Latin America International Championships 2025 Tournament Report – Terapagos ex!

 

Hey, everyone! This was not an article I was planning on writing as I've already gone in depth about Terapagos in other articles, but a lot of people have asked for my thoughts with my LAIC 7^th place deck list and how I feel about the deck moving forward, so I am much obliged to share my thoughts and matchups from the tournament!

 

Pokémon: 3 Terapagos ex (SCR-173) 4 Hoothoot (TEF-126) 3 Noctowl (SVP-141) 1 Noctowl (SCR-115) 1 Duskull (SFA-18) 1 Duskull (SFA-68) 2 Dusknoir (SFA-70) 1 Pidgey (OBF-207) 1 Pidgeot ex (OBF-225) 2 Fan Rotom (SCR-118) 1 Manaphy (BRS-41) 1 Bloodmoon Ursaluna ex (TWM-216) 1 Fezandipiti ex (SFA-92)

Trainers: 2 Iono 2 Professor's Research 1 Boss's Orders 1 Briar 1 Thorton 4 Nest Ball 4 Rare Candy 3 Buddy-Buddy Poffin 3 Night Stretcher 3 Ultra Ball 1 Counter Catcher 1 Energy Loto 1 Feather Ball 1 Lost Vacuum 1 Prime Catcher - ACESPEC 1 Switch 1 Vitality Band 3 Area Zero Underdepths

Energy: 4 Double Turbo Energy

 

Going into the tournament, I was testing all kinds of techs: Penny, Thorton, Dusclops, Hisuian Heavy Ball, and even Eri! After much consideration, I concluded that the only things I really wanted to change were removing Spiritomb and keeping Thorton. I also noticed a striking increase in the number of lists that played Lost Vacuum, so I decided to follow suit. I wasn’t super sold on it, as I didn’t understand its complete usefulness, other than the obvious things like getting rid of problematic stadiums, getting rid of unused Forest Seal Stones, etc. I thought these cases would be too niche to matter, but it ended up pulling its weight several times throughout the tournament.

The changes I made from my previous list were removing: 1x Ultra Ball, 1x Spiritomb, and 1x Duskull. I added: 1x Thorton, 1x Manaphy, and 1x Lost Vacuum in their places.

I have been a hater of Thorton all throughout the Stellar Crown format, however, after Louisville Regional, I realized a few games could’ve had a ton of comeback potential if I just had a single copy of this card. I used it a few times during my games, but not enough to really matter. I think it, along with Briar, are mostly dead cards that you are required to run in the deck. Not having the option of using either one is strictly worse than having the option and not needing it. Manaphy proved to serve a vital role in my finishing placement.

Round 1 – Lugia VSTAR – Win, 2-1

My opponent won the coin flip in this match and decided to go first, which was already a huge bad beat in the tournament. When he flipped over Wellspring Mask Ogerpon ex, my heart sank as I knew it was likely Lugia and I thought I was going to have to take an early L and claw my way back. His first turn saw double Archeops hit the discard, and second turn a Lugia VSTAR. My first turn did not see a Manaphy that I had included specifically for this matchup, and he was able to take the first two prizes by using Ogerpon’s second attack. I noticed that he shuffled back in the Legacy Energy and kept a Gift Energy on the Ogerpon. I knew that I needed to avoid triggering that as long as possible so he couldn’t get back in the game. He did not have a Minccino down turn one, so my only thought process here was to gust an Archeops and knock it out, limiting his options immensely. Once I did that, he powered up Lugia VSTAR and swung for 220, discarding my stadium. I then went for another gust KO on his other Archeops, effectively locking his board from doing much of anything. The only turn I needed to greatly avoid was the Bloodmoon Ursaluna ex play from their side. I eventually whittled down his board and through his lack of Archeops, he was unable to come back. Game 2 was a slaughter and I lost pretty quickly. Game 3, however, I went first and he was only able to get down 1 Lugia V and I set up the Duskulls to deal with Minccinos and perfectly set up for turn 2 to knock out his only Lugia V in play. Overall, I was thankful that I did not have to take the early loss, and hoped to keep the momentum going!

 

Round 2 – Raging Bolt ex/Teal Mask Ogerpon ex – Win, 2-0

I’m not going to go into much detail about these. The game plan is the same as Louisville and worked both times. Raging Bolt is the layup match.

 

Round 3 – Dragapult ex/Dusknoir – Win, 2-0

This round was one of two rounds over the course of the entire weekend that I won the coin flip and got to choose to go first. This proved beneficial as game 1, I was able to set up the Duskulls on the Bench and got the turn two KO two Dreepy. His lone Dreepy was able to evolve to Dragapult, but since he was unable to really establish anything else, that Dragapult quickly fell and he lost that game. Game 2, my opponent started 1 Dreepy and passed the turn. I got the perfect setup and was able to actually get 2 Duskull on the bench. My opponent’s next turn was a brick, but was able to get his other 3 Dreepy benched. My 2^nd turn was perfect! I knocked out two Dreepy on the bench with Dusknoir, followed it up with an Iono to a low hand size, and finally knocked out the 3^rd Dreepy in the Active. His setup was crippled and could not draw out of it. This was one of the matchups that I feared as it’s one of the harder ones to navigate. Their damage output can be quite overwhelming coupled with not being able to effectively deal with the Dragapults once they’re evolved.

 

Round 4 – Klawf – Loss, 0-2

This round was pretty heartbreaking as Klawf is generally a favoured matchup, as you’ll note from my Louisville report. However, I lost the coin flip and their turn one perfectly set up the Pecharunt+Brute Bonnet/Ancient Booster Energy Capsule to knock out my lone Duskull. A true donk. Game 2 was very close, and I technically misplayed by not evolving the only little guy on my bench. They have the perfect mix of cards to gust that Pokémon active and also win the game by knocking it out with poison damage. It was very unfortunate, but we moved onto the next one!

 

Round 5 – Raging Bolt ex/Teal Mask Ogerpon ex – Win, 2-0

I almost lost game 1, but once you reset their hand low and go to 2 prizes, they pretty much never draw out of that. Another favoured matchup and a much-needed recovery from the last round’s loss.

 

Round 6 – Lugia VSTAR – Win, 2-1

This was another round of Lugia, and he also opened Wellspring Mask Ogerpon ex. I thanked the heavens that I included Manaphy in my list for a second time in the event. I thought to myself: I haven’t seen a Lugia play this card in a long time, why all of the sudden have I counter-picked the list that techs for this?? No matter, I managed to get the Manaphy down quickly and rendered the Wellspring Mask a brick on my opponent’s bench. I was able to win the first game by simply dealing with Cinccinos ASAP via Dusknoir and going 2-2-2 in the prize trade. If I used a Dusknoir, I followed up by knocking out an Archeops to keep the prizes even. I lost the coin flip in this match, but pulled off the game 1 victory again. Game 2 was a loss, as I went second and 2 Archeops hit the discard turn 1. It was near perfect for my opponent. Game 3, my opponent opened Wyrdeer V and only managed to get 1 Lugia V down turn 1, however my second turn was able to gust the Lugia V active to knock it out. My opponent then got 2 Lugia V down, and I managed to knock one out and set up Dusknoir on the Bench. This effectively locked a checkmate, where I would be able to either: pop Dusknoir on the Active Lugia VSTAR, or knockout their Wyrdeer V on the Bench. I took the game and was in disbelief I was able to defeat a second Lugia VSTAR, a matchup I considered very bad.

 

Round 7 – Gardevoir ex – Win, 2-0

Going into this tournament, I knew a few people would’ve been on Gardevoir ex as a sleeper play. I chose to play Terapagos because Terapagos beats these niche decks that thrive on one-prize board states/attackers. This matchup is where Lost Vacuum became very relevant, as I was able to conceal it until game 2 where it won me the game and effectively ruined my opponent’s chances of winning. The matchup is generally favoured regardless, since you can use Dusknoir much faster than they can set up Gardevoir. By turn 2 I had knocked out two Kirlia in game 1 and in game 2, pulling me way ahead where they couldn’t do much about it.

 

Round 8 – Terapagos ex/Charizard ex – Win, 2-1

This matchup was probably one of the best matches I’ve played in a long time. Game 1, I lost the coin flip, however his start was not ideal. I managed to keep a 1-prize board state and set up Duskulls while he was unable to. The Charizard was a surprise, and I heard a little bit of chatter but had no idea what to do against it. This player’s previous record was at Joinville Regional prior to LAIC, so I became familiar with their old Terapagos list. They played no Vitality Band and I knew the other counts of cards wouldn’t change much at all, as it sounded like a deck where rather than completely reformatting it, they stripped other cards away to make a functional version of the deck from the skeleton of the old one. I won game 1 closely, game 2 was not close and I lost pretty handedly. However, game 3, I was able to come up with a game plan to get around all of his tricks. My opponent was at 4 prizes, and I was at 6. My opponent decided the best plan was to swing with Charizard to begin the game. I responded with a swing for 220 on his Charizard with Terapagos ex. Their bench had a Terapagos ex with 2 Fire Energy on it, and Pidgeot set up. They had taken their first 2 prizes on Duskulls, trying to limit my use of them. This, however, worked against them. This burned up key resources that could close out the game. They swung into my Terapagos for 180. I responded with retreating into my other Terapagos ex, used Lost Vacuum to remove Area Zero Underdepths and my benched Terapagos ex with damage with it and knocked out his Charizard, leaving him with a small bench and the hardest way to take 2 prizes possible. His next turn, he used Pidgeot ex to search out Thorton to change out the Terapagos with 2 Fire on it into a Charizard ex which knocked out my Terapagos, going down to 2 prizes. Looking through my opponent’s discard pile, I noted that he was down Boss, Prime Catcher, and Thorton. My opponent was ahead on prizes and wouldn’t be able to Counter Catcher and I believed he would’ve been unable to use it during out game. He had one Duskull on the Bench and if he was able to use that, I would’ve lost. I decided to use my one Dusknoir to take out his Duskull. He had used his Thorton and in order to build this deck, I highly doubted he had a Pal Pad or similar way to recover resources. With this, using Dusknoir puts me at 3 prizes remaining, Charizard is hitting for 270. If I use Pidgeot ex to swing for 100 with Blustery Wind, Charizard will have 230 HP remaining. Bloodmoon Ursaluna ex is hitting for no energy and knocks out this Charizard exactly. I saw he played Radiant Charizard in his list and knew that it couldn’t knock out Bloodmoon either in the followup. I took the chance and swung with Pidgeot. A single gust, Iron Bundle, etc loses me the game. My opponent uses Quick Search, finds a card and simply announces the attack and hits my Pidgeot for 270. This immediately indicates to me that my line will work and he will not be able to bounce back. I haven’t used Prime Catcher or Boss all game, so these options are still open to me. I retreat into Bloodmoon, announce attack, go to 1 prize left, and he asks if I had Prime Catcher left and to show it to me and he will concede. I ended up taking my next turn, using Quick Search for the Prime Catcher and winning the series. This series has been one of my most memorable that I’ve played.

 

Day 2, Round 9 – Terapagos ex/Dusknoir – Loss, 0-2

As you already know, this matchup comes down to the coin flip. I lost the coin flip on this one. Went second and was too far behind. I went first in game 2, but I bricked, one of only a handful of times I’ve bricked in this tournament. Another heartbreaking loss, but I knew I could lose 1 round in day 2 and still be in contention for asymmetric cut.

 

Round 10 – Terapaogs ex/Charizard ex – Win, 2-1

I am glad I got practice into this matchup in day 1. I lost the coin flip, however my opponent started Duskull and passed—I quickly took control of this game and won convincingly. Game 2, my opponent opened decently and was too much for me to handle. For game 3, I implemented about the same sort of strategy as I did for the previous one I faced the day before. My opponent could not gust/respond and ran out of options quickly. My opponent played too aggressively for his own good, and in turn opened up opportunities for me to be tricky and corner them when they thought they were safe. A close match, but one I was glad to have had practice with beforehand.

 

Round 11 – Gholdengo ex – Win, 2-1

I lost the coin flip with this match as well—spelling immediate doom when my opponent flipped over the Gimmighoul. “This is it,” I thought, “My chances at top 8 are finished.” I don’t remember game 1 very well, but I do remember my opponent not drawing super hot. I won game 1, which was the most important aspect. This meant I could lose game 2 and still have a game where I get to choose to go first, putting me in a great position to win the match. I lost quickly in game 2. Game 3 showed the true power of Terapagos ex. My opponent opened Palkia V, which is the worst-case scenario, and my hand was perfect enough to capitalize on it. They drew into a well-timed switch to get it to the bench, but I had Prime Catcher ready in hand to take a quick 2-prize lead. From there, he benched Fezandipiti ex as he needed to get cards in hand to mount a comeback. I quickly dispatched it with a Boss’s Orders to go to 2 prizes. During this turn, I made sure to set up a Dusknoir on the bench. This effectively means that after he deals with my active Terapagos, I simply need to find a Double Turbo Energy to close this game out. However, there was no Double Turbo in hand. Thankfully, sending Dusknoir to the active means I have “free retreat” into anything, which was a Nest Ball for Bloodmoon Ursaluna ex. Pop Dusknoir onto the active Gholdengo ex, and use Blood Moon for free to take the match. This match was extremely nerve wracking, as I feel the matchup is easily a 20-80 in their favour. It feels next to impossible to win—you can’t reset their hand to nothing, they draw way too many cards, you can’t one-shot anything except Palkia V and Fezandipiti ex, and using Dusknoir usually means they will always have just enough to ensure you cannot take the return knock out. I was very fortunate to win the series and grateful that I was still in contention.

 

Round 12 – Lost Box – Win, 2-1

Going into this round, I knew there were a lot of potentially bad matchups I could hit. There were numerous Regidrago, another Gholdengo, and even some Lugia. I was ecstatic to hear I got paired to the Lost Box with no Cramorant. Lost Box, in my opinion, was a good matchup, made even better by the addition of Manaphy I had included just before submitting my list. I won the coin flip and I proceeded to draw the absolute stones to take a convincing game 1. My opponent’s first turn this game was opened by a single Flower Selecting, followed by a Switch into Raikou to draw a card, then pass. My turn saw a perfect Rare Candy+Dusknoir to take his only Comfey and a full bench to knock out the Raikou to take a decisive 2-prize lead (he’s at 5 prizes now due to Dusknoir). Game 2 was very close, I ended up using Iono to put him to 1 card which he drew the 1-of Boss’s Orders for game. Game 3 I was going first. I had another absolutely crazy hand. I got Candy+Dusknoir to take a benched Comfey and an attack to knock out his active Comfey. This accelerated me into the lead, he was forced to use a Super Rod+Buddy-Buddy Poffin to reset his board which uses resources he might have otherwise not used. Eventually I went down to 1 prize, he Roxanne’d me to 2 cards, and he went down to 1 prize left as well. I had 1 Hoothoot ready to be used- I just needed an out to Boss or Prime Catcher. I drew Nest Ball and Iono off the two cards, not helpful. He had knocked out my Fezandipiti the turn before, so that was not an option. The top deck was the only thing that would save me guaranteed. I drew the card, put it down, took a deep breath, then revealed a Night Stretcher! Earlier in the game, I had 2 Noctowl in hand and could’ve used both, but I realized I only needed to use 1. With this, I decided to play Professor’s Research, discarding the other one. What this does is stretch your resources so that instead of having 1 less Noctowl in the deck that’s used, I now have 3 Noctowl, so to speak by way of Night Stretcher. And this early-game telegraph paid off big time in that I now had the one thing I needed to win the game. I play Night Stretcher, grab Noctowl from the discard pile, and search out my Boss’s Orders to knock out his benched Comfey for game. These early micro-decisions will become more and more important the more you seek to improve your play at the highest level and these are the kinds of things you will always need to be aware of as they increase your ability to win by a good margin. Any margin you can increase your ability to win can compound over the course of the game, so playing tightly and smartly can define the outcome of the game long before it ends.

 

Round 13, Asymmetric Cut, Top 16 – Iron Thorns ex – Win, 2-0

I won’t go into too much detail about this game, because you can watch the VOD here!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kn3L4ROZFQ

This matchup is basically free. If you’ve read my Louisville tournament report, I’ve mentioned this and gone into more detail for this matchup. Before this game, a user in our local Discord server asked me how the Iron Thorns matchup was, and I commented that it’s an autowin and there’s basically no way they win. I had no idea that Iron Thorns was the matchup I would be facing in top 16! I had thought he was asking for his own benefit, and I was super excited when I learned it was actually what I was facing for my spot in top 8! I am not sure why my opponent decided to go second in both games in this matchup—I feel like Iron Thorns ex always wants to go 1^st most of the time, and especially against Terapagos. In game 2, I noticed that he had to fetch his Techno Radar with Arven, got 2 Iron Thorns but only benched 1. I basically had a perfect hand and had the thought that I could effectively end the game by putting the Iron Thorns to the bottom of the deck and hoping he doesn’t draw another one. I was thinking to myself that I hope he prized his other Techno Radar. Lo and behold, that’s exactly what happened! It’s very funny to see that on the other side after the game as a spectator.

 

Round 14, Top 8 – Gholdengo ex – Loss, 1-2

I was disheartened to learn that my top 8 match was a near autoloss. We sat down for game 1, I lost the coin flip and they decided to go first. Going through the turns, they managed to make a crucial mistake by benching their Palkia V on turn 3 or 4. I used this opportunity to take a quick 2 prizes, which shores up the matchup pretty well. I managed to squeak out a win in the first game. Going to game 2, my opponent had the opportunity to go first again, but I was much less worried about this as I would have the chance at a game 3 where I could start first and solidify a decent boardstate. I lost game 2 handedly, but going into game 3, I had a very reasonable opening hand, but most notably I was missing a Duskull to take advantage of advancing a quick two-prize turn on his Gimmighouls. My opponent also opened a very fortuitous hand getting down all 4 Gimmighouls, effectively ruining and chance of stealing the game due to a brick. Going through the motions of the game, it was pretty doomed as the matchup usually goes and they had some pretty fortunate draws.

 

After this match, I was overwhelmed with emotion: if I hadn’t been paired to this matchup, how much deeper could my tournament run have gone? How much would I had been able to keep up with all the Regidrago in the other brackets? I reminded myself to remain grateful and proud of my achievement and I am very satisfied with another top 8 finish. Going into this tournament, I had one main goal: to finally day 2 an International Championships. Many ICs have come and gone, and I’ve whiffed the opportunity every single time. I thought it was a curse, but I’m glad to finally have that monkey off my back. I also had another longstanding tournament goal that I bring to every major: top 8!! I achieved just that. This finish makes me emboldened to try for more. I have bigger goals, and my next goal is to simply 1-up a top 8 finish by getting top 4 at a major. I am excited to continue this journey and to keep improving my play at every step along the way! Thanks for reading, and I hope everyone that attended LAIC had just as fun a time as I did and all the people watching from home enjoyed the live stream and cheering on their favourite players!

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