Hey everyone! I’m not sure how many people will end up following this thread, but I’m here to chronicle my quest to get an invite to Worlds 2018 in Nashville, Tennessee. You could call this a diary, of sorts, but I also plan to include what deck I played, as well as what I played against. This is partially for the sake of posterity, and partially to keep a track record of my progress as a player.
This entry will have two tournaments, but most entries will be a single tournament.
This was the last tournament I had access to during the previous season’s Standard rotation. I went into this tournament with about 4 hours of sleep, as I worked the night before. I was working on a variation of Naoto Suzuki’s Worlds 2017 Runner-up Golisopod-GX/Garbodor deck, but since this was the old Standard, I decided to use Rainbow Road, one of my all-time favourite decks, one last time. Since the tournament took play at my Local Game Store, where my League is hosted, I followed my normal routine of getting to the store, going to McDonald’s to get coffee, and chatting with store employees.
This was a small League Challenge, with only 8 people registered, which isn’t unusual, as we’re a relatively small League. Three rounds of Best of 3 Swiss, which is standard at this League.
First round was against Typhlosion. Overall, it’s an amusing deck, but I’ve never considered it to be much of a threat, especially against my Rainbow Road build. In Game 1, my opponent managed to knock out one of my Xerneas, but I cleared his board before he could get a second Typhlosion up. Game 2 was extremely easy. I cleared his board before he even had the chance to set one Typhlosion up.
1-0
Second round was against Gardevoir-GX. It was similar to Diego Cassiraga’s Worlds 2017 First Place list, but I do believe that my opponent had done minor tweaking to fit the local meta. Game 1 was quite close, and I greatly enjoyed it. In the end, I came ahead, and won the first game. Game 2 was, unfortunately, almost a non-existent game. My opponent had a Kirlia, while I had a full Bench with a powered up Xerneas ready to go. I would have preferred another game like Game 1, but hey, I’ll take the win.
2-0
Third and final round was against another Gardevoir-GX build. My opponent was my main testing partner, so we both knew each other’s decks quite well. The rounds were 40 minutes long, and our Game 1 took 32 of the 40 minutes. It was ridiculously long, which is at least partially because of how well we knew each other’s decks, I believe. It was a super close game, too, and we both struggled. It was probably the most entertaining game I played all day, too. We asked the Judge how much time we had left, and he told us that we had eight minutes left. We both had that “Oh crap” look on our faces, and then shuffled and dealt out opening hands pretty quickly. The entire game was in Fast-Forward, both of us playing much faster than usual. Once time was called, we both relaxed, and starting thinking things through more carefully. I was Turn 0, and on Turns 1 and 3, my friend managed to get a knock-out, which lead him to winning Game 2 on Turn 3 of Time. That was close. It ended up coming down to tie-breakers, so we were both a bit tense and worried. The Judge announced that I won, and my whole body released all of the tension, and I slid down in my chair.
2-0-1 for First Place.
When I went to work later that night, I dismantled Rainbow Road. I played the deck for about 10 months, so I had quite a history with it. It was a bit bittersweet.
As for prizes, I won a pack, some promos, and a sealed pack of Heart Gold & Soul Silver Call of Legends Play! Pokémon Promo Energy, and added 15 points to my total Championship Point total, giving me 25 out of the 400 needed.
25/400
My international debut! I had… Very little sleep prior to this tournament. I worked Friday night, 11pm til 7am, my mom came to town to visit around noon, and I didn’t get to sleep until about 530pm. I woke up at 8pm to get ready for work and the trip to the tournament, went to work for 11pm, worked til 7am, and then left for Maine. After the tournament, we left, drove the four hours home, and then I immediately went to work for another overnight shift. Between Friday night when I woke up, and Monday morning at the end of my shift, I had about two and a half hours of sleep. In retrospect, I feel like I may have done better with a bit more sleep, but everything about this Cup was last minute for me. Even the last piece of my deck was last minute. Thankfully, I managed to find a second Tapu Lele-GX to borrow on the car ride there. I drank a lot of coffee in that period of time. Probably too much, but that’s neither here nor there.
This League Cup was 5 rounds of Best of 1 Swiss, a new experience for me, plus a top cut with 3 rounds of Best of 3 Elimination.
First round was against Vikavolt/Tapu Bulu-GX. Right away I knew that I was playing against a whole new type of opponent. I was talking to him later, and he confirmed my suspicion: he had been at Worlds 2017. Overall, the game was far from one-sided, but I did lose eventually. It was a lot of fun, and a great learning experience, too. I ended up using all four of my copies of N, and two Professor Sycamore. That was certainly something.
0-1
Second round was against Greninja. I wasn’t expecting to see any Greninja decks, in all honesty. It was a ridiculously short game. I went first, and opened with a Trubbish in the Active and a Wimpod on Bench, and my opponent opened with a Talonflame. I attached a Grass Energy to Wimpod, and a Float Stone to Trubbish, and passed my turn. He attached a Water Energy and then used Aero Blitz, passing the turn. I don’t know Greninja well, but I can tell that this wasn’t his ideal Turn 1. I drew for turn, and got an Ultra Ball. My hand at this point was 2x Golisopod-GX, Professor Sycamore, Guzma, and Ultra Ball. I used Ultra Ball, discarding a Golisopod-GX and the Guzma, to get a Garbotoxin Garbodor, which I then used to evolve the Trubbish. I then evolved my Wimpod, and played my Professor Sycamore. I don’t recall the hand, other than a Double Colorless Energy; the rest was inconsequential. I attached the DCE, retreated the Garbodor, promoting Golisopod-GX, and used Crossing Cut-GX for game.
1-1
Third round was a mirror match! I was actually hoping that I would encounter a mirror match, because I wanted to experience it. My opening was less than stellar, and I ended up falling behind, and was unable to catch up. It was a bit annoying, but overall it was a good experience. My opponent was really nice, and it turns out that he works in the same field as I do, so we had plenty to talk about after the game.
1-2
Fourth round was against Quad Sylveon. This game was a terrible grind. My opponent was pleasant, which made an otherwise aggravating deck somewhat tolerable to play against. I was extremely close to winning, but then a lucky heads got rid of my last Energy on board via Crushing Hammer. I used an Ultra Ball to confirm my worst fear - my last Rainbow Energy was Prized. Instead of dragging it out, I conceded, and explained that I was out of energy. This was by far the most frustrating experience of the entire tournament.
1-3
Fifth round was against what I’ve decided to call Frankenstein’s Deck. It was a mixture of good things that sort of worked together. It had Glaceon-EX, Espeon-EX, and Zoroark BREAK. Tapu Lele-GX got some work in against this deck, due to Glaceon-EX’s Crystal Ray. I ended up winning due to getting Guzma at the perfect time, to bring the Zoroark BREAK out, and then attacking with Armor Press, which hit for exactly how much HP that Zoroark BREAK had left. I more or less had control of the game for the entirety of it, so it wasn’t particularly worrisome.
2-3 for 15 of 21.
No prizes, but I did get to travel to the USA with a couple of friends, made a couple of new friends, and I got a ton of very valuable experience, so overall, it was 100% worth it. I also got to pick up a few cans of Arizona Sweet Tea, which made the trip worth it by itself.
25/400.
My next tournament is a League Cup 16 September 2017, in Presque Isle, Maine. I don’t work the night before, so I’ll actually have some sleep beforehand. Hopefully that helps.
This entry will have two tournaments, but most entries will be a single tournament.
27 August 2017 ~ League Challenge ~ Fredericton, New Brunswick.
This was the last tournament I had access to during the previous season’s Standard rotation. I went into this tournament with about 4 hours of sleep, as I worked the night before. I was working on a variation of Naoto Suzuki’s Worlds 2017 Runner-up Golisopod-GX/Garbodor deck, but since this was the old Standard, I decided to use Rainbow Road, one of my all-time favourite decks, one last time. Since the tournament took play at my Local Game Store, where my League is hosted, I followed my normal routine of getting to the store, going to McDonald’s to get coffee, and chatting with store employees.
This was a small League Challenge, with only 8 people registered, which isn’t unusual, as we’re a relatively small League. Three rounds of Best of 3 Swiss, which is standard at this League.
##Pokémon - 13
* 2 Shaymin-EX
* 1 Umbreon-EX
* 4 Xerneas
* 1 Marshadow-GX
* 1 Jolteon-EX
* 1 Genesect-EX
* 1 Hoopa-EX
* 1 Tapu Lele-GX
* 1 Volcanion-EX
##Trainer Cards - 33
* 3 Choice Band
* 2 N
* 1 Olympia
* 2 Guzma
* 4 Ultra Ball
* 1 Super Rod
* 1 Escape Rope
* 1 Nest Ball
* 4 Max Elixir
* 2 Float Stone
* 1 Karen
* 3 Sky Field
* 4 Professor Sycamore
* 4 VS Seeker
##Energy - 14
* 8 Fairy Energy
* 2 Lightning Energy
* 4 Double Colorless Energy
* 2 Shaymin-EX
* 1 Umbreon-EX
* 4 Xerneas
* 1 Marshadow-GX
* 1 Jolteon-EX
* 1 Genesect-EX
* 1 Hoopa-EX
* 1 Tapu Lele-GX
* 1 Volcanion-EX
##Trainer Cards - 33
* 3 Choice Band
* 2 N
* 1 Olympia
* 2 Guzma
* 4 Ultra Ball
* 1 Super Rod
* 1 Escape Rope
* 1 Nest Ball
* 4 Max Elixir
* 2 Float Stone
* 1 Karen
* 3 Sky Field
* 4 Professor Sycamore
* 4 VS Seeker
##Energy - 14
* 8 Fairy Energy
* 2 Lightning Energy
* 4 Double Colorless Energy
First round was against Typhlosion. Overall, it’s an amusing deck, but I’ve never considered it to be much of a threat, especially against my Rainbow Road build. In Game 1, my opponent managed to knock out one of my Xerneas, but I cleared his board before he could get a second Typhlosion up. Game 2 was extremely easy. I cleared his board before he even had the chance to set one Typhlosion up.
1-0
Second round was against Gardevoir-GX. It was similar to Diego Cassiraga’s Worlds 2017 First Place list, but I do believe that my opponent had done minor tweaking to fit the local meta. Game 1 was quite close, and I greatly enjoyed it. In the end, I came ahead, and won the first game. Game 2 was, unfortunately, almost a non-existent game. My opponent had a Kirlia, while I had a full Bench with a powered up Xerneas ready to go. I would have preferred another game like Game 1, but hey, I’ll take the win.
2-0
Third and final round was against another Gardevoir-GX build. My opponent was my main testing partner, so we both knew each other’s decks quite well. The rounds were 40 minutes long, and our Game 1 took 32 of the 40 minutes. It was ridiculously long, which is at least partially because of how well we knew each other’s decks, I believe. It was a super close game, too, and we both struggled. It was probably the most entertaining game I played all day, too. We asked the Judge how much time we had left, and he told us that we had eight minutes left. We both had that “Oh crap” look on our faces, and then shuffled and dealt out opening hands pretty quickly. The entire game was in Fast-Forward, both of us playing much faster than usual. Once time was called, we both relaxed, and starting thinking things through more carefully. I was Turn 0, and on Turns 1 and 3, my friend managed to get a knock-out, which lead him to winning Game 2 on Turn 3 of Time. That was close. It ended up coming down to tie-breakers, so we were both a bit tense and worried. The Judge announced that I won, and my whole body released all of the tension, and I slid down in my chair.
2-0-1 for First Place.
When I went to work later that night, I dismantled Rainbow Road. I played the deck for about 10 months, so I had quite a history with it. It was a bit bittersweet.
As for prizes, I won a pack, some promos, and a sealed pack of Heart Gold & Soul Silver Call of Legends Play! Pokémon Promo Energy, and added 15 points to my total Championship Point total, giving me 25 out of the 400 needed.
25/400
10 September 2017 ~ League Cup ~ Augusta, Maine
My international debut! I had… Very little sleep prior to this tournament. I worked Friday night, 11pm til 7am, my mom came to town to visit around noon, and I didn’t get to sleep until about 530pm. I woke up at 8pm to get ready for work and the trip to the tournament, went to work for 11pm, worked til 7am, and then left for Maine. After the tournament, we left, drove the four hours home, and then I immediately went to work for another overnight shift. Between Friday night when I woke up, and Monday morning at the end of my shift, I had about two and a half hours of sleep. In retrospect, I feel like I may have done better with a bit more sleep, but everything about this Cup was last minute for me. Even the last piece of my deck was last minute. Thankfully, I managed to find a second Tapu Lele-GX to borrow on the car ride there. I drank a lot of coffee in that period of time. Probably too much, but that’s neither here nor there.
This League Cup was 5 rounds of Best of 1 Swiss, a new experience for me, plus a top cut with 3 rounds of Best of 3 Elimination.
##Pokémon - 18
* 4 Wimpod
* 3 Golisopod-GX
* 1 Tapu Koko
* 2 Tapu Lele-GX
* 4 Trubbish
* 2 Garbodor
* 2 Garbodor
##Trainer Cards - 32
* 4 Professor Sycamore
* 4 N
* 1 Brigette
* 3 Guzma
* 3 Acerola
* 3 Ultra Ball
* 2 Choice Band
* 4 Float Stone
* 1 Field Blower
* 2 Rescue Stretcher
* 2 Heavy Ball
* 2 Switch
* 1 Enhanced Hammer
##Energy - 10
* 4 Rainbow Energy
* 3 Grass Energy
* 3 Double Colorless Energy
* 4 Wimpod
* 3 Golisopod-GX
* 1 Tapu Koko
* 2 Tapu Lele-GX
* 4 Trubbish
* 2 Garbodor
* 2 Garbodor
##Trainer Cards - 32
* 4 Professor Sycamore
* 4 N
* 1 Brigette
* 3 Guzma
* 3 Acerola
* 3 Ultra Ball
* 2 Choice Band
* 4 Float Stone
* 1 Field Blower
* 2 Rescue Stretcher
* 2 Heavy Ball
* 2 Switch
* 1 Enhanced Hammer
##Energy - 10
* 4 Rainbow Energy
* 3 Grass Energy
* 3 Double Colorless Energy
First round was against Vikavolt/Tapu Bulu-GX. Right away I knew that I was playing against a whole new type of opponent. I was talking to him later, and he confirmed my suspicion: he had been at Worlds 2017. Overall, the game was far from one-sided, but I did lose eventually. It was a lot of fun, and a great learning experience, too. I ended up using all four of my copies of N, and two Professor Sycamore. That was certainly something.
0-1
Second round was against Greninja. I wasn’t expecting to see any Greninja decks, in all honesty. It was a ridiculously short game. I went first, and opened with a Trubbish in the Active and a Wimpod on Bench, and my opponent opened with a Talonflame. I attached a Grass Energy to Wimpod, and a Float Stone to Trubbish, and passed my turn. He attached a Water Energy and then used Aero Blitz, passing the turn. I don’t know Greninja well, but I can tell that this wasn’t his ideal Turn 1. I drew for turn, and got an Ultra Ball. My hand at this point was 2x Golisopod-GX, Professor Sycamore, Guzma, and Ultra Ball. I used Ultra Ball, discarding a Golisopod-GX and the Guzma, to get a Garbotoxin Garbodor, which I then used to evolve the Trubbish. I then evolved my Wimpod, and played my Professor Sycamore. I don’t recall the hand, other than a Double Colorless Energy; the rest was inconsequential. I attached the DCE, retreated the Garbodor, promoting Golisopod-GX, and used Crossing Cut-GX for game.
1-1
Third round was a mirror match! I was actually hoping that I would encounter a mirror match, because I wanted to experience it. My opening was less than stellar, and I ended up falling behind, and was unable to catch up. It was a bit annoying, but overall it was a good experience. My opponent was really nice, and it turns out that he works in the same field as I do, so we had plenty to talk about after the game.
1-2
Fourth round was against Quad Sylveon. This game was a terrible grind. My opponent was pleasant, which made an otherwise aggravating deck somewhat tolerable to play against. I was extremely close to winning, but then a lucky heads got rid of my last Energy on board via Crushing Hammer. I used an Ultra Ball to confirm my worst fear - my last Rainbow Energy was Prized. Instead of dragging it out, I conceded, and explained that I was out of energy. This was by far the most frustrating experience of the entire tournament.
1-3
Fifth round was against what I’ve decided to call Frankenstein’s Deck. It was a mixture of good things that sort of worked together. It had Glaceon-EX, Espeon-EX, and Zoroark BREAK. Tapu Lele-GX got some work in against this deck, due to Glaceon-EX’s Crystal Ray. I ended up winning due to getting Guzma at the perfect time, to bring the Zoroark BREAK out, and then attacking with Armor Press, which hit for exactly how much HP that Zoroark BREAK had left. I more or less had control of the game for the entirety of it, so it wasn’t particularly worrisome.
2-3 for 15 of 21.
No prizes, but I did get to travel to the USA with a couple of friends, made a couple of new friends, and I got a ton of very valuable experience, so overall, it was 100% worth it. I also got to pick up a few cans of Arizona Sweet Tea, which made the trip worth it by itself.
25/400.
My next tournament is a League Cup 16 September 2017, in Presque Isle, Maine. I don’t work the night before, so I’ll actually have some sleep beforehand. Hopefully that helps.