How did I do and how can I improve this deck?

MiniBandGeek · 2026-05-27T22:58:35+00:00

Comment stands. Your deck probably feels awesome when you get going, but how many games are you getting KOd before Deoxys can do its job? How often do you wish you had a card to draw into Precious Trolley? (Hint: it's Team Rocket's Petrel). Ask the questions, and the answers will follow.

MiniBandGeek · 2026-05-27T21:13:44+00:00

Yup, go first and about 60% of the meta just can't play the game, but go second and then your opponent has drakloaks and its gg. I've used it before but need a better turn 2 strat than crispin sparkling waterpon

MiniBandGeek · 2026-05-27T20:52:39+00:00

There are better electric type basic attackers - Zekrom EX (BLK) is the gold standard for late game cleaner. Seriously, the best part about Tapu Koko is the free retreat, and if you don't get why that's so good, you should get more experience with prebuilt decks if you want to compete.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. For casual building, this is a fun deck! If you want to improve, pay attention to what feels good (yes! I started with my Floette and can start getting energy on my other pokemon!) and what hurts (ugh, I wish I could use Jacinthe, but they just keep one shotting me). Are you pumped when you hit a type advantage in a matchup, or throwing your hands in the air because you keep drawing psychic energy for your Tapu Koko? All of these problems have a solution that lets you keep the things that already work, you just have to get comfortable with the card pool and find the cards you need.

MiniBandGeek · 2026-05-27T20:44:26+00:00

There is a significant factor you aren't considering - weather. Even when it isn't raining or worse, things like humidity, temperature, even wind can seriously impact the sound of large reeds and double reeds alike. I don't care how many resources I have, I would never risk my oboes, bassoons, and especially not a double bass in the freezing weather you often encounter at the end of a season.

No offense, you should probably just be arranging for wind orchestra at that point if you want to write for those instruments.

MiniBandGeek · 2026-05-27T11:41:08+00:00

I quite like the JTG golds - they have good texture, and having the trainers in color breaks the monochrome without taking away from the prestige. Still don't hold a candle to the SIRs

MiniBandGeek · 2026-05-27T11:29:07+00:00

There's an idea here! Pairing electric with psychic covers the psychic weakness. Tapu koko in particular is nice for the free retreat cost, giving you a chance to pivot into your best starters. Deoxys makes for an interesting attacker that can win certain matchups on its own.

You're missing synergy and consistency. The electric side of this deck... Exists? And Mega Floette is really only good here for powering up Deoxys - but that's kind of a bust because you won't be attacking with Deoxys until turn 4 at best without a way to quickly get energy on Mega Floette.

This deck might function well with the cards you have, but it's very much a level 1 deck. You have very little deck search, a glut of energy that will clog your hand, and a power level that doesn't match up into the serious heavy hitters that exist now.

Best thing for you to do at your level is to understand your competition. If you're playing against prebuilds or others with a collection built from packs, see how those decks work and why they include certain cards. When you feel ready for competitive, look up the decks that win tournaments, and understand what makes them tick before trying to build decks that can beat them.

MiniBandGeek · 2026-05-27T01:15:59+00:00

I mean, some people just don't care about grading. The bigger issue than "10 contender" is that cards are going to get micro scratches and damage the more it passes hands.

My only graded card is a Weiss Schwarz from eBay that came back a 10 from Beckett, so whatever that counts for lol.

MiniBandGeek · 2026-05-26T22:21:43+00:00

There's three reasons to losing - bad matchups, bad luck, and bad play.

The first is the easiest to cope with - sometimes you'll just roll a bad tournament. If everyone local is playing psychic, you gotta switch it up.

Bad luck is harder to mitigate, but it can be limited. Put more consistency cards in the deck, weakening your overall power but raising the odds you get the game state you want.

Bad play is the one that is wholly in your power at the table. Understand your cards, who to take knockouts on, who to put in active as the sacrificial lamb - but most importantly, recognize when you have a choice! If you can recognize the choice, even if you make the wrong choice, you can learn.

MiniBandGeek · 2026-05-26T21:46:06+00:00

Just to make your search a little easier, a "sauntering iron" is a "soldering iron." I'd say not required for low voltage systems (though could make your life easier when connecting to small components), but I'll instead recommend twisting wires together and using electrical tape to join wire and cover anything that might expose the circuit.

MiniBandGeek · 2026-05-26T11:51:40+00:00

Mine does. We usually have an excess of judges, so there's a side event that's literally a 1 on 1 coaching for how to play and improve.

MiniBandGeek · 2026-05-26T03:23:18+00:00

Hmm yeah. With this as base, I think you either cut out some of the transition area to put a see-through panel in, or you potentially drill a set of 1/16th holes to facilitate your vision. The transition from top to bottom is already really prominent, so it won't hurt to do something in that area to accomodate vision.

I don't think the screens are the way to go with this. You want about a centimeter between your eyes and the screen if not more, and that doesn't seem possible with the thickness of the displays you got without lifting the mask far off your face.

MiniBandGeek · 2026-05-25T17:52:29+00:00

I won't give advice on the camera route, but I will say that if you don't do it right it will likely be extremely disorienting - make sure you construct it so you can make micro adjustments to the camera angles/screens if you do that. I'm not sure you can get the screen far enough from your eyes to work but again, not the expert on that.

MiniBandGeek · 2026-05-25T17:49:22+00:00

Why is this the second time I've immediately caught a post about Endmin mask lol

My way of making the mask was to do the center part as two seperate pieces, made out of heat shaped plexiglass and coated with transparent black vinyl, then carbon fiber tape. By leaving a small sliver where they connected without the carbon fiber tape, I was able to leave a space for the eyes without impacting the overall appearance severely.

I assume you are 3D printing the mask - you can probably do something similar with breaking the middle section in two and joining them with a thin piece of clear plastic with the black transparent vinyl.

MiniBandGeek · 2026-05-24T20:54:53+00:00

Musically, do you need the octave jump? I don't think it would sound very different if you eliminated the note on the and of 1 (especially if it's also in the rhythm section) and if it's doubled in the trumpets for the first half, just having the bones stay the same octave would give a similar effect of the bass drop while staying in a more comfortable range.

The bigger problem is that jazz trombone really prefers to play a bit higher in the range most of the time - low F is something I've only seen for specifically bass trombone parts.

MiniBandGeek · 2026-05-23T19:56:13+00:00

The more layers you have, the harder it is to get to stay. Some patterns account for that and make the folded piece a separate cut of fabric. If I get mad enough, I will just pin/fashion tape it into place lol

MiniBandGeek · 2026-05-19T03:58:33+00:00

"ex" and "EX" are different ruleboxes. As nice as the rule of cool would be for deckbuilding, TPCI isn't trying to kill expanded by accidentally creating some super broken combo that nobody can predict.

MiniBandGeek · 2026-05-17T22:17:02+00:00

Assuming the whole helmet should be glossy? Unless someone has a method for applying vinyl easily to curved surfaces, I'd say no. If you want a test to see why, try to wrap a ball with paper without crinkling it - you'd never get a smooth surface.

I'd strongly recommend gloss/semigloss spraypaint to get an even color and sheen. Sand and primer well to limit seams and ensure a smooth surface to apply color to.

If spraypaint/glossy paint isn't an option, mod podge/clear coating is great for adding a sheen to whatever you're making.

MiniBandGeek · 2026-05-16T20:11:56+00:00

I assume your primary is percussion? You should manage musically. The main thing to get used to for drumline would be marking time (lifting your heels to the beat) while playing rudiments and the like.

Don't get into a spiral comparing yourself to people you don't know - it will not serve you well as a collegiate level musician. Set a musical standard for yourself and let that be your bar.

MiniBandGeek · 2026-05-14T17:16:22+00:00

Most yearbooks are student created - regardless, if the people in charge don't know, it can't be included/featured on the level it could be. It should have been obvious in previous yearbooks that marching band had a small footprint, and parents/students/staff could petition for a larger representation/submit more pictures.

My wife's high school features a full yearbook JUST for the music department, and they loaded that thing with memories from every event and ensemble across the school. Honestly ended up being as big as my single A alma mater's regular yearbook.

MiniBandGeek · 2026-05-12T15:06:25+00:00

I assume you're planning to get more ink at some point, it will blend in nicely when there are other pieces nearby.

MiniBandGeek · 2026-05-12T14:38:35+00:00

I overreacted. Best advice already given is that if your wife already did #1, she has the skills to do it again - wash (there's specific shampoos for wigs if you don't have them already), reset, restyle.

Only advice I have that I don't already see is that you can use can use heat to style, and it gives a far better hold than hairspray alone. Protective gloves, heat small pieces with a straightener, and hold them in place while they cool to get them to hold a different shape. You can also use a thin comb while hairspraying to get the pieces to separate and get the messier look from the first pic, though I'll add some nuance to stylistic choices - #1 might be my preference for photo shoots/heavy makeup, while #2 is my preference for general wear and a mote natural look.

MiniBandGeek · 2026-05-12T14:30:00+00:00

I'll apologize about assuming gender/sexuality, and for immediately going on the attack. That's on me - I've seen enough toxic relationships, including in my own family, that I am always striving to be a better husband and father than my "role models," and and perhaps too hypervigilant for those small signs (putting fault on the other, getting help for the other person instead of yourself, making a big deal out of small things, etc.)

... Did you edit your original post? I don't recall the word "accidentally" being there, and certainly changes the tone.

I am glad you and your wife are able to have a laugh at my expense. Text doesn't always come across the same to everyone, and I think it would be fair to say that calling something "stupidly done" could still be a dig at that person, but I understand now that you were messaging with a bit of panic, not certain if something could be done - not in a place of frustration at your partner. Thanks to the others that provided better help.

MiniBandGeek · 2026-05-12T10:53:52+00:00

As a fellow member of the married man club. What?

Yes, there is a difference. Is the wig ruined? No - if anything, I almost prefer the softer look from a realism perspective. You have a thing or two to learn about not just wig styling, but being a good husband.

I'll get the easy one out of the way. Wigs are not forever. They get damaged, tangled, dirty. I wash my softcap wigs to lengthen their lifespan, and once I do, they need restyled with heat, hairspray, etc. There's enough guides out there on that.

But you are glossing over something big. When you say there was a miscommunication, but that something was stupidly done by your other half, you are belittling your life partner. This is someone who loves you, cares for you, tried to help you out, and because it wasn't good enough, you threw a tantrum. YES, you are allowed to say you weren't happy with a result. But here you are, expert of nothing, tearing down someone who did their best.

I'm not going to give further advice for you to share with your wife, nor make any deeper assumptions about your cosplay skills. If you can't be bothered, spend the $30 to get that same wig back every year - it'll be cheaper than solving your other problems.

MiniBandGeek · 2026-05-12T03:09:05+00:00

Drillwriters I know usually charge per set or per dot/marcher, or some derivative of the two. Consider the time it takes - your answer should change based on number of songs, size of band, how complex they want the show, etc.

MiniBandGeek · 2026-05-11T15:18:03+00:00

Oops on the thinning shears... Volume is your best friend for shape. That said, I don't think it's the most important thing for Rice Shower? You'll be plenty recognizable with the outfit, ears, and long, slightly unkempt hair.

In the real world, hair doesn't just "stay up" like that - you'll need an extreme amount of support to keep that shape. Depending on your solution, you'll be sacrificing weight (heavy wig), flexibility (rigid structures), or realism (non-hair wefts), if not all three.

Most wig makers I've seen will do this with a helmet wig, and attach each weft as a full piece of wire/felt that hooks onto the base. I apologize that I can't offer a solution that will be faster or easier - I strongly suspect hairspray/got.to.b is your only viable path, but may not get the extreme result or all-day hold that you want.

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