Jason Klaczynski Interview

What went through your mind when you were getting close to the top two match? Did you ever think you were going to win Worlds a second time?
There was not a single turn of Game 3 in Top 4 that I thought I was going to beat Gino. Everything started to go downhill from from the second turn of the game until almost the very end. I missed a crucial Double Rainbow Energy after a Cosmic Power and Steven's and that prevented my Gardevoir from Psychic Locking. I ended up passing, he used Psychic Lock, and I had no way to set up anything. Pokemon after Pokemon were knocked out, he continued building, and somehow in the end, he made one mistake, gave me a chance to get lucky, and I did. I didn't have the finals on my mind one bit. I was focused on trying to find any possible way to win this game.

So your toughest matches were against Gino? What sort of mistake did he make that allowed you to pull through? Sounds like you made a large comeback.
My toughest match was definitely against Gino. It's hard to remember exactly how it played out, but I remember him building 3 Gardevoir and getting a Muk out while I struggled to build one Gardevoir. He then used Jirachi ex to attack, which gives up 2 prizes. Usually, these 2 prizes are irrelevant in the mirror match because you have a limited amount of Pokemon you can build and attack with when you are being Psychic Locked by Gardevoir. However, considering how many Pokemon he was able to build, he may have been better off not giving up 2 prizes from Jirachi - and instead attacking with 3 Gardevoirs, a Muk, a Gallade, and then if necessary Jirachi ex as his sixth attacker (giving up two prizes is irrelevant if I only have one prize left.)

Tell us about your list. What's up with the Jolteon *?
Jolteon* is in there because it's an easily accessible 10 damage. Over the entire course of a game, 10 damage can often end up being the difference between a game-winning KO or a close loss - Jolteon* is in there to win games. I also made sure I had enough answers to Crystal Beach and Cessation Crystal. A lot of other Gardevoir players ran only 2 or 3 answers. I understood that even though these cards aren't popular at Worlds, if you let your guard down, they'll beat you. That's why I ran both 2 Windstorm and 2 Lake Boundary to counter them.

I don't think any of us can possibly imagine how it feels to win Worlds, let alone winning twice (maybe even three if you count your Tropical Mega Battle win). How on earth did you feel, if it can even be described in words?
The feeling was amazing. Hearing my friends, other players, and people who have never even met me all cheer for me and yell in excitement after my wins in the Top Cut was incredible. I knew I'd have to play near perfect if I wanted to win Worlds again, and I did.

Why do you keep winning - what's your secret? Is your brain just wired differently from everyone else? Do you have magical powers? Is the force with you?
I've played Pokemon for nearly 10 years now. And in 10 years, I've learned not to second guess myself. I stick with what cards and what strategies work for me. It's easy to hear about some secret deck and get paranoid, and then scramble to make last minute deck changes. I've learned not to do that.

Well, what do you *think* makes the way you play different from everyone else? Surely there is something you do radically different from others that makes you consistently successful. Or is it too hard to pinpoint?
I don't make too many mistakes. The 2007-2008 format, especially was built around a tremendous amount of skill. My opponent might draw better than me, but if I can play perfectly throughout the game, all it takes is one misplay on your part to let me back in the game.

So in other words, you have become so used to this game that you can "change the tide of battle" when you find a mistake in your opponent's plays?
A mistake in this format can be a misplaced energy. It can be taking a knockout you shouldn't have. It can be benching something you shouldn't have. It can be burning through too many Windstorms when you didn't have to. There are so many ways to mess up. And if a player is better than you, he or she often has an opportunity to exploit your mistake.

Would you say that you have learned of such mistakes over your career playing the TCG, or are they things you have come to learn during the year with each new format change? In other words, are you learning how to play better with each new season, or have you just naturally come to understand how to exploit people's mistakes?
Over the years, I have definitely improved. Although formats change, there are certain concepts that carry over from one year into the next year, or even the lifespan of the game.

How often do you practice each week? It sounds like you know every format like the back of your hand. Does it take you a long time to grasp the nature of each format?
My friends and I play a good amount, although I feel like we don't test enough new ideas sometimes. I'd say about 10 games/week, excluding tournaments, simply because the games go so slow now. The upcoming weeks before Nationals and Worlds we playtest a lot. It becomes harder to playtest now because games have began to take longer and longer, and also because there are so many more playable cards nowadays. Keep in mind though, everyone has that problem. Sometimes I think I know the format well, and then something completely blows my mind. I'll have to start asking myself "Why is this winning?" or "Why ISN'T this deck winning?" And formats can completely change with a single new deck being discovered. I used to play at the league, but I've found the best way to get good at this game is to find the people who are best at it and play with them. The best players can discuss proper changes to lists, and they'll recognize your mistakes when you play so you can correct them. Playtesting with people who don't play well doesn't help too much. Bad players might make you think you can beat a certain deck when in reality you can't.

When you first started playing this game, how long did it take you to become what you consider a "good" player? How did you get to that point?
I remember playing Pokemon at my friends' houses when I was 13. We would all build decks and play, but I seemed to be winning more. I "caught on" quicker than all of them. Then, I entered my first tournament at a comic book store and won it. I met my best friend Alex at a tournament, and once we started practicing together, we got better and better. We eventually started winning every tournament at the store - so much that the store owners kicked us out of the store so they could draw the players back to their tournaments. The next thing I knew, I was 14, playing in the Tropical Mega Battle. After I won that, Pokemon basically became my life.

So it is your brain that is wired differently than the rest of us. ;)
I don't know what it is. I look at Pokemon like a puzzle. I try to find a way to make the damage increments add up perfectly so that I will be left with an advantage in the end. I look at the board, and then I picture a sequence of exchanged turns that either leave them without enough energy, without enough Pokemon, or without enough options. I look at decks in a similar way. I look for a deck that works, does well against the metagame, and has the right "flow" to it. Everything in the deck should make sense; it should have synergy with the other cards.

And GG fit those requirements the best for this format? What made you pick it over Empozong and other decks? Or what made you didn't pick other decks? What did you think was flawed about them?
I truly felt Empoleon/Bronzong was the best deck in this format. But I knew GG too well. I played it too much. I knew how to win almost any match with it. I was also confident I could make the best GG list, whereas there would be about 3-4 card slots I would secondguess if I ran Empoleon. In the end, I stuck with my gut, and I don't regret it.

It's hard to regret your decision when you WON. :p Do you practice with the Japanese cards at all? Do you prepare for upcoming sets, and does it help you in the long run?
No, I usually just wait until the cards come out. If we expect one game-breaking card to be coming, we'll run some proxies and see it plays out against our current format.

Do you think the way you shuffle makes a big difference in how successful you are? I noticed when you were playing, you were using a method of shuffling I've never seen - like splitting them up, shuffling, mixing, I forgot. It seems that with me, I always get such bad hands and just cannot do anything. I think I've come to learn shuffling can completely ruin your outcome, but since I can't shuffle for beans, I can't do much about it.
I've learned throughout the years that you need to shuffle a LOT, and I mean a LOT to thoroughly randomize a deck. I know a lot of top players in the game who come nowhere even near the amount of shuffles they should be giving their deck. I am an extremely thorough shuffler. A lot of people grow impatient with my shuffling so I've had to learn to do it quickly. I've seen people shuffle their decks for less than 30 seconds after it's been sorted. If you do that, have fun drawing into 7 Pokemon. I also see people shuffle, then look at their deck to make sure their "basics aren't clumped." This is nothing more than a way to rephrase "stacking your deck." Anytime I see that, I pile shuffle their deck, riffle it a few times, and try not to throw up in my mouth from disgust.

So describe your shuffling method.
The first thing I do is I set my deck in six piles. I stack 2 rows of 3, and go 1-2-3 on the top, 1-2-3 on the bottom. If you go across each row 10 times, it will also be an accurate way to determine you have 60 cards. Then I begin riffling, and grabbing half the deck, tossing pieces of it on top of another. I'll riffle more, then break the deck into two separate decks and riffle those. (This is an easier way to shuffle if you have smaller hands, too.) Then I'll mix those two togethers, and six pile again. Except this time, I'm not going 1-2-3, but rather tossing the cards almost randomly into six pifferent piles. The "bending" of foil cards makes foils stick together when you riffle shuffle. Finishing with a six pile shuffle is a nice way to ensure that the foils will not be anymore likely to stick to another foil card as they would be to stick to any other card.

Sounds confusing... I'm sure people would understand once they practice it, though. When I played in the Base Set days, I used to just throw the cards on the floor and mix them up.
That works, but then you have some cards upside down and some right-side up. Basically, I do every kind of shuffle, and break the deck into two sometimes to make it easier. And then I try to finish with a six-pile shuffle.

How long does it usually take you?
I aim for 2 minutes, which is the limit POP sets for pregame setup.

How much time do you spend with your decks on the computer, or is everything done with the actual cards? I can imagine you having enough cards to make as many decks as you want with all your prizes. :p
When I'm up late at night, I'll often take a deck, lay it out on the floor or table and sit there staring at it. Anyone who knows me know I do this the night before a big tournament. I'll sit and stare at the deck for half an hour if I have to, and if I have friends with me, I'll run my ideas by them for feedback. In the end, though, I almost always trust my gut over everyone else's. I never get as much sleep as I should because I've been nocturnal for basically my whole life. But rather than play matches over and over, I prefer to talk about how to perfect the list for the event.

Are there any sort of general tips or secrets you have for building decks?
Aim for consistency. Don't play cards that help you win games when you're already winning. (Cessation Crystal in a Gardevoir deck is a good example of this.) Play cards that turn losses into wins. Play cards that help you beat the decks you usually can't beat. And don't focus too much on beating only one particular deck to a point that you can't beat other decks. Even in a tournament like Worlds, you're going to run into a variety of decks. It's important to build a deck that can fare well against anything that comes up against it.

What do you and don't you like about the TCG?
My favorite thing about the card game is the deep level of strategy involved. It's also a great way to meet new friends, see new places, and a great way to have fun. About the only things I don't like are poor sports and cheaters. Fortunately, Pokemon's been around long enough where the people who cheat have been caught (either that or they're really good at it), so the player base we have nowadays is made up of great people.

I don't like inconsistencies regarding judging - and I don't think anyone does. Sometimes judges rule one thing a game loss, other times it's a prize penalty. Overall though, judging seems to be getting better. I was very impressed with the judging at Worlds, but I have heard some horror stories at smaller events.

What do you do outside of Pokemon?
Outside of Pokemon, I've played poker professionally for 3 years. Poker can become extremely frustrating because it's so luck-oriented, so Pokemon is a nice break from it.

I am currently in my second and final year of required school to become a police officer. I plan to begin applying to departments next Summer.

My absolute favorite thing to do is to be outside and play baseball, volleyball, frisbee, or pretty much any sport with a group of friends. My friend Matt jokes that I'm like a kitten: if you give me a ball to play with, I'll be content for hours.

Do your friends know you play Pokemon?
EVERYONE knows I play Pokemon. I met all four of my best friends: Alex Brosseau, Matthew Alvis, Matthew Moss and Seena Ghaziaskar at Pokemon tournaments. Like I said, Pokemon is a great way to meet friends. =)

Are you involved in any other aspects of Pokemon?
No, I watched the cartoon and played the video game when I was younger. The video games are fun. But I focus on the TCG now.

How were you introduced to Pokemon in the first place?
My friends and I started reading about the video game in 7th grade. We bought Red and Blue and got a kick out of it. Then, I saw theme decks in a GameStop one day and decided to give it a try. My sister, friends and I started messing with the cards, building decks. And here I am, 10 years later, doing the same darn thing. ;-) I try to surround myself with good people.

Sounds like you have high moral standards, which seems to be rare in today's world.
I have no respect for people who use drugs, or people who steal, or people who cheat. And when I see teenagers, or anyone for that matter, drinking at a Pokemon tournament, it makes me sick. You're flying in from all over the world to play a game you love and hang out with people you rarely see. If you need to drink to have fun in that situation, there's something the matter with you. I believe you can tell a lot about a person just from the kind of people he or she associates with. And I'm fortunate and grateful that my best friends are not only good players, but good people.

I hate alcohol, I hate drugs, I hate cigarettes, and I hate ungrateful, bad people. I hope to become a police officer to remove some of these things from the parts of the world that surround me.

What made you look into becoming a police officer?
My friend, Matt Moss, bet me $20 I wouldn't shoot more than five people in the next two years. And I'll be damned if I lose a bet to Matt Moss. (Editor's note: He's just kidding.)

Have you played Magic or Yu-Gi-Oh?
I've played Magic, but didn't enjoy it nearly as much as Pokemon. There is much more skill in Pokemon. (Although no Magic player seems to want to believe that.) Additionally, you meet better people in Pokemon. Pokemon is the most skillful game, the most fun game, has the coolest player base, and makes for the best card game in the world.

I've heard of some evil players in the aforementioned TCGs, but not much of any in Pokemon.
I sure have met a lot more mean people in Magic than Pokemon. Not everyone in Magic is like that, but I can tell you if you're looking for a game to meet new friends in, Pokemon is the way to go.

I wonder why...
How can you be mean or bitter when you're looking at something like a Pikachu? Pokemon's great. You take the strategy of something like chess, the excitement of a sporting event, and add just enough luck to make it unpredictable, but not too much to take away a skillful player's advantage, and you end up with the most fun game in the world.