2005 Pokemon National Championship
Origins Gaming Convention
Columbus Ohio Convention Center
Saturday - July 2nd, 2005
400 total participants – 240 in the 15+

Part 2 of my Origins Pokemon report.  Day 2 was the big day where all trainers came in from all over the US, Canada, and Mexico to come to compete in the Pokemon National Championship.  A nice looking blue National T-shirt was handed out this year with a picture of Machamp on it to coincide with the Nationals promo Machamp card that was given out.  Again major kudos to Nintendo for having this as a free event.  The turnout was incredible.  I mean Pokemon is back with a vengeance.  With the exception of Yugioh., the Pokemon area was the most attended area that day and possibly the whole weekend at the TCG hall.  I mean if you are hardcore Pokemon player and haven’t attended a National event at Origins I strongly encourage you to do so next year. With this exception of Worlds, this is the mecca of Pokemon with the best players competing against each other.  But don’t let that intimidate you, Origins is a great place to learn new games and meet new and exciting people and since the “Best” are there it is a great learning experience for newcomers.  From the Nintendo Booth in the Exhibition Hall to the wide array of events that were offered in the TCG hall, there were plenty of places to “catch-them-all”.  I met at least a dozen people that used to play and got back into the game at Nationals and went on to play in the National Championship.

With so many great players and decks out there the competition and choice of what deck to run was very difficult.  3 out of the Top 4 decks were all different and the top battle didn’t go to a mirror match but it was a Turn 2 Medicham-ex deck winning it all over a tech’d out Ludicargo deck that went undefeated both days up until the Finals when it lost. 

Here are the Top 4 deck winners in the 15+ age division:

Top 4

1^st place - Seena – Turn 2 Medicham-ex

2^nd place - Tom D. – Ludicargo/Rhyhorn tech

3^rd place - Shawn “The Professor Champion” Gettys – Turn 2 Medicham-ex

4^th place - Frankie Durso – Zap-Turn-dos

So on to my own personal report of my matches.  I decided to run my Wailord deck and for those that have read my New England Regional report will see how well that it can perform in this format.

http://pojo.com/pokemon/FeaturedWriters/JohnnyBlaze/2005/5-31-Report.shtml

The only tweaks that I have made to the deck upon entering the National Championships is that I dropped 2 Mysterious Fossils for a 1/1 tech line of Feebas/Milotic-ex.  One major deck that made a huge showing was Rock-Lock and Milotic-ex stops the use of ATM Rock.  As a bonus Milotic-ex also stops the use of ATM Ice that gets rid of all your Trainer cards in play. 

 

Round 1 vs. K (HxC raichu maggot)

K was her name.  K was playing 4 corners.  Her version consisted of Lantern/Magcargo/Rhydon/Dark Hypno.  I win the dice roll and decide to go 1^st.  I had a terrible start of a lone Feebas.  Nothing else no Fossils, just 3x Water energy, Crystal Shard, Celio’s, and Reversal.  I attach a Water to Feebas and attempt Ascension.  I roll a tails.  She goes and Rocket’s Admins. me and then sets up her bench with 2 Chinchous.  She gave me the perfect hand off the Admin.  I get an Oddish and Wailmer and good draw cards.  I remember that K managed to get 3 prizes off of me as she did ko the Feebas and a Wailord-ex eventually.  I had another Wailord-ex built up and Bellosom and was able to tie it up on prizes as I hit a heads on Pokemon Reversal to her benched Lanturn to ko that.  Time was called and we were both tied on prizes.  She could not ko anything on her turn and with all of my Super Deep Dives and Heal Dances to clean off damage on Wailord I ko her Rhyhorn for the win.

W: 1 - 0

Round 2 vs. Andrea (Gardy Lady)

Andrea is a Pokemon Professor and runs a League in Utah I believe she said.  Andrea is running Spinning Tail-T-tar with Dark Electrode and Electrode-ex.   Both Andrea and I get off to a slow start with her starting with a lone Larvitar and to my Wailmer.  The only draw power I get all game is 3 Celio’s Network.  So I am able to build a Bellosom and have Wailord-ex in play.  But due to the lack of draw I don’t really get to see Fossils for the Super Deep Dive Combo. I manage to ko a Spinning Tail T-Tar and a Dark Electrode.  Andrea manages to ko a Wailord-ex.  So we are tied on prizes when time is called.  She was building up an Electrode-ex on the bench that I could not draw into a Pokemon Reversal and the Electrode-ex knocked out my Wailord-ex doing 240 damage when she discarded basically all her energy in play to win in Sudden Death.

L: 1 - 1

Round 3 vs. Andrew Cox

I know Andrew and his father Dave from TJ Collectibles in Milford, Mass.  Andrew just recently turned 15 and now is playing in the 15 + age division.  Andrew runs Zappy-ex with Electrode-ex.  Andrew goes 1^st and gets his set-up going with a recharge Voltorb.  I start with a Claw Fossil and Oddish and Wailmer benched.   Andrew uses Master Ball on his next turn and gets the Zappy-ex to ko the Claw Fossil.  I send up Oddish and use some draw power to get Wailord-ex.  Andrew then ko’s the Oddish and is starting to build up an Electrode-ex on the bench.  I send up a Wailord-ex and Super Deep Dive for another  Claw Fossil.  He attacks the other Claw Fossil and then I wack Zappy for 100 then his Electrode-ex comes up and wins the game by ohko on my Wailord-ex.

L: 1 - 2

Round 4 vs. Darryl (Sceptilious)

Darryl hails from Canada and has a son that plays in the 10 and under.  Darryl starts with a Slowpoke and I think to myself that Im going to pwnd this round too as he is running Green Heal.  But I was wrong Darryl is running Gardy/ Gardy-ex, Heal Gardy, Pidgeot and the Strange Behavior Slowbro.  Darryl gets off to a wicked fast start and gets the Slowbro benched and has a Psy-Shadow Gardy and Gex out.  I have to stall with a Bellosom as I had 2 Wailmers prized when I searched with Celio’s and I want to play conservatively until I can get at least 1 Wailord-ex up and running.  He gets up by 2 prizes then I am able to ko the Psy-Shadow Gardy by hitting a Reversal on it with Wailord-ex.  I build another Wailord-ex by this time. We go back and forth with me Super Deep Diving with both Wailords and him healing his Gardy-ex.  I eventually hit another Reversal to ko his Heal Dance Gardy.  He continues to slowly damage my Wailords.   Time is eventually called and we are tied 4 prizes each.  By this time this is what we had on the board.  I had 2 Wailord-ex with both 140 damage on them, a Feebas and Root Fossil on the bench.   He had an active Gardy-ex with 60 damage on it, a Psy-Shadow Gardy and 2 Slowbros with 50 damage on the bench.  Darryl only has 3 cards left in his deck and I have about 10.  It is my turn in Sudden Death and I go for a huge gamble.  I have 1 Pokemon Reversal left in my deck.   I use a Switch on Wailord-ex for my Feebas I attach a Water Energy to Feebas and them drop 2 more Fossils on my bench.  I then play Professor Oak’s Research and pull the last Reversal.  I’m playing the Ascension Feebas so I have to hit heads on the Reversal to ko one of the benched Slowbro.  I go for the roll and roll a heads.  Yess.  Sorry Darryl you just got pwnd by a Feebas.  Lol.  This was a great match.

W: 2 - 2

Round 5 vs. Chris (Shining Umbreon)

Chris was playing a Slaking/Metagross/Pidgeot build.   We both get decent set-ups but I’m hitting 100 per turn and get up quick on prizes.  I am able to ko a DX Metagross and Pidgeot but his Slakings don’t have enough power to continually dish out 100 since he has run out of Boosts.  When time is called I am ahead in prizes 4-6.

W : 3 - 2

Round 6 vs. Nick Caporelli (Hot Mustid)

Nick is another player from TJ Collectibles in Milford, Mass. that I am friends with.  Nick and I were sitting close to each other all day long and figured that sooner or later we would be playing each other.   Nick was trying out Rock-Lock since he has already an invite and trip to Worlds he wanted to test out Rock-Lock.  Nick felt really confident that Rock-Lock could beat Wailord.  Normally it probably can but the outcome of this match was going to be different.  I thought my start was terrible as I had a Mysterious Fossil and Oddish with 2 Water energy, Crystal Shard, and 2 Celio’s.  Nick only starts with a Larvitar and Mareep benched.  I go 1^st and attach a Water energy to Oddish.  He goes and Rare Candies his Mareep into a Dark Amphy and attaches a Dark to Larvitar.  I draw a Multi and then Celio’s for the Gloom.  I damage the Larvitar as it is weak to grass.  He uses the Dark to retreat and send up Dark Amphy and attaches energy.   I draw a Pokemon Reversal and flip heads to bring up the Larvitar.  I evolve take 20 damage but heal it off so my Bellosom has 20 damage on it and then I attach and ko the Larvitar.  He attaches a Dark to Amphy and plays another Larvitar and Rare Candies that into Dark Pupitar and attaches a Dark.  I draw a Oak and play it and draw another Reversal and hit it on the benched Dark Pupitar.  I drop a Wailmer and attach a water to it on the bench.  Bellosom ko’s the Dark Pupitar and Nick is flabbergasted at this point.  He cant believe how lucky I am getting.  On Nick’s next turn he Rocket’s Admin’s me and he draws 6 and then I draw 4.  I cant get a better hand:  I draw Wailord-ex, 2 Water, and a Pro. Oak’s Research.  Once I finally got the Wailord up and running he decides to concede since the game is going nowhere fast.

W: 4 - 2

Round 7 vs. Jacie Sturky

Jacie is last year’s National Champion so I know that my work is cut out for me.  I’m feeling good right now as I have won 3 matches in a row and once this deck set’s up it is very difficult to get a prize on it.  I saw Jacie playtesting different decks and one of them was Wailord.  So I didn’t know what to expect.  Jacie goes 1^st and starts with a Wishing Star Jirachi and attaches a Fighting.  I think to myself that it must be a Medicham Turn 2 deck and if I get set up I should be ok .  Next thing I know he has a Dark Steelix out with 3 Darkness energy and 3 Metal energy.  I know it wasn’t that fast but my setup was extremely horrid.  With him only having 1 Pokemon active my Steven’s Advice were all useless as I could only draw 1 card.  He ko’d about 5 Fossils and a Gloom when I decided to bring out Wailmer with 3 energies and hoping for a God topdeck of Wailord-ex.  That didn’t happen and Jacie wins the match.

L:  4 - 3

Round 8 vs. Adam (Spartan 101)

So I’m pretty much out of making the Top cut as only 6-2 and above will advance but I want to see if I can leave this tourney 5-3 and make Wailord-ex a respectable deck in this environment.  I get my chance as Adam is running Blaze/Quaza.  He follows my reports here on Pojo so he asks before the match if I am running Wailord and I tell him yes and he is like oh great.  He anticipates almost every move of mine like when I Crystal Shard the Wailord to take out his Quaza.  I also hit a reversal on his benched Bex so that is 4 prizes already.   He does take 2 prizes as another one of his Quaza gets me but in the end the Water weakness and my fast start taking the 1^st 4 prizes does him in. 

Final Record:  5 – 3 

Rank:  58^th place out of 240

Here are photos of the National Championship Trophy:

For more photos go here: http://community.webshots.com/album/388254837vIPtvt

And here is one with Pojo’s famous COTD reviewer William Hung:

Stay tuned for Origins Report Part 3: Team Sealed