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

Unova know what you get in Pre-Release Boosters.

The Chad is checking in:

One and a half days until the "Plasma Freeze" release for Pokemon TCG (Note to self, need a Pokemon Deck FTW!), and the pre-release for "Lord of the Tachyon Galaxy" for Yu-Gi-Oh... You know what that means?

SHIT

...

JUST

...

GOT

...

REAL

...

!!!

Just giving you all the head's up; the Pokemon TCG Trainers may be able to still reserve your spot for the coming Battle Royale, but Yu-Gi-Oh is more packed then a Centre-Link queue at Mid-Day. If you haven't gotten a booking, be ready to go in and either wait for someone to drop out/no-show, or duel another player for their spot. Those who have a spot, I hope you don't duel the fools who are clamoring for a slot.

No, I will not duel you for a spot; I warned you 7 days ago about the comming Duels, and you did nothing. I'm happy to wait to be beaten after I sit at the table with my brand new "Lord of the Tachyon Galaxy" packs. I'm an absolute tease, aren't I?

(EDIT: I admit it, Professor Crossingham, with his fancy PHD in Pokemonology and his lab-coat and his dashing good looks has beaten me to the post. He has everything covered so well, that there is nothing more for me to add. Who'd have thought, I'd ever be at a loss for words?  I heartily endorse you checking out his latest post here: Click here!)

Winter Descends on Unova

As Chad mentioned in his previous post, the latest booster set for Yu-Gi-Oh! is having it's pre release event this Saturday. I personally am very much looking forward to the Lord of the Tachyon Galaxy set and I'm gonna be down there for the event. I'm excited to not only be able to get my hands on the latest Harpie cards, but also Number 107: Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Dragon to go with my Photon deck. So anyone who's gonna be there and who pulls any of the following cards, come talk to me because I want to get them off you I want to be your friend.

• Harpie Channeler
• Hysteric Sign
• Harpie's Pet Phantasmal Dragon
• Number 107: Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Dragon

However, Lord of the Tachyon Galaxy isn't all that's happening on Saturday, as we've also got a Pokemon TCG tourney happening at 1pm. Not only that, but this month the latest Pokemon TCG booster set is also being released... Plasma Freeze. It would seem that winter is a touch earlier this year, and with the addition of a host of new Team Plasma affiliated pokemon and trainers a deck built to serve their own hidden agenda is much more possible. Having said that, I'm going to have a look over some of the new cards in the set and give my thoughts on them.

Tornadus-EX is perhaps one of my favourite new cards of the set. While it's Jet Blast attack may not seem powerful at first, if you can manage to attach the full amount of Plasma Energy onto it Tornadus-EX can deal out a whopping 180 damage, enough to knock out almost any opponent! However, my favourite ability is the Windfall attack. For just a single energy, Tornadus-EX will completely refresh your hand and give you even more options for your next turn. Since it only needs colourless energy, Tornadus-EX can fit into any deck!

Those of you who play already will know about the Rocky Helmet card, which deals out 20 damage to any pokemon that attacks the equipped pokemon. If you're a fan of Rocky Helmet, you may want to consider using up the Ace Spec slot in your deck for Rock Guard. It's used in the same manner as Rocky Helmet, but deals out a huge 60 damage instead of just 20. Your opponent will be hesitant to attack a pokemon with Rock Guard, especially if you equip it to a pokemon that already does retaliatory damage such as Lucario (Next Destinies 64/99) or Druddigon (Noble Victories 89/101).

Not only are new cards added, but some old favourites are also returning. Professor Juniper, a favourite for her ability to discard your hand to draw seven new cards is being re-released in both normal and full art versions, and the original terror of Pokemon-EX, Sigilyph, looks to be making a comeback as well! From what I can gather, it would seem that this Sigilyph will be released in its shiny form much like the Plasma Storm versions of the Boundaries Crossed Charizard and Blastoise. Personally I'm excited by this news, as I'm planning a psychic deck for the near future and having more copies of Sigilyph will be a great help. Plus everyone loves to have pretty cards in their deck so that they can show off to their opponents.

For those of you who love Eevee and its evolutions, you have some good news too. Not only are there two brand new Eevees to choose from, but each of the seven Eeveelutions make an appearance under the banner of Team Plasma. Each have their own unique charms, from Vaporeon's ability to heal all of your pokemon to Umbreon boosting the maximum HP of it's allies in Team Plasma by 20, and even Glaceon providing an escape route for Team Plasma pokemon by reducing their retreat cost by two! Each has their own unique charms, and I'm sure you could find one that suits your own deck.

Well, that's all I've got to say about Plasma Freeze for the moment. So whether you side with Team Plasma or plan to oppose them, Plasma Freeze will certainly give you a host of new cards to choose from. Feel free to give me the ones you don't want though, especially if it's a full art Professor Juniper!

Your resident Pokemon Professor* (as The Chad seems to want to dub me), Troy.

*You may want to reconsider playing that Bicycle card when I'm nearby, unless its an outdoors game.

Free Land, and D-Day looms.

*Puts on his robe and wizard's hat, and keeps his wand in it's Frog.*

Yes ladies, gentlemen, and weirds that pass as the former, the Dragon's Maze pre-release has come and gone.

The skill level was from the grandest Archmage, to Planeswalking Neophytes like myself and Blake.

Okay Maybe "Planeswalking isn't the best word for my case, but that's close enough to how I roll.

Back to the overview, Neophyte Blake and I took a Proverbial Leap of Faith, and joined the fray with little to no experience.

To the other players from that day: Thanks for bearing with me while I "got to my Feet".

Needless to say, my experiments blew up in my face, leaving singed eyebrows and a good time all around. Yes I said it anyway, so suck it up and Deal with it.

Now, I just need to finish my deck, and convince everyone to call me "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named", and I'll be halfway to conqering the known world!

*Takes off his robe and wizard's hat, putting them in his invisible bag of holding he stole from Dungeons and Dragons*

Anyway, onto The Yu-Gi-Oh front.

ATTENTION DUELISTS!

There are only 9 days until D-Day: The Yu-Gi-Oh Lord of The Tachyion Galaxy sneak-peak! Spots are limited so if you aren't signed up, do it NOW!

I signed up without getting off my bludging backside, so the only excuse is; "I tried to book, but there is no spots left..." :-)

Anyway, word from Konami is that the Atlantean, Constellar, Duston, Elemental Lord, Evilswarm, Fairy, Fire Fist, Fire King, Gagaga, Geargia/Geargiano, Harpie, Noble Knight, Madolche, Mermail, Prophecy, Shark and Spellbook Archetypes are getting a boost, as well as the first of the Battlin' Boxer, Elemental Dragon and Mecha Phantom Beast Archetypes are being unleashed for the 1st time with this set...

Don't know about you guys, but I'm going to side a Dragon Capture Jar or 2 to counter Elemental Dragons if they take off.

Again, it is only 9 days until the Yu-Gi-Oh Lord of Tachyion Release event! Be there or Miss out of the Duelin' fun.

The Chad Is Out...

Who-Do-I-Choose You!

Hey guys, it's Troy here again to bring you another Pokemon filled post! This time, I'm gonna be talking about how one goes about building a deck for Pokemon Trading Card Game. I want to post this one as I've had a couple of people ask me for some deck building advice, so I figure a blog post will at least have me putting it in writing so all can read at leisure.

My first, and I would say best, piece of advice for building a deck is to choose the pokemon you like the most. If you've got a decent idea of what pokemon are around or already know your favourites, that's half the battle done. For those of you who don't know all that much about pokemon, here's a handy list of all 649 current pokemon complete with some sprites for a quick picture reference (http://pokemondb.net/pokedex/national).

As Magic: The Gathering players will know, mixing too many different types can have a tendency to result in drawing the wrong resources for the wrong creatures. Once you've figured out what your number 1 favourite pokemon is, check it's type. That will narrow down the number of other pokemon you have to choose from to a more manageable amount. Just like in M:tG you can mix two types, but taking into account that each type has a weakness to another type, you may want to consider picking a secondary type to compliment the first one. Types are categorised as follows:

Grass (includes some bug and poison) - weak to Fire
Fire - weak to Water
Water (includes ice) - weak to Electric, some Grass and some Steel
Electric - weak to Fighting
Fighting (includes rock and ground) - weak to Psychic and Grass
Psychic (includes some bug, poison and ghost) - weak to Psychic and some Dark
Dark - weak to Fighting
Steel - weak to Fire
Dragon - weak to Dragon
Colourless (includes flying) - weak to Fighting and some Electric

Now that you've figured out which pokemon you want to use, the next thing to do is figure out which version of that pokemon you want to use. Pokemon Trading Card Game has been around since 1996, so many versions of even the most recent pokemon to be released have been printed over a great deal of booster sets. Picking which one you want to use is entirely up to you, but it's worth checking each one to see which you consider to be the best version. Remember that there is no right or wrong version to pick, it could even come down to which one has the best artwork. A very helpful tool for this is the TCG Card Database on the official Pokemon website (http://www.pokemon.com/us/pokemon-trading-card-game/database/).

Keep in mind however that while Kev has a great deal of pokemon cards dating back to the very first base set, cards that aren't from a set with Black & White in the title will be harder to find. Trust me on this, I can honestly say that getting my hands on copies of Feebas (EX Hidden Legends 61/101) was as difficult as trying to catch one in Pokemon Emerald Version or Platinum Version. Another thing to keep in mind is while you're welcome to use any card at the Card House with the exception of Birthday Pikachu (and I will ask for photo ID to make sure you're not lying about it being your birthday to gain unfair advantage in a children's card game), if you want to attend an official event chances are rotation will come into effect. Much like Magic: The Gathering Standard format this means that only cards from Black & White Base Set are permitted.

That's the most complicated part out of the way. Onto actually building a deck now.

A Pokemon TCG deck must contain exactly 60 cards, and no more than four duplicates of any name card can be used with the exception of basic energy cards and Arceus. Pokemon-EX are considered to have a different names to the standard version and can be included as well (eg, I could put 4 x Cobalion and 4 x Cobalion-EX in a single deck). The only other limit is that you must have at least a single basic pokemon in your deck (and unless you're a masochist you'll want more than one).

These cards are split into three different kinds - Pokemon, Trainers and Energy. Pokemon are your hitters, there to take hits and dish them out in pursuit of victory. Energy is vital, as without it your pokemon can't do any hitting. Finally, Trainers are your support cards and are further split into Supporters, Items, Tools and Stadiums. For now though I'll just cover the basics of building a deck, and maybe talk about them more in depth at a later time.

When choosing pokemon, it's crucial that you use multiple copies of each one. I've found a good ratio for starting out is to have 3 basic and two of any stage 1 or 2 evolved pokemon (eg, 3 Charmanders, 2 Charmeleons and 2 Charizards). If the pokemon doesn't evolve, two can suffice. My recommendation of how many pokemon should take up your 60 card limit is between 15 and 25. Too few and you run the risk of your opponent getting more cards in their opening hand (you must have a basic in your starting hand, and any time you have to reshuffle lets them draw another card), too many and you might not be drawing the trainers or energy you need to attack.

As far as energy goes, you need to be able to use your most powerful attacks. Counting up the energy you need for the pokemon you expect to be using the most to attack is a good start, plus adding in a few extras for good measure. Some tournament decks can use as few as 8 energy cards, but in the beginning I recommend using about 20 energy cards until you start fine tuning your deck.

This just leaves trainers, and you can fill out the remainder of your deck with these. A good place to get the most basic trainer cards is in starter decks, but if I've got a couple spare of the one you want feel free to ask. Trainers are there to add in what you need to keep the deck going during a game. For example, Fire and Electric pokemon tend to discard energy to use their most powerful attacks, so having copies of Energy Retrieval or Super Rod will be higher on your needed list. Draw power can be found in many ways, from drawing three cards with Cheren or discarding your whole hand to draw seven with Professor Juniper. There's usually a trainer for all occasions, but one thing to keep in mind is that you can only use a single Supporter in each turn. Make sure that when you're choosing your trainer cards, you don't just load up on Supporters or you run the risk of your deck being slow. Also, only a single Ace Spec trainer can be used in any deck so if you plan on including one choose wisely!

Well, that should be clear as mud. The starter decks are usually the best place to start anyway, as they include a fold out mat which has all the rules and a diagram of what the play area should look like. I'm normally better at explaining stuff with examples to hand, so if you see me in store and want to learn how to play I have two example decks you're welcome to have a go with and should showcase most of the cards you can expect to see.

Assuming you've managed to slog you way through all of that, thanks for reading!
Troy, Lucario/Photon Fanatic (Mind you, I'm also eagerly awaiting the new Harpie cards in the next Yu-Gi-Oh! booster set)

Good News Everyone!

Good News Everyone! I have created a device that let's you read this new-fangled web-log in Professor Farnsworth's Voice.

Bad News everyone! Fox has cancelled Futurama... (So what about Zoidberg?) so no more Planetary Express deliveries...

Which reminds me: We have the Hidden Arsenal 6 that needs to be delivered, along with the Blessing of the Ascended One that the fellow cardhousians got from a Facebook Competition.

Anyway, I want to thank Aaron Ford for his awesome posts on Card Fight : Vanguard. It is a Shame he wasn't writing when I started, as his advice would have made it so much easier for me to get started, C'est la vie.  

 I have also made it easier for everyone to post on here. Just send me a message on Facebook with an email address you can access; I'll send the invitation to post here in your own name, and then you can follow the prompts and be showered in the praise from your fellow Cardhousians!

Remember, my incentive/bribe is still up for grabs, so you can earn a booster pack of your choice while earning the respect of your peers!

Enough on that, here's the list and analysis of my current deck that I promised, and while a whole week late, is better then never.


Without Further Ado:

"RED ROOSTER" (Kev said no "Giant Flaming Cocks" on the blog.)

MAIN DECK

Monsters -

1 x Amarylease
3 x Flamevell Firedog
3 x Hazy Flame Cerberus
3 x Hazy Flame Griffon
3 x Hazy Flame Hypogriff
2 x Hazy Flame Peryton
2 x Hazy Flame Griffon
3 x Laval Lancelord

Spell

3 x Hazy Pillar
1 x Heavy Storm
2 x Kaiser Colosseum
3 x Mystical Space Typhoon
1 x Dark Hole
2 x Rekindling

Trap

2 x Bottomless Trap Hole
3 x Dark Bribe
1 x Hazy Glory
2 x Mirror Force

XYZ

3 x Hazy Flame Basiltrice
1 x Lavalval Chain
2 x Photon Strike Bounzer

Extra

1 x Amarylease
2 x Fire King Avatar Garunix
1 x Dark Hole
1 x Kaiser Colosseum
1 x Mausoleum of the Emperor
2 x Onslaught of the Fire Kings
1 x Rekindling
2 x Royal Decree
1 x Solemn Judgement
1 x Ultimate Offering
2 x XYZ Tribalrivals
1 x Recycling

RESULTS (Sunday 7th April, 2013)

1st opponent - Loss to Pharoh

Round 1 => Pharoh had his Atlanteans drown my monsters with sheer weight of numbers in the 1st game.

I  had Hazy Pillar to begin my lvl 5 normal summon spam, but the inability to draw Kaiser Collosseum until it was too effectively left the floodgates open for an atlantean synchro-drowning.

In hindsight, if I XYZ'ed for Photon Strike Bounzer instead of Basiltrice, I could have made it alot more painful.

Round 2 =>. Pharoh had free reign to drown with atlantean synchro-spam.

I had the inverse situation of above: I had Kaiser Colosseum, and needed Hazy Pillar to summon the one monsters required to activate Kaiser Colosseum's eff.


2nd opponent - Loss to Fallon

1st round => I was paired up against Fallon, using my old "Troll-face" Final Countdown deck, with her own modifications. Like our Regionals match-up last time, she stalled me through the countdown.

2nd round => My Hazy-Flame Basiltrice was about to be defeated through lifepoint loss, but her "Defense Draw" card effect negated the attack, and she got a free draw... The last piece of Exodia! She didn't tell me that was in there!

3rd opponent => Bi

4th Opponent => Draw to Nathan

1st round => Nathan's Six-Samurai were crippled by Kaiser Colosseum. He made one fatal mistake: He had shi-en, yet chose not to negate Kaiser Colosseum.

Because of this, I was able to stop Nathan from getting reinforcements until after I used rekindling to summon a host of Hazy Flames from the grave for a fully charged Basiltrice.

After that, That giant red Cock Hazy-Flame Basiltrice was able to roast all the 6 samurai individually.

2nd round => Nathan learned from his mistake in the 1st round, and went on to slay all my poor Hazy Flames... What did they do to you personally Nathan? If the 6 samurai weren't such evil bastards, killing fiery beasts of legend for "honour", there wouldn't have been a problem. Were the trophies really worth it? Hope their Dojo catches alight from a mounted head!

3rd round = before we had a 3rd round, I was Saved by the bell.

What Did I learn:

Dark bribes need to be changed out with something that minimizes hand advantage. "Magic Drain" might do for one, and a "Trap stun"

Monster effects are also a Pain In.The ... Arm, Okay, we'll go with that. Atlantean and Six Samurai are able to outnumber and overwhelm my Hazy Beasts using monster effects, I am thinking that Breakthrough Strike would be a better solution then Skill-Drain, and I need to fit them into my side deck somewhere.

Admittedly, Yugioh is FUBAR, but I wouldn't have it any other way!

The Chad is Great!

Update: We got the Power!

Follow-up to Sir Robert Teirney's ascension: We shed no tears, for he is on a better plane.

As a guild, we combined our lands to power up the spell, as a guild, we Succeeded! This prize is yoursCardhousians! Pat yourselves on the Back!

We got a small blessing from the Ascended one, but alas our rites were in the shadow of greater orders.

Still, we did it!

for now, we must await Our Guild-Master's (Kev) decision on what shall be done with this powerful gift.

The humble neophyte of Cardhousian Guild, Chad.