Winners of PokeBeach’s April TCG Cup Crowned: Deck Lists and Interviews!

PokeBeach’s April TCG Cup is over and the winners have been crowned!

The tournament was played in the Standard format, which at the time was XY through BREAKpoint.

Interview with the Champion

Coming in first place is Blaine Hill from North Carolina! He will be walking away with a BREAKpoint booster box from TCGplayer.com. Here’s our interview with him.

Where do you live?

I live in Raleigh, North Carolina.

How well are you performing in Play! Pokemon tournaments this season?

I have approximately ~390 points (not sure, Leaderboards are down on Pokemon.com).

Why did you decide to participate in this tournament?

I decided to play in the tournament for States testing, and found that it did not really help with that, as my opponents did not play typical meta decks.

What deck did you play for the April TCG Cup?

I decided to go with the standard Night March deck, with not very much difference from a typical list.

What was your favorite card in your list?

My favorite card in the list was Teammates. Teammates allowed me to fetch any two after I was Knocked Out, which was a huge factor in the mirror and against Vespiquen / Vileplume (VV). I could Battle Compressor away Teammates, grab it with a VS Seeker, and save it for a time I needed it.

What was your most exciting game?

My most exciting game was a mirror match. In the first game of the series, against Pokedad TCG, I had gone second, and had a slow setup. Both of us had horrible starts, and waiting for each other to strike first. Eventually, I happened to Sky Return with my Shaymin-EX, giving me a one-Prize lead. But unfortunately, he managed to Knock Out one of my Pokemon, and I was stuck. He then managed to use Target Whistle and a Lysandre to get a Knock Out on my Shaymin, and he was up two Prizes. We then traded a couple of turns, and he was about to win if I just Knocked Out his Pokemon. I then had to use a Judge to limit both our hands, and hoping that he did not get a Double Colorless Energy. Fortunately, he whiffed, and I managed to win that game.

What kind of decks did you play against?

I played against a lot of speedy-lock-type decks, Vespiquen / Vileplume, more Night March, and a few others.

Would you make any changes to your deck or list?

I would not actually make any changes to my list, assuming the same format that I intended it for.

What kind of decks give your deck trouble? Which are good matchups?

The only decks that give this deck trouble would be a Jolteon-EX / M Manectric-EX deck with Max Elixir. I actually played this Jolteon deck at VA states, placing 3rd. Other than that deck, I do not think there are any meta decks that are unfavorable for Night March.

How does Fates Collide affect your deck? Is it still viable?

‘Fates Collide’ can only bolster Night March, and I expect it to be nothing short of BDIF. Mew is a basic free retreat Pokemon that has access to the Night March attack and is a Psychic type. This means that it can use Dimension Valley to attack for a single basic Energy, as opposed to Double Colorless Energy. Overall, Night March will definitely be a threat for the 2017 Play! Pokemon series.

Congratulations, Blaine!

Here is the deck list Blaine used to win the tournament:

Other Top Finishers

Coming in 2nd, 3rd and 4th places were Josh Frink (PikaJew1213), Joe Bernard (APokemonTrader) and Herrn Aram Nikola Kellner (Royal). All three won a bunch of BREAKpoint booster packs. Their deck lists can be seen here:

Josh Frink

Joe Bernard

Herrn Aram Nikola Kellner

The top finishers also earned Prize Wall points on TCGplayer.com, which allows them to exchange their points for even more products like booster packs and promo boxes.

Everyone in the Top 32 of PokeBeach’s monthly tournaments will also receive Prize Wall points via e-mail. Be sure to check your inboxes!

Creative Deck Winners

As part of the tournament, PokeBeach’s article writers voted for the premium members whom they felt used the most creative deck lists.

ironcladmerc, Stefen Brink, jbcheshire, Miraclepenguin, and urwatueatandi8arceus each walked away with several BREAKpoint booster packs or a specially-selected Pokemon promo product from TCGplayer.com. The decks we saw these players use include Gallade / Octillery, Seismitoad-EX / Giratina-EX, Darkrai-EX / Hypno, Night March / Vespiquen, and Yveltal / Zoroark / Gallade.

For every tournament, the five premium members who come up with the most creative decks will win booster packs and promo products.

Want to Become a Premium Member?

June’s tournament will be posted on June 1st, and May’s tournament is currently underway. Each tournament awards up to four booster boxes of product to top finishers plus promo products and additional booster packs to premium members.

If you’re interested in becoming a premium member, be sure to check out this link. All premium members get reserved slots in the tournaments, double the amount of booster pack wins, double the amount of Prize Wall points, a chance to win even more product for using creative decks, and of course all the other benefits that go along with having a premium membership, including weekly articles from the game’s top players and deck help from said players. A premium membership here is extremely diverse!

Thanks, TCGplayer!

All of these prizes are brought to you by TCGplayer.com. Their online store offers the cheapest Pokemon cards on the Internet from thousands of different sellers — you will find no better deals! So be sure to check them out any time you want to purchase or sell Pokemon cards!

In the future, you can always use our navigation menu to access their store.

(Note: The Pokémon Company International is not a sponsor or endorser of PokeBeach’s tournaments, contests, or prizes, nor does the company or its affiliates have any formal association with PokeBeach. Our activities are by fans, for fans, and are not sanctioned or approved by TPCi.)