Stating Stats from States

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Hey poke-nerds I’d like to start with a grand apology. I’M SORRY THIS ARTICLE IS LATE! See how grand that was? Done. Next, I want to give you some tips based on what I’ve seen and read from last weekends States. The big bad bidoof of the format is definitely Zekrom/Eelektrik. Reporting from Top Cut says 30 of the top four decks across the tournaments were a Zekrom/Eelektrik varying with some techs like Thundurus or Terrakion. Celebi/Mewtwo/Tornadus took 21 of the top four slots followed by my favorite deck. Dur-dur-durant , taking 10 spots.

Two awesome things we can take away from this. First, Mewtwo was not the bomb to the format that everyone thought it would be, more like a small hand grenade. Secondly, with the release of the spring tins the top deck in the format is relatively affordable. That also means you will see a lot of it so lets get into how to beat it.

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Trainers! Trainers for States

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The heart and soul of any great deck is its trainers. Even decks that run the silliest Pokemon lines still stand a solid chance if they’ve built their trainer base correctly. With the EX wave dropping into the format there are a few trainers that I think will spike in popularity before states.

The card that a lot of people have been talking about is Lost Remover. Its an important addition into your deck to get rid of Double Colorless Energy, which every EX is going to use. The card that people aren’t talking about is Crushing Hammer. Lets do some Pro-Con work here. Lost Remover is a guarantee removal of a special energy. Crushing Hammer flips a coin to remove any energy. So we can’t count on Crushing Hammer but it has more playability. How to pick between these two? Really it comes down to Junk Arms. If you’re running Junk Arm, and you like to push chance, I think Crushing Hammer is the better pick.  I’d run something like one or two Lost Removers and then three to four Crushing Hammers.

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Why I Bother and A Thought From My Brother

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Pre-releases have wrapped up and I am proud to say I had the best record I’ve ever had. I played two events going 4-1 and then 5-0. If only there was more prize support for the pre-releases. There are two things that I really would like to address, things I’ve learned from these two prereleases. The first is what benefits do pre-releases provide and the second is “Vinnie, when did you get good at Pokemon?”

After the second pre-release wrapped up the Whimsy Tackle crew was sitting around playing some casual games when the question was raised what’s the point of paying for this? I believe the exact argument was “I could buy two Reggigas EX for what I’m paying to play”.  Granted this is true but lets see what the pre-release experience can give you that those Reggigas EX cannot.

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The Crystal Ball of Next Destinies Pre-release

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Prereleases are upon us. Next Destinies is right around the corner and I have some quick predictions for cards that will help take you to the winners seat at your prerelease.

First and foremost as we’ve seen in almost every build of deck being played anything with an “outrage” ability is worth the time of day. Zekrom and Reshiram are both being reprinted and I can confidently say that in any type of deck you draft these two are worth it. The other “outrage” like ability is Regigigas’ raging hammer. 4 energy is a bit slower than I’d like in a limited deck but still very strong.

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Don't Play With Destiny, Preorder

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So Next Destinies is right around the corner and I have not been so excited for a set in a long time. Troll and Toad has opened up preorders for some singles and I’m doing everything I can to keep my bank account in check. There are a few cards that I think may be worth the trouble to preorder, lets take a look.

Card 1: Musharna http://tinyurl.com/7h8e4ku This is a perfect filler tech. Its Pokemon power allows you to look at the top two cards and put one into your hand. Granted Musharna is a

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Using Revive on Base Set Feelings

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So normally I rant on and on about some silly strategy or what cards you should be keeping an eye on but this week I want to get emotional. On Christmas Eve my mother was explaining to my aunts the kind of turnout my game store has for Pokemon events, “Over 90 kids! All older than 16!”. My aunt replied with a statement like “Over cards? Pokamons are still popular?!”.  I stepped in and explained to her my draw to the game. I tried to explain what a meta-game was and how the fun of playing competitively and matching wits is challenge. The more I think about it, it is only a small draw that comes from that competitive high. The bigger draw for me is the nostalgia. There is an eight year old Vinnie inside me that still jumps around when I now pull a full art card. He still gets nervous in the thrill of the heat of a Pokemon battle. He still would trade any non-holo for a holo because shiny cards are better. At the end I’m going to post a link to an article by Steve Bogda where he talks about pulling his first Charizard and completing his Pokemon set, its amusing and comforting to know I’m not the only one hanging onto this kind of nostalgia.

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Getting Ready To Deal With My EX's

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There was a time when I up and quit the Pokémon TCG. It was dramatic and over the top but deserved. I quit when I played my brother’s first deck that had a Pokémon EX in it. The next set contains the all-powerful Pokémon EX. I probably won’t end up quitting but I can promise there will be a serious change in game play.

Several cards I think will jump in value both in play and online. The first being...

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Luck and Fighting Fighting

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They came at the hands of decks that ran fighting pokemon. The first loss was to a Terrakion. My opponent started with a Terrakion then communicated for a Terrakion and those two alone rolled over me. The second loss was the same situation but with two Donphan. Cather was also key in these losses as my opponents waited and were patient, waiting for me to play a Magnamite, in order to catcher up the biggest threat and take care of it early.
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Gobble Up These Fun Techs

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Happy Thanksgiving! If you’re not American… sucks, eat a turkey sandwich. While everyone is sitting around the warm fire stuffing themselves with stuffing I thought it would be nice to have a bit of a turkey day themed look at the TCG. So with Cities around the corner and the pressure to build up player points building like the pressure behind Uncle Jerry’s belt lets remember to enjoy the game we are so thankful for and have some fun.
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