11:00 am to 1:30 pm
Saturday, April 29, 2000

BC Comics
5657 Stone Rd., Centreville, VA
2000 Virginia State Games Pokemon Tournament
Entry Fee:  $5
Number of Participants:  About 40( up to eight in each division)
Unrestricted division: no restricitons, 8 participants at one table

Prizes:  Everyone who participates gets a "2000 Virginia State Games" t-shirt.
1st, 2nd, and 3rd finishers in each division receives a gold, silver, or
bronze medal respectively.  In addition, the top 2 finishers in each division
gets a umlimited edition Team Rocket Booster.  Also, the top 4 finishers in
each division will be automatically reserved in the DCI Sanctioned tourney
after this one.

Tournament Rules:
-Best 2 out of 3 matches to continue
-If both players agree, dice can replace coins for calculating luck
-Restricted division tourneys can include ONLY one of the following: Comp.
Search, Super Energy Removal, and ItemFinder.


    Well, it's been awhile since i've typed up a report.  This is quite
tourney, since i've never been in such a large one like this, with people of
all ages participating, old and young, and nearly half were female.  Many
people made their own decks with different twists and styles, so there wasn't
a dominant deck in the tourneys.  I saw beatdown and raindance variants the
most.  Only 8 participants(including yours truly) didn't go in the restricted
division.  Well, here's the deck, and i'll give an explanation of my choices
and then the report.

Tri Factor

Pokemon: 12
4 Fossil Magmars
3 Electabuzzes
3 Promo Mewtwos
1 Fossil Gastly
1 Mr. Mime

Trainers: 22                                                                 
                                        
4 Bills
4 Oaks
4 Energy Removals
3 Gusts
3 Plus Powers
2 Comp. Searches
2 ItemFinders

Energy: 26
7 Electric
9 Fire
10 Psy

                                                                             
                                                    [Unable to display image]S
HINE these up REAL nice jabroni!!!

Strategy-  Speed is the KEY to victory!  You must put immediate pressure on
the opposition or you'll most likely lose.  Attempt to disrupt your
opponent's every action w/ removals, gusts, and pluspowers.  Since this is a
potpourri, try to snag your opponent's weaknesses if possible.  You MUST keep
a steady flow of disruption upon your opponent.

Explanations

Why is there no Super ERs, Scoop Ups, etc.?
    Since this deck has 3 types you can't afford to lose excessive amounts of
energy.  These such trainers actually SLOW your game down.  Plus, there is no
way to recover lost energy in this deck.

26 Energy?????!!!!!!!!!
    I was skeptical about this amount, but the man behind this deck(not me)
told me that this ENSURES you'll get the energy you need.  Combined with the
amount of discarding trainers, you'll most likely get a Mewtwo pumped at the
end of the 1st turn.  : )  Well, enough with the small talk, let's get on
with the report!!!

Match 1-  Sean w/  Colorless Wiggly Deck
    This guy's, well, immature.  He's got his li'l figurines of Raichu and
Ekans w/Jesse for good luck, 'cuz he's gonna need some.
    Round 1
TIMMY!!!!   That's what he calls his deck, after that particular episode of
South Park.  Even though I got Mewtwo pumped after the first turn, his psy
resistant pokemon gave me a hassle.  I play a li'l gust work and eventually
snagged one of his spearows w/PlusPower.  Then I get out some Magmars to heat
the battle up a notch, but his fujis kept saving 'em.  Eventually it's jus'
his lone Wiggly, thanks to all of his fujis, and Magmar poisons it to the
drain.

    Round 2
This time I didn't even bother puttin' mewtwo down.  'Buzz and Magmar simply
scorched his bench.  His spearows were easy pickin's for 'Buzz.  This time he
got his Wiggly out w/bench support, but it didn't last too long.  He
eventually forfeits so I snagged the win.

Match 2(semi-finals)-  Lee Richie w/ InSaNiTy(Hitmo & 'Buzz version)
    We knew we had to battle against each other sometime, we jus' were hoping
it wasn't this soon.  This particular deck has the same strategy like mine,
except it only contains 8 pokemon, 'around 12 -14 energy, and the rest are
trainers.  In the right hands this deck is LETHAL. 
    Round 1
I start with horrible hand: one Mime, the rest energy. He's got Hitmo, and
goes first, need I say more?

    Round 2
I thought I had this match lost.  Lee wuz rackin' up prizes every 3 or so
turns.  My energy removals slowed him down a bit.  Then I realized he's paid
quite a number of bills and oaks, not to mention he discarded all of his
lasses.  With his deck low, and magmars out, i begin to smokescreen and evade
his special punches a few times.  After 4 smokescreens i retreated and
shocked for 30 w/2 pluspowers, and the consequential knockout yielded an oak.
 Now things turned for the worst for Lee, since i'm' cookin' now with a new
hand and his resources are depleted.  My magmar continued the beatdown until
he decked 2 turns later.

    Round 3
I wuz confident with my hand since I got a mewtwo, 2 psy energy, and oak,
along w/'buzz for support.  Then Lee mulligans like, 4 times, ever making my
hand even better.  I went first and got mewtwo pumped, but he played 2 or 3
removals in hopes of stopping me, along with a jab/pluspower, but I simply
absorbed and psyburned his 'Chan away.  He soon forfeits since all he had
were 'Chans on his bench. 

Match 3(finals)-  Robert w/ Psy and fight

New Rule: 2 Prize Sudden Death

    Yep, that's right.  Now time's running out and the tourney coordinators
are gettin' prepped up for the DCI sanctioned tourney after this.  This
situation favors my deck.  I jus' need to beat this fat, arrogant loser to
win.  He said to me, "You wanna jus' take the silver and save time?" 
Obviously, that was not what I did, and that statement made me more eager to
open up a can of whoop ass.  He gloats,"I've only lost one out of thirty
tourneys!"  Well, I guess this is your thirtieth tourney.........

    Round 1
I got a nice hand, opening up w/mewtwo and gettin' pumped to his Mewtwo and
active Scyther.  I assumed he got horrible draws 'cuz he did nothing to
disrupt me and so I got an easy win.

    Round 2
I think I mulliganed once or twice, which was probably an omen.  I opened up
w/ a decent hand, and I tried to fend off his onslaught, being able to snag
one prize, but he gusted out my damaged magmar and slashed w/Scyther for the
win.

    Round 3
I got a detestable hand, but a first turn oak alleviated the pain.  We played
a number of gusts and removals.  He tried to remove away at my magmars, but I
jus' kept smokescreening and evaded his psyburns.  His scoop ups helped him a
bit, but I kept hittin'.  Retreating was a key technique in this match, and
Gastly helped a whole lot.  I finally gusted out an energyless promo mewtwo,
and tpunched it to victory.  Game, set, match.

[Unable to display image]

Results
    I took the gold, and received a TR Booster.  Plus, I earned alot of
respect from many 'cuz I defeated Robert, asking me questions like,"How'd you
beat HIM?!"  In other matches, Lee won the battle for the bronze, and Viet
a.k.a."the cheater" won a bronze medal as well in his restricted division

Props and Slops
I normally don't give any of these, but there are so many people for me to
thank in this annual event....

Props to Lee Richie and his family for being able to give me a lift to every
Pokemon event they can attend.
HUGE Props to Tim for designing this deck and playtesting it for me, without
him I don't know what I would've done.
Props to Lee again for being such a noteworthy opponent and an excellent
friend
Props  to Giles and Lance (hope I spelled your names correctly)for holding
the tourney
Props  to Viet for winning the bronze in a restricted division

Since I'm such a nice guy, I've no slops!

To contact the deck builder,Tim, email to masseuse1@aol.com, 'cuz he deserves
alot of credit! and 'cuz HamstaJ said so!!!!



John "da Hamsta"

hamsterjohn@britney-spears.com or
hamsterjon@aol.com