Killer Deck Report

Gothenburg was much better than Paris STSQ with the players being more relaxed, but the first three games took around two and a half hours to complete! Before entering there was so much talk about Rocket Zapdos that I had to replace at the last minute 3 Mary and 1 IOR for 2 Clefable and 2 Clefairy. Also, there was only one Steelix I saw played in the games before the tournament (Eskil's - he went on to win the 11-14) so I replaced Unown M with Unown N. Anyway, in all the heat and nerves I found my way through the following matches.

Match One - Claus [Psychic Deck - Chansey/Mime/Energy Flow]

Won the toss. Brock's Mankey out with Slowpoke benched. Needed to Oak twice to set up Sneasel. My Clefable went out first after the first few moves against his Chansey, I needed to hit it so I sacrificed it for 80 damage. After some work with trainers while he still set himself up (waiting for combo for energy flow I guess) I lass and eeeeek to bring out Chaos on next go. Then there was a stand-off, with my Cleffa, Brock's Mankey and Murkrow vs. his Mr.Mime after I had beaten up two Chanseys with Sneasel (great flips!) My Sneasel was on bench, fully powered up couldn't touch his Mime, and I had no more rainbow in the deck left for Mankey to hit him for 10 per go. He did a Scoop up but failed it with Chaos, I remember picking up Mankey and putting it back again with Psychic weakness and 20 damage on it already. I was one prize ahead, and in trouble with no trainers to bring out any of his Pokemon. Some of the other players who had finished were coming over to watch the game, one even picked up my Slowking to read it!!! Grrr... hence some of the endgame details are sketchy. Claus benched another Chansey and three minutes to go I needed to stall for the win which I did by retreating many times the free retreat pokemon before time was called. Sorry Claus - tournament tactics!

1-0-0

Match Two - Patrik [Wigglytuff Deck w/energy removal]

A really nice opponent, after the match he invited me over to stay with him if I was ever in Sweden again. I quickly brought out Unown (N) against Jigglypuff, and he couldn't bring out a full bench in time as Sneasel and Mind Games were out and playing. Energy removal only worked once for him and he started to feel the pressure I guess as he was making some errors - like energy removing a darkness off Sneasel with Ecogym in play. I then saw Ponyta followed by Rapidash but with no energies on them because of trying to power up Wigglytuff at the start of the game Patrik saw his bench disappear under Sneasel.

2-0-0

Match Three - Lena [Feraligator Riptide]

A really nice opponent again - Dumbledore on the WizPog bulletin board. I was very nervous, both of us had won all our matches so far and had 9 points. Lena got Downpour working very quickly but slowly I managed to overcome it with the Sneasel beatdown. Mind Games slowed her Feraligator's comeback, and a few nervous moves later Chaos/King/Sneasel won again. Lena stayed around till the very end wishing me luck!

3-0-0

Match Four - Steven [Feraligator/Raindance]

At this stage I was ranked 1st. I didn't want this match to happen, Steven was someone I'd met before the tournament games started and we really got on with each other! We just went into it realising someone had to come out as a winner. I didn't want to record much about matches at this stage as it may have made me brag about winning over opponents who were very nice people. He got Blastoise out at the start and wrecked havoc with my low HP Pokemon, until Sneasel came out again and managed to turn the tide.

4-0-0

Match Five - Max V [Slowking w/energy removal]

Last year's champion in the 11-14 age bracket, we decided to draw as it would take us both into Top 8 and I was ranked 1st while he was ranked 2nd. We played on anyway and I was relieved to get a win over him as our decks were very similar. I then found out he wasn't feeling very well, so nothing much to brag about.

4-0-1

I was ranked 1st with Max 2nd and both of us the only two people with 13 pts after round five.

Last 16 - Patrik [Wigglytuff Deck w/energy removal]

We were both happy to have made it! I thought maybe he'd gone away and I might have the bye, as he said he would but... he was there! He brought out Fossil Magmar and started to smokescreen away my Sneasel. Lucky for me that Smokescreen disappears with retreat... Murkrow helped me bring Sneasel back out straight away... I risked Chaos on the first turn, without a Cleffa out. We both started to fill with Smokescreen failing a few times for him. Unown (N) came out but he didn't notice it until he flipped successfully for Pound on Cleffa, for nil damage. He started to lose concentration after that, because of that error. It was quite tense for the both of us, I hope that he'll still talk to me now! Gyms switched to Eco and I activated trainers to prepare for the beatdown with Clefable, 2 Slowkings, Murkrow and Sneasels ready to go. I won by 3 prizes to 1 when time was called. Patrik was disappointed but after Paris I knew exactly how he must have felt. He wished me luck though and I went through to the quarters.

5-0-1

Quarter Finals - Mgz [Rocket Zapdos/Iggly/Buzz Haymaker]

Oh heck, my first opponent with Rocket Zapdos who clearly knew what to do with it. Igglys would shut down Slowking so I had to get Clefable out quickly I thought. He started out with Iggly and no bench, while I had Slowpoke and Sneasel on bench. He won the flip and I started to worry, but he drew and passed. With Iggly out I knew I had a chance to end it in the first few turns. I didn't expect what followed, though! Switch, Oak, Darkness on Sneasel and I went for it. Flip - get heads for baby rule. Flip for fury - Heads. I needed one head from two. A few seconds later, I got it! I shook hands with him and could see his disappointment but he also stayed till the end, and I think got away with two of the neat mats that Wizards had out during the finals!

6-0-1

Semi Finals - Umair [Rocket Zapdos Haymaker w/energy removal]

This was the match that I most enjoyed, and it was a close one two until the last five minutes! Umair was last year's 15+ champion and a great pleasure to know & meet. Lass-eeeek start for me, with Sneasels & Slowpokes out. Computer search - Yes! Both Clefairies and Clefables available in the deck. Soon afterwards, Clefable out and ready to go. He realised that Rocket Zapdos would be nothing with Clefables out and so he didn't play them during the match. He played Clefable and metronomed beat up twice but only got two to three heads between both turns. My Sneasel managed to recover from his SER that he flipped successfully for with Chaos out at one point, while his Igglybuff shut my Slowking up. Then, Unown (N) worked away to cancel his Clefable with 2 Pluspowers that metronomed Beatup for only 20 damage! When time was called his trainers were failing left, right and centre and I was up 4-2 on prizes. I'd made it to the final!

7-0-1

Final - Max V [Slowking Deck w/energy removal]

Max, again! He wouldn't leave me alone =) I had a great hand at the start and won the flip, thank God! Lass-eeeek combo and imposter Oak Revenge stretched his resources at the start while I filled the bench with Slowking and Sneasel. A few gyms later, he was forced to KO his own Cleffa with Darkness to eeeeeek. Sneasel came out and thank God again for the flips! I may have seen a Clefable from him, but I knocked out 2 babies with Sneasel to leave his Slowking as active, with no bench. At this point I realised that he could lose next turn. Two beatups (first with just one head!) later, we shook hands as the photos were taken and everybody was clapping - I had won the tournament!

Props

All the opponents I played on the day and on #pojo - especially Fire_Blaze 
Wizards reps for buying us drinks after the tournament in their hotel and making sure they didn't drink alcohol in our company
My wife Marion for the support
Eskil and Team Europe for making the occasion special
I give thanks to God for making it all possible alhumdullilahi rabbill'alameen

Slops

Poor ventilation in the hall
An age limit on the Create-a-Card competition (I'm 25!)
Pikachu for going to the Gents' toilet when I was free to take a photo with him
Igglybuff for being anti-Slowking
Steelix for forcing me to change my tournament winning deck now that I've played it against the Gym Leader Dave, at League

Faisal Khan

[Freddy K.]

schnoops@blueyonder.co.uk