Info | By: [member]Zero[/member] | Last Update: 4/30/2012 | Target Audience: Intermediate-Advanced| Word Count: 3,263
Northern California Regionals Report
Intro
Regionals have always been a love-hate situation for me. I either LOVE or HATE them. I have never done okay at Regionals. I either do very well or very poorly at them. This regional championship was a great success. This event, I got the wonderful experience of rooming with my league leader. I would like to give a big shout out to Kery H., my awesome league leader. If any of you want a display of how to be a great leader, Kery is an awesome example to follow.
Speaking of examples of excellence, Nor-Cal Regionals was one of the best events I have ever been to. The tournament started right on time, and we were done by 6:00 on both days. THAT is an example of excellence! So... Moving on.
After States, I was very happy with my CMT build, so I went through the gauntlet and crafted my masterpiece deck. I dropped all the nonsense and focused on playing the basic game. My logic was that, in this format, Mewtwo EX is the only "tech" you really need. Otherwise, I need to play a consistent, strong game. I could either play a long-term game with ZekEels or a fast game with CMT. As I said, I like the game that CMT plays, so I went with the deck. Here is my build:
Pokémon (14):
4 Celebi Prime
4 Tornadus
3 Mewtwo EX
2 Shaymin
1 Smeargle
Trainers (33):
4 Professor Juniper
4 Professor Oak's New Theory
4 Junk Arm
3 Dual Ball
3 Skyarrow Bridge
3 N
3 Pokémon Catcher
2 PlusPower
2 Pokegear 3.0
2 Switch
1 Lost Remover
1 Eviolite
1 Energy Retrieval
Energy (13):
4 Double Colorless Energy
9 Grass Energy
Swiss
Round 1 ??? with (Terrakion)
So as I sat down for Round 1, I was feeling fairly confident. My opponent flashed Terrakion before the game, so I was getting ready for a great game. I always enjoy games against Terrakion. I went first and got a very strong start. I got a turn one Tornadus and hit my opponent for 80. My opponent Pokegeared, made a face, took N, and played it. He drew six, made another face, shuffled his hand around a bit, and passed. I promptly won by using Hurricane again.
1-0
Round 2 vs Tony with (Typhlosion/Reshiram/Vileplume)
I had already played Tony twice this states season. He is an absolutely and fantastically nice guy. Last time we played, I took out all of his Oddish and won the game from there. This game, he benches 2 Oddish early game, but he only played one Cyndaquil. I used Smeargle to check his hand for Twins, and I played N when he did have Twins. I knocked out three Cynaquil early, so he never got out a Typhlosion that game. His deck lost its main focus and lost out from there
2-0
Round 3 vs ??? with ZekEels
Out of all my matchups (save a specific one later on), Zeels is the stickiest one. I go about 50-50 with it, which is my second worst matchup (I love my deck). This game was the definition of even. We both kept up on prize trade. He initiated Mewtwo wars and came out ahead. He went down to two prizes, so I setup my Mewtwo and used N on him. He promoted Eelektrik (his only choice) and drew. He played PONT. He needed to draw Mewtwo, Catcher, and Switch (or junk arm). He showed me a Catcher and a Junk Arm... No Mewtwo. Good game.
3-0
Round 4 vs Gabe with ???
This was a bad game. Not much happened... It lasted 10 minutes, but I only attached 3 energies the entire game.
3-1
Round 5 vs ??? with Terrakion
YAY this deck again! This was a fabulous game. I opened with Mewtwo and took a few free prizes. He got all of his revenge kills and dropped me down to 3 Pokémon without energies, then played N to make me draw 2 cards. I needed two energies to KO his last remaining Pokémon. I drew a blank Shaymin and a Catcher. I had no Double Colorless Energy in deck. For draw phase, I drew an energy retrieval FOR THE WIN! I attached both energies and used X-Ball for the game. Very good game... I was very happy with my top deck.
4-1
Round 6 vs ??? with Cobalion/Terrakion
This was a weird game. I played the game like I did against a normal Terrakion deck. I Catchered his dudes early to spread damage with Tornadus and set up to take four prizes in four turns later on. Mewtwo for cleanup. In this game, I was able to clear his first Terrakion with an energy, and he didn't have an Exp Share. I took my shot and put him off of attacking for a few turns. I took two KOs before he even got to attack. I continued to dominate and took four more prizes while he struggled to consistently revenge kill me.
5-1
Round 7 vs ??? with Mewtwo/Terrakion
I love this deck! It is the closest thing to an anti-meta deck that we're going to get in this format. This game was going badly for me. I started drawing badly, but I hit a Juniper and promptly initiated Mewtwo wars. My opponent elected to not use Terrakion. And only put his Exp. Shares on Mewtwo. He KO'd my second Mewtwo with his Mewtwo while I had two prizes left. He smiled confidently at me because most normal builds only play two Mewtwo. I dropped third Mewtwo, attached a DCE, and played a PlusPower for game. Honestly, he should have elected to play Terrakion when he got the chance... Getting behind on Mewtwo wars is never good...
6-1
Game 8 vs Mark G. with CMT
Mark and I have a "history". We have not played since seniors three years ago, but we talk every California event... He is an awesome guy. I went first and almost donked him. Sadly, I missed my second Grass energy on my PONT. Mark was my first opponent who elected to avoid Mewtwo wars. We began fighting with Tornadus, but I was better at using Catchers to mess him up. I eventually played N to give him a very bad hand... He drew and passed. I took my next three prizes in three turns. GG
. On to top 32!7-1
Top Cut
I was mildly confident going into top 32. I went 7-1 which is no small feat. I was going against my friend, Kristy B. She was playing Vanilluxe with Mew, so I had to sleep with such a luck-based matchup coming up. I was very nervous. I got out of day one at 6 o'clock, so we went to go get some food and then back to the hotel. My friends wanted to help me test the matchup, but I opted to sleep on it and accept whatever happened.
The next day, I got to the tournament at 8:30, right when they told me to be there by. I was rushed to the back of the room and put in a circle with the other top 32 players. We talked a bit and then started up.
Top 32 vs Kristy B. with Vileplume/Victini/Mew with Vanilluxe and Unfezant
Game 1
Game one, I started with Mewtwo. I attached DCE and attacked her Mew very quickly. I took out 3 Mew in my first three turns. She took awhile to set things up, and she couldn't attack with Mew because she didn't have the 2nd energy. I had taken four prizes by the time she setup Mew and Vileplume, but she didn't have Victini and she flipped double tails, so I could revenge kill her Mew. She played Flower Shop Lady and proceeded to lock me, but she eventually hit the quad tails on Mew to give me the win.
(8-1)
Game 2
Game two was bad for me. She setup Mew and Vilepume very quickly and dominated me. I think i took two prizes this game.
(8-2)
Game 3
Game 3, I started aggressive and hit her Oddish early. Her third Oddish was prized, and she didn't have the immediate Twins, so she played the game without Vileplume. She eventually started attacking, but she didn't have the lock, so she just couldn't win.
8-1/(9-2)
I was very happy with my win against Vanilluxe. That is one of those annoying decks to play against. I had really strong starts and I was able to overpower her Mews very quickly. My next opponent was sitting next to me, and I saw her overpower her opponent during her match. She surprised him with three Mewtwo, so I had to keep that in mind.
Top 16 vs ??? with Celebi/Mewtwo/Tornadus
Game 1
This game went my way from the start. She went first and started with Regigigas. She attached a DCE and passed. I happily played lost remover and hit it with Tornadus and PlusPower. Next turn, she played another basic, played Switch, and attached another energy to Regigigas. I played Mewtwo, Shaymin, and Catcher to take out Regigigas. She initiated the Mewtwo war without the N to back Mewtwo up. I won the war by playing my third Mewtwo, and that also won me the game.
(10-2)
Game 2
Game two was bad. She drew well while I drew nothing but bad Trainers and Pokémon. I took a few prizes, but I barely played any Supporters.
(10-3)
Game 3
Game three was also bad. I started well and she got nothing. She only had a few Celebis... Nothing more.
9-1/(11-3)
Top 8 vs Chris S. with Mewtwo/Terrakion
Game 1
Yay! I love playing against this deck. This was awesome game. I opened aggressively and hit his Mewtwo with my Tornadus. He Super Scooped it up, but was unable to attack that turn. I repeated my attack on his Mewtwo and successfully took a prize with Tornadus on his Mewtwo. He revenge attacked with Terrakion. I then Shaymin'd my energy to Mewtwo and Catchered his benched Mewtwo without energy. I took the KO and pulled myself ahead of him. He hit me with N and revenged my Mewtwo. I fumbled around a bit, but I was able to attack with Mewtwo and take the win.
(12-3)
Game 2
Game two, I started with Tornadus. He opened Mewtwo and attached a DCE... Oops? I initiated Mewtwo wars, and he had no way of stopping it. My 3rd Mewtwo really helped out. Due to being stupid, i needed to use both of my Shaymin. Hurray for winning despite being stupid!
10-1/(13-3)
Top 4 vs Ruben C. with Celebi/Mewtwo
Game 1
I love my games against Ruben. Our games are always very close. We played top two Nevada states last year, and that game was awesome. Our game 1 was no disappointment. I was able to take the first Mewtwo kill, but Ruben kept up with the war. Late game, Ruben used N against me to bring my hand to two. I needed to draw one of my two DCE with Juniper, but I missed it. I passed the turn, which left him set up to win. He had a 5-card hand and had four potential cards to beat me. He had one of those in his hand, but instead used N and lost the game from there. Rough misplays suck.
(14-3)
Game 2
He donked my Celebi with his Mewtwo.
(14-4)
Game 3
Game 3 was similar to game 1. He initiated Mewtwo wars, but i took the first kill. We continue with the war, but I was too far ahead of him for him to catch up.
11-1/(15-4)
Top 2 vs Murat with (Durant)
Game 1
This was our only good game. I hate playing against Durant. My build is especially bad against it because I refuse to run Super Rod. I opened slowly and didn't get an attack until turn three. I was able to take four prizes, but he just milled me out.
(15-5)
Game 2
He opened Spiritomb and I donked him.
(16-5)
Game 3
I opened Shaymin and had nothing in hand. He destroyed me.
11-2/(16-6)
So... Yeah. I am very happy with second place. Thanks a ton to everyone who supported me! I now have 49 Championship Points, so I'll probably be getting an invite for Worlds. See you all at Nationals!
Props:
Two byes at Nationals.
Being the only second placer who didn't lose to ZekEels.
All of my Nevada friends.
All of my California friends.
Amt for getting top eight.
Slops:
My brother for getting 17th again.
Not much else to speak of.
Tips and Analysis
Mewtwo EX
Regionals taught me a very important lesson about Mewtwo. People fire the trigger on it too quickly. This let me get ahead on Mewtwo wars in most of my games. I often laid Mewtwo, but refused to attach to it before my opponent pulled the trigger on their Mewtwo. I used Tornadus as my front line and only attacked with my Mewtwo when they attacked with theirs. The only exception to this is when I can get a key KO or when I am able to dump energies to and KO my opponent's EX. People are too quick to pull the trigger on Mewtwo and that ended up winning me the game. Mewtwo is not all hype, but it is not as good as people think. It is a major skilltesting card in that way. The really good players I play against hold off on pulling the trigger on Mewtwo. Our top cut had a ton of repeat cutters, and the skill required to play Mewtwo got those good players into cut.
Exp. Share
I predicted that Exp. Share would play a big role in this metagame, and I was absolutely right. Exp. Share powered a ton of decks, most of which played Terrakion. Straight Terrakion, Terrakion/Cobalion, and Terrakion/Mewtwo are all awesome decks powered by Exp. Share. Exp. Share lets decks power up one Pokémon by hand while also indirectly powering up the benched Pokémon with Exp. Share on them. It's great that they can be automatically powered up as soon as the active Pokémon gets knocked out. Exp. Share is already an awesome card and it can only get better with time. If you are a rogue builder, Exp. Share should be your best friend. The card's diversity will power some awesome decks.
Regigigas EX
I was wrong about Regigigas EX. I originally said that Regigigas would be a major role-player in certain matchups for certain decks. Regigigas is not worth the trouble it causes. Starting with the card puts you so far behind your opponent. It isn't worth putting it in most decks. All decks have another Pokémon that serves the same role as Regigigas, but outhouse replacement Pokémon aren't as cumbersome. I thought that Regigigas was always a 2-for-1, but I was absolutely wrong. Regigigas is a value card that gets hurt by Mewtwo badly. Value cards are nice, but there are just many better choices in the format right now. I'll say it again to make you all happy. I was wrong with my predictions about Regigigas. That card just doesn't have a home, and he wont have a home until we get a better way to deal with Regigigas starts. Super Scoop Up and Switch just don't cut it.
Shaymin
Speaking of value cards, Shaymin is a major value card. This card made it's debut in ZPS at Nationals and has only gotten better since then. The card has evolved from an aggressive game ender to the ultimate value card. You don't need to attach energies to Mewtwo until you attack with it because of Shaymin. Shaymin starts don't hurt as badly as they used to because of Skyarrow bridge. The card's best home is in CMT right now, but it can really fit in any acceleration deck (and in non-acceleration decks too). I have seen Zeels decks use Shaymin to very effectively. The upcoming dark deck will probably love to use Shaymin as well. Overall, Shaymin is an excellent value card and it can only get better with time. A searchable Energy Switch is a very powerful effect.
Smeargle
Smeargle made his triumphant return to the metagame at Regionals. For whatever reason, the card was unpopular at states, but it finally showed his glory at Regionals. While you have Smeargle in play, you effectively have protection from N. Smeargle's best home is in CMT due to Skyarrow Bridge, but it can also find a home in Zeels. Retreating isn't a big deal for Zeels, so it also works very well in that deck. Smeargle's role in this format is much like Uxie's was in MD-on. Smeargle is a searchable Pokémon that fixes bad starts and can be used as clutch draw in a pinch. In is format, Smeargle is actually better than Uxie was in its format. It will almost always give you a new hand, and when it doesn't, it means that your opponent probably has a bad hand. Smeargle is a great card that doesn't get the love that it deserves. WE LOVE YOU SMEARGLE!
Durant
Yup... Durant is still a big pain in the butt. Durant did so well at this Regionals because of the lack of Zeels. Durant has a bad matchup against Zeels that plays Zekrom, but CMT has a hard time against Durant. Don't count the deck out just yet! It has no real bad matchups and it can still steal some close games. Heatmor will do nothing to Durant... It is still a very strong play if you are willing to put up with a bit of luck.
Celebi Decks vs Eelektrik Decks
According to the tournament results, Eelektrik won the battle between these two decks. The battle is not yet over, though! Eelektrik is getting a new tool in Raikou EX next format, but this card is only marginally good against Celebi. Celebi is more versatile and the curse of Terrakion will likely spread from California to the rest of the nation. I predict that Celebi will come out victorious at Nationals with Eelektrik in a close second. I would not be surprised to see Eelektrik winning Nationals though. Both decks will be very strong plays for the tournament.
Championship Points
The first year of the new Championship Point system has proven to be a success. There are no longer "strategic drops". Moreover, the system, in Masters at least, hasn't degraded into travel-to-win. There are many top 40 players with 30-40 PP. Even so, many of the top players are still top 40 , but there are also some newcomers mixed in. The system does have many issuers, particularly in Juniors and Seniors. There are many Juniors and Seniors who have far more CP than they should. I think that the best finish limit should be dynamic and that it should be different for each age division. I still have some qualms with the points given from each event, but the system, on it's whole, was a great success. I am very happy to be rid of the ELO system. P!P has proven that it is open to change by implementing this system, so I expect a small change to the CP system next format. I am excited to see what changes P!P gives us.
Thanks for reading, guys! How did you all do at Regionals? Good luck at Nationals!
