Hi there. In this Pokemon TCG tournament blog, I visit Toronto after a while. I do some shopping, pick up some cards and play a local tournament in the Toronto Chinatown area.
Local Tournament Format
I visit A & C Games in the Chinatown Toronto area. It is also near the University of Toronto downtown campus.
The tournament is a free entry event. There are 3 best of one rounds at 30 minutes each. For each win, you get 1 Prize Pack Series 8 booster pack. This is the latest version where you can get stamped versions of cards from Prismatic Evolutions, Journey Together, Black Bolt, White Flare and Mega Evolution sets. Full list can be found here.
Raging Bolt ex + Solrock/Lunatone Decklist
I am still playing Raging Bolt ex. However, this build does not use Noctowl but uses Solrock & Lunatone. There are also more Fighting Energy than normal. It is an alternative Japanese build that I like a lot.
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I don't think anyone in the Toronto area plays Raging Bolt ex nor this version. I play this as a rogue deck and a counter deck.
Pokémon: 10
1 Koraidon SSP 116
1 Latias ex SSP 76
3 Raging Bolt ex TEF 123
2 Lunatone MEG 74
3 Teal Mask Ogerpon ex PRE 12
1 Fezandipiti ex SFA 38
1 Mew ex MEW 151
2 Solrock MEG 75
1 Raging Bolt SCR 111
1 Sandy Shocks ex PRE 56
Trainer: 16
3 Fighting Gong MEG 116
2 Boss's Orders SHF 58
1 Battle Cage PFL 85
1 Energy Retrieval SVI 171
1 Prime Catcher TEF 157
1 Energy Switch CRZ 129
2 Night Stretcher SFA 61
1 Pal Pad SVI 182
1 Penny SVI 183
4 Nest Ball SVI 181
2 Area Zero Underdepths PRE 94
1 Iono PAL 185
4 Professor Sada's Vitality PAR 170
1 Crispin SCR 133
3 Ultra Ball SVI 196
3 Earthen Vessel PAR 163
Energy: 3
5 Basic {F} Energy SVE 6
3 Basic {L} Energy SVE 4
5 Basic {G} Energy SVE 9
Total Cards: 60
This list is similar to the one decklist I have used before. I think the changes I made were removing the one Slither Wing for a Koraidon (single prize). There might have been a minus one Iono for a Mew ex.
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Round One Vs Miraidon ex
This first round matchup made me nervous. My opponent is someone I have faced before and I know he is a good player. He knows that I'm good too.
This opponent is still playing Miraidon ex after eight or so months. Some cards may have changed but the gameplan from Miraidon ex is the same. He runs a Turbo build where there are 2 Mews, 2 Squawkabillys to increase the odds of a good setup. Iron Hands ex is there to put pressure on slower setup decks.
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My opponent did not get much Lightning Energy in play with the Electric Generators. With careful planning and strategic attacks, I win the prize race in the end.
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Prime Catcher after he used Zeraora was important. The Zeraora is very good in offsetting the prize trade. I wanted to win by knocking out 3 Pokemon ex. That is a 2-2-2 prize strategy to get all 6 Prize cards.
Round Two Vs Gardevoir ex
For the 1-0 matchup, I am matched up against a teen. This guy is someone I have played before casually and lost. The kid is fast and kind of fidgety.
At first, I thought I was against a control deck like Pidgeot ex control. The Mimikyu threw me off guard at first but it was a Gardevoir ex deck.
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My early game luck was weird. I did not hit a Supporter card until something like turn 3 or turn 4. However, I was taking good knockouts with Solrock.
In the end, I lost this close game. I played the best I could given the draws I had.
Round Three Versus Mega Lopunny ex + Pidgeot ex + Dusknoir
My round three opponent was someone I have seen a fair bit at this place. I have never played against this person though.
The opponent was playing Mega Lopunny ex with Pidgeot ex and Dusknoir. I have played against this deck a fair bit online a few months ago. This matchup is rare but I am familiar with how the deck plays.
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This game ended up turning out really well for me. It was combination of good gameplay from me and exploiting weaknesses in my opponent's setup.
My first turn going second consisted of me using Prime Catcher and Solrock to get the knockout on the lone Pidgey. Preventing an early Pidgeot ex was super important I thought.
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My next turn was using Boss's Orders + Solrock to target the lone Buneary. This prevents Mega Lopunny ex from being in play. The opponent would have no attackers at this point.
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In the next turns, I applied strong pressure on the opponent. I was kind of getting cards that were perfect in each scenario. It was kind of disgusting good luck for me and my opponent was getting frustrated.
There were some stalling attempts but I did get the win in the end. It was a comfortable win and a win where I felt bad for my opponent.
Post-Tournament Results
After three best of one rounds, I end up at 2 wins and 1 loss. My round two opponent who beat me also got 2 wins and 1 loss and placed fourth I think. I got fifth place out of 24 players (I think).
Two wins and 1 loss is still good if your loss was a close loss against a good player. In addition, I have not been playing in person events since December 2025. I took January off as the weather was getting too cold for most Sundays in the Toronto area. My skills were still kind of sharp as I practice casually at home with a sibling.
Here are some the cards I got from the 2 prize packs I won. There was an extra prize pack too.
Extra Pack
Card Haul From A Different Card Store
One of my favourite card stores in the Toronto Chinatown area is Go For Game TCG. It is one of those local card store gems where they don't sell single cards online. However if you go in person, you can find some nice single cards and playable Pokemon cards.
To my luck and surprise, I did find some Ascended Heroes cards. Psyduck, Dratini, Dragonair and N's Zekrom were nice finds. Cynthia's Roserade was something I wanted to complete a Cynthia's Garchomp ex deck for a future format.
This haul was 11 CAD (no tax). This is very good as Ascended Heroes cards are high in demand and the products are getting crazy in price.
One booster pack is easily 11 or 12 CAD. Because of this I skip sealed products and get single cards from now on as a player and occasional collector.
Thank you for reading.