Opposites Attract

                                 By Shane Walton

                                      KB Toys

                                  Hazleton,PA

                                      About 20 People There

 

         Hi Pojo,my name is Shane and I have been playing the Pokemon TCG for about year and a half and have played with various decks recently,but this one has been most successful as of late. Where I live,Haymaker decks run the show.Almost every person in the last tournament I went to played with Haymakers.I think the only people who didn't play Haymakers were myself, my good friend Ian (who plays a "Dark Army" deck) and about 2 or 3 other people.But,enough with my life's story,let's get to my

deck,called Opposites Attract:

 

Energy (26)

13 Water

13 Fire

 

Pokemon (20)

3 Charmander (1 Base,2 Rocket)

2 Dark Charmeleon

2 Dark Charizard

2 Fossil Magmar

 

4 Squirtle (2 Base,2 Rocket)

2 Dark Wartortle

1 Base Wartortle

1 Dark Blastoise

1 Base Blastoise

 

2 Likitung

 

Trainers (14)

1 Professor Oak

3 Bill

2 Potion

2 Pluspower

2 NGRs

2 Computer Search

2 GOW

 

Now for the Results of the Tournament:

 

Round 1-vs.Chris w/Dragonite + Haymaker Combo

 

I started horrible.The only Pokemon I had were a Rocket Squirtle and a Likitung.I promoted Likitung and he sent out

Electabuzz,benched a Dratini and a MP Mewtwo and won the coin flip.He Thundershocked and got tails. I soon began to build up,

and got out Dark Blastoise.He and his Rocket Tackle helped me build up for Hydro Cannon,which KO'ed his MP Mewtwo.He got

Dark Dragonite and Hitmonchan,but his unlucky coin flip for Dragonite was all I needed to finish him and his deck off.I ended up winning 2 prizes to 0.

 

1-0 (Note:All of the matches except the finals and semis were played with 4 prizes.)

 

Match #2:Me vs. Ian w/ his new Dark Army deck.

 

My friend Ian played his Dark Army deck,and once again I started with a horrible hand,this time with a Base Squirtle and

a Magmar.I promoted Magmar and he got a Rocket Dratini in play.I won the coin flip and Smokescreened him.He DCE'd Dratini and Wrapped,but got tails on the Smokescreen check.I Smogged him next turn but got tails.His next turn he evolved into Dark Dragonair and searched for Dark Wartortle,then evolved his benched Squirle and put a Water energy on it.Tail Strike was heads,and Magmar took 40 damage.He took out my Magmar on the

next turn,and then took down Squirtle with the Dark Blastoise he

got into play.Since I had no bench,he won.

 

1-1

 

Match #3:Me vs. some kid (don't remember his name) w/ a Haymaker variant.

 

Ah,the Haymaker.Fortunate for me,he didn't really know how to play the game right.He started with a lone Jigglypuff,and I had a Likitung,Rocket Squirtle and 2 Magmars.I sent out Magmar and won the coin flip.He complained and said I had a rigged coin!Once the referee checked and told him it wasn't,the match continued. He stayed with the lone Jiggly and ended up with 10HP left on him,2 Fighting energy and 1 Electric Energy on him.Then he laughed and put a Machoke on the bench and evolved him into Machamp and laid an energy on him.I asked him "What about a Machop?" He gave me a strange look and the ref then told him  the evolution-basic pokemon rule.He said he'd never played by that rule and he refused to pick up his missing Machop evolution,

so he was disqualified.I later found out he had 65 cards in his deck,along with 4 Charizards,no Charmeleons or Charmanders

(go figure.)

 

2-1

 

Match #4:Me vs. Jeff S. w/Sponge deck.

(Whomever would win this match would go to back to the winner's

bracket.)

I ended up with a Charmander from Rocket,a Likitung,and a Dark Charizard.He started with a Snorlax,benched a Chansey and an

Oddish.I won the coin flip and used Fire Tail for 20.He put a DCE on Chansey and said go.I got a Computer Search,put an energy on Charmander,discarded a Water energy and a Gust to get Dark Charmeleon.I evolved and Tail Slapped for 20.On his turn,he evolved his Oddish using Breeder to Dark Vileplume and then got ready to use Imposter Prof. Oak,but I reminded him of Hay Fever.He looked dissapointed,slapped a DCE on Snorlax and

said go again.I put a Fire Energy under Dark Charmeleon and evolved him.Continuous Fireball did 50 and Knocked out Snorlax.

He promoted Chansey,benched and Abra,put a Grass energy under

Chansey and Scrunched,but got tails.I then put another Fire energy on Dark Charizard and Continuous Fireballed for 100 damage.He Double-edged,killed both of us,and we sent in the reserves.I placed an energy under Likitung and Tongue Wrap

for 10 and Paralyze him.He puts a 2nd Grass under Vileplume

and ends him turn.After doing 10 more and getting tails,he used Petal Whirlwind and dealt 60 to me.From then on,he kept hurting

himself using the Petal Whirlwind and knocked himself out.

I would know advance to the quarterfinals.

 

3-1

 

Match #5:Me vs. Jon K. w/MP Mewtwo Haymaker

This was even quicker than the third match.He started with a Diglett and I started with Rocket Char,Base Char,and Magmar.

I lost the coin flip and he Dug for 10 on my Rocket Charmander.

I used Comp. Search and got a Pluspower.I put a Fire energy on

Rocket Char. along with a Pluspower and Fire Tailed to win this match.Onto the semifinals!

 

4-1

 

Match #6:Semifinals:Me vs. John D. w/ a AeroMew Deck

This kid was good.He got Aerodactyl out on turn 3,just as I was about to evolve my Base Wartortle to Blastoise.He had Mew and Deevolution Beamed my Wartortle with 20 Damage on it.I used 

Shell Attack,but he then Psywaved.He put DCE on Aerodactyl after I KO'd his Mew.He used Wing Attack and KO'd Squirtle.

I had a benched Rocket Char. so I sent him out and Fire Tailed with 2 Pluspowers on it for 40.Aero was his last Pokemon,so I was closer to the finals than ever! Or so I thought.He put down a Pluspower,Potioned Aero,Wing Attacked and won the game when I had no bench left.After the match,he acted like a poor winner and trash talked me to the other end of the store.

 

4-2

 

Overall,I did well with the newest deck I played.I finished third,

and got 4 Rocket Boosters.I got mostly junk,but I got a Dark Magneton and the Rocket Sneak Attack I needed.My friend Ian

finished 2nd to John D. and got a Brock Theme Deck and 2 Rocket Boosters.John got a Gym Heroes Theme deck of Surge's and 5 Rocket Boosters.

 

Now for Props and slops:

 

Props to my mom for taking me and Ian there.

Props to Jeff and Ian for being good sports and playing great games of cards against me.

 

Slops to John D. for trash talking me to no end.

Slops to the kid with the Haymaker for not knowing how to play.

 

Until Next Time,

 

Shane Walton (Ian let me use his computer to type this since mine's broken.His e-mail is ianjames@ptd.net)