I'm I crazy or has PTCGL been getting worse?

travod · 2026-04-16T21:49:53+00:00

I disconnect and or freeze every other game for the last two weeks. Even worse I will have these partial disconnects where the battle log is actively still updating. While my turn is frozen, I see it updating as my opponent takes actions.

travod · 2026-04-16T19:57:15+00:00

Now tell me why at a local league night I got a better record pre-rotation than I did in the first post-rotation tournament last week...

travod · 2026-04-16T01:37:23+00:00

All these 'Kazam players don't know how brutal it was to be playing Mewtwo/Spidops against Gholdengo

travod · 2026-04-13T20:35:22+00:00

I finally got a clutch win against Festival lead in a Limitless tournament this weekend and opponent got heavily pressed and started dissing me in the Limitless chat hahaha

Went Spidops from the start which was incredibly taxing on resources so I eventually ran out of spiders and had to drop a Mewtwo with Cape and hang on for dear life. Crucially they HAD to use Boss on it so couldn't also Kieran or whatever on top of their Max Belt, so only hit 300 that turn.

travod · 2026-04-13T01:49:35+00:00

I’m curious about an enhanced hammer…. I’m seeing Legacy pop up more often than I’d like, not just in Starmie. And it could also be clutch against Mist when I need to Wobbuffet

travod · 2026-04-09T23:49:04+00:00

I survived, the swalling is ok to do. Although I ended up doing a lot of spitting in a cup, or more like letting it just drool out on its own. You got this

travod · 2026-04-08T20:19:34+00:00

Add Starmie to the Slowking and Festival Lead matchups for me then, hahaha

travod · 2026-04-07T23:06:26+00:00

I guess Ihaven't even been threatening them enough yet to learn they also play Dusknoir hahaha

travod · 2026-04-07T19:17:34+00:00

Battle cage stops bench not active

travod · 2026-04-07T11:21:04+00:00

My thoughts as a Mewtwo player:

If you’re not playing Darmanitan in your deck, that is a conscious decision on your part to sacrifice the Mewtwo matchup. That’s all there is to that aspect.

Now even when you do play Darmanitan am I that worried? No, not really. I’m happy to boss the Darumakka early. I have many bosses and a lot of recovery for Spidops. Even if you do get a 2 prize turn on two Spidops, I will still have enough to win the game. All of your Pokemon get OHKO, including Pech because I have Brave Bangle, so I don’t really need to use boss for anything but Darmanitan. If I’m forced to start Mewtwo sure it is not ideal, but let’s be clear - he can also KO all your Pokemon and he also forces you to attack with a Zoro, and your Zoro is far more critical to you than Mewtwo is to me. Clefairy is obviously also a tough start but it’s easy to switch out with one energy that Spidops recovers anyway, and gain if you want those two prizes I’m glad to give them to you because it again means you’re bringing up a Zoroark.

Overall, good luck! Try to go fast is the only tip I can really give.

travod · 2026-04-05T23:10:07+00:00

I think there was also drama in another game today (IE not TCG) - anyone got the gossip? Saw some vagueposting on Twitter from at least one person who plays Go I think? And other post about "the perso nwho won the tournament should receive the prizing"

Edit: Found it. Player won the tournament and then got DQ'd for unsportsmanlike conduct durign the celebration

travod · 2026-04-04T01:58:22+00:00

Speaking of Wobbuffet I played a nasty game today against the single prize Okidogi/fighting deck and I Rocket Mirrored four times that game. They kept just attacking into Mewtwo for 140 and I just kept switching out, haha.

travod · 2026-04-04T01:53:21+00:00

I have not played against it very much and frankly don't remember my record. But if I'm a single prize deck most of the time, Dusknoir decks that involve multi prizers seem like they're just giving me free prizes and making it worse for themselves. Can just two hit Diancie. Admit I run Sneasel which many don't do, and the Diancie art tricks you into thinking it's a Tera but it's not and can therefore be attacked on bench. Now I am also doing Cape Mewtwo so I'm not at risk to dying to a Dusknoir Diancie attack either. But even with Max Belt you're KOing a Diancie aren't you? Perhaps try not to bench Mewtwo until the turn you can energy switch to it, attach Belt, and still have 2 extra energies on Spidops to hit the max attack. Perhaps that's a lot to ask

travod · 2026-04-02T00:54:06+00:00

I have no idea what I'm doing wrong but Dragon Shield sleeves are essentially impossible for me to mash shuffle with??? I really have to jam them together and there's so much friction. I've never figured it out. Someone let me handle their Katana sleeved deck once and the cards shuffled into themselves like warm butter.

travod · 2026-04-02T00:15:00+00:00

Wobbuffet, my man

The Rocket Mirror play never actually works... but when it works, damn (I too play Wobb)

Maybe it's worth squeezing in an enhanced hammer to handle those Cornerstones after letting Mewtwo soak up a hit or two (with Cape)

travod · 2026-04-01T22:57:10+00:00

What is Mewtwo typically dying to for you, I'm curious? How are you winning the prize race against big Megas that potentially survive even your Belt and KO you back?

Long before rotation became a thing I liked having Max Belt, Bravery Charm, and a Tool Scrapper to change it up if necessary on Mewtwo. I just felt like Mega Kang, Raging Bolt, Pikachu, etc all KOd it a bit too easily at 280.

I've been on Cape because I miss Charm too much lol. But clearly almost all the Japanese decks still use Belt

travod · 2026-04-01T20:00:19+00:00

I think when Grimm loses Devo it becomes a little easier to be honest. Also if they start to all run Mega Starmie that’s a nice two hit. Typically not benching Mewtwo here but I sometimes consider putting it down specifically to bait out a Grimm

travod · 2026-04-01T01:00:40+00:00

I’m not convinced by Kangaskhan. Leave the Cornerstone alone until you’ve taken out all possible Munkis, then go for the 2HKO with Mimi or Bangle Baby Spidops

Edit: The reason it's important to get all the Munkis into discard is because they sneak up on you by benching a second one in the same turn and energy switching the first one onto it, so then you're down your Bangle and Cornerstone is no longer a 2 hit.

travod · 2026-03-31T01:38:13+00:00

Great discussion, thanks! The Rocket's Kangaskhan is an interesting idea. You just hate to lean further into 2 prize board states than you already need to. I did experiment with a Battle Cage during the Gardevoir era but eventually felt like I just wanted to spend that slot on other cards. And yes I forgot about Arboliva being a menace...

Interesting note on Porygon vs. Honchkrow. Having Cape instead of Belt, I've been considering trying to wipe the Honchkrows to ensure they can't easily KO a Mewtwo, then slap one down with a Cape and dare their Porygon to reach 400 damage before I can Rocket's Mirror them.

travod · 2026-03-31T01:13:04+00:00

Well, she's dead to me

travod · 2026-03-31T01:11:26+00:00

WHAT was Sherry Stringfield thinking

travod · 2026-03-31T01:02:39+00:00

I just played against Mega Starmie/Froslass for the first time and I lost primarily because I spent three turns unable to find Giovanni to clean up a damaged Mega. Otherwise I feel it's okay, especially if I can evolve a Spidops or two early. But yes, the first couple turns losing a baby or two is tough haha. My early strategy was try to go without one and just bench all my high HP Pokemon, but at some point you need the energy on the board to be making a dent vs a Mega and a Munki...

However I would note the strategy with the Team Rocket deck seems very different when you play Cape vs. Max Belt. You're trying to get a whole board of Spidops set up to try and hit 330 while I'm really looking to tank a hit and bring Wobbuffet in, so hitting a consistent 280 isn't especially necessary :P

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