Without much preamble, Seattle Regionals, being a West Coast Regionals which I can drive to in under 3 hours, is very good. I hope that they continue holding Regionals at this location. The convention center was very nice and the tournament was run very efficiently.
I forgot to take any pictures of Seattle to use as a header so here is a photo that I took during 2015 Seattle Regionals.
The Deck
I do not test. I have not played a single game on PTCG Live in this format and I haven’t touched the game outside of official tournaments. I just decided that my EUIC list felt very good so I ran with it again. Although more people were catching on to Drifloon, I figured that it would be a while until people actually start finding adequate techs for it. (Jamming Tower btw).
This is pretty much your standard Gardevoir list but I have one Professor Research and one Mystery Garden as extra ways to put Psychic energy in the discard under item lock. I also have two Bravery Charm and one Luxurious Cape because they are truly the best cards in the entire deck.
The Tournament
Note: all of the details are from my memory, I have no notes recorded on any games so there may be pieces of incorrect information.
Round 1: Charizard/Terapagos
The first round of any Regionals is always when the nerves come out. Fortunately, I have been playing long enough to
Round 2: Dragapult/Dusknoir
For the second round I was sat on table four and much to my surprise my opponent pulled out a Budew with a cowboy hat on and handed me a card of said Budew.
“Before we start hating each other,” he said as he reached into his zip-lock bag of what looked like a stack of 50 or so cards. What a great gesture.
Anyways, item lock proved to be fake against my perfect draws and I was able to set up a quick Gardevoir in both games and sweep. There is always the possibility for Dragapult to pop off with perfect draws to get the board wipe anyways but my opponent was not so lucky.
I was glad to see that he continued to do well for the rest of the day and I sat next to him multiple times throughout the tournament to witness the exact same line and Budew card handout as I saw at table four. People were even coming up to him and asking for the Budew card, I guess word spreads fast.
Round 3: Mega Absol
This game was quite quick. I won the coin flip and opt second. In game one they just had Munkidori and passed without playing anything. I get TM Evo and set up quickly to respond to the first Mega Absol with Drifloon and just win in two attacks.
The second game was similar to the first, I set up quickly and take one-shots as I can. The matchup is quite favored unless I straight up draw a brick…
It was very fortunate that I finished early since, soon after I handed in my match slip, a loud alarm started going off in the convention center hall. Mass confusion from both players and staff lead to some weirdness with the round timer. It was also just really loud so I couldn’t imagine being in the middle of a game during that. It only lasted about five minutes so with the supposed time extension I went for a quick lunch.
Round 4: N’s Zoroark
This is a version of Zoroark without Darmanitan but instead uses Mega Lopunny as a secondary attacker. Now, this matchup is fine – it is quite favored actually. As long as I can set up a Drifloon and threaten OHKOs on Zoroark/Lopunny I have a favorable prize trade. Unfortunately, I am unable to set up because I have bricks for hands. Oh well.
Round 5: Armarouge/Ethan’s Ho-oh
Apparently the X-1 bracket is where all the crazy decks lie in wait. I have no idea what tools Armarouge box decks have at their disposal to beat Gardevoir, what kind of dark type attackers are even in format right now? I become inclined to believe that Iron Hands ex is a potential threat and as long as I stay out of range of the Pecharunt ex I saw hit the discard, my Gardevoir ex should be safe. Boy was I wrong. My opponent immediately punishes my ignorance by OHKOing my Gardevoir with Roaring Moon ex. With a stadium in play to boot so it couldn’t be traded favorably with Munki damage. I lose game one but now I know to just target down Prism energy and my Gardevoir will never die.
This is exactly what I do in game two and I manage to win quite convincingly.
Then for game three I somehow forget that I have human hands and they once again turn into bricks. Very unfortunate happenstance given that if I had just played around Roaring Moon in game one all would be just fine.
Round 6: Blood Moon Ursaluna/Munkidori
Apparently the X-2 bracket is where all the unhinged decks run rampant. In all honesty, I was fully expecting some serious unfriendly people at this bracket so it was a pleasant surprise that my opponent ended up being very friendly. He was using a list that he cooked up based on a Tim Danklin video and it worked quite effectively. He mentioned at the start that Gardevoir is his worst matchup and he fully expected to lose but the power of Ursaluna really caught me off guard.
In game one I go first and start Mew ex and pass. Mew has fighting resistance so I’m feeling alright about it, my hand is good enough for next turn to start setting up so I can give up a prize or two as long as I can get favorable trades with Munkidori throughout the game. None of this matters though because I got donked. My opponent had enough cards with Lunatone draw + a raw Secret Box to find Calamitous Mountain, Ursaluna + two fighting energy, Munkidori, dark energy, and Energy Switch. An insane combo that would hit for almost exactly a KO even with resistance. At this point I just had to lock in. One more loss is the end of my tournament.
It turns out that finding that exact combo is not easy every time. I am able to actually set up in the next two games and Iono puts them low enough to miss these large combos and miss KOs for multiple turns. Really great set, I learned yet another matchup and there were great vibes all around.
Round 7: Dragapult/Dusknoir
Blessed with another Dragapult opponent. The matchup is quite favored if I set up which I manage to do in both games. I have minimal energy in my discard in both games but finding Professor Research at a key moment and having Mystery Garden to discard an energy came in clutch. I win a clean two games.
Round 8: Gardevoir
The mirror match on the tie-and-in is always an interesting one. You can take the ID and knowing that you don’t have any real edge in the matchup or you can play it out and try to out skill (or out luck) your opponent. Always choose the latter. We had a deck check at the start of this round so we were a bit delayed. Given a four minute extension with mulligans, we really started playing at the six minute mark or so.
I won game one and lost game two. I don’t really remember the details. Game three started with 8 minutes on the clock but with our extension we could possibly get a full game in. I have an explosive start with a quick Gardevoir ex and snipe out their only Kirlia. They continually whiff Gardevoir outs and at this point it is clear that only I can win this game or it is drawn out to a tie. I play my turns suboptimally in order to take up the least amount of time possible. At this point, I just needed to get down to two prize cards before time was up. I managed to keep up the pressure and take my fourth prize card but as my opponent was choosing what to promote, time is called by the table judge. I am just barely turn zero and the game cannot be closed out. An unfortunate situation to be in but that is just how the game is sometimes. If only we didn’t get deck checked or if I had appealed for a longer time extension due to mulligans maybe things would have been different. A tie still keeps me in contention for phase two and top cut though so I just have to keep playing for wins.
Round 9: Dragapult/Charizard
The Dragapult/Charizard matchup is one of the most favored matchups in the field for me. If they go in with Charizard, I get an OHKO with Drifloon. If they go in with Dragapult, I get to take a three prize turn with Mew ex plus Clefairy. I set up quickly both games with early TM evo and plenty of draw. So, even though they could get a quick attack off, I am more than prepared to hit back harder.
Round 10: Dragapult/Dusknoir
A third Dragapult to start the day. That’s how you know it’s going to be a good one.
Game one I start Fezandipiti and go first, attach, pass. My opponent gets down a Dreepy or two and uses Itchy Pollen. I attach again to Fez, and TM evo for two Kirlia. Although I would find out later that there are not one, but two Rare Candy in their deck, they miss the Phantom Dive and Itchy Pollen again but with just a single Drakloak in play. I get the Fez snipe off and slowly set up while taking prize cards. For the next four turns, they continually miss the Dragapult and I manage to set up completely and take 5 total prizes with Fez + Adrena-Brain.
Game two I open Secret Box and TM Evo in hand. Figuring that the odds were in my favor, I discard the Evo intending to search another while keeping Kirlia in hand – a play to guarantee the turn three Gardevoir. Unfortunately I was immediately punished as the second Evo was prized. I have a guaranteed turn two Kirlia though so I just follow through with what I can. My turn two Kirlia was matched by my opponent finding two Dusclops on their turn two. They could pop both of these, KO Kirlia, and slowly set up a board wipe under the prize disadvantage. Luckily, they opt to save the Dusclops, probably intending to get more damage with Dusknoir instead. On my turn I am able to find Lillie’s Clefairy and Scream Tail and have enough energy to charge up both so that if my Gardevoir goes down I can at least get the return KO and keep up in the exchange. I think in the end it comes down to them needing to find Bear + Boss off Iono and they just miss.
Round 11: Crustle
My opponent was very forthcoming about their deck. They donned their deck box with some cool Crustle stickers and mentioned wanting to dodge Gardevoir. Unfortunate.
Despite their lamentations, the matchup was a lot closer than I expected it to be. They play no Pokemon other than Dwebble and Crustle. They each have 250HP with Luxurious cape and, to make things worse, I prized Drifloon in game one. Still, attacking with Munkidori before Mist Energy hits the field and attacking with Scream Tail for easy prizes holds out just until I can get the big one-shot with Drifloon. So, although the prize count was close, there wasn’t actually any threat since the deck has no tricks to take a two prize KO.
Round 12: Mega Absol
Game one I use Iono and draw six dead cards. I proceed to draw pass until I am wiped.
Game two is a repeat of the first game. I open a brick and with no supporter I can tell my tournament is coming to a close very soon. They get a turn three Absol and start destroying my field and my hand. Luckily for me, they cannot destroy the top of my deck. With a field of just a Ralts and Munkidori, I topdeck Iono and draw into Ultra Ball, Earthen Vessel, Secret Box, and Nest Ball for Fezandipiti. This is just enough gas for me to find the OHKO on Absol with Drifloon. After the return KO by Pecharunt ex, I have Arven for Counter Catcher to KO the Mega Kangaskhan and win in just two attacks.
Game three, however, reminded me who I really am. A man with bricks for hands. After such a valiant attempt, I am once again left in shambles but this time with no good cards on top of my deck.
Round 13: Grimmsnarl
Thankfully, I hit another good matchup. Yes this is a good matchup for Gardevoir. Drifloon one shots Grimmsnarl after all. Okay, they can follow it up with a three-prize turn. But then you can just rinse and repeat and Iono them even lower. Their deck is very prone to hand disruption, yes they win if they draw Blood Moon Ursaluna ex on a crucial turn along with Boss or Counter Catcher, but one can simply play around this or pray they miss. Anyways, that’s what I do, and it works.
With one round left I am sitting at 9-3-1. Although I have a shot at getting into the top 32 with a 10-3-1 record, I’m fairly certain that with my resistance I am hoping for a top 64 at best. Can’t count my Torchic before they hatch though, still have to win the final round.
Round 14: Charizard
This was the most intense/memorable game of my season so far. The classic matchup between two titans that have been around since the early days of the Scarlet & Violet era. As both decks face rotation, we have one last chance to showcase which deck is truly superior.
Game one and two were one-sided in both ways.
With around 30 minutes left in the round, we both already felt that this last game would be close. I opted to go second and open a brick with a Munkidori, Ralts, and Fezandipiti ex in my hand. I start Munki active. My opponent opens Chamander and Pidgey on bench, attaches Jet Energy to Pidgey to put it active, and passes. I draw… still no supporter. I bench Ralts and attach to my active Munkidori – this allows me to use Mind Bend on my next turn or at the very least gets a Psychic energy in my discard if they have the turn two Charizard.
On turn two, my opponent finds a Rare Candy off their top deck and evolves into Pidgeot, attaches an energy, and uses Quick Search for Boss to KO my lone Ralts. Although this leaves them with a sparse board, mine is showing even weaker with just a Munkidori. I attach a second energy to Munkidori, bench Fez, draw into Lillie and can finally start playing the game. However, I only find access to a single Ralts and have to just Mind Bend and hope that nothing gets KO’d.
Luckily, there is still no Charizard on the field on turn three. Dawn finds a full Charizard line but Quick Search was used to find Dawn. With the option to flip for confusion, my opponent takes the less risky line and retreats to Charmander and passes. This is my chance to take the prize lead, I have Counter Catcher in my hand to bring up the Pidgeot once again but I fail to find a Gardevoir ex + Rare Candy combo to set up any kind of KO. I do get a second Ralts down just in case. Then, I just use Mind Bend on the Pidgeot again, bringing it to 120 damage total.
Quickly advancing their board, my opponent gets out double Charizard and KO’s my Munkidori. Now up four prizes to my six, I had to hope for a favorable prize exchange by having them miss Boss’s Orders at least once. However, as they are aware of this as well, they search out Tatsugiri as a good pivot answer if I choose to KO the Charizard. For my turn I use Iono and Fez draw to find Rare Candy + Gardevoir + Scream Tail to snipe the Pidgeot for a KO. I match the prize count but still have to pray for my Gardevoir to survive.
I audibly say “No Boss” and my opponent says “what did you say” while flashing the Boss in his hand. Aargh. To make matters worse, he attaches a Mist Energy to the Active Charizard to protect it from Munki Confusion. My Gardevoir ex goes down and my opponent is left with just two prize cards and two fully powered Charizard in play. In order to match this pace I have to first, set up four prize cards in two turns and second, hope they don’t draw Boss. My best play is to set up Tatsugiri for an Adrena-Brain KO over two turns while taking a Scream Tail KO on their benched Pidgey. This makes it so that if Charizard takes a KO on my Scream Tail, I win with Mew ex KO on Charizard and double Adrena-Brain to Tatsugiri. To top it off, I have Iono to give my opponent just two cards to work with.
I again say “No Boss” and this time it works! They clearly see what I am going for and know that they cannot go for a KO. They simply bench another Pidgey and go for a pass, knowing that another turn won’t lose them the game and if they just draw the Boss then all is good. I was expecting a retreat into Tatsugiri so this pass signaled to me that there may be an answer in their hand or some kind of out to Fez. I cannot take a KO because of this so I decide to just move 10 more to Tatsugiri and Slap active, setting up the three prize turn if they do not retreat. However, I overthink it a bit too much and decide to Iono as well, I thought that possibly they were holding Candy + Pidgeot because why else bench the Pidgey. This probably does not improve the odds of them missing Boss but I tunneled and thought PLAY IONO.
Thankfully, the “No Boss” hex stuck around. This time they have to retreat the Charizard and they choose to promote Tatsugiri and find a Boss for next turn. I don’t immediately have Iono in hand so I immediately regret my decision. Going into my turn I have two goals once again: Find Iono and KO Tatsugiri. My deck is pretty thin and with Mystery Garden draw I am able to find my final Iono. I take the Tatsugiri KO with Adrena-Brain bringing me down to 2 prizes. They could promote the Charizard but that walks into Munkidori confusion, halving the odds of a win. So they promote Pidgey. I use Slap to put checkmate on board with double Adrena-Brain, opting not to take the KO since it now requires energy + Boss for them to win. Interesting to note is that a Counter Catcher would outright win here, which is what my opponent was expecting. However, I only run a single copy and used it earlier on the Pidgeot.
NO BOSS! However, in pain-staking fashion they have Pidgeotto, delaying the game by another turn. I carefully navigate my damage, pre-attaching energy on Mew ex to get damage to move onto the Pidgeotto for a KO and force Charizard into the active to walk into my Munkidori Mind Bend.
For the final time, no Boss is played and the game is finally over.
A crazy game that really shows even though the Gardevoir deck can fall far behind, there are always plays that can turn the tide of the game because of the crazy one-shot potential of the attackers and the damage manipulation of Munkidori.
Shout out to my opponent, Gabe Shumway, who I actually also played against last season in Toronto and lost to his Klawf deck. It was a great pleasure to have such a back and forth set against a nice opponent.
With that I was rewarded my best finish so far in this season, 36th place. This is another huge boost to my point total, netting me an extra 120 and putting me at 126th on the leaderboard in North America thus far. I still have to pick up about 170 more points this season if I want a shot at making it back to the World Championships so check back in later for another major result.
Overall, I would say I am pretty satisfied with my play throughout the weekend. Especially in day two. This was the first time I felt very well rested and confident all throughout day two. It truly is the “same time zone” buff.
joey gaffney 