Galaxy Expedition

So I noticed that The Chad never got around to writing a post about the Lord of the Tachyon Galaxy pre release event and the Pokemon TCG tournament back on the 11th. I didn't write anything since he said he was gonna, but I might as well now.

First off, Lord of the Tachyon Galaxy was a blast to attend. Referred to as "the great equaliser" for a good reason, I'm sure that while we tend to see the same cards over and over throughout the event it's a test of just how bipolar Lady Luck can be character to be able to use the cards we're dealt in more ways than one. The card of the day was Magnum Shield, which allowed a Warrior-type monster to add its defence points to its attack points if it was in attack mode and vice versa if it was in defence. Alongside the equip spell strode the Battlin' Boxers, and anyone who could combine Magnum Shield with Battlin' Boxer Lead Yoke could essentially claim the duel. It was quite similar to the combination of Heroic Challenger - Warhammer and the Heroic Chance spell way back when Return of the Duelist had its pre release.

From where I was sitting, it seemed like Mecha Phantom Beasts and Dragon Rulers were the most wanted of the day. Remember how a few months back at Card House tourneys when the top eight would call out a steady stream of "Wind-Ups, Wind-Ups, Wind-Ups..."? I have the feeling that one of those two will be taking that place. I'd say it depends on how many people want to/can afford to shell out for multiple copies of Dracossack.

I personally was looking for the new Harpie cards along with Number 107: Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Dragon, but given that Lady Luck might one day be cooking you your favourite meal with the promise of much more interesting night activities later and the next day trying to remove all hair on your body with a lawn mower, I can say that I only managed to snag one copy of Hysteric Sign (thanks again Chad). Fortunately I got to keep all of my hair as well, but I suppose I did get Pyrorex at the Cosmo Blazer pre release. Maybe it's a "one good, one bad" kind of deal. Look out Judgment of the Light, I'm gonna get ALL the best cards!

Anywho, onto Pokemon TCG. Not a bad turnout for that tournament, with about 15 players having a go including Chad and Fallon (did I spell that right?) who bought a new starter deck each to have a go. I know I had a great time with it, and I'm pretty sure that most others who attended did as well. I managed 5th place, one better than during the pre release, while picking up a few tips along the way.

First of all, I've realised that while I could be considered pretty knowledgeable about Pokemon TCG there are a great many cards that I don't really know about. Now I'm still reasonably proud that I didn't messily devour anybody over the course of the day in my pursuit of Harpies, but I think it's safe to say that we all have that one card which, when played by an opponent, triggers an almost overwhelming reaction to pick up the gaming surface and use it as an improvised club. To put it into perspective, for those of you who play Magic, try to imagine your opponent fielding a copy of Typhoid Rats that has first strike. For even more lulz, imagine that it's the same card I just described, but it would fall under the category of Modern. When you build a deck with what would be the current meta in mind and what's in rotation, it's enough to make you want to devour your opponent's deck.

One other point I'd like to make, and this applies to all games: if you're not sure on what a card your opponent has played does, don't be afraid to ask. You may need to alter your tactics to counter it, and while I'm sure your opponent doesn't mind you playing right into their hands it makes for a much more challenging and fun game if you start playing to compensate rather than find out the problem too late. We're all good sports, and no one's going to get mad at you for asking a question. We want to be able to walk away from the game knowing we played a worthy opponent, regardless of the outcome.

Once again, I'd just like to say that Pokemon TCG is a great game to play, and definitely worth a go if you're thinking about it. The more people who are interested, the more often we get to play in tourneys and the more likely it is that Kev will start using the rotation rule for tournaments and I won't ever have to see that Machamp again. Please guys, you don't want to make Cobalion cry, do you?

Don't forget that I have a couple of trial decks for those of you who are interested. Feel free to ask me for a intro game if I'm in, and in this cold weather I should be easily recognisable by my pokemon hoodie.

The Pokemon Professor, Troy