So I went to a League Cup yesterday and played my Buzzwole-GX/Lycanroc-GX deck that did very well at last week's ARG tournament. The only change I made to the list was swapping Zygarde-EX for a Sudowoodo. I like the versatility of Watch and Learn, and I felt that it would be helpful against decks like Gardevoir-GX and Tapu Bulu-GX, being able to return KOs and only give up one Prize.
Overall, my day did not go as well as I had hoped, but it didn't necessarily go bad either. I'll list my matchups and deck list below, as well as go over my games.
Round 1: Buzzwole-GX/Lycanroc-GX (Lost)
Round 2: Shining Genesect/Venusaur (Tied)
Round 3: Tapu Bulu-GX/Vikavolt (Won)
Round 4: Shining Genesect/Vensuaur (Won)
Round 5: Shining Genesect/Venusaur (Lost)
So as you can see from my first two rounds, my day didn't start off well. My first opponent was able to set up faster than me both games. I almost came back after a big Dangerous Rogue GX in the first game, but he was already ahead on prizes and hitting his Max Elixirs while I struggled with mine. He also tech'd in a copy of Mr. Mime for the mirror match which came in handy for him during the first game.
During the second round, I went up against my first Shining Genesect/Venusaur deck, which let me tell you, is not the easiest matchup for my deck. Having to use Knuckle Impact to take out multiple one-prize attackers is rough, and my list also doesn't run any Field Blowers so Wishful Baton made me pay. It was definitely a very grind-y match and during Game 3 time was called so we tied. If the game would've finished I think my opponent would've won because his set up was insane, so in this instance time was in my favor.
During my match against Tapu Bulu-GX, I focused on taking out her Grubbins. Between Guzma and Bloodthirsty Eyes, I was able to disrupt my opponent enough to the point where she never was able to get both a Tapu Bulu-GX and Vikavolt consistently set up.
Round 4 was another grinding match, but I did win 2-0. From what I remember, my opponent struggled a bit to get Venusaur set up, but was able to stay in the game because I was only taking one Prize at a time. I was able to take a big KO against his Lurantis-GX during the second game which tilted the game in my favor. On my game-winning turn, I played my hand down and used Abyssal Hand to draw into the Guzma I needed to drag up his Tapu Lele-GX for my last two Prizes.
Round 5 was one of the most intense matches I've ever played in a tournament setting. Both my opponent and I were in a position where we had to win this Round to make Top 8, and guess what he was playing... another Shining Genesect deck. I think there were three players total who brought Shining Gensect to the tournament and I got paired against all three. My opponent had a very strong start in the first game and due to nerves, I made a couple misplays early game that came back to haunt me. I was able to grind my way back into the game, but my early game missteps were too much to overcome. During the second match, I had one of the best starts I had all day and my opponent scooped early after he noticed that both his Bulbasaur were prized. It all came down to Game 3, and my deck bricked hard. My hand consisted of nothing but Energy and a Max Elixir with no draw Supporters, while my opponent gets a Turn 2 Venusaur and hits his Max Elixirs.
To be honest, I felt really down after my last match. My deck struggled with consistency all day and I'm at a point right now where my confidence in the deck is shaken. I think Buzzwole-GX/Lycanroc-GX is still a very strong deck, but if I'm going to continue to play it I have to find a way to fix it's consistency issues, mainly with being so reliant on Max Elixir.
While I just barely missed Top Cut, I will say that it was a great learning experience for me. This was only my third League Cup, and I haven't attended anything bigger yet, so I know my tournament experience is lacking at the moment, and instead of feeling down I should take my experience and apply it to my next tournament. I want to thank you for reading this! If you have any advice for me I'd love to hear it.
****** Pokémon Trading Card Game Deck List ******
##Pokémon - 15
* 3 Buzzwole-GX CIN 104
* 2 Rockruff PR-SM SM06
* 2 Lycanroc-GX GRI 138
* 1 Sudowoodo BKP 67
* 1 Regirock-EX FCO 43
* 2 Tapu Lele-GX GRI 137
* 2 Remoraid BKT 32
* 2 Octillery BKT 33
##Trainer Cards - 32
* 4 Professor Sycamore STS 114
* 4 N NVI 92
* 4 Guzma BUS 143
* 4 Ultra Ball SUM 135
* 4 Max Elixir BKP 102
* 1 Rescue Stretcher GRI 130
* 1 Multi Switch BUS 164
* 3 Choice Band GRI 121
* 3 Float Stone BKT 137
* 3 Brooklet Hill GRI 120
* 1 Parallel City BKT 145
##Energy - 13
* 4 Strong Energy FCO 115
* 9 Fighting Energy 6
Total Cards - 60
****** Deck List Generated by the Pokémon TCG Online www.pokemon.com/TCGO ******
Overall, my day did not go as well as I had hoped, but it didn't necessarily go bad either. I'll list my matchups and deck list below, as well as go over my games.
Round 1: Buzzwole-GX/Lycanroc-GX (Lost)
Round 2: Shining Genesect/Venusaur (Tied)
Round 3: Tapu Bulu-GX/Vikavolt (Won)
Round 4: Shining Genesect/Vensuaur (Won)
Round 5: Shining Genesect/Venusaur (Lost)
So as you can see from my first two rounds, my day didn't start off well. My first opponent was able to set up faster than me both games. I almost came back after a big Dangerous Rogue GX in the first game, but he was already ahead on prizes and hitting his Max Elixirs while I struggled with mine. He also tech'd in a copy of Mr. Mime for the mirror match which came in handy for him during the first game.
During the second round, I went up against my first Shining Genesect/Venusaur deck, which let me tell you, is not the easiest matchup for my deck. Having to use Knuckle Impact to take out multiple one-prize attackers is rough, and my list also doesn't run any Field Blowers so Wishful Baton made me pay. It was definitely a very grind-y match and during Game 3 time was called so we tied. If the game would've finished I think my opponent would've won because his set up was insane, so in this instance time was in my favor.
During my match against Tapu Bulu-GX, I focused on taking out her Grubbins. Between Guzma and Bloodthirsty Eyes, I was able to disrupt my opponent enough to the point where she never was able to get both a Tapu Bulu-GX and Vikavolt consistently set up.
Round 4 was another grinding match, but I did win 2-0. From what I remember, my opponent struggled a bit to get Venusaur set up, but was able to stay in the game because I was only taking one Prize at a time. I was able to take a big KO against his Lurantis-GX during the second game which tilted the game in my favor. On my game-winning turn, I played my hand down and used Abyssal Hand to draw into the Guzma I needed to drag up his Tapu Lele-GX for my last two Prizes.
Round 5 was one of the most intense matches I've ever played in a tournament setting. Both my opponent and I were in a position where we had to win this Round to make Top 8, and guess what he was playing... another Shining Genesect deck. I think there were three players total who brought Shining Gensect to the tournament and I got paired against all three. My opponent had a very strong start in the first game and due to nerves, I made a couple misplays early game that came back to haunt me. I was able to grind my way back into the game, but my early game missteps were too much to overcome. During the second match, I had one of the best starts I had all day and my opponent scooped early after he noticed that both his Bulbasaur were prized. It all came down to Game 3, and my deck bricked hard. My hand consisted of nothing but Energy and a Max Elixir with no draw Supporters, while my opponent gets a Turn 2 Venusaur and hits his Max Elixirs.
To be honest, I felt really down after my last match. My deck struggled with consistency all day and I'm at a point right now where my confidence in the deck is shaken. I think Buzzwole-GX/Lycanroc-GX is still a very strong deck, but if I'm going to continue to play it I have to find a way to fix it's consistency issues, mainly with being so reliant on Max Elixir.
While I just barely missed Top Cut, I will say that it was a great learning experience for me. This was only my third League Cup, and I haven't attended anything bigger yet, so I know my tournament experience is lacking at the moment, and instead of feeling down I should take my experience and apply it to my next tournament. I want to thank you for reading this! If you have any advice for me I'd love to hear it.
****** Pokémon Trading Card Game Deck List ******
##Pokémon - 15
* 3 Buzzwole-GX CIN 104
* 2 Rockruff PR-SM SM06
* 2 Lycanroc-GX GRI 138
* 1 Sudowoodo BKP 67
* 1 Regirock-EX FCO 43
* 2 Tapu Lele-GX GRI 137
* 2 Remoraid BKT 32
* 2 Octillery BKT 33
##Trainer Cards - 32
* 4 Professor Sycamore STS 114
* 4 N NVI 92
* 4 Guzma BUS 143
* 4 Ultra Ball SUM 135
* 4 Max Elixir BKP 102
* 1 Rescue Stretcher GRI 130
* 1 Multi Switch BUS 164
* 3 Choice Band GRI 121
* 3 Float Stone BKT 137
* 3 Brooklet Hill GRI 120
* 1 Parallel City BKT 145
##Energy - 13
* 4 Strong Energy FCO 115
* 9 Fighting Energy 6
Total Cards - 60
****** Deck List Generated by the Pokémon TCG Online www.pokemon.com/TCGO ******
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