Donato's Comics n' Stuff
Saturday, April 29, 2000 (2:00)
About 20 participants
Single-Elimination
    Hello, this is Trainer Takeshi reporting from the beautiful island of Puerto Rico (located in the Caribbean Islands). I usually play a modified Hot Jalepeneo Potpourri that was created by Scott Gerhardt. I had my own opinions about this deck before I started to use it. First I would like to thank my friend Donato (Donato's Son) for lending me some of the new Team Rocket cards. I guess when both the owner of the store and his son both have the same name its hard to tell them apart in this report. Next week this shop is hosting a No-Rare cards deck Tournements (we have one of these about once every 2 months) Meaning no rares are allowed in your deck. I'm looking forward to going to that again. This week I got a Prerelease Rocket Gyrados here.
Hot Jalepeneo Potpourri (The Rocket Remix)
Pokémon (13)
3 Electabuzz    (Base)
3 Magmar        (Fossil)
2 Scyther         (Jungle)
2 Mewtwo        (Movie Promo)
1 Gastly           (Fossil)
1 Ditto              (Fossil)
1 Mr. Mime       (Jungle)
Trainers (24)
4 Bill
3 Professor Oak
3 Gust of Wind
2 Plus Power
3 Super Energy Removal
2 Scoop Up
2 Item Finder
2 Nightly Garbage Run
1 Energy Retrieval
1 Gambler
1 Computer Search
Energy (23)
6 Electric Energy
6 Psychic Energy
6 Fire Energy
2 Rainbow Energy
3 Double Colorless Energy
Round 1
Hot Jalepeneo Potpourri VS Gary with "Hydro Blast, Gary Style"
    Deck Look: Why do I always get paired up against this guy? That's one thing I wish I knew. I know everything is randomly chosen, but I still get paired up with him. Anyway lets take a look at the deck. He's also a good player. Gary is the Raindance type of person so I expect the Blastoise line (duhhhh), Lapras, and Articuno combined with trainers such as Oak, Bill and Breeders.
    I get a below-decent hand of Magmar, Mr. Mime, a Gambler, 2 Fire Energy, Item Finder and a Garbage Run. The game starts after he gets a mulligan and I only Hoped for an Articuno to stall because I open with Magmar. He does just that and he starts by putting a Lapras on the floor and lays a water on the Lapras and lets me go. I draw a Scyther and play it while Smokscreening his active Articuno. Fast forward a couple of turns and he has a loaded Blastoise, Dark Blastoise, and Lapras. He KO's my Magmar with a Hydro Cannon from Dark Blastoise. I've been saving a Mime in my hand for such an occasion and I play it this turn. I thought I saw his face turn white. After KOing his Dark Blastoise (his only defense was the Rocket Tackle) he sent out a Lapras but I started to laugh until he SERed my Mime and removed a Water from Lapras then Water Gunned me for 20 (ouch). Anyway I just got a Buzz after Oaking and Billing so I ripped his deck apart with some Gusting. All of his Pokémon were weak to lightning (Except for Articuno which I KOed in 2 turns with a Plus Power) I win!!!!
1-0
Round 2
Hot Jalepeneo Potpourri VS Ron with  "Blistering Cleaner"
    Deck Look: Personally I hate this kid. He's a pretty bad sport and after beating him he'll just start whining and saying "you cheated" and when he does win he makes fun of the loser. This kid has some problems. I'd hate to be the kid he beat. Anyway, following the "Cleaner" tradition, this deck is full of Uncommon/Common Pokémon + Rare/Uncommon Trainers. Clean, cheap and very versatile. Good deck + Bad Kid = Easy Win
    I started out with a Godly hand of Oak, Scyther, Buzz, 2 Bills, a Nightly Garbage Run and a Gust of Wind. True I didn't get any energy but these were cards I could waste fast and Oak for better stuff (like energy). In this game it looked like one card could make the difference for me. I start by playing Scyther and he opens with Hitmonchan (haha) and Bench a Base Magmar. I bill twice and attach a energy and let him go. He plays Challenge! and  I decline (giving him 2 cards). He starts powering Magmar and lets me go. Play mean by Removaling the energy and gusting the Magmar out and since he needs 2 fire to attack I could KO him in time. I Oak, attach a DCE, Slash and he stars powering Growlithe instead. I draw some Rainbow Energy attach it to Buzz (10 damage for any energy is fine with me) and KO his Magmar. Now he calls me a cheater for writing this report as it happens and tells one of the judges to ask me to put my laptop away. I don't remember much now, but I know I whooped some energyless Chans pretty good with my Electabuzz after my Scyther got KOed by an Arcanine. After that, we went through the him blaming me for "cheating" routine as I planned. Saying something like I used my new laptop to look up strategies on how to beat his amazing deck or something like that
2-0
Round 3 (Semi Finals)
Hot Jalepeneo Potpourri VS Chris with "Bust a Move Fire Deck"
    Deck Look: Now that I'm done with Ron I'm free to turn on my laptop again. Chris didn't actually mind me typing down this report. Anyway I've never heard of this archtype before, but I assume it must be good to make it this far. Obviously there are fire Pokémon in it. Mainly 4 Magmar (fossil), Rapidash line, the Arcanine line and Scyther for back up. Not sure what its goal is, but I'm about to find out.
    I start out with a Mulligan. After getting a good hand of Computer Search, Buzz, 3 Energy (1 rainbow and 2 fire), Scyther and Plus Power. I open with buzz and him with Ponyta. I go Searching while discarding a fire energy and Scyther to Search for a Oak. I attach a Rainbow to Buzz, Oak , bench a Magmar, and T-Shock without Par. He Oaks too to bench a 2 Growlithe and a Scyther and plays Defender on Ponyta kicks my buzz for 20 with a DC. I removal it and T-Punch for 20(-defender). He evolves, retreats and plays Lass (shuffling my SER and a Nightly Garbage Run back in). I see he has an Arcanine promo so I have to destroy that Growlithe ASAP. This game was very fast paced. Anyway here's where something unexpected happens. He uses Poké Flute to bring back me Scyther, Gusts it out and KOs it with a nice Agility accompanied by a Plus Power. He eventually runs into some energy problems and if he does get any energy I removal it. By the next couple of turns he runs out of basics. I guess it's goal is to take advantage of Scyther being a staple to every deck because it has 2 Poké Flutes and 4 Gusts.
3-0
Round 4 (Final)
Hot Jalepeneo Potpourri VS Donato with "The Psy Tan Deck"
    Deck Look: Since I finished that match with Chris early, Donato and me decided to just talk. He told he about this newbie deck he faced on the first round. It was another Charizard deck. Anyway Psy Tan is a mono Phychic Deck (which I built). Donato just had to supply all the cards. It revolves around powerful basics like Movie Promo Mewtwo and Scyther for back up. While their fighting you breed to Dark Alakazam on your bench. Since I built it I guess I should have the upper hand. At the start of this match I put my laptop away so I can concentrate better.
    This was a close match. Doanto's Mewtwo appears early, but my Kangaskhan (with resistance) Comet Punches him to death. Then he gets a Dark Alakazam in a few turns after Oaking, and Comp. Searching. After SERing me twice he KO's my Kanga in two turns. I put out Mime, but he just benches an Abra, uses Teleport Blast (for Scyther) and Psyshocks me for 20 next turn (no PAR). I just use a Plus Power to KO that Abra (maybe he should have used the Rocket one). Now I don't have anymore Pokémon with a Psychic resistance so my only choice is an all out offense. I remember Buzz showing up and KOed his Dark Alakazam, but he has another one to replace it. He seems to have the upper hand and I'm low on deck so Donato goes to "stall mode." Anyway he gets me too close to decking and I just Oak the rest of my deck away. Donato wins!
3-1
Well this ends my 48 win streak (most wins came from beating Doanto). I'm gona post my Psy Tan Deck as well
        My Psy Tan Deck
        Pokémon (15)
       4 Mewtwo (movie promo)
        3 Scyther
        3 Abra (any will do)
       1 Dark Kadabra
        3 Dark Alakazam
        1 Ditto
        Trainers (21)
        4 Bill
        3 Oak
        3 S.E.Removal
        2 Computer Search
        2 Pokémon Breeder
        2 Scoop Up
        2 Mr. Fuji
        2 Nightly Garbage Run
       Energy (24)
        21 Psychic Energy
        03 DCE
    Donato went on to win the championship this time. I'm satisfied with 2nd place though. I still get $7 in store credit. Since 1st edition Rocket is still avalable in this store, I decide to but two. Say hello to my new 1st Edition Holo Dark Golbat, and my 1st Edition Dark Draginite. I'm still sticking with Hot Jalepeneo for the next couple of matches till my Sponge Deck is built. Today I saw a Hot Jalepeneo variant deck in the tourney except its much more sloppy and didn't play with Oaks (My friend Eric went on to beat him in the 2nd round, but lost to Donato).
 
Props and Slops
Props to everyone for putting up some challenge
Props to Donato for not making me pay the entrance fee
Props to my luck (coin flipping is essential to the game)
Props to Scott Gerhardt for creating this deck
Props to my AWESOME Psy Tan Deck
Props to Donato for beating me
Slops to Donato for beating me (I was at an amazing streak)
Slops to Ron for being a bad loser (emphasis on the word LOSER)
 
Questions? Comments? Send them HERE
                Until next time
                Trainer Takeshi