January 9, 2000 Brave New Worlds Tournament Report

Date: January 9, 2000
Location: Brave New Worlds In Jenkintown, Pennsylvania
Participants: 10
Entry Fee: $6
Type: DCI Sanctioned, 5 Round Swiss, Best Out Of 3 Semi-Finals, Best Out Of 3
Finals
Prizes: 1st place - $20
    2nd place - $10
    3rd and 4th places - $5
    5th-10th places - a Pokemon sticker

This was only my second tournament ever and my very first DCI Sanctioned!  It
was 5 rounds of Swiss where winning a game got you 3 points, tieing, 1, and
losing, 0.  I used my Electric Fire Aero-Hay.

Energy:
8 Fire Energy
6 Lightning Energy
1 Grass Energy (One works wonders with Energy Search)
4 Double Colorless Energy (For Aerodactyl and Scyther)

Pokemon:
3 Fossil Magmar (Anti-Mime and Scyther)
3 Electabuzz (Rain-Dance destroyer)
3 Scyther (Greatest card)
3 Aerodactyl (Devastating against all evolutions)

Trainers:
4 Mysterious Fossil (Ditto killer)
4 Super Energy Removal
3 Energy Removal
4 Scoop Up (Switch and Pokemon Center in one)
2 Gust of Wind (Finisher)
4 Energy Search
3 Energy Retrieval
3 Professor Oak (Turns around entire games)
2 Computer Search (Get just what you need)

Strategy Notes:

-Get Aerodactyl out quickly.
-Use Energy Search to get out the one Grass Energy and attach it to Scyther.
-Bring out Fossil to kill a Ditto with at least one damage.
-Super Energy Removal away any energy on your Pokemon before Scoop Up.
-Use Poisoning Magmar to destroy even a Mr. Mime with Damage Swapping
Alakazam.
-Trash extra Aerodactyl, Mysterious Fossil, and Professor Oak with Computer
Search and Energy Retrieval.

Here's all I could remember:

Round 1: Swiss Round 1 vs. Evan Benshetler with Grass deck.

I started with Scyther, Magmar, and a Mysterious Fossil.  He started with a
Nidoran Male.  He went first, attached a Grass Energy to Nidoran, and Horn
Hazarded successfully.  I Energy Removaled the Grass Energy, Energy Searched
for my one Grass Energy, attached it to Scyther, and Swords Danced.  He
attached another Grass energy to Nidoran, and successfully Horn Hazarded
again.  I attached a Double Colorless Energy to Scyther and Slashed for the
KO.  He ran out of Basics and I won.
(1-0, 3 Swiss Points)

Round 2: Swiss Round 2 vs. Brian S. with Psychic deck.

I started with Electabuzz.  He started with Ditto.  We fought each other for
awhile until he Super Energy Removaled me and Paralyzed me with Thundershock.
I Scooped Up Electabuzz and brought out Fossil for the kill.  My Electabuzz
killed a Movie Mewtwo of his and then he brought out a Base Mewtwo which
killed Electabuzz.  I brought out Magmar which killed his Mewtwo and an Abra.
He ran out of Basics and I won.
(2-0, 6 Swiss Points)

Round 3: Swiss Round 3 vs. Stephen Au with Psychic/Fire deck.

Unfortunately I had to play my cousin, which I really did not want to do.  I
started with Electabuzz.  He started with Ditto.  I went first and
Thundershocked his Ditto.  He Paralyzed my Electabuzz with Thundershock.  I
Scooped Up Electabuzz for Fossil which killed Ditto, brought Electabuzz back
out, discarded Fossil, attached a Lightning Energy to Electabuzz, and
Thundershocked his Fossil.  He ran out of Basics and I won.
(3-0, 9 Swiss Points)

Round 4: Swiss Round 4 vs. Dan Stark with Psychic deck.

I played him in Round 3 of my last tournament.  This round was long so I
could not remember much.  He got a Haunter out which caused a lot of trouble
before I got Aerodactyl out.  Eventually I killed Haunter after many, many
Nightmares.  I caught him trying to evolve his Dratini into Dragonair even
with my Aerodactyl out.  A few turns later he brought out a Kadabra that I
did not notice he evolved.  I called over the judge and told him that I had
Aerodactyl out when he evolved and he said it was my fault because I did not
notice even though it is a permanent ability and I figured I would not have
to actually watch for people evolving.  The game came down to him flipping a
heads with Gastly's Lick when Gastly had 30 damage, I had one card left in my
deck, and I had one prize left to get.  With my Scyther Paralyzed, I drew my
last card, but could not attack with him or switch him out.  He went again
and then on my turn I could not draw a card and lost.  My first tournament
loss.
(3-1, 9 Swiss Points)

Round 5: Swiss Round 5 vs. Pat Xin with Water deck.

The last game made me mad because his Kadabra should not have been able to
evolve and I should have won.  I decided to crush this kid.  I started with
Electabuzz and tore through Magikarps, Squirtles, and Seels for the quick win.
(4-1, 12 Swiss Points)

The players in the final four were:
Dan Stark in 1st with 15 points.
Me in 2nd with 12 points.
Neil Dubin in 3rd with 9 points.
Some other kid in 4th with 7 points I think.

I played against Neil Dubin and Dan Stark played against the other kid.

Round 6: Semi-Finals vs. Neil Dubin with Water deck.

Round 6, Game 1:

I tried to knock out his Basics quickly and got an Aerodactyl out, but the
Basics just kept coming.  I caught him trying to evolve a Magikarp into
Gyrados and then later he brought out a Dewgong which was not there when I
evolved Aerodactyl.  He tried to lie and say it was already out and I just
let him go and decided to destroy him.  Electabuzz killed the Dewgong in two
turns and ripped through a few other Basics for the first win.
(5-1, 1-0 in Semi-Finals)

Round 6, Game 2:

This game I let Electabuzz feed on some Electric weak Water Pokemon and then
Scyther destroyed a Poliwrath and a few Magikarps for the quick win.  I am in
the Finals.
(6-1, 2-0 in Semi-Finals)

Dan Stark won in three games and I had to play him.

Round 7: Finals vs. Dan Stark with Psychic deck.

Kid who illegally evolved Kadabra in Round 4.  I cleared the table of all
else and decided to concentrate on making sure no evolutions were played
while Aerodactyl was out.

Round 7, Game 1:

These games were a blur because I was concentrating on making the right moves
and making sure nothing illegal was done.  I can not even remember if I won
this one by running him out of Basics, drawing my last prize, or both, but I
did win eventually.
(7-1, 1-0 in Finals)

Round 7, Game 2:

I got one Basic and got an Aerodactyl out.  He Knocked Out the Basic and I
had to play Aerodactyl.  I got out another Basic and retreated Aerodactyl
back to the safety of the bench, but he knocked that one out too and my
energyless Aerodactyl was left on its own.  With no Pokemon or Energy and
with Dan having a fully pumped Scyther out, I forfeited.
(7-2, 1-1 in Finals)

Round 7, Game 3:

I started with a Magmar and he started with 2 Dratini.  I got out a Scyther
and he got out a Scyther and Abra as I killed his Dratinis.  He retreated his
Abra with 2 damage counters on it and got out a lot of Basics.  To finish off
the game, I Computer Searched for Gust of Wind, brought out his Abra, and
Smokescreened.
(8-2, 2-1 in Finals)

I win another tournament though I have to do something about that Psychic and
about those illegal evolutions.  I won $20 in cash, but chose not to spend it
there because the boosters were $4.  After 4 hours of Pokemon, I went to Zany
Brainy with my cousin for the Promo Mews, got a pizza at Papa John's, got
another Promo Mew at Toys 'R' Us, went to his house to eat and play, and then
went home and stuck the money in an envelope labeled "Pokemon Tournament
Winnings" which will go for Team Rocket boosters.

Total Tournament Statistics:
Tournaments: 2
Entry Fees: $12
Prizes: 8 boosters and $20

-Anthony Au
AntAu@aol.com