Star Requiem in São Paulo
Top 32 at LAIC with Lost Zone Giratina VSTAR by Grant Hays
Hello Ian’s Conspiracy readers! That’s something I haven’t typed out in a while. I’m Grant Hays, and I’m back with another article, this time discussing my run at LAIC with Lost Zone Giratina VSTAR. I’ll be going over my preparation leading up to the event, how I landed on the deck, my run, reflections, and miscellaneous thoughts moving forward.
Before the event
Following the World Championships in Yokohama, I opted not to attend any of the North American regionals. This is because I thought settling into my classes and starting the year off well academically was more important than rushing to earn championship points. In addition, September and October are busy months for applying for internships for my major, so I knew Pokemon would be taking a backseat until I finished that process. I opted to book LAIC because of its convenient timing before Thanksgiving break and because I knew I’d be mostly finished with the obligations mentioned above. With everything mostly good to go by the beginning of November, it was time to start prepping for the IC.
Preliminary Thoughts
This section will be more of a bullet-point list. These are all thoughts I had in the 1-2 weeks before the tournament:
-Iron Hands ex is very good and is probably best in Chien Pao ex/Baxcalibur
-Lugia falls off majorly because the deck has a low damage cap. The vessel build with Iron Hands ex and basic energy isn’t consistent or aggressive enough to be worth playing.
-Lost Tina remains a top deck and gets slightly better with Counter Catcher and a more 2 prize-focused meta.
-Roaring Moon ex is very good until the opponent can stabilize and play Iono to slow down the game
-Mew VMAX shouldn’t be a consideration because of its poor Roaring Moon ex matchup and Charizard ex matchup
-Roaring Moon ex will probably be the most played deck with Chien Pao ex being second.
-Gardevoir ex is definitely still very good and probably gains the most cards from the new set.
-Rapid Strike Inteleon VMAX is probably very bad for this event because of Roaring Moon ex. If Roaring Moon ex falls off, it could be good for a future regional in this format (at the time of this edit, we saw Rahul Reddy get top 16 at Gdansk, so it’s possible this change in the meta is happening already).
As you can tell, I had a lot of different ideas of what could be good. Nothing felt like a definite correct answer. About a week before the event, I played games with Lost Zone Giratina VSTAR and decided it could be a solid backup option if we didn’t come up with anything exceptional. I’d played a lot of Giratina VSTAR in the past for miscellaneous small events like Team Challenge, online tournaments, etc. While I didn’t go to Pittsburgh, a local friend did, so I had a lot of experience playing the Gardevoir matchup by prepping with him before the regional. I figured at worst I had a backup deck figured out.
The night before
It feels like the night before a tournament is always significantly more important than all of the hours before it. I landed in São Paulo Thursday morning and wanted to get straight into grinding games to figure out what deck I was going to play. I met up with my friend Gibson Archer-Tang who showed me a sick Gholdengo ex/Klefki deck he had sleeved up. After meeting our other friends and getting to our room, we started testing. Gibson and I played the Gholdengo vs Lost Tina matchup while Lucas Xing and Andrew Hedrick played multiple sets of Chien Pao ex vs Gardevoir ex. Aidan Khus had the idea that Gardevoir/Avery with no Battle VIP Pass was the best deck, so finalizing a 60 for that would be our best option. As the day went on, two things became clear: Gardevoir ex was definitely the best deck, and Gholdengo ex wasn’t that great. Unfortunate.
Khus, Xing, and Hedrick had about 57 cards figured out, and we went to dinner. I was debating hopping on the deck and figured I’d play some games and see how I felt. What I found after coming back to test was that the deck felt fine, but not amazing. I was also concerned that the deck’s power level wouldn’t outweigh my relative inexperience with it, especially in a new format. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve definitely picked up decks the night before an event and done well, but I’m a little rusty at the moment. I knew to win the event it would be essential to have a gameplan to get through the Gardevoir ex mirror match, and I didn’t think I could beat an experienced player in the matchup. At the time of this realization, it was getting late. After some panic sets of Roaring Moon ex vs Gardevoir ex, I figured the last thing to do was play some Lost Zone Giratina VSTAR into it. As soon as I drew my opening hand in the one best-of-three I played with Lucas, I knew that I had a way better idea of what I was doing with Lost Zone Giratina VSTAR than with Gardevoir ex. I won a close set and went back to resleeve and go to bed.
Here’s the list I submitted:
Interesting Inclusions
2 Roxanne
I based my list off the list Ethan Hegyi posted on Twitter a few weeks ago. He played double Iono with one Roxanne, but after playing some games, I figured two Roxanne was much better for the late game when Iono is significantly worse after the first two turns.
2 Counter Catcher
Counter Catcher is the new tool this deck gains from Paradox Rift. The card elevates the deck’s late-game potential so much, as it’s now possible to go Path to the Peak + Roxanne + Counter Catcher + Lost Mine or Lost Impact to swing a game. Definitely play at least two. Cyrus Davis made top 128 with a similar list with three, and this count may be worth exploring as well.
1 Pokegear 3.0
I’ve always been a huge proponent of Pokegear 3.0 in lost zone decks. I think this deck needs to find Colress’s Experiment to play the game, and Pokegear 3.0 can also serve as an additional supporter out following an opponent’s Roxanne or Iono. Late Thursday night, I was talking with my friend Isaiah Cheville about the list. In the back of my mind, I knew I wanted a Pokegear 3.0, but I wasn’t sure what to cut. He said the third water energy I had probably wasn’t needed, and I agreed. The Pokegear 3.0 pulled its weight a ton and was a great inclusion throughout the event.
Exciting Exclusions
3rd Water Energy
Third water energy was the most obvious cut. I used Radiant Greninja’s attack once throughout the entire tournament with 2 water. They almost always have Manaphy anyway, and it’s hard to hit Giant Water Shuriken turn 2. I don’t think the 3rd water is more essential than a card like Pokegear 3.0 or Super Rod.
Spiritomb
I considered Spiritomb prior to the event to have better matchups into Mew VMAX and Snorlax. However, I figured Mew VMAX wouldn’t show up enough to be worthwhile and Snorlax was already a favorable matchup.
Lost Vacuum
Something interesting from the top 8 Lost Zone Giratina VSTAR list was the inclusion of Forest Seal Stone and Lost Vacuum. I think the deck is pretty tight on space, but Lost Vacuum is a card I’d want to include. This combination could be worth looking at more going forward.
Day 1 Recap
Overall, day 1 started well for me:
R1: Roaring Moon ex: WW
R2: Lost Zone Giratina VSTAR: WW
R3: Snorlax Stall: WT
R4: Chien Pao ex: WW
R5: Gardevoir ex: LWT
R6: Roaring Moon ex: WW
R7: Charizard ex/Pidgeot ex: WW
R8: Arceus VSTAR/Giratina VSTAR/Serperior VSTAR: WLT
R9: Gardevoir: LWT
I started day 1 well at 6-0-1 and had some close games to finish things out at 6-0-3. I was a bit disappointed to not finish with a better score, but I was optimistic for day 2. One important thing to note with Lost Zone Giratina VSTAR is that games naturally take a while, and I had multiple 20-25 minute games. In my round 9 tie against Gardevoir, we had about 10 minutes left, split the first two games, acknowledged we both had playable hands, and opted to ID game 3. The Gardevoir ex matchup felt close but workable, and I got some rest late that night before day 2.
Day 2 Recap
Day 2 had more ups and downs:
R10: Charizard ex/Pidgeot ex: LL
R11: Chien Pao ex: LL
R12: Snorlax Stall: WW
R13: Lost Zone Giratina VSTAR: WLT
R14: Gardevoir ex: WW
R15: Lost Zone Giratina VSTAR: WW
9-2-4, 27th place
After some not particularly close games to start the day, God gave me a Snorlax stall to get things back on track. I locked in a bit more and played better later in the day to clutch up against some close matchups.
Reflections from the weekend
I think overall Lost Zone Giratina VSTAR was a solid play for LAIC. With good matchups into Roaring Moon ex and the other two prize decks, it felt like a good play for day one especially. I knew beating Gardevoir ex would be important to go far, but with Gardevoir ex being the best deck in my mind, going even against it wasn’t the worst thing ever. I also felt like the deck had a lot of raw comeback strength. Roxanne + Counter Catcher is a powerful combo, and Lost Zone Giratina VSTAR takes advantage of it the best. I had a lot of games come down to 1 prize and hoping my opponent whiffed off Roxanne/Iono, which usually happened.
Going forward
At the time of writing this, Brisbane day 2 is going on and people in Gdansk are sleeping before day 2. In addition, I went 0-2 at a cup today with my same 60. I think the meta is shifting toward more Miraidon ex and Gardevoir ex, and neither of those matchups are exactly freebies for Lost Zone Giratina VSTAR. I think the deck is probably still solid in the right meta, but it may not be a great play if you find your meta to follow patterns we’re seeing in Europe and Australia.
Miscellaneous thoughts
Changes to the List
The list felt good overall. I found myself being spread pretty thin on resources in games though, and a potential cut could be -1 Pokegear 3.0 for +1 Super Rod. I love Pokegear 3.0, but Super Rod is probably more needed. 2nd Water Energy could maybe go for 4th Grass Energy as well. 1 Water only really matters to bait Radiant Greninja’s attack, and I find I don’t use Radiant Greninja almost ever anyway.
Looking Towards San Antonio and Stuttgart
Looking at Brisbane and Gdansk right now, it looks like Gardevoir ex and Miraidion ex are both running the respective day 2’s. I could see Rapid Strike Inteleon VMAX being a solid play following these events, as the deck has solid matchups into most of the field. In addition, Mew VMAX could be another solid option. Both Double Turbo Energy and Fusion versions of the deck are solid into the two-prize decks, although I’m unsure about the ability for these variants to convincingly beat Gardevoir ex. I think I’ll personally be spending time in the next few weeks testing Gardevoir ex, Miraidion ex, and Charizard ex. I’m not sure if Charizard ex is that great or well-positioned, but the deck impressed me when I played against it in day 2, and I want to explore it more. I’d consider Gardevoir ex and Miraidion ex to be the big 2 to beat right now, though. Something I’ve learned over time playing events is that you don’t have to beat everything, but if your deck loses to Gardevoir ex and Miraidion ex, it’s probably time to shelve it for now.
On Attending Foreign IC’s
I think this weekend showed how beneficial IC’s can be compared to regionals. I write from a North American perspective, and for me, LAIC made profound sense to attend. It wasn’t that much more expensive than a North American regional, and the new prize structure made the trip even more worthwhile. With 30 match points, I would have gotten top 64 and 50 points at an NA regional. For this event, I got significantly more because of the smaller size and IC status. With records like 5-4 and 4-3-2 getting the same amount of points as top 32 at a Regional, I think we’ll see attendance at foreign international events continue to increase.
Match Points at LAIC and the Regression to Top 64
Something interesting that happened at LAIC was that in round 15, many people at 28 match points were content to ID to 29 match points and guarantee top 64. I offered the ID to my opponent as soon as we sat down, but they wanted to play. As we finished the set and we discussed it more, I think we were right to play it out. I think many people assumed 29 match points was safe for top 64, and mentally more people were content with $2000 for top 64 than a potential $3000 or $0 with playing it out for top 32. Many people checked Swiss calculators like the one on Limitless, but these calculators are made for when everyone plays out normally. However, the large rate of ID’ing actually caused some people to miss top 64 at 29 match points. This is something I’ve asked friends about in regards to NA regionals, but it doesn’t seem to be as pronounced as it was this weekend. I’d expect at future IC’s that it’s worthwhile to play out for top 32 rather than ID into top 64. This is also what led top 32 to be quite low in terms of needed match points. I assumed 32 points at least, but the high rate of ties actually led to 31 comfortably making it.
My Season
LAIC was my first major event since Worlds. I think the quarter 1 skip was good for me overall, but I’ll be attending more major events at the end of this year and the beginning of next. I’m a big fan of going to lots of events in the same format, as there’s less to learn and prepare from event to event. I’ll be in San Antonio, Portland, and Charlotte for sure, and I’ll likely be at the Iowa marathon in late December. Top 32 prizing has me googling flights to Liverpool, but with Charlotte and Knoxville in the weekends before and after this, I might chill out and take an off-weekend. My goal this year is to get my Worlds invite as soon as possible, and I want to make my attendance reflect that. For now, things are back in full swing for me.
Conclusion
LAIC was a great event for me. I played a deck I felt comfortable with and got a solid finish to make lots of progress on my Worlds invite. All the LATAM players and judges were very welcoming as well, and it was a great tournament environment. LAIC has definitely had its egregious issues through the years, but I think people overstate the negative aspects of the event as a whole and overlook the positives. It was a good start of the year for me, and I’m looking forward to more Pokemon. Lost Zone Giratina VSTAR isn’t that great, and you should play Gardevoir ex or Miraidion ex. Until next time, Grant.
Pokémon (15)
4 Comfey LOR 79
3 Giratina V LOR 130
3 Giratina VSTAR LOR 131
2 Sableye LOR 70
1 Cramorant LOR 50
1 Manaphy BRS 41
1 Radiant Greninja ASR 46
Trainer (32)
4 Colress's Experiment LOR 155
2 Roxanne ASR 150
1 Iono PAL 185
1 Boss's Orders PAL 172
4 Battle VIP Pass FST 225
4 Mirage Gate LOR 163
3 Nest Ball SVI 181
2 Switch Cart ASR 154
2 Escape Rope BST 125
2 Super Rod PAL 188
2 Counter Catcher PAR 160
1 Switch SVI 194
1 Pokégear 3.0 SVI 186
3 Path to the Peak CRE 148
Energy (13)
4 Jet Energy PAL 190
4 Psychic Energy 5
3 Grass Energy 1
2 Water Energy 3