Hey reader, Phinn again. San Jose Regionals has just passed, and yet again, I learned a very valuable lesson. Initially, I was depressed after the event because of my poor performance. However, after a conversation with Mark Garcia, I realized that there is nothing to be sad about. I sent Mark a huge message on Facebook asking him different questions about the game, and how … Continue reading “No Shaym-in Defeat:” a Look at Consistency in Deck Building

Hey Guys, Phinn again. San Jose Regionals is in four days as I write this. I was growing tired of Yveltal when preparing for this event. I love the deck, but I realized that it might not be the best choice for San Jose. I tried to look to other options that can beat the parts of the meta that I care about. I looked … Continue reading “Sea-king the Archen-stone:” Three Choices for Water and Electric Types

Hey guys, Phinn again. As San Jose Regionals approach, the main question on my mind is: how can I build a deck that beats Trevenant and Yveltal, but also holds fair matchups against the rest of the field. This article is my answer to that question. This piece was written over about a week, and you’ll notice that there are time skips throughout the article. … Continue reading “Escape from Twist Mountain:” Introduction to Toad/Aerodactyl and a Look at Inventing Rogues

Hey guys, Phinn again. It seems like every Top 8 list in Expanded is coming with surprises. The meta has become diverse, and somewhat overwhelming. In this piece, I will cover the deck that recently took first at Philadelphia Regionals: Trevenant. With this new list, I have come to the conclusion that Trevenant is the best deck in the Expanded format. In this article I … Continue reading “BREAKing Trevenant:” a Look at Trevenant’s New Strategy, and Its Counter

Hey guys, Phinn again. Philly Regionals did not work out; as I write this, it is 7:54 AM on Day 2 of the event, and I’m waiting for Top 32 to begin. My friends Nathian Beck and Jimmy McClure are going into their Top 32 rounds. I have the privilege of playing cheerleader. These free hours give me time to reflect on what led to … Continue reading Reflecting on Failure, and Learning from Defeat

Editor’s Note: In today’s article, Phinn lays out specific skills that help make a successful Pokemon player. It’s worth noting that an invaluable resource for improving those very skills can be found in private coaching. A good Coach can examine your deck list or play out a practice game with you, and offer particular pointers on ironing out weaknesses in each – they focus on … Continue reading “Like No One Ever Was:” the Theory Behind Pokemon’s Very Best

Yo! How’s it going guys, Phinn again. In an effort to keep content consistent, I decided to write a piece about my Yveltal deck in Standard. I have been working on this list for a while now, because I don’t care to test any other deck in Standard…. though to be honest, I don’t test much other than Yveltal in Expanded either. Yveltal BKT and … Continue reading “Stand-In the Place Where You Live!” Exploring Yveltal’s Strength in Standard

Hey guys, Phinnegan again. As you may or may not know, the only thing that I was testing for Phoenix Regionals was Yveltal. I felt like it had proven itself as the best deck and had an answer to even the hardest matchups. I felt like there was no top choice that could manage even a 70/30 against it because of how well rounded the … Continue reading “Music of the (Fright) Night:” 10th Place Arizona Regionals Tournament Report

Hey guys, Phinn again. I was initially  going to make this piece about Mega Rayquaza and the different ways to use it, however I realized that there is much more to talk about. I also haven’t gotten enough testing done to be sure of any perfect lists yet. I’m sure most of you are in the same situation. What I have done is made several starting … Continue reading Four Standard Decks That Will Destroy Your Local League Challenges

Hey guys, Phinn again. This is going to be an informative piece, letting you all know exactly what we are losing with this year’s rotation. It’s a bit of a pain to search out which set every card came from, so I thought I would save you all the trouble and make a list. I also list out the cards that were reprinted in a … Continue reading “And So the Balance Shifts:” What is Kept and Lost with the 2017 Rotation