Meet Team North America
Next weekend, 15 of the best Pokemon trainers in the world will represent North America in the 2013 Pokemon Video Game World Championships. Here on Nugget Bridge, we normally only present you with a predictions article before every major event. The point of this article is not to predict the winners of this year’s World Championships, but to introduce you to the competitors from North America: their previous accomplishments and Worlds qualifications, how they rose to fame this year, and what they do outside of Pokemon. Keep in mind that to qualify this season, competitors had to either finish in the Top 2 at the 2012 Pokemon Video Game World Championships or gain enough Championship Points (CP) throughout the season and finish in the Top 12 in North America. This season consisted of three Regional tournaments, five Wi-Fi competitions, and one National tournament. Hopefully you learn more about each competitor as both a person and a player after reading this article!
Ray Rizzo (Ray)
Age: 20
Location: New Jersey
Previous Worlds Qualifications: 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012
Qualified This Year Through: 2012 World Champion
Most Notable Accomplishment: 3-time World Champion (2010, 2011, 2012)
Signature Pokemon: Numel, Gothitelle
Like any true Pokemon master, Ray started playing Pokemon with the original Red/Blue version. Since then, he has become the greatest Pokemon trainer in the world, winning three back-to-back-to-back world championships. He started VGC in its first year in 2008 and qualified for the World Championships, but was eliminated right away. In 2009, he did not make it through the lottery and did not even get a chance to compete. Hungry for a chance at redemption, Ray qualified for Nationals in 2010 by finishing in the Top 16 at the New Jersey Regionals, losing to Shuckle along the way. He then qualified for Worlds by finishing in the Top 16 at Nationals, losing to eventual National Champion Wesley Morioka. Ray then proved that he meant business by finishing Day 1 of Worlds with a 4-2 record, advancing to the Top 8 and second day of competition. Ray then put Japan in its place as he defeated three Japanese trainers in a row to become the 2010 World Champion.
I’m sure I don’t need to tell you the rest of the story at this point. Ray continued his legacy, winning both the 2011 and the 2012 World Championships and improving his swiss record each year (5-1 in 2011, 6-0 in 2012). While he shows up to Regionals and Nationals for fun, he doesn’t take the season very seriously until about two weeks before Worlds. He is famous for using the strong Pokemon Numel to defeat Matt Coyle (PrettyLittleLiar) at Nationals this year. Outside of Pokemon, Ray attends Drake University in Iowa and is currently studying for actuarial exams. He is currently applying for an entry level actuarial job. When he’s not busy winning in Pokemon, he uses Honey Gather to collect hunnies. If you aren’t following him already, find him on Twitter @rayrizzo_pkmn.
Randy Kwa (R_Inanimate)
Age: 23
Location: Vancouver, BC
Previous Worlds Qualifications: N/A
Qualified This Year Through: Championship Points (3rd NA)
Most Notable Accomplishment: 4th Place US Nationals 2013
Signature Pokemon: Togekiss, Excadrill
Randy Kwa is regarded as one of, if not the, best Pokemon player from Canada, as well as one of its only players. Out of the 15 players who qualified from North America this year in the Masters division, Randy is the only Canadian! Although this is his first Worlds qualification, Randy has been one of the most consistent players over the past three years, making top cut at Nationals each year and winning two Regionals. Randy was one of 14 competitors in the 2005 Battle in Seattle, but officially started his VGC career with the Seattle Regional in 2009. He fell just short of a Nationals invitation, losing in the Top 8. Randy states that “although I had a good sense of battling, it took until Regionals [in] 2011 before I really had my breakout on the scene; with the difference maker likely being that I actually had a chance to test out my teams a bit, instead of going on something strictly theory alone.”
Randy had a spectacular season this year, finishing 1st at Salem Regionals and Top 4 at Vancouver Regionals. He gained the most Championship Points from the Wi-Fi tournaments, with an incredible 38 out of the 50 possible, winning one tournament along the way. Randy noted “my road to Top 12 CP is an interesting one, as I was the only one of the Top 12 CP people going into Nationals who had only gone to 2/3 Regionals,” a testament to his consistency. Randy is probably most known in the community for his usage of Mold Breaker Excadrill, Togekiss, constantly changing nicknames of Pokemon to fit a theme, and never running RNG’d Pokemon. Outside of Pokemon, he has interests in strategy RPGs, Anime, and Touhou.
Trista Medine (ryuzaki)
Age: 26
Location: Lafeyette, Louisianna
Previous Worlds Qualifications: 2011
Qualified This Year Through: Championship Points (10th NA)
Most Notable Accomplishment: 2011 Regional Champion, 9th Place Worlds 2011
Signature Pokemon: Rotom-H, Gastrodon, Delibird
Trista Medine is the fiery oven lovin’ trainer from the beautiful state of Louisiana who is one of those trainers who has been around for as long as anyone can remember. She started VGC in its first year back in 2008, where she was eliminated by the eventual winner at the New York Regionals. She qualified for Nationals in 2010 but fell short of the top cut, losing to eventual World Champion Ray Rizzo in the last round of Swiss to determine who would advance to the next day. She continued playing and qualified for Worlds in 2011 through the Last Chance Qualifier. Trista went on to place 9th in the main event, joining her good friend Scott as a member of the bubble club.
Trista is an extremely consistent player who has performed well throughout the 2013 season, finishing 2nd at Georgia Regionals, Top 8 at Teaxs Regionals, and Top 32 at US Nationals, earning her second Worlds qualifcation along the way. Trista is also no stranger to victory, having won the 2011 Texas Regionals undefeated. To top it all off, Trista won that very Regional with her beloved Eelektross missing EVs. Outside of Pokemon, Trista is a connoisseur of the visual arts whose talents landed her a job working on the 7th Harry Potter movie. Look for her name in the credits!
Demitri Camperos (darksoulSP)
Age: 19
Location: California
Previous Worlds Qualifications: N/A
Qualified This Year Through: Championship Points (8th NA)
Most Notable Accomplishment: 3rd Place US Nationals 2013
Signature Pokemon: Slash Cresselia missing 100 EVs
Out of the 15 competitors on this list, Demitri is perhaps the least known. He has been playing Pokemon since the Red/Blue era. He started competitively in 2008, the first year of VGC, attending Regional tournaments occasionally. He finished in the Top 32 at the Regionals he attended in both 2010 and 2011. After taking a break for school in 2012, Demitri decided to take this season more seriously than the last couple of years. However, he missed out on top cut at both California Regionals, bubbling out at 10th and 14th place. With one last shot in the season, Demitri attended his first Nationals ever, where he took the competition by storm. He completed his Cinderella story with a 3rd place finish, a Worlds invitation, and a free trip to Vancouver. Despite his Cresselia missing over 100 EVs and Demitri having not played in a VGC tournament for over four months, Demitri played all the way to the top. He attributes his success to 2011 Seniors World Champion Kamran Jahadi(Kamz), saying “this year was my first Nationals ever, and I am very grateful to be good friends with Kamz, who let me be his legal guardian, giving me an essentially free trip to Indy. The two of us do a lot of teambuilding, editing, and playtesting together (although the community probably wouldn’t believe that, knowing his amusing track-record of team-swiping), and I would still be an anonymous player without his help.”
Outside of Pokemon, Demitri is a 19 year old Psychology major at UCLA. He also is minoring in Applied Developmental Psychology. He used to do a lot of acting, anchoring and Mock Trial competitions, but is now settling down with an improv radio show on campus, and he makes sure to get his Pokemon fix by judging at local Pokemon events. While his busy schedule prevents him from being very active in the Pokemon community, he always finds a way to attend VGC events, even if it “means being woefully unprepared.” His username comes from the old GBA Megaman Battle Network games, his favorite show is Cowboy Bebop, his favorite video game is Kingdom Hearts 2, his favorite Pokemon game is Crystal Version, and his favorite Pokemon is Scizor. (Good taste there, my friend.)
Enosh Shachar (Human)
Age: 17
Location: New Jersey
Previous Worlds Qualifications: 2011
Qualified This Year Through: Championship Points (1st NA)
Most Notable Accomplishment: 2nd Place US Nationals 2013, 3rd Place Worlds 2011
Signature Pokemon: Misdreavus
Eight top cuts in eight tournaments but zero victories, that’s the shortest way to summarize Enosh’s VGC career. Since he started in 2010, Enosh has been one of the most consistent players in North America, making top cut at every tournament he has attended, including the past three Nationals. He had the best season out of all the players in the world this year, holding the most Championship Points in the Masters Division. With two 3rd place Regional finishes along with a Top 8 finish, Enosh also had a fantastic run at Nationals this year and won himself his first paid trip to Worlds and his second Worlds invitation after coming so close the past two years, losing in Top 8 both times. He got to showcase his team-building ability, using less-than-common Pokemon such as Abomasnow, Rhyperior, and most notably Misdreavus to make it all the way to the finals. Despite his consistency, Enosh has yet to win a tournament in the four years he has competed, always coming up short. The only question that remains now: will he extend his top cut streak and winless streak at Worlds?
Aaron Zheng (Cybertron)
Age: 15
Location: New York
Previous Worlds Qualifications: 2008, 2011, 2012
Qualified This Year Through: Championship Points (8th NA)
Most Notable Accomplishment: 2-time National Champion (2011, 2012)
Signature Pokemon: Puke Green Scizor, offensive Cresselia
While the youngest player on this list, Aaron is no stranger to competition. He qualified for the first ever Worlds in 2008 as a Junior and has been playing ever since, racking up two Regional titles, two National titles, and four Worlds qualifications along the way. He has had an impressive showing so far in his first year in the Masters Division, winning a Regional, finishing second in another Regional, and placing 13th in the country at Nationals. In his time in the Seniors Division, he placed 1st, 2nd, and 3rd at the three Regionals he attended, won two National championships, and placed 8th at the 2012 World Championships. He is also the first competitor in the world to qualify for the World Championships in all three divisions. While a fierce competitor, Aaron does not have a strong track record in Worlds, finishing in 31st in 2008, 17th in 2011, and 8th in 2012. He has had a fantastic VGC career up to this point, and all that seems to be missing from his résumé is a strong Worlds finish.
Outside of Pokemon, Aaron is a rising junior from New York City studying at the Trinity School. He enjoys running, math, and music, and often spends his time helping out the community, whether its assisting kids, teaching elderly Chinese immigrants English, or tutoring. He recently got into watching basketball during the whole “Linsanity” phase and is a big fan of the New York Knicks. He competes alongside his little brother, Brendan, who holds the most Regional titles in the world (five) and also qualified for the World Championships this season. If you aren’t following him already, find him on Twitter @CybertronVGC.
Scott Glaza (Scott)
Age: 24
Location: Saginaw, Michigan
Previous Worlds Qualifications: 2012
Qualified This Year Through: Championship Points (5th NA)
Most Notable Accomplishment: 10th Worlds 2012
Signature Pokemon: Whatever is popular in Japan
Scott Glaza is a household name here on Nugget Bridge and in the Pokemon community, taking great strides in improving the competitive game for all of us. An administrator here on Nugget Bridge and previously on Smogon, Scott started playing competitively starting off with OU from Gen 2 all the way to Gen 4. While he took a hiatus from Pokemon to pursue the other facets of life, Pokemon kept calling to Scott, and he returned to enjoy everyone’s favorite game by trying his hand at the Last Chance Qualifier at 2010 US Nationals. Reminded of how much he enjoyed playing Pokemon, Scott began training seriously in 2011, where he came in the Top 8 at Regionals, bubbled out at 17th at US Nationals, and lost in the last round of the Last Chance Qualifier in San Diego. After coming so close in 2011, Scott was determined to qualify in 2012. He bubbled out at 33th at US Nationals, but finally earned his first invitation after finishing in the Top 4 at the Last Chance Qualifier in Hawaii. He finished in 10th place in his Worlds with a record of 4-2. This season, Scott had one of the most impressive Regionals runs in the country, finishing in 4th, 4th, and 8th at the three Regionals he attended, adding to his collection of plastic bricks and life changing Championship Points. He also gained 32 Championship Points from the Wi-Fi tournaments, the second most out of anyone in the region. He finally made it into the top cut at US Nationals, and forfeited in the Top 16 to his good friend Jason Fisher-Short (Fish) in order to do official commentating for the finals of the event.
Outside of Pokemon, Scott spends most of his time moderating and editing Nugget Bridge. He also enjoys playing League of Legends and watching hockey. When he isn’t improving the forums, he is studying hard in college, where he is down to his last semester as an undergraduate student pursuing a BBA in Marketing.
Stephen Morioka (Stephen)
Age: 23
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Previous Worlds Qualifications: 2011
Qualified This Year Through: Championship Points (4th NA)
Most Notable Accomplishment: Top 8 US Nationals 2011 and 2013
Signature Pokemon: Heracross, Druddigon
While Stephen has less of an online presence compared to the other players on this list, he is a long time Pokemon player and was actually one of 14 players who competed in the 2005 Pokemon Emerald Ultimate Frontier Battle Brain tournament. He has been playing since Pokemon Red/Blue in 1999. His first breakout season was in 2011, where he finished in the Top 8 of US Nationals to get an invite to Worlds. Stephen had a mediocre season last year, but picked things up right where he left off in 2011 this year with a 2nd place finish at both Ft. Wayne and Madison Regionals, and barely missed top cut at Long Beach Regionals in 10th place. He also placed 5th place at US Nationals, going undefeated all the way until Randy stopped him in the quarter finals. Stephen has used Heracross to great success this season, an impressive feat since Heracross is a fairly uncommon Pokemon.
Stephen is from Chicago, Illinois, and enjoys playing volleyball, traveling, and biking when he is not busy with Pokemon. He is part of the powerful Morioka dynasty, with his brother Wesley winning the 2010 National Championship and his mom top cutting a Regional this year — only to be knocked out by Stephen himself! Stephen is one of few players who can say they have made it into the Top 8 at Nationals twice, losing to fellow American competitors Wolfe Glick (Wolfey) in 2011 and Randy in 2013. After Worlds, he plans on moving to San Antonio, Texas, to pursue his Master’s in Geology. He enjoys watching basketball, and hockey, and is a huge fan of Glee, The Big Bang Theory, and mainstream Nintendo games.
Toler Webb (Dim)
Age: 15
Location: North Carolina
Previous Worlds Qualifications: 2012
Qualified This Year Through: 2012 World Champion
Most Notable Accomplishment: 2012 World Champion, 3rd US Nationals 2012
Signature Pokemon: Ludicolo, Rotom-H
Toler Webb quietly took over the Seniors division in 2012, finishing in the Top 4 of both Regionals and Nationals before ending his Seniors career with a World Championship. While he started playing VGC back in 2009, he didn’t have his breakout season until just last year. Generally considered an underrated player before Worlds, he practiced quietly until the biggest tournament of his life. At the 2012 World Championships, Toler showed everyone how hard work, a well-crafted team, and impressive predictions can result in victory in Pokemon as he went 4-2 on the first day and qualified to compete in the Top 8 the following day. His bracket from there was not any easier, as he ended up defeating Gavin Michaels (kingofkongs), who went on to become the 2013 US Masters National Champion, Henry Maxon (Snake), the 2011 US Juniors National Champion, and Spanish player Jaime Martinez Alonso on his route to becoming a world champion. Even though Toler had an invitation and trip to this year’s World Championships in hand already, he still attended two Regionals and top cut both of them, showing he can play in Masters just as well as Seniors.
Outside of Pokemon, Toler is a high school student from North Carolina. He says he is almost entirely focused on practicing for the World Championships at the moment. Toler has spent his summer taking an online Chemistry course, and enjoys singing and acting in his downtime: in fact, he was part of his high school’s most recent musical production, Once Upon a Mattress! Toler also enjoys playing Yu-Gi-Oh! and League of Legends occasionally. When he starts school again, he’ll be in his school chamber choir and will be taking a varied lineup of classes to increase his knowledge. He likes to play sports occasionally, but hasn’t gotten the chance to recently due to a busy schedule. He also enjoys writing sometimes, but gets distracted easily.
Wolfe Glick (Wolfey)
Age: 17
Location: McLean, Virginia
Previous Worlds Qualifications: 2011, 2012
Qualified This Year Through: 2012 Worlds Runner-Up
Most Notable Accomplishment: 2-time National Champion, 2012 Worlds Runner-Up
Signature Pokemon: Emboar, Cofagrigus, Exeggutor, Chimeco, Regi-Pokemon
Wolfe Glick is the two time US National Champion and 2012 Runner Up at the Pokemon World Championships. He started playing Pokemon competitively in 2011, where he won his first Regional and National before having his dreams of completing the trifecta ruined as he was brutally crushed by Ray Rizzo and his Escavalier in the Top 8 of the World Championships, leaving him in 6th place. Undeterred, Wolfe set his sights on the world stage again, finishing second at Regionals and winning Nationals again in 2012,eventually reaching the finals on the World Stage. Unfortunately, Ray was more than a match for him once again as his hacked Follow Me Cresselia drew in Wolfe’s Hitmontop’s Close Combat, an extremely demoralizing defeat in front of the entire world. With an invite and trip secured from Worlds, Wolfe knew he did not have to play seriously in the 2013 season. However, he still attended two Regionals and Nationals, failing to top cut at every tournament. Some say that Wolfe has already his his touch — “beginner’s luck,” they call it. But nobody will know for sure until they see his big performance next weekend.
Wolfe is most known for using Exeggutor successfully at the 2012 World Championships. Outside of Pokemon, he participates in his school’s choir and letters in Winter and Spring Track. Despite being a competitive runner, he enjoys not running as much as he can during his free time. Wolfe will be a Senior in High School in September and will be deciding whether he wants to go to college or become a monk.
Gavin Michaels (kingofkongs)
Age: 15
Location: Encino, California
Previous Worlds Qualifications: 2012
Qualified This Year Through: Championship Points (2nd NA)
Most Notable Accomplishment: 2013 US National Champion, Top 8 Worlds 2012
Signature Pokemon: Gallade, Landorus-I
Gavin, along with Aaron and Toler, is a recent graduate of the Senior division. He started playing in 2011, and in his time in Seniors he made top cut at Nationals both years but failed to make it to the Top 4 and earn an invitation. Last year, he flew out to the Last Chance Qualifier in Hawaii and made it through. He then placed 6th overall in the world, losing to eventual world champion Toler Webb in the quarter finals. He did not find success immediately in the Masters division, failing to top cut any of the three Regionals he attended, including bubbling out at 9th place with the highest resistance we’ve seen in VGC Regionals history (83.33%). Despite three mediocre showings, Gavin was not discouraged and continued training hard for Nationals — a tournament he had managed to make top cut in two years in a row in Seniors, but also failed to ever advance past the first round of single elimination. Gavin has the rare quality of not caring very much whether or not his team is known before the event, or if he works with his competition. Despite using a similar team for months before US Nationals, he still managed to win the entire tournament in his first year in the Masters division with a team that people associated with him. Gavin is a rising junior, studying at the Buckley School in California. He has been away for the majority of his time between Nationals and Worlds, attending the CTY (Center for Talented Youth) camp in LA, but looks forward at another shot at becoming world champion after coming so close in 2012.
Ben Irons (benjithegreat)
Age: 17
Location: Texas
Previous Worlds Qualifications: N/A
Qualified This Year Through: Championship Points (11th NA)
Most Notable Accomplishment: 2013 Regional Champion
Signature Pokemon: Scrafty
Ben Irons is one of the newest competitors to the VGC scene and started playing competitively in 2012. He had a breakout performance at Houston Regionals earlier this year, winning the entire tournament and getting an early lead in the CP rankings. He then followed that up with another impressive Top 4 finish at St. Louis Regionals. He gained enough CP from his 3rd Regional, a Top 64 finish at Nationals, and Wi-Fi tournaments to secure his first invitation to the Pokemon World Championships.
Outside of Pokemon, Ben is a 17-year-old high school student. In his spare time, he plays soccer and works on installing phones. His favorite game outside of Pokemon is FIFA. With a clear love for soccer, Ben has been on his school’s varsity team since freshman year and is on track to be a four year letterman. He was recently selected as captain of the team during his junior year. He is currently an honor student and will be applying for colleges in his senior year of high school.
Zach Droegkamp (Zach)
Age: 20
Location: Wisconsin
Previous Worlds Qualifications: N/A
Qualified This Year Through: Championship Points (6th NA)
Most Notable Accomplishment: 3x Regional Champion
Signature Pokemon: Stunfisk, Un-EVed Mamoswine
Zach Droegkamp, also known as the legendary Stunfisk trainer, is making his debut appearance on the world stage for the first time this year. Zach holds an incredible accomplishment in that he is a three-time Regional Champion, something no one else has been able to pull off in the Masters division. What’s even more impressive is that he won these three tournaments back-to-back-to back (Including one win with an Un-EVed Mamoswine)! He barely missed out on a Worlds invitation in 2012, losing in the Top 8 at US Nationals, but made up for it this season as he was the first person in the country to have a lock on his invitation. Zach doesn’t believe in using Pokemon that resist or are immune to the Ground-type, a testament to his specific style of battling and the confidence he has in his Pokemon. He is a player who isn’t afraid to use unorthodox Pokemon, as shown by his use of Sir Turtleman the 4th (Grotle) as well as his use of Choice Band Thundurus-I at US Nationals this year. Zach won the first two Regionals he attended and finished in the Top 4 in the last one, making him the overall leader in Championship Points going into US Nationals and assuring him an invite to the Pokemon World Championships. Good guy Zach did not do exceptionally well at Nationals. However, sources close to him claim it was due to the lack of pressure and that it will not reflect his Worlds Performance. Zach is one of the players most likely to bring something goofy to Worlds, but don’t underestimate him as a player. He has a great shot of making it into the top cut, provided he remembers to EV train his Pokemon.
Ben Rothman (Nightblade7000)
Age: 17
Location: Brooklyn, New York
Previous Worlds Qualifications: N/A
Qualified This Year Through: Championship Points (9th)
Most Notable Accomplishment: 2012 APEX Champion, 2012 Regional Champion
Signature Pokemon: Magnet Rise Excadrill
Ben Rothman started playing VGC in 2012, immediately finding success as he finished 4th at the 2012 Philadelphia Regionals. He failed to top cut at Nationals that year, but began playing and practicing a lot more, always on Pokemon Online (he’s not there 50% of the time when you battle him though). This season, Ben finished 5-3 at Philadelphia Regionals — the first tournament in the circuit, before establishing himself as one of the best players in both the East coast and the country. He impressively won the 2012 APEX Pokemon tournament – a grassroots tournament held a week before winter Regionals, defeating yours truly in the grand finals, taking home over $200 and a shiny trophy. Then, to nobody’s surprise, he took home the Virginia Regional Championship — his first official tournament win. Ben then made it to the finals of the Massachusetts Regionals this past April, before losing to yours truly once again. At US Nationals, Ben managed to make top cut but was eliminated by eventual finalist Enosh Shachar in the first round. Regardless, he still received his invitation to 2013 Pokemon World Championships after earning 250 Championship Points just from Regionals.
Ben is a rising senior at Stuyvesant High School in New York City. He enjoys playing baseball and is on the debate team there. Despite living in New York City all his life, he apparently does not know the different between Penn Station and Times Square. Ben is known for his trademark Smart Water, and can always be spotted at an event with it — his key to success. He has spent most of his time out of the United States after Nationals, but will still be making his first appearance at the World Championships next weekend.
Kamaal Harris (FonicFrog)
Age: 22
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Previous Worlds Qualifications: 2009, 2011
Qualified This Year Through: Championship Points (12th)
Most Notable Accomplishment: 10th Place Worlds 2009, 2013 Regional Champion
Signature Pokemon: Tyranitar (forever)
Kamaal Harris is one of the most consistent players known to mankind, and has been around since the stone age of Pokemon. Kamaal started playing with his copy of Pokemon Gold in 2001, but took a break from the series in the middle of Gen 3. He picked up competitive battling again with Gen 4 thanks to the addition of Wi-Fi. He attempted to play VGC in 2008 but failed to make it past the lottery system. Undeterred, Kamaal began training seriously for the VGCs in 2009 where he qualified for Worlds and finished in 10th place with a 3-2 record. Kamaal earned his second Worlds qualification in 2011, where he was one of eight players who made it through the Last Chance Qualifier. He placed 14th there, with a 3-3 record. Kamaal finally picked up his first big win at St. Louis Regionals this year, and also finished 5th in Madison and 11th in Ft. Wayne Regionals. Kamaal failed to perform to his usual standards at US Nationals this year, but still barely earned enough Championship Points to earn his third Worlds invite. As this is Kamaal’s third invitation to the Pokemon World Championships, he is determined to actually get more than three wins, a feat he has failed at in his previous appearances.
Kamaal is a Mechanical Engineering Major at Purdue University currently, and his goal is to one day hopefully engineer real life Pokemon. Kamaal helped 2012 Worlds Semi-Finalist Joe Pulkowski (sandman) build his team last year, which despite having incorrect Effort Values had an incredible run. Kamaal also enters Super Smash Brothers Meelee tournaments from time to time with his choice character being Captain Falcon.
Conclusion
On behalf of me and Wolfe, we hope you enjoyed reading the article and that you learned a thing or two about each player. We want to wish all our fellow competitors good luck this weekend at the 2013 World Championships. Make sure you follow both Nugget Bridge and the Worlds website closely for updates on your favorite players! See everyone this weekend.
About the Author
Cybertron is a five time Worlds qualifier ('08, '11, '12, '13, '14), a three-time Regional Champion, and a two-time National Champion. Aaron also placed 3rd at the 2013 Pokemon World Championships. He is sponsored by CLASH Tournaments and aims to promote competitive VGC through his YouTube channel, CybertronProductions. Aaron is currently a senior at Trinity School NYC.
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26 Responses to Meet Team North America
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I wish I had thought of this so I had time to make a meet team Scotland article.
Really enjoy these articles that not only talk about the tournament expertise of a country’s top players, but also talks about their actual lives.
It’s like the best of NuggetBridge and Team Magma pulled into one.
Love reading about players. Great job on this. Too bad most of the European players are probably about to get on their planes in the next two days or I’d love to see more about the other players involved!
Can we get baz to do a uk version of this?
Wonderful article. Thanks for writing this! I enjoyed learning more about Team North America. They’re all deserving players and great people to qualify for Worlds.
That said, I’m gonna root for fellow Purdue mechanical engineering minority student
sixonesixKamaal HarrisFonicFrog for Worlds 2013. Boiler up!Last I checked when you run from a battle it doesn’t count as a win. Article obviously hasn’t been fact checked
Your qualifying region is all of Europe, you know.
Thanks for the great read. Also no focus sash ttar as a signature pokemon for Ben?
Does Team NA get External?
How do you even spell Chimecho wrong
Its just chime+echo
It doesn’t matter how “irrelevant” it is, the author still managed to lose to it
Oh yeah that spells Chimeecho nice try buddy
Reading this article it should be really dificult beat team America. Anyways we need to try it europeans!
Ahahah I’m more than happy with letting Wolfe make something up about me now. I haven’t heard anything about that Stunfisk in forever. Well done guys, great article and definitely a good few laughs in it.
(Also I’m 20, not 19, nbd though)
Why isn’t Thundurus mentioned in Enosh’s description?
Real professional.
I won’t lie, the fact that everyone on that list is younger than me makes me feel old as hell >.>
Perhaps this is a young’in’s game now, even I know I’m probably not as good as I was 6-7 years ago.
One day I’ll read a post by shinryu that doesn’t reference his age. Today is not that day.
This is an awesome post. Really gets me excited for World’s knowing more about the players.
Good luck North America, but I think most of the weight it gonna be on the shoulders of Wolfey’s Delcatty.
I’ll take pride in forcing the title to be Meet Team NA, instead of Meet Team USA.
I have faith in Wolfey, get that beginners luck outa here
AWOOOOOOOOOOO.mp3
Good luck to everyone traveling and participating! Wish I was going just to watch. Guess I’ll just have to play Pikmin 3 this weekend…
Great article, looking forward to seeing what Team NA pulls off this weekend. Pretty bummed that I won’t be able to keep up with what’s happening at worlds since I’ll be out of town this weekend with no internet access.
Not any day…except maybe now?!
Nah I kid, I’m old >.>
Anyways, good luck to Team North America!
Excellent read, and it’s cool to have faces for some of the names now. (Especially since a lot of these are clearer pics than those in the NB photo album!)
I enjoyed some of the laughs too, and found some tidbits I wasn’t aware of before. It’ll be very interesting to see how these guys fare, as well as who makes it through the LCQ to face them. (No offense, but I almost hold LCQ winners in as high of regard as those who Top Cut.)
Really hoping to see some breakout strategies here… and it looks like there’s a good shot of that happening based on Zach and darksoulSP being in there. (Very creative EV spreads…)
Time for you guys to add Metabou AKA Alan Schambers to this
schade team north america