Heh, its my first time writing one.
Let's begin.
*Twinkledust and happy stuff*
6:30. I rise up and take a moment to orient myself. I fell asleep with my DS in my right hand and a glass in the left, lord knows what was in the glass. Setting the glass down, I hop out of bed, and dash to do all the menial things I left up in the air from the night before (consent form-pfft wtf I'm 25, I need no ones consent-charge DS, organize team, distribute items, all the hoopla.)
By 6:45, I'm on the 6 train, heading from home to 18th street and 6th avenue. Walking around NYC at 7 am is an enthralling scene, since its empty and you can actually take the time to enjoy the architecture of Lower Manhattan. So, I take a left, and walk for what seems to be a extremely long Avenue (Yes, Manhattan gets stupid weird in its lower half, Avenues shrink and grow) until I reach a giant Magmortar raising its cannon at me.
Yeah, I found the place. It was a hidden away facility, but aside from the Electivire and Magmortar posters, and the small group of people outside-you would have not have known. No blow up figures like L.A. No Pikachu or Turtwig. None of that. But then again...its 7 am.
So, I get on the short (I mean 4 people short) line and attain an alternate wristband that was numbered. They take the numbered part, throw it into a bingo rotator, and say that we can come back at 10:45 , so they can do the Senior Drawing.
Now, being a NYC native, I knew exactly what to do. Head over to the local comic shops! :D I perused there for a few hours, hit up Subway, and dashed back to the building by 10:30-where the mass of people there had exploded to damn near 100.
Now, let's focus on this. NEAR 100.
By this time, the people running the event are shouting at us the rules of how they will pick alternates, and by now I am recognizing a bunch of people from previous tournaments around NYC over the last 8 months. Whether they all go to Smogon or not, I didn't ask. But if ya did and yer reading, I was the guy in the safari hat and JP polo.
(By the way, there were people there working the event that I've seen at every other event as a participant. One of ya needs to get me a damn POLO! I was feeling the black polo ya'll, hook me up!)
There was someone dressed as the Firered Trainer, and ironically, his was the FIRST number drawn as the first Alternate. Of course, that got a round of applause (He also made it to go to Florida, go fig :p)THE First of 93 alternates.
93. Meaning whatever 128-93 gives you is how many people showed up.
Anyway, after what felt like an eternity, I got my number called. I get in, register, and then we wait. They give you a strap thingie for your DS (FINALLY) and a bunch of other stuff, but no bin of BEACH PokeBALLS. No. They had them stored away...and then they gave me my flight number.
Had to get a photo op with Dialga and Palkia. They couldn't set these outside, they know they woulda been stolen in 20 min flat. By ME.
As explained before in other warstories and the L.A overview, there were four flights-top 2 in each flight went to Florida. Simple. I was in Flight 3, so I had time to kill. I watched a few battles, and I also found out that out of everyone in the crowd waiting to be an alternate...4 people did not get in.
That's it. 4. Only 4. Sucks to be them.
Posted obligatory yellow rat for continuity break.
Ok-on to the actual battling. Now, please, you may harp on my team as much as you like, hell I harp on it to because the simple fact that it was not swiftly murdered was just a shock on my part.
Round One
Me vs Khris
I have...
Pestilence-Spiritomb @ Leftovers
Careful
Pain Split
Will-o-Wisp
Shadow Sneak
Faint Attack
UnklRuckus-Swampert @ Chesto Berry
Relaxed
Surf
Ice Beam
Protect
Earthquake
Extant-Heracross @ Wide Lens
Adamant
Close Combat
Megahorn
Stone Edge
Night Slash
Metagross (Traded) @ Expert Belt (may as well be itemless)
Adamant
Meteor Mash
Explosion
Bullet Punch
Earthquake
Yes, somehow this team was able to hold it together, despite my horrid 4x weaknesses all over the place.
This first battle, I used Pestilence and Unlk out first against his Politoed and Vaporeon. I saw where this was going and acted fast. Pestilence burned Vaporeon, while Unlk Protected, as they both used Waterfall?
No Rain Dance? What? Confused, I wasted no time and Ice Beamed/Faint Attacked Vaporeon and Politoed away.
Out comes Kingdra and Lapras. Not wanting to risk it, I switch Unkl out, to Metagross, and pull the pin.
For some reason, the kid kept hitting Pestilence, and Tomb kept Pain Splitting. Meta go boom I winz. Yay I made it past the first round, totally shocking myself.
---Break for breather..ok back into it!---
The second round though, was my downfall due to my hesitation (read: stupidity).
I started with Pest and Meta but out came a Garchomp and Togekiss. I'm expecting E-quake, so I BULLET PUNCH THE TOGEKISS (W-T-F Why?!?!?!), and have Pest fire off a Will-o-Wisp at Togekiss (Completely intentional, hence my stupidity). Yes, Chomp Earthquakes. Pest is'nt really phazed, and Kiss finishes off Meta
Second turn, I throw Unkl out, knowing this went sour. It takes out Chomp. I fire off a Shadow Sneak, and Kiss is getting low on health. Out comes Garde. I ponder why the hell Garde is out and then I freak.
Magical Leaf 4tDeath. Pest takes out Garde though with two Shadow Sneaks. Kiss is pissing me off as Burn isn't working fast enough. Extant..I really didn't wanna get him out 'til Toge was gone cause the second he stepped out, he would be (and subsequently was) was Air Slashed.
He's left with a Blaziken and that weak Kiss, and I (STUPID MOVE #2) Use Shadow Sneak on Blaziken instead of Pain Split which would have let him survive against the damn Blaze Kick.
And that's how I was eliminated. Was a good battle but I have no idea why I just didn't pull the pin and get rid of the Kiss earlier.
Random shot of the masses
I hung around for a bit, watched the Junior division top two battle on PBR, battled a few people around, and then called it a day. Oddly enough, I only saw 3 Smeargles, and none had DV. Go fig?
Whoever made it to go to Fl from here, awesome and good luck, it seems like a MUCH MUCH easier time than JAA for sure :o.
Let's begin.
*Twinkledust and happy stuff*
6:30. I rise up and take a moment to orient myself. I fell asleep with my DS in my right hand and a glass in the left, lord knows what was in the glass. Setting the glass down, I hop out of bed, and dash to do all the menial things I left up in the air from the night before (consent form-pfft wtf I'm 25, I need no ones consent-charge DS, organize team, distribute items, all the hoopla.)
By 6:45, I'm on the 6 train, heading from home to 18th street and 6th avenue. Walking around NYC at 7 am is an enthralling scene, since its empty and you can actually take the time to enjoy the architecture of Lower Manhattan. So, I take a left, and walk for what seems to be a extremely long Avenue (Yes, Manhattan gets stupid weird in its lower half, Avenues shrink and grow) until I reach a giant Magmortar raising its cannon at me.
Yeah, I found the place. It was a hidden away facility, but aside from the Electivire and Magmortar posters, and the small group of people outside-you would have not have known. No blow up figures like L.A. No Pikachu or Turtwig. None of that. But then again...its 7 am.
So, I get on the short (I mean 4 people short) line and attain an alternate wristband that was numbered. They take the numbered part, throw it into a bingo rotator, and say that we can come back at 10:45 , so they can do the Senior Drawing.
Now, being a NYC native, I knew exactly what to do. Head over to the local comic shops! :D I perused there for a few hours, hit up Subway, and dashed back to the building by 10:30-where the mass of people there had exploded to damn near 100.
Now, let's focus on this. NEAR 100.
By this time, the people running the event are shouting at us the rules of how they will pick alternates, and by now I am recognizing a bunch of people from previous tournaments around NYC over the last 8 months. Whether they all go to Smogon or not, I didn't ask. But if ya did and yer reading, I was the guy in the safari hat and JP polo.
(By the way, there were people there working the event that I've seen at every other event as a participant. One of ya needs to get me a damn POLO! I was feeling the black polo ya'll, hook me up!)
There was someone dressed as the Firered Trainer, and ironically, his was the FIRST number drawn as the first Alternate. Of course, that got a round of applause (He also made it to go to Florida, go fig :p)THE First of 93 alternates.
93. Meaning whatever 128-93 gives you is how many people showed up.
Anyway, after what felt like an eternity, I got my number called. I get in, register, and then we wait. They give you a strap thingie for your DS (FINALLY) and a bunch of other stuff, but no bin of BEACH PokeBALLS. No. They had them stored away...and then they gave me my flight number.
Had to get a photo op with Dialga and Palkia. They couldn't set these outside, they know they woulda been stolen in 20 min flat. By ME.
As explained before in other warstories and the L.A overview, there were four flights-top 2 in each flight went to Florida. Simple. I was in Flight 3, so I had time to kill. I watched a few battles, and I also found out that out of everyone in the crowd waiting to be an alternate...4 people did not get in.
That's it. 4. Only 4. Sucks to be them.
Posted obligatory yellow rat for continuity break.
Ok-on to the actual battling. Now, please, you may harp on my team as much as you like, hell I harp on it to because the simple fact that it was not swiftly murdered was just a shock on my part.
Round One
Me vs Khris
I have...
Pestilence-Spiritomb @ Leftovers
Careful
Pain Split
Will-o-Wisp
Shadow Sneak
Faint Attack
UnklRuckus-Swampert @ Chesto Berry
Relaxed
Surf
Ice Beam
Protect
Earthquake
Extant-Heracross @ Wide Lens
Adamant
Close Combat
Megahorn
Stone Edge
Night Slash
Metagross (Traded) @ Expert Belt (may as well be itemless)
Adamant
Meteor Mash
Explosion
Bullet Punch
Earthquake
Yes, somehow this team was able to hold it together, despite my horrid 4x weaknesses all over the place.
This first battle, I used Pestilence and Unlk out first against his Politoed and Vaporeon. I saw where this was going and acted fast. Pestilence burned Vaporeon, while Unlk Protected, as they both used Waterfall?
No Rain Dance? What? Confused, I wasted no time and Ice Beamed/Faint Attacked Vaporeon and Politoed away.
Out comes Kingdra and Lapras. Not wanting to risk it, I switch Unkl out, to Metagross, and pull the pin.
For some reason, the kid kept hitting Pestilence, and Tomb kept Pain Splitting. Meta go boom I winz. Yay I made it past the first round, totally shocking myself.
---Break for breather..ok back into it!---
The second round though, was my downfall due to my hesitation (read: stupidity).
I started with Pest and Meta but out came a Garchomp and Togekiss. I'm expecting E-quake, so I BULLET PUNCH THE TOGEKISS (W-T-F Why?!?!?!), and have Pest fire off a Will-o-Wisp at Togekiss (Completely intentional, hence my stupidity). Yes, Chomp Earthquakes. Pest is'nt really phazed, and Kiss finishes off Meta
Second turn, I throw Unkl out, knowing this went sour. It takes out Chomp. I fire off a Shadow Sneak, and Kiss is getting low on health. Out comes Garde. I ponder why the hell Garde is out and then I freak.
Magical Leaf 4tDeath. Pest takes out Garde though with two Shadow Sneaks. Kiss is pissing me off as Burn isn't working fast enough. Extant..I really didn't wanna get him out 'til Toge was gone cause the second he stepped out, he would be (and subsequently was) was Air Slashed.
He's left with a Blaziken and that weak Kiss, and I (STUPID MOVE #2) Use Shadow Sneak on Blaziken instead of Pain Split which would have let him survive against the damn Blaze Kick.
And that's how I was eliminated. Was a good battle but I have no idea why I just didn't pull the pin and get rid of the Kiss earlier.
Random shot of the masses
I hung around for a bit, watched the Junior division top two battle on PBR, battled a few people around, and then called it a day. Oddly enough, I only saw 3 Smeargles, and none had DV. Go fig?
Whoever made it to go to Fl from here, awesome and good luck, it seems like a MUCH MUCH easier time than JAA for sure :o.
