Road Trip to Plymouth: Finding My Weakness at Dark Star Gaming

Following on from a brilliant weekend celebrating John's birthday at our local shops, the crew decided it was time to pack up the car and hit the road. Five of us from our local scene made the journey up to Dark Star Gaming in Plymouth for their League Cup.

We had a solid little contingent ready to see where the day would take us, consisting of four Masters and one Senior:

• Chris: Mega Lucario / Hariyama
• Callum L: Mega Froslass / Mega Lopunny
• Callum C: Mega Starmie
• Ryan: Raging Bolt
• John (Seniors): Doublade Rocks

Unlike last weekend, when my Lucario deck felt like it could handle anything, this tournament taught me a harsh lesson about variance. The typing matchup lottery is a real thing, and it caught me out early.

🥊 The Tournament Swiss Rounds

Round 1 vs. Dan (Team Rocket's Mewtwo / Spidops) | Lost 0-2

I walked straight into a brick wall in the very first round. Facing down a dedicated Psychic-type weakness deck was an incredibly uphill battle. I tried to find lines to play around it, but I just couldn't quite establish a solid counter-strategy. A rough 0-2 start.

Round 2 vs. Alex (N's Zoroark / Mega Lopunny) | Won 2-0

The tables turned completely in the second round. This time, I was the one hitting hard for weakness. Alex put up a good fight, but his deck simply refused to cooperate with him, allowing me to stream attackers and secure a swift 2-0 bounce-back.

Round 3 vs. (Mega Diancie) | Lost 0-2

This round was the complete antithesis of my run last week. Game 1 was a brutal, lighting-fast one-turn KO that left me reeling. Game 2 went sideways just as quickly when my opponent pulled off a massive four-prize turn using Dusknoir, giving them exactly what they needed to knock out my Mega Lucario. Another heavy weakness matchup, another 0-2 loss.

Round 4 vs. (Steven's Metagross / Lillie's Clefairy) | Draw 1-1

My reward for round four? You guessed it, more weakness matchups. Despite the structural disadvantage, I managed to pilot the deck into a lightning-quick win in Game 1. We duked it out heavily in Game 2, which they managed to take to tie the series 1-1. We moved into Game 3 but hit the round time limit before either of us could dig out the final prize card needed for victory.

Round 5 vs. (Dragapult) | Won 2-0

Going into the final round, I was feeling a bit apprehensive. If this list ran Lillie's Clefairy, I knew I would be in serious trouble again. Thankfully, my deck decided to open up perfectly. I drew incredibly well and took the set 2-0 by heavily suffocating the Dragapult evolution line, knocking out their Dreepys on repeat before they could ever threaten my board.

Final Personal Standing: 13th place (2-2-1) A proper mixed bag of a day where the matchups just didn't fall my way, but that is the beautiful nature of card games.

🚗 Squad Standings and Silver Linings

While my own run was cut short of the top spots, the rest of the travel crew absolutely smashed it across the board:

• John: Finished with a stellar 2-1-0 record, taking 3rd place in Seniors with his Doublade Rocks project.
• Callum L: Finished a respectable 2-2-1.
• Callum C: Put up a strong 3-2-0 run, finishing 10th place in Masters and just missing out on cut.
• Ryan: Went on an absolute tear. He fought through Swiss with a 4-1-0 record, smashed through Top 8, breezed past Top 4, and won the entire tournament to take 1st place in Masters!

We might not have all made the Top Cut, but one of our own took down the entire event. Walking away from a road trip with an official Champion playmat belonging to the car makes the whole journey worth it.

🗣️ Community Shout-Outs

• To Callum L: A massive thank you for taking the wheel and driving all of us down to Plymouth and back safely. Legend!
• To Dark Star Gaming: Huge thanks for hosting a brilliant, welcoming event. The shop is top-tier.
• To the Judges and Staff: Cheers for keeping the brackets moving smoothly and running a great tournament.

Next up, it is time to reassess the deck list, figure out how to shield myself better from these heavy weakness brackets, and get ready for the next event, wherever that may be!

Thanks for following along! How do you handle your local meta when it shifts heavily into your deck's natural weakness?