66th at NAIC with Zoroark - Mewtwo GX

Hey Hey Hey!  I was very excited to do well at my first National/International competition, but I was a bit disappointed by a couple misplays that made me the highest ranked person in my pod to not make day 2 at the largest event ever.

In the week leading up to the event, I had narrowed down my choices to BuzzRoc and Zoroark Mewtwo GX (ZoroMu2 for short).  I was pretty sure I would play BuzzRoc by midweek, but on Wednesday I played about 9 games against BuzzGarb, piloted by Caleb Rice, and lost all but one of them. I knew there would be a lot of BuzzRoc hate, so I decided to reconsider ZoroMu2.  The day before the event, I played three best of threes against BuzzRoc, piloted by Guy Bennet, with ZoroMu2. After losing the first, I figured out how to approach the matchup. I won the next two easily, and I decided to play the deck since one of my goals was to have as much fun as possible, and I thoroughly enjoy it.

The list I landed on is only six cards different from the list I wrote on over a month ago.  I was able to cut Weakness Policies because I figured out the BuzzRoc matchup without them. Here is the final list I used:

Onto the report!

My round one opponent was Playing BuzzGarb. It is a bit harder than BuzzRoc, especially when they go first. Luckily, I won the coin flip, and we each won the games we started. I had some trouble finding my Field Blowers, but it all worked out in the end, especially since he drew poorly in game three.

1–0

My round two opponent was playing BuzzRoc. He was a newer player, and had no idea how to play the matchup (not that anyone really did). I won two easy games.

2-0

In round three I played against ZoroGarb. I felt unsure about how to approach the matchup. I ended up focusing on knocking out Garbodors. I won game one pretty quickly. In game two, I was setting up a win condition of taking three prizes with a belted Latios. My opponent brought up Lele and used Tapu Cure GX. I used Riotous beating for 120.  That set up a similar play but with a Choice Band. I still had Fury Belt in my head and played my choice band elsewhere. It was definitely my biggest misplay of the tournament, and I lost the game because of it. At the end of time in game three, I had taken five prizes to my opponents zero.

2-0-1

I faced ZoroPod in round 4. I had been fearing this matchup. I didn’t draw well game 1, and my opponent didn’t draw well game 2. Game three was long and neck and neck. On my opponents last turn of the game, he realized I couldn’t Knockout anything on his side (three full health Zoroarks) in one hit unless I found Psychic Energy, Max Elixir, Choice Band, and a way to switch Pokemon.  I need to get three cards back with Puzzle of Time to win, so I realized I was probably losing this round. My opponent didn’t know that, but he realized it was unlikely. That made him think I would go for a longer game with N, so he benched a Lele GX to thin his deck. Because of the Lele on bench, I no longer needed the Choice Band. I was able to win with two Puzzle of Time for Guzma and Elixir, which I did.

3-0-1

In round 5 I played against a very slow Zoroark Garbodor player. He won a thirty-seven minute game 1. I should have asked him to increase his play multiple times throughout the first game. In game two I politely asked him to keep a good pace. He responded well and sped up for half of a turn. Once his pace returned, I called a judge and asked the judge to watch our pace for a bit. Within a couple minutes, my opponent received a warning for slow play.  He argued with the judge for a couple minutes, but no time extension was given. I was going to win the game, but I needed one more turn.

3-1-1

In round six I played against ZoroPod. It was very similar to the previous ZoroPod set. We took turns drawing poorly in the first two games, and the lost game was close. Unfortunately we didn’t finish our last game.

3-1-2

In round seven I played against BuzzRoc. This time, my opponent played the matchup very well, but I got to fully implement the strategy I had practiced. I keep my bench to two (1 Mewtwo GX active with a Fighting Fury Belt and two Zoroarks on the bench for draw) until I can get a second Belt. Once I do, I play the other Mewtwo down with the belt. This keeps Lycanroc GX from being effective. I also generally target Rockruffs. I won 2-0.

4-1-2

In round eight I played against ZoroRoc, and this is where the second Enhanced Hammer really shined. I was able to keep Lycanroc from attacking the whole game and easily dismantled his board state.  I won 2-0

5-1-2

My last round I played against a really cool guy who needed the win for his invite.  I considered scooping, but I believed I would make day two if I won. I also don’t believe invites should be given. (My opponent never asked for a scoop or implied that I should concede in the slightest. He was very gracious in defeat).  He was also playing BuzzRoc and I implemented the same strategy and also won 2-0.

6-1-2

Seeing my name at the 33rd spot in my pod (66th overall) was sad, but I knew I could have played better in round three.  I am excited that my deck ran well, and I believe it was a great play for the weekend. The only card I wish I had was a second Choice Band.  A third Blower would have been nice, but in both matchups where I wanted it, the second Choice Band would have won it for me. The issue is I am not sure what to cut.  My first instinct is the second Enhanced, but it was solid all day. It feels like it won my second game against ZoroRoc, but looking back I probably would have won it either way.  Still, It is very hard for me to say with confidence that the card wasn’t needed. The Giratina Promo didn’t do as much for me at the tournament as it did in testing. While I am happy to cut it, it would have to be replaced by another Pokemon, probably Tapu Koko.  However, Giratina is not a terrible starter since it can tank, and it is nice to know you will beat Greninja. The one way I could address all of these issues at once would be to cut a Psychic Energy, the Giratina, and the second Enhanced Hammer for a Metal Energy, a Kortana GX, and a Choice Band.  Obviously I would need to test how much the Psychic to Metal change would affect the deck.

Overall I am very happy with the deck and the way it performed. I will definitely try to work with it for worlds, but I have another deck to write about for that format. If you ever see me at s tourney, please introduce yourself.  Good luck at Worlds and the Nashville Open!