Nationals Wrap Up and Looking Forward with Dragons

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Hey everyone! It's been a while since I've written and article but I really wanted to express my passion I have for the Trading Card Game right now. I had a blast at Nationals with SBJ, Irene, Chris, Travis, Will, Dominick, Kelsey and Kay and I wanted to especially thank them for cheering me on in the top cut at Nationals. I finished 61st in my flight out of 502 players and in the top 128 of 1005 players in the masters division.
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PKMN of the Week: Garchomp

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When I go out on the town, which I tend to do on Friday nights, I like to check in to places on Foursquare.  Most of the places I frequent don't have bonuses for the mayor but I like being able to see who else has checked in at the same location and where my friends around the country are at the same time.

Unfortunately, downtown DC has terrible cellular coverage and it can be difficult to get a data connection when you are trying to check in.  This past Friday I was having just that problem, fiddling with my phone trying to check in, when a hand started waving over the screen.

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AOTW: Iron Barbs and Rough Skin

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Well guys, it’s that time again! Settle in, and let’s talk about some piercingly potent passive pokémon powers! If hindsight is 20/20, then I have Superman’s super vision right now. When Pokémon Black and White Versions dropped earlier this year, our illustrious editor-in-chief, SBJ, encouraged the editors (and by that I mean he shouted down the stairs one day into the dungeon where he keeps us chained to our laptops when he threw down our daily ration of stale bread and stagnant water) that upon the release of the new games, we should try to relate our individual columns to them. For me, that meant articles about Moxie, Regenerator, Sand Force, and so on. But had I known that a certain steel-plated pinecone and its big brother evolution would be as popular as they are, I would have known a lot earlier to say that this is Ability of the Week: Iron Barbs AND Rough Skin!

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AOTW: Snow Cloak and Sand Veil

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Weather effects were an insane addition to the Pokémon franchise back in 2000 (1999 for Japanese players- jerks) with the release of Gold and Silver Versions. Weather conditions debuted with three possible effects as we took our first excursion through the Johto region: intense sunlight, sudden downpours, and damaging sandstorms. In generation three, hailstorms became a possibility, and we would find our paths obscured with fog in generation four. The most obvious uses for weather involved improving moves like Solar Beam and Thunder, but of course, Abilities that generated and took advantage of the weather were sure to follow. We already discussed Dry Skin a few weeks ago, and this week it’s a twofer! Get your Mamoswines and Garchomps out, because this is Ability of the Week: Snow Cloak AND Sand Veil!
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