So I went to BR's with Houndoom (List at the bottom), yadda yadda yadda report you don't want to read about my train trip or how I woke up.
ROUND 1: Slowdoom vs. Inspector Gadget (Luxray AR)
Game 1 I started with Sableye, Houndour and Slowpoke. Turn 2 I had Houndoom Dark Roaring, Slowking messing with his deck and he pretty much never got a field.
Game 2 I started with duo Slowpoke...I did a Rambunctious (WTH does that even mean?) Party, got Sableye and Houndour out of the deal, SSU'd my Sableye and started setting up, he proceeded to KO a Sableye with Luxio's Kick, then Houndoom with Discharge...but then Houndoom Nr. 2 took over and he never got anything else on the field.
1-0
Round 2: Slowdoom vs. Smearglock (Smeargle + Chenlock)
Game 1 I had the Sableye start and Impersonated to get me some setup. He Portraitted a Collector, got Sableye, Crobat and Unown Q and ofcourse had the ONE Sp. Dark he plays...
Game 2 I had to start with a lone Uxie and kept whiffing on energy, once I finally got rolling it was like Dragon Rush Slowking, Jet Shoot Houndoom 1, Poison Revenge Houndoom 2...never really a game.
1-1
Round 3: Slowdoom vs. Rolling With Scissors (Donphan/Scizor)
Game 1 I had a Sableye to her Spiritomb, she set up a Scizor and a Donphan but I in the meantime had a good setup as well and Overconfidented the Spiritomb to an early grave. She KO'd Sableye with Scizor, but then I had Houndoom, Rocket Handiwork and Slowking working their magic and she never was able to charge a Donphan, so Houndoom could rip straight through her field.
Game 2 I had to start Slowpoke, attached to it and Rambunctious Party'd for the Sableye. She had Tomb again, did her thing...I collector'd for Unown Q, Houndour and Uxie, got Sableye out again and put on early pressure with Overconfidence and the rest of the game was a rinse-and-repeat from Game 1.
2-1
Round 4: Slowdoom vs. Blast-A-Gatr (Blastoise/Feraligatr)
Game 1: I had a relatively good start but kind of whiffed on energy early on, she didn't get to her Blastoise however and had to go Gatr-Aggro. I got Houndoom out and attacked Gatr, Gatr retaliated, I retreated for Houndoom 2 and KO'd the Gatr, she did get a Blastoise out and went for Slowking, who was immediately back courtesy of Communication, and once I KO'd Blastoise it went downhill for her fast.
Game 2 she started Tomb to my Sableye, I tried applying early pressure again but was 10 damage short, she retreated and started hitting stuff, I had to fight back cautiously avoiding any KO's once I had Slowking out again which worked well, I had a 4-3 prize lead once time got called, the remaining turns I managed to take another prize, she never got enough to force a sudden death.
3-1
Round 5: Slowdoom vs. Allergic Ghost (VileGar)
Both games were pretty much carbon copies, he set up behind Tomb, I got a Doom out and KO'd his first Gengar, avoiding the Fainting Spell, he never got out a second Gengar and I pretty much steamrolled him using nothing but Darkness Roar. He did get a Plume out in Game 2 as opposed to Game 1 but without a Gengar that doesn't work too well.
4-1
Round 6: Slowdoom vs. Cheapy McSacky (Machamp)
Game 1: He took the expected early lead, KO'ing Sableye and the first Houndoom with whom I Fire Counterattacked, I Uxie KO'd him, he Took Out the Slowpoke I offered him, I Counterattacked, he whiffed on the Hurricane Punch, from that point on I got the lock in place and he never got out anything else.
Game 2: Slowpoke start vs. T1 Machamp. Within no time he had 2 Machamps out, I had 3 Houndooms in my opening hand, that didn't really help either.
Game 3: I had a Sableye start to his Uxie. I went to setup, he showed me his hand...Candy, Machamp, Warp Point, Pokedrawer+, Pokedrawer+. Cheap.
4-2
So after only losing to Donks/Horrid starts and every game where I got somewhat of a setup ending in a win, I am confident in the strengths of Houndoom. I ended 7th out of 35, got a trash pack (Hey, its UD, what do you expect) but had a general good time. Shame it had to end in a lamechamp donk.
List:
1 LA Houndoom
3 UD Houndoom
4 UD Houndour
4 SF Sableye
2 HS Slowking
2 UD Slowpoke
1 LA Uxie X
2 LA Uxie
1 MD Unown Q
4 Rockets Trickery
3 Cyrus Initiative
3 Pokemon Collector
3 Bebes Search
2 Palmers Contribution
4 Super Scoop Up
3 Pokemon Communication
3 Expert Belt
1 Luxury Ball
1 VS Seeker
2 Broken TimeSpace
7 Basic Darkness Energy
4 Special Darkness Energy
Deck Weaknesses:
Fighting decks are an issue
Dont ever let anyone set up a search engine that nets them more cards a turn - it'll foil a lot of topdecks you can ruin with Slowking
Slowpoke is a horrid, horrid starter.
Strengths:
It can totally shut down ANY deck, as proven in the Macheap match that actually was a fair game
If it disrupts a Cyrus chain, then SP can forget about it too
Reasonable attacking strength
Can allow itself to get far behind, it is the master of comebacks.
ROUND 1: Slowdoom vs. Inspector Gadget (Luxray AR)
Game 1 I started with Sableye, Houndour and Slowpoke. Turn 2 I had Houndoom Dark Roaring, Slowking messing with his deck and he pretty much never got a field.
Game 2 I started with duo Slowpoke...I did a Rambunctious (WTH does that even mean?) Party, got Sableye and Houndour out of the deal, SSU'd my Sableye and started setting up, he proceeded to KO a Sableye with Luxio's Kick, then Houndoom with Discharge...but then Houndoom Nr. 2 took over and he never got anything else on the field.
1-0
Round 2: Slowdoom vs. Smearglock (Smeargle + Chenlock)
Game 1 I had the Sableye start and Impersonated to get me some setup. He Portraitted a Collector, got Sableye, Crobat and Unown Q and ofcourse had the ONE Sp. Dark he plays...
Game 2 I had to start with a lone Uxie and kept whiffing on energy, once I finally got rolling it was like Dragon Rush Slowking, Jet Shoot Houndoom 1, Poison Revenge Houndoom 2...never really a game.
1-1
Round 3: Slowdoom vs. Rolling With Scissors (Donphan/Scizor)
Game 1 I had a Sableye to her Spiritomb, she set up a Scizor and a Donphan but I in the meantime had a good setup as well and Overconfidented the Spiritomb to an early grave. She KO'd Sableye with Scizor, but then I had Houndoom, Rocket Handiwork and Slowking working their magic and she never was able to charge a Donphan, so Houndoom could rip straight through her field.
Game 2 I had to start Slowpoke, attached to it and Rambunctious Party'd for the Sableye. She had Tomb again, did her thing...I collector'd for Unown Q, Houndour and Uxie, got Sableye out again and put on early pressure with Overconfidence and the rest of the game was a rinse-and-repeat from Game 1.
2-1
Round 4: Slowdoom vs. Blast-A-Gatr (Blastoise/Feraligatr)
Game 1: I had a relatively good start but kind of whiffed on energy early on, she didn't get to her Blastoise however and had to go Gatr-Aggro. I got Houndoom out and attacked Gatr, Gatr retaliated, I retreated for Houndoom 2 and KO'd the Gatr, she did get a Blastoise out and went for Slowking, who was immediately back courtesy of Communication, and once I KO'd Blastoise it went downhill for her fast.
Game 2 she started Tomb to my Sableye, I tried applying early pressure again but was 10 damage short, she retreated and started hitting stuff, I had to fight back cautiously avoiding any KO's once I had Slowking out again which worked well, I had a 4-3 prize lead once time got called, the remaining turns I managed to take another prize, she never got enough to force a sudden death.
3-1
Round 5: Slowdoom vs. Allergic Ghost (VileGar)
Both games were pretty much carbon copies, he set up behind Tomb, I got a Doom out and KO'd his first Gengar, avoiding the Fainting Spell, he never got out a second Gengar and I pretty much steamrolled him using nothing but Darkness Roar. He did get a Plume out in Game 2 as opposed to Game 1 but without a Gengar that doesn't work too well.
4-1
Round 6: Slowdoom vs. Cheapy McSacky (Machamp)
Game 1: He took the expected early lead, KO'ing Sableye and the first Houndoom with whom I Fire Counterattacked, I Uxie KO'd him, he Took Out the Slowpoke I offered him, I Counterattacked, he whiffed on the Hurricane Punch, from that point on I got the lock in place and he never got out anything else.
Game 2: Slowpoke start vs. T1 Machamp. Within no time he had 2 Machamps out, I had 3 Houndooms in my opening hand, that didn't really help either.
Game 3: I had a Sableye start to his Uxie. I went to setup, he showed me his hand...Candy, Machamp, Warp Point, Pokedrawer+, Pokedrawer+. Cheap.
4-2
So after only losing to Donks/Horrid starts and every game where I got somewhat of a setup ending in a win, I am confident in the strengths of Houndoom. I ended 7th out of 35, got a trash pack (Hey, its UD, what do you expect) but had a general good time. Shame it had to end in a lamechamp donk.
List:
1 LA Houndoom
3 UD Houndoom
4 UD Houndour
4 SF Sableye
2 HS Slowking
2 UD Slowpoke
1 LA Uxie X
2 LA Uxie
1 MD Unown Q
4 Rockets Trickery
3 Cyrus Initiative
3 Pokemon Collector
3 Bebes Search
2 Palmers Contribution
4 Super Scoop Up
3 Pokemon Communication
3 Expert Belt
1 Luxury Ball
1 VS Seeker
2 Broken TimeSpace
7 Basic Darkness Energy
4 Special Darkness Energy
Deck Weaknesses:
Fighting decks are an issue
Dont ever let anyone set up a search engine that nets them more cards a turn - it'll foil a lot of topdecks you can ruin with Slowking
Slowpoke is a horrid, horrid starter.
Strengths:
It can totally shut down ANY deck, as proven in the Macheap match that actually was a fair game
If it disrupts a Cyrus chain, then SP can forget about it too
Reasonable attacking strength
Can allow itself to get far behind, it is the master of comebacks.
