Welp, I'm bored, so let's start a season recap. If nothing else so that I can keep track of what I've played over the season and hopefully remember my mistakes.
Not going to spend a terrible amount of time recapping, because pre-releases are super casual and the results don't matter.
Round 1: vs. Gyarados/Random Stuff
I mulligan six times before calling a Judge to put my starting Pokemon in play. Because a Judge had to help me to get set up, I automatically lose the coin flip which I had already lost anyways. Besides, I'm so used to going second online that I build my decks around it, so big loss. Turn 1 I attach and use Thunder Rod, flipping 3 energy. His Magikarps don't last very long after that.
1-0
Round 2: vs. Big Basics
I mulligan five times before calling a Judge. My opponent starts with a Registeel active, and a Virizion and Lugia EX on the bench. His high HP Pokemon are able to weather my attacks, even though he never puts Lugia EX active. I ask my opponent why he didn't finish it sooner with Lugia and he said that he forgot that Sparkling Tail ignores weakness.
1-1
Round 3: vs. Machamp EX/Ariados
My opponent was standing next to me during deck construction, so we know what the other is playing. He French cuts (which always peeves me), but says that he hopes he helped me get my sole Pokemon in my starting hand. Sure enough, I don't have to mulligan this round. He attempts to Paralyze Ampharos to stall for his Machamp EX but fails the coin flip and concedes.
2-1
Props:
~ Deciding at the last moment to remove everything except Ampharos EX
~ Relaxed opponents
~ Judges with a good humor about my "bad" deck construction
Slops:
~ Crappy pulls
~ Forgetting that Ace Trainer runs counter to strategy
~ So many mulligans
I originally wanted to draft, since this is probably the only time that I'll buy any Ancient Origins packs, and my pulls from the Pre-release were lackluster. However, nobody else signed up, so I decided to instead play in the free Expanded League Challenge. Unfortunately most of my decks are in shambles in preparation for a janky format at the end of the month. Fairies was the most complete, so I moved some cards around and decided to play that.
Round 1: vs. Raichu/'Bats
My starting hand is lackluster, but I still manage to get out a Xerneas, a Spritzee, and a Regirock. After turn 2 my opponent is still struggling to get a Raichu into play. I try to use my Dowsing Machine to pull an Aromatisse out of the discard, and my opponent reminds me that it only works on Trainers. So instead I opt to pull and play an N, and still miss the Aromatisse. Turn 3 my opponent manages to get a Raichu in play and Lysandres my Spritzee to an early grave. I manage to get two more Spritzees onto the bench, as well as a Gardevoir EX, and keep powering up, hoping that I my energy acceleration will outpace his damage potential. One Spritzee falls to Bat damage. I finally get an Aromatisse in play, move all my excess energy on Regirock, and Mega Evolve without a Spirit Link. I manage to keep Sky Field off the field, and KO another Raichu before M Gardevoir EX falls. My opponent recycles everything with a Sacred Ash, Lysandres up my last Aromatisse, and my deck falls flat as all of my energy is either stuck on Regirock or in the discard.
0-1
Round 2: vs. Night March
The only basic Pokemon that I see after my opening hand and an N is a Spritzee. My opponent starts with a Joltik, and discards three Night Marchers with Battle Compressor. I ask if she has the DCE in hand. She smiles and nods.
0-2
First game only lasted about two minutes, so we played out a second one. My opponent keeps falling short of KOing my odd-HP'd Faries. My deck again stalls in the mid/late game and I lose, but this was at least a competitive match.
Round 3: vs. Virizion/Genesect
[aside: I hate Virizion/Genesect, not necessarily because of the deck itself, but because it has been competitive for WAY too long, and I think that's indicative of allot of issues with the game ATM.]
I start with a Gardevoir EX in play. Manage to get a Spritzee and Xerneas on the bench, but with no way to switch, I'm stuck doing pitiful damage while watching him power up a Genesect EX on the bench. Gardevoir EX falls to a G Booster, and everything else falls to Megalo Cannons. After about 10 minutes I've had enough and scoop.
Final Record: 0-3
Closing thoughts:
There were only six Masters players in the event, and as the other two decks were Speed M Rayquaza and a Fighting variant, I don't think that my day would have been much better against those matchups. I had a feeling that Fairies was too slow for the current metagame, and the reliance on energy makes it a high-risk play as opposed to other variable damage decks, but it was all that I really had. *shrug*
Props:
~ Relaxed event
~ Refund for the draft that never happened
~ Store, which is always clean and well organized
~ Free entry for participating in the Pre-Release
~ Relaxed opponents (mostly)
~ Getting in an extra game
~ Catching up with an old friend who stopped by to drop off Gencon merch
Slops:
~ Awful starting hands
~ Avoidable misplays Round 1. Thanks tunnel-vision.
~ T1 loss
~ Warmachine players giving me justifiable grief for switching game systems
~ Round 3 opponent. I really don't have the patience to deal with mouthy teenagers with a bad attitude.
Ancient Origins Pre-Release
- Ampharos EX
- 2 Hex Maniac
- Ace Trainer
- Lysandre
- Energy Recycler
- 34 Lightning Energy
Not going to spend a terrible amount of time recapping, because pre-releases are super casual and the results don't matter.
Round 1: vs. Gyarados/Random Stuff
I mulligan six times before calling a Judge to put my starting Pokemon in play. Because a Judge had to help me to get set up, I automatically lose the coin flip which I had already lost anyways. Besides, I'm so used to going second online that I build my decks around it, so big loss. Turn 1 I attach and use Thunder Rod, flipping 3 energy. His Magikarps don't last very long after that.
1-0
Round 2: vs. Big Basics
I mulligan five times before calling a Judge. My opponent starts with a Registeel active, and a Virizion and Lugia EX on the bench. His high HP Pokemon are able to weather my attacks, even though he never puts Lugia EX active. I ask my opponent why he didn't finish it sooner with Lugia and he said that he forgot that Sparkling Tail ignores weakness.
1-1
Round 3: vs. Machamp EX/Ariados
My opponent was standing next to me during deck construction, so we know what the other is playing. He French cuts (which always peeves me), but says that he hopes he helped me get my sole Pokemon in my starting hand. Sure enough, I don't have to mulligan this round. He attempts to Paralyze Ampharos to stall for his Machamp EX but fails the coin flip and concedes.
2-1
Props:
~ Deciding at the last moment to remove everything except Ampharos EX
~ Relaxed opponents
~ Judges with a good humor about my "bad" deck construction
Slops:
~ Crappy pulls
~ Forgetting that Ace Trainer runs counter to strategy
~ So many mulligans
Pre-Release League Challenge
- 3 Spritzee
- 3 Aromatisse
- 3 Xerneas
- 2 Gardevoir EX
- 2 M Gardevoir EX
- 2 Regirock
- Shaymin EX
- 4 Professor Sycamore
- 4 N
- Lysandre
- 3 Pokemon Fan Club
- Dowsing Machine
- 3 Max Potion
- 3 Mega Turbo
- 3 VS Seeker
- 3 Ultra Ball
- 2 Gardevoir Spirit Link
- Exp. Share
- 4 Fairy Garden
- 12 Fairy Energy
I originally wanted to draft, since this is probably the only time that I'll buy any Ancient Origins packs, and my pulls from the Pre-release were lackluster. However, nobody else signed up, so I decided to instead play in the free Expanded League Challenge. Unfortunately most of my decks are in shambles in preparation for a janky format at the end of the month. Fairies was the most complete, so I moved some cards around and decided to play that.
Round 1: vs. Raichu/'Bats
My starting hand is lackluster, but I still manage to get out a Xerneas, a Spritzee, and a Regirock. After turn 2 my opponent is still struggling to get a Raichu into play. I try to use my Dowsing Machine to pull an Aromatisse out of the discard, and my opponent reminds me that it only works on Trainers. So instead I opt to pull and play an N, and still miss the Aromatisse. Turn 3 my opponent manages to get a Raichu in play and Lysandres my Spritzee to an early grave. I manage to get two more Spritzees onto the bench, as well as a Gardevoir EX, and keep powering up, hoping that I my energy acceleration will outpace his damage potential. One Spritzee falls to Bat damage. I finally get an Aromatisse in play, move all my excess energy on Regirock, and Mega Evolve without a Spirit Link. I manage to keep Sky Field off the field, and KO another Raichu before M Gardevoir EX falls. My opponent recycles everything with a Sacred Ash, Lysandres up my last Aromatisse, and my deck falls flat as all of my energy is either stuck on Regirock or in the discard.
0-1
Round 2: vs. Night March
The only basic Pokemon that I see after my opening hand and an N is a Spritzee. My opponent starts with a Joltik, and discards three Night Marchers with Battle Compressor. I ask if she has the DCE in hand. She smiles and nods.
0-2
First game only lasted about two minutes, so we played out a second one. My opponent keeps falling short of KOing my odd-HP'd Faries. My deck again stalls in the mid/late game and I lose, but this was at least a competitive match.
Round 3: vs. Virizion/Genesect
[aside: I hate Virizion/Genesect, not necessarily because of the deck itself, but because it has been competitive for WAY too long, and I think that's indicative of allot of issues with the game ATM.]
I start with a Gardevoir EX in play. Manage to get a Spritzee and Xerneas on the bench, but with no way to switch, I'm stuck doing pitiful damage while watching him power up a Genesect EX on the bench. Gardevoir EX falls to a G Booster, and everything else falls to Megalo Cannons. After about 10 minutes I've had enough and scoop.
Final Record: 0-3
Closing thoughts:
There were only six Masters players in the event, and as the other two decks were Speed M Rayquaza and a Fighting variant, I don't think that my day would have been much better against those matchups. I had a feeling that Fairies was too slow for the current metagame, and the reliance on energy makes it a high-risk play as opposed to other variable damage decks, but it was all that I really had. *shrug*
Props:
~ Relaxed event
~ Refund for the draft that never happened
~ Store, which is always clean and well organized
~ Free entry for participating in the Pre-Release
~ Relaxed opponents (mostly)
~ Getting in an extra game
~ Catching up with an old friend who stopped by to drop off Gencon merch
Slops:
~ Awful starting hands
~ Avoidable misplays Round 1. Thanks tunnel-vision.
~ T1 loss
~ Warmachine players giving me justifiable grief for switching game systems
~ Round 3 opponent. I really don't have the patience to deal with mouthy teenagers with a bad attitude.
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