Sludge Puncher
by: Omnislash84
Serene Center, Singapore
24th June 2001
30+ People
Bannings: Sneasel
Time Limit: 30 mins
 
The concept behind this deck is just like any other dark muk decks out there, energy denial, poison and retreat denial. Plus, with all these metal and dark energies, energy removal and super energy removal are stronger than ever.
 
15 Pokemon
 
3 FO Grimer
3 Dark Muk
2 Cleffa
3 Chansey
2 Scyther
2 Igglybuff
 
30 Trainers
 
4 Oak
4 Com Search
4 Energy Removal
3 Super Energy Removal
3 Item Finder
3 Lass
3 Gold Berry
2 NGR
2 Sprout Tower
2 Gust of wind
 
15 Energy
 
4 DCE
11 Grass
 
I use Igglybuff instead of the usual Fossil Muk because the pokemon power that is mainly used is Mind games and Igglybuff takes good care of that. Sprout tower is good with chansey with a gold berry atttached. Oppoent takes 50 and you only take 10 (50-40 due to gold berry). It would have been better if I had Unown N instead but anyway, here's how everything went:
 
First Round:
Me vs. Kid with Water deck
 
1st Game:
I started with a Grimer while he started with a Mantine. He went first and attached a water energy. I removed it the next turn, and after 2 turns, it got knocked out by Dark Muk's Sludge Punch.
 
2nd Game:
He started with a Totodile and me with Cleffa. I decided not to Lass but proceed to beatdown with Grimer and got heads on Nasty Goo. Next turn, I killed it with Dark Muk before removing the energy he attached to his benched Maintine. 2 turns later, I won because he has no more pokemon on his bench.
 
1-0
 
Second Round:
Me vs. Wigglytuff/Ditto/Hitmonchan/Scyther
 
1st Game:
After exchanging blows for several turns, I didn't realize that he had energy removal and super energy removal and so he proceeded on to removing all of my energy in 1 swift turn. He then proceeded to beat-down killing me with Dittos and Hitmonchans and Scyther. Wiggly wasn't needed.
 
2nd game:
As my previous game took up too much time. The tournament organizer told us to play in sudden death, meaning that we only had to put out 1 prize card. I made a silly mistake of not Computer Searching for a Dark muk and Lass him to gain control of his lone basic, hitmonchan. Instead I Oaked, got a crappy hand and he won the game with Wigglytuff.
 
1-1
 
Third Round:
Me vs. Kid with Venucenter!!
 
Finally, someone playing an old-school deck. I used to play this deck before. It was a very powerful archetype back in the days before Fossil came out and Magmar wrecked everything. But since fire is getting less and less popular at the tournament scene, I guess this deck could be revived....
 
1st Game:
He started out with a Venonat while I started with FO grimer. I got a very bad hand consisting of an energy removal, 2 Grass energies, 1 Item Finder, 1 Sprot tower and 1 DCE. Luckily I drew and got a Computer Search. I tried holding back the search but after 2 turns, and I was still not drawing anything good I had to Oak. I then oaked another 2 more times because I got bad draws all the time.
 
I finally got my Dark Muk out but the threat was soon neutralized with Venomoth's Venom Powder. We exchanged blows for the next few turns turns and I kept removing his energy. Finally, I was given the opportunity to attack with Chansey. With Sprout tower out and a Gold Berry attached, I did 50 and took 10. I was able to kill off 2 Dittos, doing 50 and retreating for a baby next turn, and a Venonat.
 
I had 2 prizes left and only 5 cards in my deck left. Soon, I was left with 2 prize and 2 cards left. Fortunately, he made a mistake of LASS. I get to shuffle 3 trainer cards back into the deck giving me a fighting chance. He was able to stall and finally when I drew my last card, it was another Lass. I placed 4 cards back into the deck. Then, it was Venusaur with 0 energy against a fully charged Dark Muk. I won with 0 cards left in my deck!!
 
2nd Game:
As the first game took too much time. The tournament organizer told me I had won the match. I protested saying that it wasn't fair to my opponent. But I guess he still awarded me the full points.
 
2-1
 
Fourth Round:
Me vs. Wigglytuff
 
1st Game:
I was about to lose. Fortunately, he realized that he "Did the wave" without having a wigglytuff, I called for the tournament organizer and we had to restart the match in sudden death as there wasn't much time.
 
2nd Game (Sudden Death, 1 card prize)
He got a magby out and I had been trying to kill his magby using my Scyther but failed numerous times. Gold berry kept my scyther alive though. Luckily, I drew a chansey and tried to stall because he oaked several times already. He put out a Chaos Gym. I really had to stall now because my hand was full of trainers. Chansey did his/her job and I got my sprout tower after 4 turns. I placed it down, Oaked, removed most of his energy and was finally able to kill off the magby using Scyther's slash.
 
3-1
 
Fifth Round:
Me vs. Electabuzz/Rocket's Zapdos
 
1st Round:
He started with a Rocket's Zapdos while I started with Igglybuff as my only basic. He didn't have a pluspower and must have gotten a bad hand because he only attached an energy and Plasma-ed me, flipping tails on baby. I drew a grimer, attached an energy, removed his lightning and nasty goo getting tails. Next turn, I got a Computer search, Oaked, got my Dark Muk, killed his Rocket's Zapdos and he didn't have a bench.
 
2nd Game:
A lot like the previous game. Except that we had good hands and he had a bench. I was able to remove most of his energy in the early game and therefore blunting his offensive prowess. Dark Muk led the beatdown killing 1 Rocket's Zapdos, 1 Scyther, 1 Cleffa. Later he was left with Electabuzz and I was able to kill that too.
4-1
 
Final Round:
Me vs. Umbreon deck (Pursuit, not Feint attack)
 
1st Round:
I couldn't remember how this match went about in the early rounds except that I was able to take all six prizes by Dark Muk alone. Energy removal and Super energy removal bought me time and I he couldn't retreat his pokemon due to Dark Muk's pokemon power.
 
2nd Game:
This game was a lot more even though. I got the early lead in prizes. Hitmonchan and Ditto proved to be more of a problem than ever. I kept removing the energy on his Umbreon fearing it's attacks as it was his main hitter. He finally killed my active Dark Muk. Unfortunately for him, I had another one on the bench and also a Chansey in case I need some backup. I didn't use chansey at all though. Dark Muk took the remaining prizes.
5-1
 
At the end of the tournament, I got 3rd and walked away with 5 Neo2 Boosters And out of those packs, I got 1 Foil Scizor and some other unimportant cards. I'm happy though. Dark Muk proved to be a worthy tournament level deck.
 
Props
....Dark Muk for being sooo underrated
....Me getting 3rd with something that isn't Rocket's Zappy/Sneasel and still having fun!
 
Slops
....Muk007. He told me NOT to play my Dark muk.!!
 
Email me @ batusai@singnet.com.sg