My Dragapult ex Run at Campinas, Top 67

I only changed one card from Andrew Hedrick's list, who won Los Angeles a week before, swapping Judge for the Dudunsparce ex, and that's what saved me.

Rounds 1 and 2 vs Team Rocket's Mewtwo

This was one of the matchups I didn't want to face. My round 1 opponent finished the tournament 10-3, the first player out of the Asymmetric Top in 15th place. Good guy, shout-out. I grouped both rounds in the same section since there isn't much to say.

Budew managed to steal me a game in round 1, and in the others I just got rolled by two Articunos and Clefairy.

Round 2 my opponent won game 1 very fast and made a mistake in game 2. Bench-locked without the Clefairy. I went for a line where I'd pull the Spidops up and hit 70 with Dragapult, trying to close the game in 2 attacks with the Munkidoris. I missed the Darkness Energy when I needed it, couldn't execute, and lost.

Round 3 vs Raging Bolt

At 0-2, I couldn't drop another game. I've done the hero's journey to day 2 before, and I've been confident in my play lately, so I managed to stay calm and push through.

My opponent was Lucas Paglia, who's also got multiple day 2s under his belt.

Both matches were rolls — Dudunsparce ex grabbing 4 or 5 prizes and Dragapult cleaning up. The note on this match is that my opponent didn't expect Dudunsparce ex, since Hedrick's list didn't run it. He KO'd a Drakloak instead of the Dunsparce, I brought it up, evolved, attached, played the Stamp and won. G2 I opened the prize race by KO'ing the Kangaskhan with it, hitting the Hammer on an energy in the back and the Stamp right after he KO'd the Budew.

The script for this match was simple. Hit the Hammer on energies early and drop the Budew. Buy time and win the race with Dudunsparce ex + Stamp.

Round 4 vs Mega Lucario ex

This one was smooth. I had a lot of energy and was playing fast. My opponent was pretty inexperienced, so I controlled well with confused Munkidori, Hammer on the specials, and multi-prize turns. The matchup isn't this easy against more experienced players, but in my view it's no more than a 50-50. I closed both games quickly and stepped away to eat and drink some water.

Round 5 vs Mega Lopunny and Mega Froslass

Another round where I got to exploit my opponent's inexperience. The 4 Wallys are a pain for Dragapult to deal with, but in the Mega Froslass version, the deck doesn't draw as many cards because it drops the Enriching Energy to run Hero's Cape. Game 1 he didn't go for Mega Froslass, just played with the Lopunnys. I punished him by retreating Dragapult with damage and abusing the Munkidoris. The turn he used Boss instead of Wally, I dropped the Stamp and KO'd the Dunsparces on the field. Won with one more attack the next turn.

Game 2 he switched gears and went for the Mega Froslass setup. Super easy game, I sat at 0 cards in hand attacking while he couldn't do anything. Confused Munkidori on the Froslass, Hammer on the Mist Energies and GG.

Round 6 vs Alakazam

Here I thought I was going to get eliminated. I cut the Judge from the deck, didn't trust just the Stamp as disrupt in this match. Game 1 it was enough though. On my opponent's first KO, I got to clear the cage stadium, drop both Munkidoris and use Crispin to attach to both, played the Stamp and KO'd the Alakazam and a Kadabra, leaving damage on the other. He couldn't get the KO, put the Abras back under the Risky Ruins and lost to one attack from Dragapult.

Game 2 was very interesting. He opened with Genesect on the bench, which I hadn't seen in game 1. He attached a Handheld Fan to Genesect and attached zero energy. I cracked a sneaky smile lol. Retreated my Dreepy, played Boss on the Genesect and hit with Budew. He attached to Genesect, retreated, passed. Draw, Boss on the Genesect, Budew. He attached, retreated, passed. Draw, Boss on the Genesect and Budew. He attached, retreated, passed. Draw, Ultra Ball for Meowth, Meowth for my last Boss, Boss on the Genesect and Budew. He missed the energy to refuel lololol and passed. Dragapult KO and I spread damage. He KO'd the Dragapult without setting Genesect back up. Took the Stamp and never found another energy to attack lololololol.

Round 7 vs Clefairy Box

I lost my mind here. Thought I was getting eliminated. Game 1 I just got rolled. Game 2 I made him go first, to try to land the Hammer and Budew and slow him down. If he loses a KO turn early, I can stack multiple KOs with Dragapult and Dudunsparce ex. The way it was, my prize map was: 3 on the Kangaskhan, 1 on Passimian/Clefairy, 2 on any ex in the back with Boss. Worked out in game 2.

Game 3 was weird. I rushed him with Dudunsparce ex early and he missed the KO with the Passimian. He ran Stunfisk, pulled my Fez up and was going to try for 4 prizes. I came back with two Munkidoris and would've won even with him taking 4. He gambled by pulling my Dudunsparce ex needing to hit two heads with Kangaskhan's attack to KO. He missed and I went into the last round able to ID into day 2.

Round 8 vs Greninja ex / Mega Froslass

Here I could've intentional-drawn to get us both into day 2, or play to try to pass with a better standing. I went to the table thinking I'd play against a Mewtwo, ready to ID. When I got there the Mewtwo player saw he was at the wrong table — I pulled out my playmat and started shuffling my deck, decided to play. My opponent showed up, didn't say a word and started shuffling. He won the flip and chose to go first. He opened with Froakie, searched for another Froakie and a Snorunt off the Poffin and passed. I made Budew, 4 Dreepys and item lock. Right then he asked if I wanted to draw. I dodged it and we kept going. He played the Grand Tree Ace Spec, made Greninja, attached energy and KO'd the Budew. I came back with 3 Drakloaks in the back, Tree to make Dragapult, Crispin to attach, heads on the Hammer to strip his water energy, 200 to the front and 6 on the Frogadier in the back. Onto the next.
Game 2 he hit the combo, T1 energy passed. Tree T2 and KO'd both my Pokémon. Game 3 I made him go first, praying for heads on the Hammer to survive. He made Snorunt and passed. I built my bench with the Dreepys, Munkidori and dropped the Budew. He made Mega Froslass and KO'd, nothing else. I played Crispin and hit with confused Munkidori. He didn't do anything else and I won the next turn. Tough luck.

6-2 going into day 2.

The Saddest Round vs My Most Special Opponent

Round 9 I got paired against one of my best friends — training partner, teammate, deck partner, everything Pokémon TCG related. Sad, because whoever wins goes 7-2 with a big buffer for Sunday, and whoever loses goes 6-3 with no shot at the cut. He was on a different, bold Dragapult build.

He won the flip and chose to go second, to dodge the Hammers and land the Budew. I missed my own Budew on turn 2 by not paying attention, didn't see it in the deck on the first search. I got bailed out when he committed to a line that needed Rare Candy Dragapult, which he couldn't pull off. I got my Dragapult up before his and from there the game was very favorable for me.
Game 2 was smoother, I managed to choke the Rare Candy combo, and he missed an evolution turn, which is huge in the mirror.

Really sad that this match didn't happen deeper in the tournament — knocking out a friend who had every bit as much shot at the top as me, in the first round of day 2 on the Saturday itself, wasn't fun. At the September regional, Arceus willing, we'll face each other in top cut.

Round 10 vs The Second Place Dragapult

First round of Sunday I fell against Francisco Osório, who ended up as the finalist. Both of my day 2 mirrors went the same way: I got rolled game 1 and got donked game 2.

Game 1 I opened pretty bad. I knew he was also on Dragapult, so I chose to start with the Fez, to attach energy turn 1 and Crispin turn 2 to try to KO his Drakloaks, since with what I had in hand it was the only line I had a chance with. He played really well, passing on Lillie to drop Boss and stall me a turn. That's what won him the game, since I didn't develop Drakloaks, just energy. I tried to trade hits to the end, hitting with Fez, Munkidori, landed 3 Hammers. I dropped the Stamp and he came back with Psychic and Boss to close it. Game 2 I got donked.

After the match we talked about game 1, he was super cool. Showed me his list which was very different. I didn't get shaken, I knew I could lose the mirror to better players, kept pushing for top 32.

Round 11 vs Arboliva ex

Not much to say about this one, the matchup is supposed to be bad, but Budew is a war crime against that deck. Hammer stripping energy with Budew keeping him from finding pieces, gave me two fast games where my opponent, an excellent player with two top 32s in his first year as a Master, couldn't find what he needed to break my setup.

Few things are scarier than what a Budew 10 can play.

Round 12 vs Dragapult Hammer

Another mirror. Not a lot to say, I opened well ahead of my opponent. I took the confused Munkidori, missed 3 Hammers and the confused 3 times without finding the Crispins. What I could've done differently was try to drop Budew instead of going for the Munkidori coin flip the first time. Looking back it was the right play, at least to try to land that disrupt and attach an energy from hand on the way back. Game 2 his Budew tagged my Dreepy 7 times for the win. No shot at 32 and praying for a top 64 now.

Round 13, The Last Round vs Raging Bolt

This match was for venting the frustration from the last one. It was a Chilean player who played very slowly. He was prepped for the Dudunsparce ex, dropping Boss before I could evolve. I won just hitting with Dragapult and landing the Hammers. Game 2 he made the common Raging Bolt mistake in the matchup — attacking with water Ogerpon. I dropped Budew, stripping an energy in the back. He came in and shuffled the energies back, KO'ing a Drakloak. I came back with Stamp, Dragapult + Crispin, Dunsparce on the bench and a Dragapult KO spreading damage. He tried to stall as much as possible, played really slowly, we went to the 3 extra turns, and I closed by grabbing another Dragapult KO and a Dudunsparce ex KO.

Final Thoughts

In Curitiba I left very frustrated, because I believed I could've done much better.

From Campinas I left with a mixed feeling of, I could've done better, with a feeling that next time I'll go much better.

I wouldn't change anything in the list, but I'd change several plays I got wrong, and most of all I'd change my training. I've already mapped out how I'm going to train for my next regional, because now my chest burns with the will to Win and one phrase echoes every time I look at my cards.

I will still be a Regional Champion.