So, so, what, I, I, I have to be honest, apparently I don't follow enough, uh, people on Twitter. Who, what is this Kill or Kill DLC? Oh, this is just, uh, this is just some random, like, so, our friend Henry, who is a super ladder grinder, he made a Twitter thread that said, like, everyone drop your, uh, your TTCG Live, uh, username, and, you know. I, I, I didn't participate in that. I think it's, I don't know, I don't want people knowing who I am. Yeah, same, bro. But Exactly. We, before he even made that thread, me and Liam and like, Henry were talking about like, this KillerKelios guy, cause like, we all beat him all the time, but he was like, 3500 ELO or something, and we were just like, how is this possible? Like, how'd he even get there? And then we found out, like, he like, tweeted on Henry's thread, and he found out some like, random BGC player. I don't know. He seemed like a nice guy, just like, it's not very, I didn't think he was like, that good when I played him. No, I mean, like. I respect this guy as an EV maxer, bro. Like, this guy is like, basically insta scooping. As soon as it doesn't look good, we're out of here, bro. We are on to the next one. Is he playing a gimmick deck where it's like, 100 of those? Guardi. He's playing Guardi, bro. I mean, how do you know if you're gonna win if you don't sit there for 40 minutes? Isn't that the whole point of Guardi? I flipped over Snorlax and he flipped over Manaphy. We're gone, bro. Like, we're gone. Nobody even drew a card, bro. I think he's had enough of us though, like Liam, he's played you and I like quite a few times, like basically just like our cast. Yeah, no, he played me the full time. He made me prove it the first time, now every time we queue, bro, as soon as I hit the Rotom, he's out. Dude, I think, I don't know, I like wanted to like, you inspired me, your tweet inspired me to play louder today and then it was on maintenance all day. Like, lost all my drive. All the drive I got from like, that tweet, gone instantly. I'll stay at my 2100 ELO. Just, chilling and pissed low. Dude, I was like, so disappointed. Like, that tweet actually did like, so well compared to all my other tweets. And I'm like, bro, this is like, this is like the worst tweet I've dropped in like, two months or something, bro. Like, yeah. Genuinely, Liam, you know it's bad that you haven't cached anything in a while. That you're like, not tweeting about like, ladder points, bro. Like, my minimum is like, I have to top cut the tweet. You're like, you're tweeting about just like, I'm DJing this game for like a week. Yeah, no, I know, exactly bro, like, I am. No, no, but like, I'm like, so disappointed because like, my tweet right before this, the cards speak to those who listen. Banger, bro. Yes, yes, I like that one. I love that one, actually. Yeah, exactly, dude. I like, that one, that one was banging, bro. And like. You know, all these, like, good players, they're, like, liking it up, cause they all know what's up. And then Jake Gearheart in the comments, What do you mean, bro? I don't hear the cards at all! You must be tripping! Like You know, it's Everybody who knows knows, bro. I feel like that proves the correctness of the statement. Exactly. Everybody who knows knows. That's what Leo was getting at, too. You know the thing is You know, you know. I see all those tweets about, like, how, like, how you interpret, like, what's going on in your head and stuff. I think there's stuff going on, but like, I have to play a game of Pokemon to like, be able to answer that question. Like, I don't know how everyone's like, able to just be like, they're like, I swear people are just making stuff up. Like, I saw someone saying like, they have like, voices and they're like, also have like, TCG Live like, in their mind with like, highlights and stuff. I was like, dude, there's no way all this is happening when you're playing. Like, what is going on? Exactly, like, that's how I can tell, like, these people are not locked in, bro. Like, when you're, when you're, when you're in flow state, you're not thinking, bro. Like, everything just comes naturally. Like, this was actually like, a really large focus for me, where I just finished reading Blink, and, like, one of the ideas there was like, people do worse when they consciously think about, like, their decisions, right? When you like, make somebody fill out a questionnaire, like, explaining their reasoning, they, their decisions obviously change, and, and they actually change for the worst. Like, or they change for the worst, as opposed to when they just, like, follow their gut and make the, like, they don't have to explain themselves, they're just like, I feel this, right? Send it. And like, that's like the state you have to be in when you're playing Pokemon, you know? How do you, uh, how do you reconcile, like, chess players, like, after their games, they're sitting there, and they're just, like, staring at the sky, like, going, like, Well, if you made this move, there's, like, 20, there's, like, this is a 20 move variation that I would have punished you, like, No, yeah, yeah, for sure, like, um, No, but, like, I've actually, like, listened to, like, chess podcasts, right? And, like, you would, like, literally think that chess is, like, the example game of, like, you have to calculate everything out, because, like, this is, like, the determined game, but, like, You listen to like Magnus, like Magnus talks about this on podcast, he's like, you know, I kind of verify the moves that I make, but like 90 percent of moves, it, my first, my first instinct is the one I send, and like, because they're, they actually think about like the game like the same way that we do, like, even though our game is like, you can't see the ending, you can't see the ending in chess either until like the very, very end, right, and that's like when both players just like scoop it up, you're kind of just like, you're wandering through the forest, just like us. Right, like, you can't see the end, you're just kind of just, boom. I think, I think he's oversimplifying it. He's not like, in Pokemon you really do just like, you feel, you do stuff that you feel right, but I'm sure that he's thinking harder than we are. I promise you, like, we have like 15 seconds for action, roughly, he has like, 10 minutes, he's not just like, He's doing a little bit more calculation, and, I mean, like, like, I've played a lot of chess, like, it is, you know, It's not uncommon to calculate, like, 20 moves out for, like, multiple lines, and, like, these, like, really deep things, right? But it's, um, like, ultimately, you are still just, like, your gut evaluating positions. Like, yeah, yeah. Like, that, those, like, calculations stuff, it's like a, it's like an assurity thing. You, like, you feel like, like, I feel like there's one player, Yon, Nyam Napalmichi or whatever. He, like, he doesn't even pretend to think, you know, like, and I can respect that. I feel like a lot of the top players, like, yeah, like. I'm sure they're calculating stuff, but at some point they just go with, like, what they know. No, yeah, uh, I mean He just doesn't pretend, he just riffs it. You can actually feel it, too, when you're making moves, like, in Pokemon as well, right? Which is, like, you kind of have this, like, gut instinct when you're choosing between two moves, and you, like, calculate it out, and, like, the calculation tells you to go one way, and your gut kind of tells you to go the other, right? Like, you, like, calculate it out, and you're like, I think this one's actually, like, 51%, the other one's 49 percent to win, or something like that, right? And, like, you're like, You're still ultimately, like, making a gut read, but you're like, I think this is better, and, like, it turns out when you're in those spots, like, your decision making usually is worse once you're, like, you're leaning on this. Pokemon, there's sometimes spots where you don't need to see anything, you just know that, like, this is the technique to draw the most cards, or, like, thin the hardest, or something like that, like, you don't even know, like, exactly what you're gonna do next, you can just, like, look at your hand and, like, I spot this with Goldango the most, but it's, like, you just know certain actions. Happen and like there's no downside to doing them. And you just like, you just rip like good actions in a row. And then like at some point you like get like to a certain like threshold of like, oh, okay, like I, I have the knockout now. Or like, you have to slow down. You're like, okay, I only have like two draws left. Now I actually have to like figure something out. Like yeah, maybe I What's plan B bro? We gotta set them up. D Yeah, exactly. All right. Alright. Welcome to the Trash Launch. It's the only podcast about the Pokemon Trading card game. Uh uh, we are sponsored by Dragon Shield and and that's because Dragon Shield makes the best leaves. If you leave a review, we'll read it on the pod just like we did last week when we told somebody who thought they were really good. How to become a competitive player. Uh, attendance is a hundred percent. You already guys already know Liam. You already know a bond. You guys sense the aura in the room. I'm Brent. We are all coming together in a matter of like 72 hours to conquer Baltimore regionals. Liam has been conquering the PTCGL iverse. Um, guys, what should, what should people be thinking as they get ready for Baltimore? Dude, I see everybody else in the tank and I'm like, I'm so grateful for this Snorlax Pidget deck, bro. Everybody else is like You know, like, this deck feels bad, right? Like, kind of the same way we were before Worlds, like, everything is, like, not great. And, like, you know, uh, Kieran Farry, he's, uh, he's talking to the chat, he's like, Nothing seems that good, but, like, this deck is, like, fine. So I think I'm just gonna, I'm just gonna send it. Like, I don't have to worry about fine, bro. And, like, I also, I also don't have to worry about the metagaming at all. Like, I've seen some, like, interesting tweets, which is, like, you know, obviously, like, um, People are like, you know, these matchups are good, these matchups are bad, like, so I kind of want to lead in this way, or this way, or, you know, that way. And like, I'm like, dude, it doesn't even matter where they lead, I'm farming here. You're done. Like, I have everything. I wonder, like, how many people though, like, Very nice position. There's like, there's just no way for people to have good lists against Starlocks, because All of the Starlox lists are just terrible right now, right? Like, they think like the one pack rant or whatever like auto wins it. And I think like the overall community sentiment is that Starlox is like not gonna be a thing. Like, I think there's no way like, you know, Michael Davidson, he was running like Draugr, Draugr with a Turo in it and stuff like that. I think that's completely gone. None, we don't have to worry about any of that, like, and I think uh, I think it's like fine to leak this. Like, the only reason this deck is like lit, I think, or like one of the main reasons, bro, Seeker Box is like the best card in the format. Like, any deck you're playing right now, like, literally take out your A Spec and try Seeker Box. Try it. Try it. It's so good. Like, you, you could, 2 2 2 deck, it doesn't matter, bro. Seeker Box over Prime Kitcher. Seeker Box over literally every A Spec in the format, except maybe like Neo Upper and Dragapult. Like, it's that good. It is like, if you're playing an A Spec for like, good general value, because you like, you want to draw it and have your A Spec do something in every game you play, like, That's the card. Like, I mean, it's obviously a little bit hyperbole, but like, try it, you know? It's like, secret box, bro. Like, no, I, I, I genuinely, I'm, I'm leaning, like, so hard on this guy right now. Like, it's, I can see my miraide on trying it. Like, for example, like, that's like, the kind of deck where I'm like, maybe. Like, this card is actually just like, it's so, so good. It's like, the, it's like Prime Catcher before the, like, second wave of specs came out. It is just. By far and away, like, the best A Spec in my opinion right now. I think it's um, like, yeah, it's literally leads to like a perfect turn, no matter what situation you're in, every single time you draw it. Like, you know the best part is, I could, you could tell someone, like, I think Secret Box is like by far the best A Spec in Guardian for example. And like, people are so lost in the trees of like whatever they've been doing, like, They must play their Aroma or their Resistance or whatever, like it doesn't matter, it doesn't matter, they're not listening, they're not even gonna try it, they're not even gonna put one game in, like, yes, it's crazy, like, I don't know, I think that's one thing I respect about it, and they're gonna listen to this too, the direct callout, they still won't put the game in, it's crazy work, yeah, exactly, that's why I feel comfortable leaking like whatever on like podcasts like this, where it's like, I'm sure there's, like, a guy out there who's, like, realized, like, oh, like, good players are, like, leaking their, their list beforehand, like, I wonder why it's okay, like, I'm just gonna take whatever they say and, like, try to, like, implement it myself, but that person is so far and in between, like, the, like, hundreds of people who listen to this and they're just like, ah, whatever, these guys don't know what they're talking about, my unfair stamp guardi list is lit. Yes. And it's keyracket. Yes. Like, you just gotta tell him, secret box is computer search plus three other cards. Literally. Dude, it's like, I grab the two cards I want when I'm playing the deck, like I grab the supporter and the item I need, and I'm like, Huh, I guess I'll grab an Artisan, and like, what's, I'll grab like, the best tool remaining, why not, like, Like, this is so crazy. I, dude, like, optimal supporter, optimal item for the turn, like, you can just make anything you want happen. And like, you should be playing, your deck should be built somewhat for the Secret Box, like, you should be playing like, A stadium, and your stadium should have some impact. You should be playing a tool, and it should have some impact, and like, if you're grabbing, like, best supporter in your deck, best item in your deck, you know, and a tool that has some impact, and a stadium that has some impact, like, you're getting so much, like, just immediately, like, you immediately play, like, four cards that, like, change the board state, like, positively. Like, this is just insane. It's insane! And not to mention, like, like, the decks that we, I love it in, it's like, those, like, those supporters that are so hard to find, like, for me, like, the reason it's so good in Pigeon is, like, Uh, I think I struggle, like, we're all human beings, right, and I struggle to, like, see what I'm gonna need, like, three turns out, because you don't know, like, what's gonna happen, like, you have no clue, like, your opponent could bust out whatever, and, like, you don't know when they're gonna decide to, like, up the ante on you, so just, like, Pidgeotting for Seeker Box is, like, your, like, safety net, like, it's like, uh, Yes, dude. Like, if you're in that dark forest, it's your torch. Exactly. Like, it's, it's such good insurance, like, You grab the secret box and you know that if you don't get disrupted, you're getting perfect turns until you get disrupted basically, right? Like, yeah, exactly. It, it cannot be a bad grab, right? Or like, the only way it's ever a bad grab is if you want to leave your deck like, flush with hits, but like, you know, you just live with that. And like, the other thing too is like, the secret box is also simultaneously like, I, I, I talked about this before, but like, it's also like, not a great hit off my own nose, like, occasionally, because like, you know, your hand just got disrupted and like, You know, if you've already taken a few prizes, like, yeah, exactly. So, like, you're able to, like, thin, like, a bad draw off Iona while making your hand perfect? That's, like, that's something that, like, should be illegal, you know? Like, and yet, Secret Box, make it happen, you know? I think, uh, but, like, I don't want to get too bogged down into, like, the Pidget Talk, cause, like, I feel like that's, like, It's kind of our shtick, you know? Like, everyone knows that's what we're playing right now. Yeah, no, for sure. And that's like, only with like, Pidget decks that are like, taking the game very slow. Right? Like, that are not like, more aggressive. Right? Yeah. So, that's like a pretty rare use case. For sure. But, yeah. Secret box. So, so what do you guys think, uh, the meta is gonna be? Like, what, what's the deck that you expect to be the most played deck? Gotta be Drago, yeah? Gotta be Drago, right? You want to say page on that, Liam? Yeah, I think so. I like, it's somewhat weird. I like it. I don't, I don't know very many people that are like, actually very excited to play Drago. I haven't seen somebody on Twitter, like, ah, yes, Drago, ah, the beat stick. Yeah, I was gonna ask, so what are the Drago guys gonna do differently at this tournament that they didn't do at Worlds? That they're gonna be like, now it's gonna work. I mean, I don't know, like, I would say it worked at Worlds. I think this Damage Tower tech is lit, though. I think this Damage Tower tech is like, insane for like, destroying Ancient Box, it like, Has a lot of minimal utility in all these other matchups, like, all the counterplay Muradin has all centers around their bravery charm. I think Raging Bull is like pretty similar, like, it's so bravery charm centric, like, and there's nothing they can do about, like, the inevitable jamming tower, right? And there's so much, um, there's so much dig in Drago that, like, you know that this jamming tower is coming down at some point, and it's, like, gonna be backbreaking when it does, right? Yes. Drago, Drago decks able to Especially on that V Star turn, they make whatever they want happen. Right? Yeah, exactly. And what's gonna be the number two deck? That's a good, that's a really good question. I like, actually, I think we could give an answer right now, but like, the meta is like, actually like, very volatile right now. Like, I think, I think people are jumping between a lot of different decks, like, on a large scale right now. Like, the answer that we give right now, it could be like, very different in like, two days. Um, and it's like, not like, there's no way for anyone to predict it necessarily, because like, It's truly people are just like playing stuff and then like they just because they don't have the sauce they're just always like they get bogged down by bad hands or like bogged down by like running to the bad matchup too many times in a row like just like random factors like throw people off their decks so much like I think people are playing Ancient Box until they like Actually end up playing with a lot of games of Ancient Box and they're like I have no like Agency like I think Ancient Box was like I do not want to play this deck bro. It was peaking last week, right? But I People haven't had enough time to like, play Ancient Box and realize like, oh wow, this deck is bad. Sucks. Yeah, I agree. Um, I mean like, if I had to throw a number two out there, I guess, um, cause that is what we are doing. Um, I guess I'd say Is Zard. Yeah, it has to be Zard. But I don't know, it's like, it's hard to feel really good about anything. I feel like two things I've heard is Zard and Ancient Box. I think Asia Box shouldn't even be top 3, but like, it might squeeze in there because there's just people who think the matchup spread is too good. It's like the, it reminds me so much of like Greninja back in the day, like way back in the day, where it's like, the spread is so good, man, but like, you actually sit down and play Greninja. Oh, the difference is Greninja had like a lot more upside, I think, like, with the, the way the damage spread, you had ability lock. Yeah, like, it was a much more dynamic deck once you got going, as opposed to like You're just beating them and it's like you just hit face. Your deck like finally works. It's a miracle. You just hit face. See, my reaction was gonna be like, it's this deck that when you watch these cheaters play it, you're like, you just hit everything every time. I think, I will say, I think you can cheat with Ancient Box, like, The thing is, like, you'd have to cheat so many turns consecutively. Like, at least with Greninja, like, if you, like, managed to, like, like, miracle your way into the, in the GOATS board state, you just, like, end the game. Like, the game was over within three turns, and, like, your board is super robust, they have no abilities, like, you're winning. But, like, with Ancient Box, like, if you cheated, and then they Iono you, what, are you gonna cheat again? And then, like, what happens after the next Iono? Like, like, the deck just falls apart over and over and over again. So you haven't stopped Greninja players. They were like, yes, the answer is yes. Always yes. I will cheat again. Um, yeah, like, I actually think, I will say, I think Ancient Box is like a pretty good deck if you've got a guaranteed turn one Sadas hit every game. Yeah, when you have the energy in the bank, it does feel good. It's like when you're using the backpack guy, that's when everything's falling apart. Yes, exactly, the backpack guy, yes. Like, every time they play turn one explorers, I think the game is just over. Like, it doesn't even matter what deck I'm playing. Unless, because I don't play the beat sticks, like, game's just over, bro. Like, damn, bro, like, you're not pacing well enough anymore, bro. It's so weird to think about this metagame evolution, but has AncientBox successfully driven out the beat sticks, or are we still going to see those in big numbers? Um It's so hard to say, like, I know it's a hard question. No, I wouldn't say like, AncientBox is, like, fraudulent enough that if you're, like, if you're a beat stick controller, like, you can call it a And yeah, like, exactly, bro, like, they hit the backpack guy, they get one moon down, you go like, bundle, take your moon again, oof. And now, like, now you're actually in an okay spot, right? Like, you can make something happen. And like, not to mention, like, Ancient Box has like, they CCs, right? But like, I don't know, man, in the stretch, it's hard for them to find guts. Like, you, uh, you like, they two shot something, they try to two shot something, you're like, Switch cart, pull something else up, charm the guy you just switch carted, then they don't even have two shot like right then like it's such it's like a just a hassle like things are always just going wrong for them the whole game things are just going wrong yeah i don't know i think i think the matchup into b6 is like good but like it's it's hard matchup it's never got better right it's still like super sus that doesn't rely on everything i think like bizarre it's i i think people are right and that the zard matchup is like good Kind of close in that, like, Ancient Box is, is good against things that can't take, like, multiprize turns. Like, once they start spreading, bro, you are cooked. Like, pack it up, bro. That's, like, the worst thing an Ancient Box player could ever see, the bench damage. And Zard doesn't really do that. So, like, it's pretty good in that sense, but it has a lot of HP. So, like, you managed to avoid benching the Rotom, though, and then you got a Dusknoir line out, and the Greninja, like, ever came down. You're already like, like a 9 10 favor to win. Those are like, two big conditionals, but like, if I, if you get those, if you get those off, like, you're chillin Yeah, I, like, I agree. I think, and your Charizard's really big. Like, it's, it's a solid matchup for, for Zard. Like, I definitely want to be the Zard player, but I don't think it's like, it's not like, every time the Pidget, or like, they set up and they hit like a turn 2 Zard, you just instantly lose the game with Ancient. Like, I, I think there are like, some winning lines. Um, if, yeah, like, the Rotom comes down or something like that, like, you know, the Zard player has to make some concession somewhere in its setup, and, like, you hit, like, crazy with Ancient Box, like, you just hit every single turn, everything you need, but I don't think it matters what the Ancient Box player does, if the Rotom doesn't come down, I don't think they can win. I just don't think they can get to the 280 fast enough, right, and then, like, they're just kind of two Shunning Zards, you get to road, like, but, but the Rotom comes down in such a high percentage of games, I feel like that, that is, like, it's enough to say, like, you have chances. Yeah, I, like, I, I, I'd agree with that. I think, yeah, if there's, there's no Rotom down and, like, the Zard is playing Turo and they get, like, a turn two Zard hit, you're probably, yeah, you're probably losing, right? But the real question is, like, did Zard players, like, figure out something post Worlds into Drago? Because, like, I came out of Worlds thinking if I could get my Zard deck to beat Drago, I'm playing Zard for Baltimore 100%, and I mean, those sessions with you did not go well, and I didn't think Acevedo had a great answer, I didn't think Tord had a great answer, I think Like, everyone was like, at best, Drago, and I think that was low key, just like, co it felt like it was worse, like, into the best Drago list, and like, good play. Yeah, I, I agree, I don't know, I, I haven't felt great about Zarya, like, I feel like it's um, it feels like very fragile, uh, I don't really know why, but like, yeah, there's like, there's so much pressure on you, like. It feels like some optimal start is, like, so punishing, you know? The old Tordzard that we, like, we used to play a lot with Abib and everything, and Fib, Cleffa, Rodom, there was no pressure on you to do anything. You just kind of, like, you just try to get your turn one off, and your deck had such a thick line of everything. Like, your deck just worked at such a high frequency, and now, like, everything has been, like, cut to, like, the bare bones, so you can fit Thorin, you're, like, skimming on fires, like, Half the time you have to pull off some like crazy wombo combo play and it feels like you're playing some other like, you're playing a beat stick deck in disguise. Yeah dude, it's also, it's because this, it's because 180 hitting face is like no longer acceptable. It's like losing on the spot in like so many matchups. You have to like, you have to, you have to take two prizes in your first attack every single time, right? You do the dango strat, you have to hide, hide behind one prizes and then like uh, you do the uh, what's the word? Like rubber banding, you know? Like. They go up one prize, you bump Van Hatt in them. Take two. And then you never let it go. That's your only strat. Or, or you have to pull off Dusknoir shenanigans, like. Yeah, exactly, right? Those are your only two lines. Exactly. Yo, who hopped on? Hello. Yo, what up? How are you guys? Doing good, Shenoy? You sound like you're on, like, tape delay. Are you just slow to answer my questions? Are you having mic problems? This is not building taverns, guys. Guys, Cam's kind of here. Yes, the tenant is 133%. You know what, I think we're going to call it 115 percent right now, because like, Cam all the way here. But anyways, we were talking about Zard, right? I will say though, even though it feels like your deck is so skimpy on all the lines you need, like, It's not crazy to hit like this Dusclops, Zard. No, yeah, I think, I think it's fine. It's like, it's like a fine deck, but it doesn't stick out to me as like, I don't feel like I like, I just beat everything with it. It's like, yeah, it's not Orlando Zard by any means, right? It's just like, yeah, I think, I think that's where most decks are. Like, it's kind of like where it's like, every, everything is fine. Like, you, you have some good matchups, you have some bad matchups, but like, you know, everything's pretty close. Like, everything's fine. But, Nothing, nothing like sticks out as great, right? I'm super curious, like, I feel like we are a little, like, out of touch with, like, what everyone else is thinking, because of, like, how much we've been spamming, like, this Pidget deck, like, I don't, I don't know in this, like, all these, like, there's all these set decks, I don't know, other than Drago, what stands out. To me, like, they literally all are, like, the exact same tier, they all do the exact same, like, level of, like, they all have, like, the exact same spread, like, nothing sticks out to me at all. Yeah, like I agree, in that like, yeah, everything goes in the midi tier, right? Everything is mid. Um, but, this is exactly what I was talking about earlier, bro. I'd only have to be concerned about that if I felt like I was making a meta call with Pidget. I'm not, bro. I take the entire meta. It doesn't even matter which way it goes. Like, I take the whole thing. You just have to, we have to be in touch with like, exactly what these lists look like. Yeah, I agree. I think I get really greedy, like, into Moriartyn, for example. Like, one of my favorite plays is after the second switch card is used, I just, like, jam the Solax and don't touch anything. Yep, yep, exactly. I'm completely fine with that, though. I, yeah, like, I'm in touch with that. They're always playing two card in Bolt and Moriartyn, because, like, the games are so fast at this point, like, third card just makes, like, no sense in either of these decks, you know? Like, I think I was, like, a third card enjoyer, like, more than most people for a while, because I, um I like like finding it on turn one and stuff but like at this point the decks have to be like, um Like the games are so fast and you just like see so much of your deck and you're just built for this like full turbo already You don't need more than like two card really, you know Yeah, I don't mean to jinx your heart up But like my my thing is like i'm so excited for briar but like all these like matchups just feel like I feel like i'm living in the past while i'm just like in the present right now Like you know what I mean? Like i'm just like I can't stop thinking I keep thinking about briar like ooh Briar in this spot, Briar in that spot, crazy work, but it's like Briar's like, take an extra prize if you swing with a Terra into, uh, into anything. Into anything? Okay. But you can only, the key thing is you can only play it on two, but that doesn't mean you have to be at two when you're swinging. Like, you can play it and then pop Dusknoir, or like, not you being on two, sorry, they have to be on two. But you can, if they're on three, you can pop Dusknoir and play Briar, or if they're on two, you can like Dusknoir anyways and like Briar, like. you can get there from like so far away i feel like yeah yeah it's gonna go lit i can't i'm so excited so guys on this train as well this pitch at ex train no bro he like dude refuses i know what ivan was talking about bro we gave him several months so we told him he's come to the conclusion quad thorns is the only way we we told him we were giving him like several months notice or i mean i guess this is like a month's notice or something but like several weeks notice And we're like, dude, like, you seriously have to lock in him right now, and like, you know you have to lock in him right now, and like, start winning this deck so you can't tell us, like, one week out, like, I don't know the matchups, bro, I can't do this, like, and now. How do you know what I'm playing? Why does, I'm not playing some, your, uh, this super fragile Pidgeotty X deck. Super fragile. Super fragile. Super fragile. Crazy. Oh my lord. Dude, everything else in the format feels fragile, bro, like, You don't hit that god turn one, you're just instantly rolling over. It's a fidget deck bro, all I need is a Rotom. All I need is a Rotom. You know, you played like Luke and like Cameron Kawasaki on the deck, like, I mean, it's gonna feel a little more fragile and like, if you don't have delicate hands, you know. It's like, I'm not too, I think it's like not, it's not fair to call the deck fragile. I think the deck is like very, very resilient to a lot of spots. Like I, I actually, I think it's like one of the, I'm not gonna say it's like the least fragile deck, but like the fact it's like, Even when you kill the Pidgeot, you don't just win, like, you have to take the next four prizes, and like, that, that turns out to be, like, very, very difficult. Yeah, it do. That's the best part about it, like, having a centralized strategy outside of the Pidgeot is, like, the best way to protect the Pidgeot. Um, at least in this format, because they can just kill whatever they want, like, any turn, or like, every deck has one turn where they get to do whatever they want, like, You can't stop them, right? And like, if your deck depends too much on the Pidgeot, they can invest that turn in killing the Pidgeot, and they can always make it happen, no matter what. And like, everyone else's answer, I think, is like, it makes, it's like, logical sense, where they try to like, go the next step further, they try to make their Pidgeot as invisible as possible with a cape, or brace, or whatever. Yeah, exactly. I think trying to win this war is terrible. Like, trying to win this war of like, you have like, insane options to kill my Pidgeot, and now I'm gonna use like, insane defensive tools, and we're gonna like, We're just gonna keep like, yeah, we're gonna go band for band here, right? Yeah, it's terrible, it's a terrible plan, because they end up having like, more bands, like, the most of the time. Yeah, yeah, and like, even if you, even if you have more, like, it requires that you basically access all your stuff every game, like, you have to find like, this like, early Pidget, early Cape, early Genesect, before they hit all their stuff, as opposed to just like, Snowax, and then I'm gonna drop my Pidgey. And if you go after this thing, it's like, completely illegal, you know? Like To do that, and like, even with full knowledge, I like, have like a brain aneurysm, like, trying to play against it, like Yeah, no, like, it's, it's so, it's so hard, because like, there's so many threats, you know? Like Deck is lit. So, so I think Waterpawn, too? Oh, sorry, Cam. Cam, are you on a deck we can talk about, or is it a secret deck? Let me just find Greg now. It's not a secret at all, you can literally look up Limitless. com slash Chinoy or whatever, I don't know how you get to the Limitless page, but like, the point is you can just go to his Limitless page and see like within two cards of what he's playing. There you go. So, um, It's debate night for people who are wondering what's going on in the podcast, and that means I have like a hard stop in like 15 minutes, because I gotta go get ready, I'm gonna participate in civic discourse, and watch all that, but before I go You guys should know that while Walker Halliburton is registered for Baltimore and will be competing at Baltimore, I don't think he's played one game. Liam, is there any evidence to the contrary in that regard? No, I don't know. So what deck would you tell Walker to play if he's Camp Chenoa and he doesn't know the matchups, except he doesn't know the matchups of any deck? Um, probably just That would be, that was my exact advice as well. You should just play Maridon. Sweet. And you guys are bringing a Maridon deck, right? We can make something happen. I can bring one. I'll bring one for Walker. We can go another 250 bet, see who goes better. Yes, yes, Shenoy. Wait, he's gonna make it 250. There was something, there was something that happened the other day. What, what, oh, I think we were talking about fantasy football or something like that. And he was like, oh yeah, I can't be doing that anymore, I have to give Cam all my money. Damn, Cameron, do you feel good taking money from a teenager? An old man, stealing from kids. Hey, that's what happens, these kids think they're so good. Can't even get into day two. Oh my God. Yeah. Cam's just up in the prize. Should I taking candy from a baby, bro? Yes. Thought this was the, the best Pokemon player in the world. Walk by aur. That's right. Should I tell, I think actually, I think the official title is the Self-proclaimed Best Pokemon player in the world. Self-proclaimed. That's that is, he's so good. He doesn't need to play a single game. I can respect that. Yeah. Yeah. He's, I mean. When, when the skill gap is this wide, you don't get a test. Yeah, I, that was one thing that I, I like realized when I made my tweet. I don't think, I realized I like, people are not fully aware that I like, I spend more time playing Pokemon than that. Like, I don't think I've like talked about it that much on like my Twitter, like on this podcast. But like, I do. I do. I guess everybody's unnoticed. That crazy drop, dude. I thought, I really wasn't sure where you were going with that, that's crazy. Like, people are unnoticed. You know what's funny? I mean, if you guys remember, he went on the, like, like, we gotta go LeBron James radio silent thing before Worlds, and I kept telling him, I was like, the difference between you and LeBron is, every two days, LeBron's in front of, like, 60 million people showing that he's been putting in the time while he's been off social media, you're just off social media. Yeah. People just forget about you while you're off social media for two months. And that is why he was not drafted in nearly as many World's Drafts as he should have been, so he could completely He can't really go media silent, and then like, what is it, like, 1 2 drop a World, or 1 3 drop a World. I was gonna say, he went media silent, but he also went silent at the tournament. Like, you need No, actually, I feel the same way about that, Liam. Like, uh, people were coming up to me after LA and they were like, I don't know. It was like, people didn't even like, think I was like, good at the game until like, I had a good result, you know? And it was like, you know, I've been, I was like, I thought, like, I don't think real results actually, like, mattered that much. Like, I think I was just as cracked as I was before I randomly spiked a top eight as I am like, I am now. Like, it doesn't really matter. Like, I think that, I mean, that's true, but. At the same time, results are everything. Um, I don't know. Okay, what I'm getting at is like, yes, like, you can't be, like, that good if you have no good results, but, like, people are acting like after, like, like, the day after, like, the results change you, right? Yeah, yeah, exactly. Yeah, yeah, no, for sure. The, uh, the player makes the result, but at the same time, you know, you don't know the player until the result, right? It's like, it's a weird, it's just a weird, like, dynamic where it's like, I don't know. I, I feel like I don't wanna like sit here and just tell everyone, like, dude, I play this game all the time. Like, I'm so good. But like, you know, just wait. You know? But you like, I don't know, it feels weird. I play this game all the time. You don't wanna, like, you don't want people like bums like telling you like, oh, you're so bad. Like, you know, look at me. You, you gotta like, I don't know. I just need these good results soon. Like, the only way to like actually like shut people up is just get results. I gotta Yeah, for sure. Step it up. But, but yeah, bro. Uh, uh, Liam, has there been performance optimization in preparation for this tournament? Um, I don't know. I got my sleep schedule right. Like, yeah. Although, although going West Coast to East Coast is gonna be rough, man. Nobody likes West Coast to East Coast, guys. Yeah, I know, but I love that West Coast to East Coast. I feel like I can't sleep before tournaments normally. And then, like, somehow I make it happen on the East Coast. I have no clue. It's not like an actual thing, but like East Coast tournaments for me just like, just, they just feel right. I sleep like, I sleep just the right amount. So I don't, it's like, it's a freak, it's like, it doesn't make any sense. But on the West Coast it's like, I, I stay up all night somehow, and uh, it's cooked. It's worse for me. Yeah, that's because Iban hasn't had our dog walking up and down the hall like, all night, checking on everything. I mean, I guess like, I'm in for a, in for a surprise at Baltimore. We'll see. Let's see if he can still sleep. Um, what else needs to be discussed, guys? What are the critical path topics of our day and age? I guess, uh, you know, actually, what's, like, one deck that's, like, not going to be on the graphic that you think is going to be the best? Like, I think that's, like, a good, interesting prediction. Like, uh, best of the rest deck. First, the Snorlax Pidgeot thing. Like, I genuinely think it was better with the Pidgeot deck. I'm about to win this one. Sure, sure, sure, fine. I was going to say, I was going to answer that too, so like, I was going to exclude that, I was going to exclude that from this. Have we defined what is going to be on the first of the graph? Or the final graph, the top six? We haven't actually like, explicitly said it, but I guess we can like, speed through that. I guess it would be like, Drago, Zard, I think Bolt is going to be somewhere on there, Ancient Box is somewhere on there. Meridon, and then, I don't know, what's six? Like Lugia? Is Lugia still six? Yeah, Lugia. Oh, Garde. Yeah, I think Garde is like, past the rest. No, I don't know. I, I think Dude, that shows disrespectful Iron Thorns as like the best of the rest that we just won. Yeah, obviously Quad Thorns is way, way ahead of Pidgeot and Snorlax and everything else because of Quad Thorns. In play rate, maybe, maybe. But I don't think it's gonna be like top six played. I think people like, literally, view that result as like such a I, I don't think anyone's like, actually like, respecting Thorns going to the event. Maybe it's like a sleeper play. No, I mean, even if it didn't, even if you're Thinking it shouldn't have won the tournament, it still got top 8, it's still like a really good list, it's really annoying for a lot of different decks to beat. But haven't the meta like naturally evolved to beating it? Like at least that's what I thought, like isn't, I don't know, like isn't the Ancient Box matchup like very good for Ancient Box and like Maraudon? Like I always thought Maraudon it's like, I don't know. Yeah, I mean it's one matchup, but I don't know, it just takes, it's just annoying, I think a lot of people are just assuming that it's just. Or be placed for a second show up? Yeah, I mean I think Thrones is pretty bad, but I don't know. Or like, I guess it's a, it's like a fine act. It's like fine, like everything else. I just think that the beat sticks that have like come out of this format, like I know he beat the moon in the finals and at PB out on top four, but I think those decks are like both favored in the thorns and like he just I think that moon deck is probably unfavor. But Maraenon with the Zathos, you are cucked, bro. Like, that is like so terrible to play against. You're just like, obviously you get them sometimes, because you're Thorns. But like, then you watch them, just like, Arven, Generator, oh, I hit two! Take your Thorns. Switch card. Take your Thorns again. Like, uh! And it's like, it's really like that easy, and you really can't even like, like the hammer pressure is so fake, like what are you gonna do? You have to hit two hammers to even have a chance of like, pressuring them with hammers at all, right? Like Yeah, exactly. It doesn't do anything. Like, you're just like praying that you kind of get them on that opening hand, right? Or like, If they get to attack or something, you're cut. Wrap it up, right? So, you just hope that doesn't happen. Liam is leaning away from the mic when he talks to make sure that we get more comments about audio quality. As if we are not the podcast that gets the most comments about audio quality in the history of podcasts. He's literally spinning away from the mic as he's speaking. Oh, bro, that's why I connected to my AirPods, bro. No, dude, you're, you're definitely, it's definitely not like that because it sounds totally different when you spin. Yeah. Oh, Jesus, bro. Alright, I guess I have to stop spinning in my chair, bro. Oh my lord. This is still, man. It's crazy, fams. I think, uh, I guess Thorns is like a good shout for best of the rest. I was I was gonna say the Morning Moon deck is like, kind of, like, my, my pick. But it's like, what I was gonna get at is like, I think it's like, one of the best B6, most played. And, I don't know, it feels like it kind of got, it also kind of got disrespected. Like, both decks from the Worlds Finals have just like, fallen off immediately after Worlds ended. Yeah, I mean, I think it's just because they're not that cool, you know? Like, people see it, they understand why it did well, and then they just move on, you know? As opposed to like, seeing it and being like, oh, I want to play that, you know? Like I don't know, that trip with Darkdeck is pretty good too. Yeah, no, no, I think, I think they're both pretty good. I think people are just like, they're not like, as fascinated by it, you know? And like, that like, fascination, that's what leads to like, decks having like, a spiked play rate. Right? Like, something like, Ross's like, Intel Zard, like, people saw that like, oh, like, that's like, that's like, really sick, I want to play that. You don't get the same sense about like, Thorns or like, this Turbo Moon deck. Dude, I looked at that deck and I wish I could play it. Like, I wish I could go back to that format and play Ross's Intel Zard for that world, or something like, or like, the tournament after. Like, it just looks so interesting to me. It's like, exactly my kind of deck. Yeah, I think it's everyone's kind of deck, bro. That deck is lit. Okay, guys, I have one other important topic that I think we should talk about, and I haven't prepped you guys for this, so you might need a second to think about it, but, uh, for better or for worse, I was listening to this guy called Tricky Jim talk about Pokémon the other day, and he said, someone in the finals at Baltimore is going to have a unique opportunity on stream to pay tribute to Ian Robb. in a way that will absolutely blow the minds of millions of Pokemon players. Is there anything that you can do to pay tribute to Iain Robb that would not get you DQ'd from the event? Change the dice roll. Yeah, yeah, like actually just like pick up a dice and like roll it. I don't know, do it exactly like Iain, but then roll the dice at the end. And sign the slip first. And like, and also like don't look at the camera as much. Try to, like, get some plausible deniability going. I, like, consider this myself. Maybe don't bite your lip while you do it, but, you know. Yeah, like, make it look like you're just, like, like, really, like, sell the argument. I guess this podcast is very incriminating if I do this now. But, like, really sell the argument that you're just an innocent kid who just, like, was rolling the dice. And, uh, just happened to be kind of, like, Ian's thing. I mean, just, just like Twitter, we do not reveal those who follow the pod. So, like, if you're listening to this and you're in the finals against Ibanakam or Liam, we will never reveal. That you heard it here first? Oh yeah. Liam, we should rip it though. We, we should work on the technique and just like on stream, not what on earth. I'm not ripping it. What? Dude, come on bro. Like that look like an accident. I, I don't need to do that, bro. What I, I'm glad to hear that, that I've captured bond's, imagination at the very least with that No, no. I will say, I thought about this plenty of times before your thing. I was like, I wanna do Ian, Rob, I wanna do the Ian Rob, but I wanna do it. So close to the line that I don't get any penalty, but it's like very clear. I'm doing it for my boy Ian, you know? Like, very, very borderline. Nice, nice. All right, so, uh, uh, Liam, this time last week, Iban gave you the advice that you should try to make sure you go to all your classes. How's that going? Yeah, I haven't gotten all my classes, man. So, it's pretty light. All right, so, Iban, you are successfully raising a class. Dude, good job. I had one of my classes today, bro. I didn't really realize that. I started doing the reading last night. The reading was like 50 pages, bro. I was like, so shocked. I um Yeah, he gave you like a week, dude. Yeah, dude, I like, I didn't even realize, bro. And I, yeah, I had to like, read all last night. I still kept my sleep schedule intact, but I wake up early, read again, like There was like so much reading, bro. Goddamn, bro. We have these like, crazy intro classes, Liam. We are reading like, books, like, weekly. Yeah, yeah, like, they're gonna tell you to read the whole book, uh, before next week, and then you gotta get to it, right? You gotta read 50 pages a night, in preparation for, like, like, every night for the entire week. Yes. Yes, Brody. I'm shocked. Shocked. Oh my god. Do they really do this? It's cramping the drive to 4K. Yeah, like The classes are also going much faster too, like, I see what people are saying about like, um, like, about the class pace, where like most of it happens outside of class, because I like, I'm taking a math course, right, and like, the first week, we've been doing like, some like review stuff kind of, but like, I'm like, dude, they like, they covered in like two class periods, like, maybe like two months of stuff that I learned in high school, bro, like, Holy Jesus, bro, like, if I didn't like, already know this stuff, I'd be like, literally cooked. Like, what? Like, they're moving like, so fast, bro. I'm like, god damn, I have to like, like, to get in the amount of reps that I like, I got in high school, when we spent like, you know, five class periods, like, what, you know, once a day, basically just doing like, practice problems, I like, I have to do all this stuff on my own. Yes, yes, that is, that is, that is the, that's how they get you. I felt like, I felt like when I took DPQ in college, uh, um, like, after every class, I had to do like, six hours of homework, like, every night before the next class, because it was just like, I was like, oh my god. They don't check the homework because the test is checking the homework. Like, they don't need to actually sit down and like, check if you did every assignment, like, random practice problem, cause, you either do it by the end or you don't, right? We haven't even, we haven't even gotten homework in that class yet. Like, but like the teacher just like yaps for like an hour about like, you know, just random stuff, and then like, if you actually want to learn that stuff, you have to like go home and then like do it on your own, bro, and like, you know people are saying that like, you have to like go online and look for like a study packet or something, bro, somebody else to give you problems, like, what? You're gonna find like random Indian guys on YouTube, that's like their go to classic. Yes, bro, like. They uh, they break it down for you. They're the actual professors, like. If you need that. There's this one guy, like, Organic Chemistry Tutor or something like that. He's, uh, he's the GOAT. Organic Chemistry Tutor. He doesn't just teach chemistry, he's actually the GOAT for, like, literally every subject. GOAT for everything, bro! I think I would have failed, like, one of my, like, Physics Waves classes without him, so. Yeah. Look it up, I'll send you some links, Liam, if you're actually interested after. That's what we like to hear. That's what we like to hear, is his, his mom will like to hear that you're helping him make sure he stays on top of his homework. Uh, is is it, is it gonna be a challenge to take Friday off and then come back on Monday after taking the red eye? No. No. I see. He's asking me, but I feel Yeah. No, mom's not, not taking the red eye because I'm taking him to the airport at like five in the morning. It'll be awesome. I appreciate it. I didn't even know. I thought you were gonna be like, sleeping or something, so I wasn't even asking, but I appreciate it. I can also see how like, missing classes in college is actually like, much, much worse than like, in high school, because the teachers are not gonna, they're not gonna help you understand what was said in the last lecture, bro. Like, they do not know you, bro. And like, and they also, um, all the lectures are like, much more important too, because yeah, like, they move so fast, and they cover so much ground in each lecture, because there's like, the last lectures that like, You know, you miss a lecture and they're like not gonna help you, and then they covered a lot of stuff. Like, damn, bro. I was telling Liam before, before school that like, I was like, it would be awesome if you had somebody just follow you around and take notes on all your classes for you, just even so you can just compare notes with that, those notes. And he's like, nah, it sounds terrible, but like, classes would be crazy, man. All right, guys, Let me give you a quick, I've prepared the travel would you rather because I feel like that is maybe the most important thing that we could possibly do. So, here's your choice guys. Is this a Bonnet Camps first would you rather? Yeah. Alright, so here's how it works. You have to choose between these two things. You can get on a cross country flight, realize you absolutely have to use the restroom. But the restroom is out of service and you cannot hold it. Or, you can go camping for a month and you just have to use the Great Outdoors. There's no facilities. What? Those are two choices. The Great Outdoors is wonderful. That's a wonderful place. Yeah, yeah, you would rather just, for a month, every time you had to use the facilities. They don't got PTCG Live out there, bro. Like, yeah, I wouldn't rather camp, but like, if you're asking which place would I rather, you know, uh, take a piss, like, the great outdoors or my pants, uh, I'd say the great outdoors. I think, dude, I think you're like completely tripping on this one. You're like, it's like a cross country flight, it's a little embarrassing, but like, you're like, whatever, like, it's not a huge deal. Yeah, sure. At least you're not camping for a full month. Yeah, uh, okay. I, if the punishment is camping for a whole month, alright, sure, that's um, I guess that's pretty lame. But like, yeah, like, I know, I know, I know, bro, like, You know what, maybe the moral of the story is this question is a better one for girls, because I feel like girls would be more put off by the, like, camping facilities situation. Yeah, I don't know. I guess I thought this was getting at, like, which place is worse to use the restroom, but no, this is about, like, lose a month of your life, or piss your pants on a Yeah, yeah, you guys have realized that the real problem is not the facilities when camping, it's camping, period. Yes, yes, exactly. Cam, where do you come down on this? Uh, I think it's just the camping thing. That's not too bad. I'm sorry, so would you camp or would you not camp? I would camp that, that doesn't seem too bad. Yeah, camp Camp loves camping, bro. Especially if he gets to bring a good book. Yes. Yeah. Dude, I finished up showing, I finished up blank, bro. So I'll bring it, I'll bring it back to you and I'll, I'll hand you in Baltimore. You can add it to your, uh, collection for the aesthetic. Wait, can I borrow it first? Actually, cam before you Oh my God. Goes into the collections. There's book is Elite though, bro. Every, like, I love reading books like that because like yeah, that's what we can do in Baltimore. I'm going to do a bookstore all together, as a group. I was about to say, so now's the next like, now's the next segment of our podcast, it's called, it's the Cam Book Recommendations, what you got for us Cam? Oh goodness me, um, well, uh, I know, it's the book that I had uh, Liam read, Liam, tell us, tell us about the book. He's been telling us. Yeah, we, we talked about it before you got on man. Oh, okay, perfect, well, then here. He already sold it for you. We'll get a, we'll get another one. Yeah, I've been pulling it on the podcast for the last, like, ever since I started reading it, because, like, It's relatable to, like, it's relatable to decision making as a whole. So, like, every time you talk about any decision you ever make, boom, here's what I read, you know, like, last week. Yes. So, so, Liam, I, I'm sure you're gonna hear this before, before this weekend is out, but Nabil is a big fan of a podcast called If Books Could Kill. Yes, he told me about this. Where they go through books and explain why the books are like, hilariously wrong. Yeah. I don't want to hear that, bro. I like this world that Malcolm Gladwell has composed much more than like, one where this is not, not true. I'll listen to Malcolm Gladwell. And that guy's also like, super goated, right? Like, he's super goated. Liam just likes that one, the tipping point where it's like, he's the goat because he was born in February. Like, he loves that one specifically. I always talk about that, like, oh, I was like so much bigger and stronger when I was younger, that just like, propelled me, propelled me above all these other frauds. Yes? That's what got him hooked. Yes. No, yeah, I, I'm good with that, bro. I'm good with that. All right, guys, we, we gotta call it. It's 19 minutes until the debate starts, and that means I gotta go do my debate prep. So we can get ready for this action and participate in the civic discourse. I will see all of you in, like, 72 short hours. And the John Pauls are our outro. It's that easy, guys.

Riverside, it's so pretty. Lookin here, we gotta get me to life. When you talk to me, I listen. Stare straight ahead, trying to pretend. I got something to say, but I'm tellin you no lies. My mind is just a little mellow. I'm a beast and I awaken you, don't make fun of me, tipsy till three, Now I'm drunk, naked, and hanging from a tree, Found it on a chest, a carpet on the leaves, but, Where you wear your hats, I'm charming, You can make your name a star farmer, Put the crocs in the ground, I'm gonna raise them up, Build a roof up above, I'm gonna raise it up, You jump on my head, don't I? I've got two arms, wanna pick em up, I've got two legs, I'll teach em how to jump, I've got two arms, wanna pick em up, I've got two legs, I'll teach em how to jump, I've got two arms, wanna pick em up, I've got two legs, I'll teach em how to jump, Yeah, it's what it's got, we just call it art.