Arizona Collector's Paradise
Chad Mills
5-27-00

   This tournament was held at Arizona Collector's Paradise (ACP), a card shop in Scottsdale, Arizona (suburb of Phoenix). It took place on Saturday, May 27. There were probably about 25 people in the tourney, but it worked out pretty weird (details below deck list).

InSaNe StAlL (variation)

Pokemon: 12
4 moltres
4 scyther
4 chansey

Energy: 22
18 Fire Energy
4 Double Colorless Energy

Trainers: 26
4 Professor Oak
4 Scoop Up
4 Pokemon Center
3 Bill
3 Computer Search
3 Nightly Garbage Run
3 Super Energy Removal
2 Item Finder

   First off, thanks to Pie for playtesting the deck with me all week long (really helped :-) ). This tournament was a little bit weird, so I'll explain the details. 9 of us from Arizona Gamer went over to ACP right as the T8 were being announced. We got over there just as they were starting the 2nd round. The judge Steven wasn't too fond of his job obviously, but we convinced him to let us in with 1st round losses so we could play. He tried entering us into the computer, but all he could end up doing was giving us first round byes. So, by the time that got straightened out round 2 was over. He ended up dropping us from the tournament and creating a separate mini-tournament. Ours would go 3 rounds and the other one would go 5, so they would end at about the same time. Our group had 9 in it, and the other group had about 15, so I was on the lcky side. After our 3 rounds, the top 4 (out of the 9) would go on to the T4, the winners would play in the Top 2, and the overall winner from our touranment would play the overall winner of the other tournament for first. Hopefully that's not too confusing :-P. Anyway, everything was straightened out and there was a plan, so we move on into round 1.

Round 1 vs. Kaylen Erickson
   I had played this kid already at Arizona Gamer earlier in the day. He's about half my height, and it really wasn't too great to have to play him right off the bat (it just doesn't feel right beating the little kids like that. Stupid computer pairings ;-) ). Anyway, he starts with electabuzz vs. my moltres. he tundershocks on turn one. I put an energy on the Chansey I just played on my bench. He adds an energy to electabuzz and thunderpunches away, and now has a Growlithe on his bench. I play a scyther, scoop moltres up for scyther, play another energy on chansey, and it's his turn. He thunderpunches with buzz, and now my turn. I CPU search for a Double Colorless Energy (DCE) to put on my Chansey, and Double Edge for the KO, leaving him with only a growlithe vs. my chansey, while I have scyther on the bench and moltres in hand. He attacks for 20 damage with his growlithe, but doesn't have what it takes to KO chansey. I double-edge for the win. Great job, it was really fun playing him :-). Pretty good player for his age, if you ask me.

Round 2 vs. Rick Jennings
   Rick was using a MP mewtwo / ditto / hitmonchan deck. Pretty much the matchup I was planning my deck for: the haymaker. He played it better than anyone else against this deck in both the Saturday tourneys. He would have mewtwo active and I'd retreat for chansey. He'd bring up hitmonchan to take out chansey and I'd retreat for moltres and wildfire. He'd bring up mewtwo and I'd scoop up for chansey...the cycle went on and on; however, he did better than the other hay players of the day; he built up a ditto and used my own divebomb against me. He KO'd 2 moltres that way! I don't think he coulda got luckier flips if he used a chansey coin =). But, he got em right when he needed em, and that's all that mattered. However, with all my pokemon centers and scoop ups, he didn't get the opportunity to draw any more prizes, and he runs out of cards in his deck. He used Nightly garbage run a coupla times, but still couldn't run me out of time or cards. Great game Rick! It really was fun!

Round 3 vs. Gregg Munch
   This was Mike Munch's brother (I played Mike at the tournament right before this one at Arizona Gamer). He's a little smaller than Mike, but they're both above average players. He uses a typical haymaker. He asked me for a draw, and I was considering. We both made top four (T4) easily whether we won or not, so it really wouldn't matter. I decide to go for it, and we draw our opening hands. One look at my hand and I wish I'd taken the draw. I jokingly ask him if he still wants the draw, and to my surpirse he says yes. We end up just taking the draw and both goin on into the T4 (ends up he had a mulligan :-) ).

T8 vs. Michelle
   I often play Michelle at both Arizona Gamer and ACP. She seems to have made an almost exact copy of my wigglytuff deck from the last few weekends (except she uses switch and more NGR's). I'm in the middle of playing a friendly game with Wes Clouse, a pretty good adult player that always goes to ACP. I hear michelle ask me if I plan on playing her or not, and I was a bit confused. I didn't know he had posted top 4 yet, so I was still playing Wes. I ask Steven, the head judge, what is going on. He said that the time started abot 5 mins ago; so I asked for a time extension and he of course said no (typical - non DCI so they run it however they want at ACP). I start my watch as we start the match, hoping to argue if it matters, and the T4 has a 25 min time limit. Anyway, we get down to playing, and Michelle is a pretty good player. She gets down to one prize card and almost all my pokemon are injured; but no gusts or item finders left for her (already CPU searched for one). I attempt to spread the damage around in hopes of decking her. Right when it becomes desperate; with my moltres active being the only one with no damage counters, I draw a scoop. I wildfire, and it's her turn. Time is called. I look at my watch: 16 minutes out of 25 have passed. I argue with Steven but he doesn't listen. She gets the game. I realize that her turn then mine and I had game. She had no pluspowers or gusts left (she had said that b4), and all I had to do was wildfire on my next turn to run her out of cards - I wouldn't even have to use my scoop up.

In conclusion...
   One turn away from winning, and the judge calls time. Just great. I drop out of Arizona Gamer's tournament to come here and find this U_U. It doesn't exactly encourage me to come back again, but I didn't mind. The tourney was non-DCI, so it wouldn't matter at all. I didn't need the packs that were prizes, and I got what I wanted from the day: playtesting the current Phoenix meta-game for the Super Trainer Showdown coming up on June 10-11. I playtested on both sides of town and never lost a match (excluding the wonderful 16 minute time limit by a bozo judge :-) ). Hmmmm. Atomic Comics is starting DCI sanctioned tourneys next weekend, and they are a LOT closer to Arizona Gamer than ACP (not to mention the DCI makes it better anyway), so I'll probably end up going there for a while. If I go to Arizona Gamer on Saturday, followed by Atomic Comics, and then the OTHER Arizona Gamer store on Sunday, i MAY be able to squeeze 3 DCI tourneys in one weekend :-P. Pretty lucky, eh? Well, thats about it for this tournament. Had a great time except for the shortened time limit when I'm playing a stall deck. The staff doesn't seem to like me there much anyway, so I won't go back there for a while :-). All in all though, I accomplished my playtesting goal. I got playtesting in, and I might have found my STS deck - I'll probably start with this deck and if I don't win the first tournament, I'll go back again with turbo tuff :-). Either way, I should at least be able to get an invitation... Anyway, thanks for reading, and thanks to Michelle and Rick for the ride over to ACP from AZ Gamer!

Chad Mills
AZKeeper@aol.com