LuxApe, Palkia and Flygon. I felt really good about my Luxape list and felt I went at least 50-50 with pretty much everything in the format. Palkia I also really liked but hadn’t spent much time perfecting a list while it was always on the table as a deck choice for me it was never at the front of my mind since I felt I would greatly struggle with mirror. Since a majority of the players who decided to run it would not only have more perfected list but also much more experience making me an underdog in mirror and I still felt it had a ruff match up to LuxApe. As for Flygon I thought Flygon was amazing, all that needed to happen was someone needed to break the deck.

So I get out there Wednesday afternoon and Drew G. is all crazy about this knew Flygon deck he heard about he sits down and plays me with his Flygon vs. my Gengar/Queen. Long story short he wins via deck out because my last Warp Point is prized I think I had 2 prizes left in the end. I believe that Warp Point would have won me the game he probably would disagree with me. Either way long story short I wasn’t impressed. I don’t really give the deck another thought and just chill Wednesday and catch up with a lot of friends. Later that night I come down to the lobby and see Rob Downs and Scott chilling. I end up playing against Scott going 2-0 in Luxape mirror, we talk a little strategy and makes a few last minute changes to his list he told me they were improvements and they helped him the next day so I’m glad I didn’t give bad advice . Anyways than me and Rob play with his Flygon vs. my Luxape, I won’t say everything in there but he did play a bumped up Queen line. The game went like it should me going up 2-4 prizes but I missed some key Power Sprays and the bumped up Queen line helped him make a comeback. I talk a little strategy with and Flygon, I’m not sold on the deck and still not thinking about playing but I’m becoming more intrigued.

Thursday:

So mainly I just chill and watch the grinders. I actually get a solid 3-4 mile run in, go me. I come back cheer on a few friends. Later in the day I hear how Ben is like 4-0 with Flygon, so I start get more and more interested combined with the fact I see a ton of Mewtwo X and Machamp (I expected the Machamp more than Mewtwo at least for the grinders) I start feeling much more nervous about playing Luxape. I decide if nothing else I had to at least build this Flygon and get a couple quick test games in a against I go up to my room a put together a ruff list. I call Drew up and tell him I’m really liking this Flygon and to take a look at my list to see if nothing else is it solid to test against. So I meet him down in the game room and he is like hold on I want to watch Bens game. I’m like cool since Ben is 6-0 at this point. I don’t think Scott would be ashamed to admit it but Ben destroyed him the game wasn’t even close with Ben taking all 6 prizes. This pretty much convinced me that Luxape was not the play. So 8 PM the night before Worlds and I have no idea what to play. So me a Drew sit down and go over our decks. Drew talks about a lot of his techs I could not figure out how he found all the room to play them. So he goes alright organize your deck and we will go through it and see the differences. Apparently in my hurry to get down to the game room. I played a 4-4 Claydol, consistant yes, a good idea but probably a little bit of over kill. I really wanted to run a 3-3 because of Luxape but didn’t have the room. After we talk some strategy I change about 6 cards in my deck.
Here is the list.

Pokemon: 25

3x Trapinch SW
1x Trapinch RR
2x Vibrava
2x Flygon RR
1x Flygon SW
1x Flygon Lv. X
2x Machop SF
1x Machoke SF
2x Machamp SF
1x Nidoran RR
1x Nidoqueen RR
2x Baltoy
2x Claydol
1x Chatot
1x Uxie

Trainers: 22

4x Bebe’s Search
4x Roseanne’s Research
3x Cynthia’s Feelings
4x Rare Candy
2x Night Maintance
2x Memory Berry
1x Warp Point
1x Luxury Ball

Energy: 13

4x Call Energy
3x Upper Energy
5x Fighting Energy
1x Psychic Energy

In the end Drew’s list and mine were about 4 cards off. I had to have the Fighting Flygon I felt like Mirror was very legit possibility and it was amazing in mirror. Drew played 4 Fighting 2 Psychic so he could attack with Queen and make sure it had free retreat. I felt like 4 Fighting was too low for consistency especially under the Power Lock and while I felt 2 Psychic was nice the 5th fighting was more essential. Lastly he played 2 Broken Time Space. While they were nice I just didn’t feel like they did enough to warrant the 2 spots and were harmful in mirror. I decided to go with a RR Trapinch, having 4 Trapinch makes Night Maintance choices much easier and the RR Trapinch gave me a little more speed. Over the second BTS I played a 4th Bebe’s Search. Has you can see pretty much the differences in our list were just personal preference.

Round 1: Vs. James Neumann with Palkia Lock (2nd Canadian Nats)

I look at my opening hand, and its Chatot, Roseanne’s, Rare Candy, Machamp, Call Energy and some other stuff. I’m like wow I can actually get a quick donk here. He sets done 1 basic and I get even more excited and then he wins the die roll. Yes anything outside of Call energy or him holding a basic means I should win. He flips over Bronzong drops and Unown G and Guards. My opening hand went from amazing to mediocre with Unown G. I proceed to get the turn 1 Champ and Attach Call energy and grab 2 more basic I believe Trapinch and Baltoy. The next few turns are him Power Locking me while building up a Palkia G X with an Unown G on it. I had double Claydol and Flygon I was powering up. I remember in the midpoint of the match he set me up so I had to make some very difficult Lost Cyclone Decisions which included me removing my Machop from play to save my double Claydol (I didn’t want to remove one and then have the other Hydro Shotted). I believe he takes a pretty commanding 2 prize lead but once he ran out of Mesprit and Power Spray I was able to make a comeback with a pair of Flygons. It was really back and fourth game and a fun one to play.
1-0

Round 2: Vs. Kevin De Mooji-(Netherlands National Champion) with Palkia Lock
He gets a solid start on me going up at least 3-4 prizes while I have taken 1-2. He is able to lock me the first 4 turns rather effectively but I get a Flygon X and a Nidoqueen out and make a comeback. This was a real close game because I knew if we played it out I would have it but there was little time left in the round so he could win it on time. I end up winning with about 5 minutes left in the round.

2-0

Round 3: Vs. John Kettler (US-LCQ) with Palkia Lock

Kettler pretty much draw passes the first 3-4 turns to me before finally hitting a Bebe’s and making it a game but at this point I was too well established on the board with Nidoqueen, Claydol and I believe a Flygon.

3-0

Round 4: Vs. Kyle Sucevich/Pooka (United States National Champion) with Luxape

I think he saw 1 supporter this game. But he still somehow managed to take 2-3 prizes.


Round 5 Vs. Chris Fulop (US-Rankings Invite) with Flygon

Chris Fulop beat me in the finals of 07 US Nats so I was looking forward to this rematch. The game starts off with Chris getting a quick Champ to kill my Chatot and I retaliate with my Flygon I decided to level it up, yes this was risky call but he had a total crap set up and I figured it would be at least 2-3 turns before he could get a relation kill longer if I made smart Inviting Traps, I know how a few good mills can change an entire game. Was it right or wrong? I don’t know but it’s the call I made. Anyways I 2HKO his Machamp he brings up Chatot fills his bench and Mimic at this point I knew I had to go for it. I drop the Memory Berry, set up a Queen and Sand Tomb Chatot. I figured he ran 1-2 Warp Point. This was a very risky play because I was giving him time to set up. I mill Godly including a Ditto and a Duskull. I Sand Tomb for 5 turns (Chatots at 50) and then retreat back to Trapinch and continue the lock (fighting resistance on Chatot). He scoops knowing although I couldn’t deck him, I would just sit there till time was call and take my second prize and win 4-5 on prizes. (We were tied at the time).

Round 6 Vs. Koujiro Tsuruta (JP) with SP Toolbox

I make no excuses in this game, it has always been my belief is if you want to be truly good you have to admit to your mistakes and own up to them and learn from them. I lose this game because I forget about Flygons Sand wall attack. He has a stadium and Skuntank G in play a Majority of the game and it killed.

5-1

Round 7: Vs. Helga Helskens: Belgium National Champ with SP ToolBox

She gets a pretty bad opening had she stays in the game because she does have a Honchkrow grabbing her tools. But she never really sees a good supporter till late in the game.

6-1

Top 32: Vs. Pablo Meza (Mexico) with Palkia Lock
So Pablo and I had a bubble game last year in the 6th round of Worlds where a surprise Dusknoir won him the match in probably one of the best games I have ever played. So I was definitely looking forward to this match. I joked around beforehand that he didn’t have Dusknoir this time around.

Game 1:
So the game starts off pretty standard with him Power locking me for the first 4 turns, I get a huge Cynthia off for 8 and hit and Rare Candy Machamp, followed by a top decked Claydol next turn, Machamp takes to 3 prizes before he scoops to save time for game 2. I got really lucky in this game because I drew amazing under the Lock.
1-0
Game 2:
Once again he locks me but I’m able to set up a Flygon X and Nidoqeen and take it
2-0

I know how lucky I got game 1 thankfully Pablo was a good sport about it and shook my hand and wished me luck for the next day.

DAY 2

Top 16 Vs. Takuya Yamanaka (Japan) with Palkia Lock

So in Top 32 Chris get 2-0 by this guy. Since me and Chris are playing similar Flygon list. I asked what happened. He told me he pretty much got 2 crap hands and there was nothing he could do about and that he only made like 2 attacks in both games. He told me he felt like it was still a positive match up and that I should be fine. Just to watch out for the fact that he played Lucario GL and Uxie X. I thanked him and felt better about the match up especially knowing that I played Queen while Fulop played Dusknoir should make this match up even better.

Game 1:

So my opponent has to resleeve no big deal I waited patiently what I didn’t realize is that everybody else was shuffling. So by the time my opponent was done relieving they were about ready to start I riffle shuffle and pile shuffle once quickly. I usually like to do it another 1 or 2 times but at this point I was feeling really pressured to get started. I just want to say I’m not blaming the judges what happened was my own fault; I’m just simply stating what was going through my head. So after he cuts I mulligan opening with 4-5 Supporters this point I should have pile shuffled but I did not the round had already started so I quickly riffle shuffled again and presented my deck to be cut. I opened game 1 with Nidoran, 3 Candy, 1 Energy, 1 Memory Berry, 1 Premier Ball. I end up getting turned 2. At this point he was very excited knowing he was one game away from top 16 (not excited in a cocky way just a very emotional person). Me on the other hand was rather disappointed at myself know that a beginners mistake might have just cost me a $1,000. But I couldn’t let that get to me, I figured I was down a game and we were only 5 minutes into the round there was no way I was going to get called for stalling so I was going to take my sweet time and made sure I shuffled well. I proceed to pile shuffle at least 3 times with riffle shuffling in between.

0-1

Game 2

I open he take the first prize I Upper a Flygon and kill his Uxie X and he scoops. I was shocked how early prizes were still tied 5-5 but his hand must have been bad.

1-1

We have about 45 minutes for game 3

Game 3:

He consistently Power Locks me and goes up about 3-4 prizes but I’m able to set up a Flygon X with Queen and make a huge come back, once I survived the Power Lock the tables turned and I was able to make a huge come back.

2-1

He was cool wished me luck and the Japanese translator told me how to say thank you in Japanese. It was small gesture but he seemed to appreciate the effort.

Top 8 Vs. Diego Cassiraga Argentina National Champion

Game 1

I open game 1 rather strong and am able to set up a Queen even though he has me Power Locked eventually I survive the Power Lock. While he was able to Power Lock me consistently he misses a few key supporter and energy drops so he isn’t able to accomplish much. I finally get a Cosmic Power off for 6 and am able to fully set up and he scoops to save time for game 2.

1-0

Game 2

He manages to open better but I still get a quick Queen which makes surviving the Power Lock so much easier. I finally get a Flygon X built up and am able to ride it for game.

2-0

Top 4: Vs. Steve Silverstro

Honestly I was shocked Beedrill was still in the tournament I thought Power Locking SP decks would have knocked it out long ago. I knew there had to be something different about this list so I gathered the info that I could and found out he played 1-1 Luxray X and figured 2 Bat and 4 Turn not to mention a ton of other techs. This pretty much told me to things 1st his list probably wasn’t as fast as SpeedDrill decks. So baring an amazing opening hand I probably would be facing down 3 Bees turn 2. But this also meant he had a much stronger mid to late game and a lot more opition than your standard Beedrill deck. I also assumed he played a very lower energy count 5-6. Which meant locking was a viable strategy. And with some good mills I might actually have a shot at this I knew that match up was still 30-70 but I had good match ups up to this point so I can’t complain about finally hitting a bad one.

Game 1: He takes a few quick prizes but I actually get him in the lock with my Trapinch vs. his RR Beedrill but I wiff 2-3 turns on the Memory Berry I had a Flygon on the Bench the X in hand. I do get lucky and he wiffs on a couple of energy drops. Once I start the lock in him for another 3 turns before he finally gets the second energy under the Beedrill. He had only played 3 Night Maintance so he still had one left. I knew I needed to hit some good mills but I really didn’t anything that he really cared about. He was holding the 4th Night, I have no idea for how long though. I get him down to 3 cards in his deck before he is finally able to kill me.

0-1

Game 2

He opens with Chatot and a Weedle bench but has Rare Candy Beedrill (GE) and Mimics for 5. At this point I decide to just rush him and Machamp kill the Chatot. He draws Godly off the mimic and is able to set up a Claydol via BTS and then RR Beedrill. My set up was still faster but early to mid game he Luxray killed my Claydol which really slowed me down and came him the time to set up 4 Beedrill. I end up taking 3 prizes, I had 4 but instead of killing his active Beedrill I Memory Berry Sand Tombed since it was the only way I didn’t lose but he was holding the Warp Point for game.

0-2

Steve and I wished each other luck in our next matches and parted ways.

3rd/4th Place Playoff Vs. Koujiro Tsuruta (JP) with SP Toolbox

Rematch time, I honestly felt pretty good going into this match up. I knew the mistakes I had made the day before and I really wanted a chance to redeem myself.

Game 1:

I open with Chatot, win the die roll but he goes first since he has a Sabyle I’m like okay whatever. I have Call Energy and honestly a rather good opening hand. But he drops Crobat, 10, I was freaking out at this point realizeing the odds of me getting donked were rather high. He drops basic dark energy, okay he is ten shy. Drops Azelf once again I hold my breath waiting to see another Bat. Uxie, Set Up for 5. We all hold our breath again. He wiffs, I let out a sigh of relief, he hits me for 40 and says go. I manage to get set up with Queen and Flygon X, Claydol, Machamp and make a comeback. He took the first 3 prizes relatively easily before I took 1.

1-0

Game 2

He burns though 3 Poke Turns in the first 4 turns of the game. But only grabs a couple prizes, I Memory Berry up a Lucario GL trying to get him to waste the 4th turn. Worse case scenioero I get to kill it earlier and not have to worry about it later. He burns the 4th turn which makes the rest of the game far easier for me once I hit a Queen, starts healing up a lot of my bench damage Honchkrow did. I eventually get up a Flygon X and ride it for the win.

2-0

So I finish 3rd I was happy with how I did and Ko seemed to be okay with how he did. I was glad the U.S. took it again but Sami is a good guy and a great player and I would have had no problem with him taking Worlds. Sadly Ko and I ran into bad match ups. I think had we switched the top 4 we would have had a couple far more interesting match ups. Sami was heavily teched for mirror but I always had the chance of catching him in a lock. Not to mention I had a few advantages he didn’t like the fighting Flygon. Silveresto deck was fast and would have destroyed Ko if he got set up but Ko deck was built around quick prizes and sniping. I think it would have been a great match ups. Sadly we will never know. Lol

As for the list I played I owe the following people Thank Yous

Drew G. for helping me teak my original list
Mikey F and Sebastian C. for coming up with the Memory Berry Lock
Ben Sauk – For helping me with Strategy ideas and tweaking the list.


Props: (Believe this list will get much longer) I would not be the player I am now without these people

Ben Sauk
Drew G.
Gino
Con L
Alex F
Rob Downs
Ian Brander
Brett Brander
Ness
Big Chuck01
Fulop

I’m sure this report is full of errors, bad spelling, and huge lapses in game play. Please let me know if you see anything wrong and I will fix it.