Reports

Published on January 18th, 2015 | by Jamesspeed1

10

Last Chance, Let’s Have Some Close Combats: A Seniors LCQ Report

Introduction

Hi everyone! My name is James Baek, and I’m known as Jamesspeed1 in the VGC community. Some of you might recognize me from my YouTube channel. I’m a 15 year old student from Staten Island, New York, and I have played at Pokémon events since Pokémon Platinum. I’ve only started playing competitively this year, though. At every Play Pokémon event I have gone to in this past year, I have gotten at least Top 32.

My 2014 Season

When the rules for 2014’s VGC season came out, I started by testing a lot of different Mega Evolutions, getting a lot of practice in with Mega Charizard Y in particular. I went 5-2 at the Virginia Regionals in January, getting a Top 16 finish. At Spring Regionals, I decided to build a team around Mega Kangaskhan with a lot of support. I ended up going 4-3 with a Top 32 finish. I was unable to go to U.S. Nationals because of family matters, but had I played and placed high enough, I probably could have sealed up my Worlds invite.

The Team Building Process

After Spring Regionals, I decided to craft my Worlds team. I wanted a lot of time to get really comfortable with my team. I also brought many different versions of the team to different Premier Challenges. I was pretty successful, with three first place finishes and one third place finish. This is the team I ended up with:

There were some flaws with this team. The team was weak to Fighting types, and I didn’t feel comfortable with bringing some of the leads I would have liked. I found that I rarely brought Mamoswine or Rotom-Heat to any of my battles so I decided to keep the Pokémon I did use and change those two. I then tried using the following:

I really liked Jumpluff on the team, since it offered Helping Hand support and was able to Encore other Pokémon into using useless moves. However, I decided that I didn’t want to use Sleep Powder because it was inconsistent. I ended up changing Jumpluff to Vivillion, but I also wanted a Pokémon that gave me a better matchup against Trick Room, so I just went with good old Amoonguss. I also considered Follow Me/Final Gambit Lucario, but it would miss out on important OHKOs against common Trick Room Pokémon.

I ended up with a core I really liked. It might be standard, but it works. This core (along with Lapras) got me into the Top 16 of Nugget Bridge’s No Mega Tournament, so I felt comfortable using these Pokémon. Hydreigon and Azumarill had fantastic synergy together, as I could switch one out into the other to take hits comfortably. Amoonguss helped support both of them by putting other Pokémon to Sleep or drawing away attacks with Rage Powder. This allowed Azumarill to set up with Belly Drum or Hydreigon to deal heavy damage to the opposing team without fear of being attacked.

Going into Worlds, I expected the main threats to be things like Rain (since Rain was so powerful, winning three Nationals), Kangaskhan, Lucario, Sun, and Trick Room. I wanted my team to have an answer to all of these strategies and Pokemon, so I decided to make my team as anti-meta as possible. Azumarill gave me an answer to Rain teams that used Kingdra and also walled other Dragons. Amoonguss helped out against Trick Room and Rain, and Hydreigon dealt heavy damage no matter how bulky an opposing Pokémon was. I also wanted an answer to Sun teams, Ludicolo, and Mega Venusaur, so I added Talonflame.

Talonflame is an interesting Pokémon in that its stats are pretty bad (except for its Speed) and that needs an Attack boosting item to deal a decent amount of damage, but these drawbacks are made up for by its excellent Ability. Talonflame did help a lot with my matchup against other Amoonguss, being able to KO Amoonguss in one hit. Talonflame also was able to help against Aegislash and Mega Mawile, as those two Pokémon always give me trouble.

Once I settled on Talonflame, I knew I needed a powerful option against Kangaskhan, its counter Lucario, and Charizard Y. I tried several different Fighting types. Conkeldurr, Medicham, Machamp, Gallade, and Meinshao were all considered, but they were susceptible to Fake Out , letting my opponent knock out my supposed counter with their other Pokémon. While watching the U.S Nationals stream, I saw Ashton Cox (linkyoshimario) using a Choice Scarf Sawk. I didn’t even know Sawk was in the Kalos Dex. I had used Sawk a bit in 2011, so I decided to give it a chance. Sawk turned out to be amazing.

Inner Focus meant that opponents couldn’t use Fake Out on Sawk, and if they didn’t know Sawk’s Ability I could score a free KO. Sawk could survive a Draco Meteor from Timid Scarf Salamence, and can destroy standard Kangaskhan. Sawk also performed well against a lot of other Pokémon, such as Hydreigon, Tyranitar, Mamoswine, Lucario, and Bisharp. I have no regrets using Sawk, and I’d highly recommend giving it a try if you haven’t already.

With five of my Pokémon decided, I needed a Mega. I planned on using Mega Manetric, but I didn’t want Intimidate because if I did make it past the Last Chance Qualifier, I would be facing a Worlds metagame which included Bisharp and Wigglytuff. I finally decided on Mega Kangaskhan because it was a reliable Mega with Fake Out support. My final team was this:

If anyone would want to look at the team video, click here.

The Team

Sawk @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Inner Focus
Level: 50
EVs: 28 HP / 252 Atk / 228 Spe
Adamant Nature
– Close Combat
– Rock Slide
– Poison Jab
– Sleep Talk

The MVP and superstar of the team. I originally used Mold Breaker Earthquake Sawk to surprise enemy Rotom, since most players didn’t go for the Fake Out on Sawk, but I decided that Mold Breaker would have worked better in Swiss than in Best of 3. I also forgot that Mold Breaker is shown when Sawk appears on the battlefield, immediately giving away my plan. Sawk did what I needed it to do: get rid of all the threats to the rest of my team. 228 Speed EVs with an Adamant nature gave Sawk a Speed stat of 134, boosted to 201 with its Choice Scarf. This allowed me to outspeed Jolly max Speed Aerodactyl by one point. I gave Sawk max Attack because I wanted it to hit hard as well as fast, and the leftover EVs were dumped into HP. Close Combat is obvious because it is Sawk’s most powerful move, getting the KO on Mega Kangaskhan and Hydreigon. I used Rock Slide for two reasons. First, I didn’t like the lower accuracy of Stone Edge. Secondly, with a fast Pokémon using Rock Slide, I could potentially turn the tide of a game with flinches. Poison Jab let me hit Fairies like Gardevoir and Azumarill super effectively. Sleep Talk was an interesting choice. I anticipated a lot of Amoonguss and Smeargle, so I wanted to be able to get around sleep. Sleep Talk allowed me to catch my opponents off guard. Although I never used Sleep Talk during Worlds, or even faced a Smeargle, I never regretted have the option. Overall, Sawk was amazing and more bulky than I’d thought it would be.

Talonflame @ Choice Band
Ability: Gale Wings
Level: 50
EVs: 124 HP / 252 Atk / 108 Def / 20 SpD / 4 Spe
Adamant Nature
– Brave Bird
– Flare Blitz
– U-turn
– Quick Guard

Originally, I used standard Choice Banded Talonflame with 252 Attack and 252 Speed. I found that sometimes losing Speed ties with other Talonflame was annoying, so I decided to use a spread that allowed me to survive Choice Banded Talonflame’s Brave Bird. With 124 HP and 108 Defense, I am guaranteed to survive Choice Band Talonflame’s Brave Bird, Choice Band Bisharp’s Sucker Punch, and Mega Mawile’s Sucker Punch. I opted for max Attack because Talonflame is lacking in the Attack stat. The leftover EVs were put into Special Defense and Speed. This Talonflame was a little tricky to use, as it underspeeds my Mega Kangaskhan. Sucker Punch would go before Brave Bird, so I often had to not use Sucker Punch in order to not give information to my opponent. While I did have to play around this disadvantage when Talonflame was in, Talonflame’s power and bulk were good enough to make up for it. I found that the key to using Talonflame was to save it for the late game and pick up KOs when the opponent’s team was weakened. Brave Bird was a necessity on Talonflame, and I chose Flare Blitz over Overheat because of my Choice Band. U-turn allowed me to hit Malamar Super Effectively, as well as get some damage in while switching to get into a better position. For the last move, I struggled to decide between Taunt, Will-o-Wisp, Tailwind, Quick Guard, and Giga Impact. I decided that Quick Guard would be an excellent move choice, since my team has nothing to resist a Brave Bird from Talonflame. I didn’t mind being locked into Quick Guard because of the mechanic change in Generation VI. As a bonus, Quick Guard helped deal with Prankster Pokémon.

Hydreigon @ Choice Specs
Ability: Levitate
Level: 50
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
– Draco Meteor
– Fire Blast
– Dark Pulse
– Flash Cannon

Choice Specs Hydreigon is one of the metagame’s heaviest hitters. The EV spread is a bit boring, but it fulfilled the role I needed it to. Max Special Attack gave me a good chance to OHKO 252 HP / 4 Special Defense Aegislash with Dark Pulse. I wanted to use max Speed on Hydreigon because I felt Hydreigon would be a popular choice, and with most people were investing in bulk over Speed I took the opportunity to just outspeed non-Choice Scarf and non-Timid Hydreigon. This worked, as the only Hydreigon matchup I lost was against a Scarf Hydreigon. I used Draco Meteor over Dragon Pulse because I needed to do a lot of damage to Rotom, which could give my team some trouble. Dark Pulse was chosen as a reliable STAB and a way to damage Aegislash. I was a bit nervous deciding between Flamethrower and Fire Blast. I really don’t like moves with shaky accuracy, but the chance to OHKO Ray’s Mawile was too good. For the last moveslot, I had to decide between Flash Cannon, Earth Power, and Dragon Pulse. I ended up using Flash Cannon in order to hit Gardevoir Super Effectively. When teambuilding, I like to make sure that I have options against different types, and I didn’t have any Pokémon that could hit Fairies Super Effectively. Even though this helped my matchup, I would probably switch Flash Cannon with Earth Power were I to make the team again.

Amoonguss @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Regenerator
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 84 Def / 172 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
– Giga Drain
– Spore
– Rage Powder
– Protect

I’ve used this Amoonguss throughout the 2014 season. I think Amoonguss should be special bulky in order to survive certain Fire-type attacks, such as bulky Rotom-Heat’s Overheat, as well as tank other Special attacks. I invested a bit into Defense just so I could also take a few physical hits. The moveset is pretty standard. I opted to go for Giga Drain over Sludge Bomb because it allowed Amoonguss to gain some health back. I used a 0 speed IV in order to function better in Trick Room. Even though Trick Room wasn’t that common, it was still a powerful option, especially since a lot of Seniors who top cut were using Trick Room. I used Rocky Helmet so I could switch on a Kangaskhan Fake Out to do some chip damage.

Azumarill @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Huge Power
Level: 50
EVs: 212 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def / 20 SpD / 20 Spe
Adamant Nature
– Play Rough
– Aqua Jet
– Belly Drum
– Protect

Azumarill is a powerful option. It can rip through unprepared teams, especially paired up with Kangaskhan. I tried Assault Vest and Choice Band on Azumarill, but I felt more comfortable using the Belly Drum set. 212 HP EVs make my HP stat even, so I can use my Sitrus Berry after a Belly Drum to heal back to 75 percent HP. I opted to invest 20 EVs in Speed in order to outspeed 0 Speed Mawile and to Speed tie Ray’s Mawile. I invested a bit in Special Defense to help take Special hits. This spread did what I wanted it to do, and I had no problems with it. The moves were standard but very effective.

Kangaskhan @ Kangaskhanite
Ability: Scrappy
Level: 50
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
– Return
– Power-Up Punch
– Sucker Punch
– Fake Out

Standard Kangaskhan doesn’t need a huge explanation. I originally only used Kangaskhan for Fake Out support, but soon I started to rely on Kangaskhan more. I knew the Worlds metagame would have teams that shut down Kangaskhan, but I decided that if I played smart, I could still pull out a victory. I originally ran 100 HP EVs in order to survive Choice Scarf Staraptor’s Final Gambit, and I thought Power Up Punch would have made up for the lack of Attack. However, I found myself not being able to do as much damage as I’d have liked, so I just went back to full Attack. I chose Scrappy as my Ability because I wanted to hit Ghosts with Fake Out. Fake Out was my first move because it supported the rest of my team. I chose Return over Double Edge or Facade because I liked having reliable power and I didn’t like the recoil from Double Edge. I felt that Hammer Arm was a good move, but I didn’t want to switch out Kangaskhan every time I used Hammer Arm. I chose Power Up Punch for its ability to negate Attack drops and to increase Kangaskhan’s sweeping potential.

The Day Before Worlds and The LCQ

I had a pretty bad day the day before I arrived at Worlds. I was supposed to arrive in Washington at 5PM, but I missed my first bus and the next two buses were full. I ended up having to take the 4:30 bus, waiting three hours at the terminal. I arrived at the Hotel at 9:30PM, went out to dinner, and fell asleep at 11. I was hoping to get more sleep. I woke up at 7AM and headed straight for the Convention Center. I had to wait on a huge line for the Last Chance Qualifier, and I ended up talking to a lot of friends as well as other people I recognized from Nugget Bridge. The stage looked amazing. I hoped to play on that stage, but I would need to focus on the matches ahead first before I could think about playing on stage. LCQ pairings went up for the first round, and I felt fired up for the battles ahead.

Round 1 – Bye

Over half of the Senior division got a bye in the first round. All of my friends also got a bye, so at least I wasn’t alone waiting for the 20 or so people who did get paired up to finish their games.

Round 2

Game 1

Team Preview: Looking at his team, Greninja was going to be a problem because it could deal heavy damage to my team. I felt Hydreigon would do really well against him, so I wanted to conserve Hydreigon until the rest of his team was weakened.

He brought:

I brought:

I decided to lead with Kangaskhan and Azumarill because I wanted to create heavy offensive pressure. I decided he wouldn’t want to lead with Ferrothorn because I had three checks to Ferrothorn. My opponent ended up leading with Aegislash and Rotom-Wash.

Turn 1: I knew Rotom-Wash was most likely to Protect, not wanting to take any chip damage from Fake Out, and I felt that Aegislash would love to set up a Substitute if he had it. I decided not to Mega Evolve and Faked Out the Aegislash, while switching out Azumarill to Hydreigon so I could threaten both Pokémon on the field. He ended up switching his Rotom-Wash out for Ferrothorn, probably expecting a Fake Out. Once I saw Ferrothorn, I assumed it had a Rocky Helmet. Hydreigon came in for Azumarill while his Aegislash takes the Fake Out. His Aegislash does not Stance Change, and as Leftovers is revealed as the item on Aegislash, I assume my opponent had tried to Substitute. At this point, I can guess all four Pokémon my opponent brought: Rotom-Wash, Aegislash, Ferrothorn, and most likely Mega Kangaskhan in the back.

Turn 2: I wasn’t sure if Ferrothorn was going to Protect or not, but I knew Azumarill wasn’t needed for the rest of this battle. I didn’t want unnecessary damage on Kangaskhan, so I switched out Kangaskhan for Azumarill while using Dark Pulse on Aegislash. Dark Pulse knocks out the Aegislash, and his Ferrothorn elects to Thunder Wave my Hydreigon. My opponent sends out Kangaskhan to replace his Aegislash.

Turn 3: I choose to switch out Hydreigon for Sawk while using Play Rough on Kangaskhan, expecting a Fake Out from Kangaskhan onto Hydreigon and a Power Whip from Ferrothorn onto Azumarill. His Kangaskhan Mega Evolves and does Fake Out the switched in Sawk. Azumarill’s Play Rough does about half to his Mega Kangaskhan, and Ferrothorn’s Power Whip knocks out my Azumarill. I replace my fallen Azumarill with Hydreigon.

Turn 4: I want to make the safe play, using Close Combat on Mega Kangaskhan and Fire Blast on Ferrothorn. Sawk picks up the KO on Kangaskhan, but my Hydreigon is fully Paralyzed and Ferrothorn gets a Thunder Wave off on Sawk. My opponent sends out Rotom-Wash as his last Pokémon.

Turn 5: At this point, I feel like I can win as long as I can knock out the Ferrothorn, so I double targeted the Ferrothorn with Close Combat and Fire Blast. Rotom-Wash’s Hydro Pump KOs my -1 Sawk, and Hydreigon is fully Paralyzed again as Ferrothorn’s Gyro Ball does little damage to my Hydreigon. I sent out Kangaskhan as my last Pokémon.

Turn 6: The score is 2-2, and either of us could win. I really needed to knock out the Ferrothorn for a win, so I Mega Evolve Kangaskhan and Fake Out the Rotom-Wash as it Protects. Hydreigon finally is able to act, but misses the Fire Blast as Ferrothorn Thunder Waves my Mega Kangaskhan.

Turn 7-9: I try to use Return on Rotom-Wash and Fire Blast on Ferrothorn, but I end up with both my Pokémon fully Paralyzed as Rotom Hydro Pumps Mega Kangaskhan and Ferrothorn Gyro Balls Hydreigon. At this point I had given up, so I Sucker Punch the Rotom-Wash before it finishes my Mega Kangaskhan off with another Hydro Pump. Hydreigon misses another Fire Blast. I survive both attacks on the next turn, but Hydreigon is paralyzed again and my opponent cleans up the game on the last turn. Loss 0-2

Game 2

Team Preview: The previous game wasn’t how I wanted my first game at my first Pokémon World Championship to go. I knew I’d need to win the next two games in order to keep going. I decided that since I didn’t need Azumarill in the last game, I’d bring Talonflame this time as another way to eliminate Ferrothorn.

He brought:

I brought:

I led with Kangaskhan and Hydreigon against my opponent’s Ferrothorn and Greninja.

Turn 1: Since Ferrothorn is out on the field, I felt there was no risk in using Fake Out on Greninja. Ferrothorn Protects as my Kangaskhan Mega Evolves and uses Fake Out on Greninja, doing a lot of damage. Greninja flinches, and Hydreigon’s Fire Blast goes into Ferrothorn’s Protect.

Turn 2: I thought that Sucker Punch would be able to finish off Greninja, and I was correct. Hydreigon’s Fire Blast connects with the Rotom-Wash switch in, doing about 20-25%. He replace the fallen Greninja with Mega Kangaskhan.

Turn 3: I felt I needed a free switch-in for Sawk, so I decided to withdraw Hydreigon and send out Talonflame while Power-Up Punching his Kangaskhan to negate any incoming Will-o-Wisp. His Kangaskhan Mega Evolves and does not go for the Fake Out. My Kangaskhan is faster, and Power Up Punch does about 40 percent to his Kangaskhan while his Kangaskhan goes for Power Up Punch on the switched in Talonflame. Rotom-Wash uses Thunderbolt on my Kangaskhan.

Turn 4: I’m in a very good position at this point. I can Brave Bird the Kangaskhan and Return the Rotom-Wash to pick up two KOs. My plan goes off without a hitch, and my opponent is only left with Ferrothorn.

Turn 5: I want to save Talonflame so I can Flare Blitz if needed. I decided to switch Talonflame out for Hydreigon and Fake Out with Kangaskhan. I knew it would fail, but I didn’t want to accrue any Iron Barbs or Rocky Helmet damage. His Ferrothorn goes for a Gyro Ball on the switched in Hydreigon.

Turn 6: Fire Blast from Hydreigon finishes the game. Win 4-0

Game 3

Team Preview: I thought that it could be a good idea to switch leads this time around, but I decided that since Hydreigon and Kangaskhan worked so well in the previous game that I would lead with them again.

He brought:

I brought:

I led with Kangaskhan and Hydreigon against Greninja and Talonflame.

Turn 1: I anticipated a Quick Guard from Talonflame, as I thought the only other reason to lead with Talonflame was that he expected me to lead with Sawk. I decided to switch out Hydreigon for Talonflame to take the incoming Ice Beam and Return his Talonflame in order to get rid of the possible Quick Guard threat, letting me Brave Bird my opponent’s Greninja next turn. His Talonflame goes for Tailwind instead, as Greninja’s Ice Beam does a little more than 50% damage to my Talonflame and my Return knocks out the opposing Talonflame. My opponent sends out his own Kangaskhan to replace the fallen Talonflame.

Turn 2: I needed to knock out one more of my opponent’s Pokémon before I could relax. I decided to double target his Greninja to get rid of it quickly. His Kangaskhan Mega Evolved and Faked Out my Kangaskhan, and Brave Bird knocks out both the Greninja and my Talonflame, as the recoil damage is enough to knock me out as well. I sent out Hydreigon to replace Talonflame, and he sends out his last Pokémon: Ferrothorn.

Turn 3: I needed to stall out the remaining turns of Tailwind. I decided to Sucker Punch and Fire Blast his Kangaskhan, expecting Ferrothorn to Protect. My opponent surprised me by Sucker Punching my Kangaskhan, making my Sucker Punch fail. Fire Blast does about 45% to his Kangaskhan, and Ferrothorn Thunder Waves mine.

Turn 4: I thought that he’d Protect his Ferrothorn, so I double target his Kangaskhan with Sucker Punch and Fire Blast. He does not Protect Ferrothorn and my Kangaskhan gets Paralyzed as his Kangaskhan goes for Power Up Punch onto my Hydreigon as Hydreigon’s Fire Blast brings his Kangaskhan to about 5 percent. Ferrothorn goes for Power Whip onto my Kangaskhan but misses.

Turn 5: I planned to Sucker Punch his Kangaskhan and Fire Blast the Ferrothorn, but his Ferrothorn finally Protects as his Kangaskhan Sucker Punches my Kangaskhan, finishing it off. I switched in my last Pokémon, Sawk.

Turn 6: I used Close Combat the Kangaskhan, knocking it out, as Hydreigon’s Fire Blast misses the Ferrothorn and Ferrothorn Thunder Waves my Hydreigon.

Turn 7: Sawk goes for a Close Combat on Ferrothorn, missing the KO. Hydreigon is fully Paralyzed, and another Thunder Wave hits Sawk.

Turn 8: Sawk is fully Paralyzed, but Hydreigon’s Fire Blast connects, knocking out Ferrothorn and winning the game. Win 2-0

Final Result: 2-1

Most of my friends also got through Round 2, with the exception of my friend Sean (Scal721). Luckily, I didn’t know my third round opponent.

Round 3

Game 1

Team Preview:  His team looked like it was designed to support Mega Kangaskhan. I felt that I needed to bring Azumarill or Hydreigon to effectively knock out his Gyarados.

He brought:

I brought:

I led with Kangaskhan and Sawk, while my opponent led with Mamoswine and Kangaskhan.

Turn 1: I predicted the Kangaskhan to switch out, so I decided that I would Power-Up Punch the Kangaskhan slot and Close Combat the Mamoswine. My opponent’s Kangaskhan does switch out for Gyarados, which fires off an Intimidate onto both of my physical attackers. Sawk gets the Close Combat off on Mamoswine, picking up the KO even at -1 Attack. My Kangaskhan Power-Up Punches Gyarados, putting it at +1 Attack. My opponent sends out Amoonguss to replace the fallen Mamoswine.

Turn 2: I really didn’t want to switch out my Sawk, since I didn’t want a switch in to take a Spore or Thunder Wave for free. I decided to double target Amoonguss with a Close Combat and Return and hopefully knock it out. His Amoonguss Rage Powders as the combination of Close Combat and Return is able to take out the Amoonguss. I learn that his Amoonguss does not carry Rocky Helmet. Gyarados Thunder Waves my Kangaskhan, slowing it down. My opponent sends out Kangaskhan as his last Pokémon.

Turn 3: I have no reason to not Close Combat the Kangaskhan and Return the Gyarados. His Kangaskhan Mega Evolves and Sucker Punches Sawk, but even at -2 Defense Sawk is able to survive and fire off a Close Combat, picking up the KO. Gyarados’s Waterfall fails to KO or flinch my Kangaskhan, letting it knock out Gyarados with a Return. Win 4-0

Game 2 

Team Preview: I expected my opponent to lead with Gengar this game in order to deal with the Sawk and Kangaskhan lead I brought last game. I did not want to lead Hydreigon, though, because of the small chance my opponent brings Wigglytuff or has Dazzling Gleam on his Gengar. I decided that leading Azumarill and Kangaskhan would be good, as I wanted to knock out Gyarados quickly with some offensive pressure.

He brought:

I brought:

My opponent led Gengar and Gyarados against my Kangaskhan and Azumarill, putting both of my Pokémon at -1 Attack right off the bat.

Turn 1: I expected the Gyarados to Protect, but I was curious what his Gengar would do, as he could go for a Will-o-Wisp, Sludge Bomb, or Protect. I decided to Fake Out Gengar and set up Belly Drum with Azumarill. If his Gyarados carried Taunt, I would have been in a bad position, but I could always just switch out Azumarill. Gyarados does go for the Protect, and Kangaskhan’s Fake Out does a good amount of damage to Gengar and gets the flinch. Azumarill is free to set up Belly Drum and heal back to 75% HP with its Sitrus Berry.

Turn 2: I wanted to Protect Azumarill this turn because I expected either a double target onto Azumarill or Gengar Protecting and Gyarados trying to slow me down with Thunder Wave. I felt like Kangaskhan could get a free Power-Up Punch as well, letting me have two scary Pokémon on the field at once. Kangaskhan Mega Evolves as Azumarill Protects. My opponent’s Gengar Sludge Bombs into the Protect, and Kangaskhan gets to +1 Attack by Power-Up Punching Gyarados while Gyarados’ attempt to Thunder Wave Azumarill fails.

Turn 3: At this point, I could safely Aqua Jet my opponent’s Gengar and Return his Gyarados to pick up two KOs. If he were to switch, his Pokémon would still take lots of damage. He doesn’t switch, and I am able to knock out both of his Pokémon. My opponent’s last two Pokémon are Kangaskhan and Amoonguss, I felt like I had the win secured with my Talonflame and Sawk in the back.

Turn 4: I decided to double target Amoonguss because if he uses Fake Out with his Kangaskhan, his Amoonguss would still faint to my other Pokémon. His Kangaskhan Mega Evolved and my Kangaskhan went first, picking up the KO on Amoonguss with Return. A Return from his Kangaskhan was able to KO Azumarill, and I sent out Sawk to replace it.

Turn 5: Close Combat KOs the enemy Kangaskhan, and I advance to Round 4 of the LCQ. Win 3-0

Final Result: 2-0

Most of my friends lost this round (sableyemagma and Lightcore). The only other person I knew who was left in the tournament was Max Glick, a good friend of mine. We spent time in between rounds talking about our previous rounds.

Round 4

Game 1

Team Preview: Mr. Mime looked interesting, and I wanted to know what moveset it had because Mr. Mime gets a wide range of support moves to bolster offensive moves like Dazzling Gleam, Psychic, and Psyshock. Other than that, my opponent’s team looked really standard, but I would need to find out which items he was using on Talonflame and Tyranitar.

He brought:

I brought:

He led with Mr. Mime and Kangaskhan, as I led Kangaskhan and Hydreigon to create some offensive pressure.

Turn 1: I expected a few combos from my opponent’s lead. He could Fake Out and use either Icy Wind or Dazzling Gleam with Mr. Mime. He could also Quick Guard or Fake Out with Mr. Mime and use Power-Up Punch with Kangaskhan. I felt that my safest play would be to Draco Meteor my opponent’s Kangaskhan and use Return on Mr. Mime. I hoped to get a KO on at least one of Pokémon, if he did go for Fake Out. Mr. Mime ended up being the one to use Fake Out, using it on Hydreigon. My Kangaskhan’s Return barely failed to KO Mr. Mime, as it hung on with what looked like 1 HP. His Kangaskhan Power-Up Punched my Kangaskhan, getting to +2 Attack as Hydreigon flinched.

Turn 2: I knew he’d want to quickly KO one of my Pokémon, so unless his Mr. Mime had Dazzling Gleam, I should be fine. I decided to Draco Meteor the Kangaskhan and Power-Up-Punch the Mr. Mime. I figured that if he knocked out my Kangaskhan, I could KO his with a Choice Specs Draco Meteor, and if he targeted my Hydreigon, I could KO his Mr. Mime, get to at least +1 Attack, then safely bring in Sawk next turn. His Kangaskhan Sucker Punched mine, knocking it out, and Draco Meteor misses his Kangaskhan. His Mr. Mime uses Icy Wind, doing a decent amount of damage to Hydreigon and lowering my Speed by one stage. I sent out Sawk to fill in for Kangaskhan.

Turn 3: At this point, I figured that I’d most likely lost this game. I decided to Close Combat the Kangaskhan and switch Hydreigon out for Talonflame. My opponent switched out his Kangaskhan into his own Talonflame, and Sawk’s Close Combat deals about 50% damage while his Mr. Mime uses Icy Wind again.

I don’t remember the rest of the battle, and all I can tell from my notes is that his last Pokémon was Rotom-W and that I lost. Loss 0-3

Game 2

Team Preview: I knew that I needed to change my plan of attack for this game. I decided my best bet was leading Kangaskhan and Amoonguss and the only lead that could screw me was Talonflame and Rotom Wash.

He brought:

I brought:

We both end up leading Kangaskhan and Amoonguss.

Turn 1: I decided to Fake Out and Spore my opponent’s Kangaskhan. My Kangaskhan is faster than his and gets the Fake Out off. His Amoonguss uses Rage Powder, probably predicting me to go for a Power-Up Punch, and my Amoonguss gets a free Spore off, putting his Kangaskhan to sleep.

Turn 2: I felt as though my Amoonguss had done its job, and that there was no need to keep it on the field any longer. I felt as though I could safely switch out Amoonguss for Talonflame and Power-Up Punch to get some Attack boosts in, since my Kangaskhan was probably going to be put to Sleep this turn. His Kangaskhan takes some damage and the guaranteed first turn of Sleep as his Amoonguss does Spore my Kangaskhan.

Turn 3: I decided that my best play was to Brave Bird the Amoonguss, as I did not want both of my Pokémon asleep at once. If my opponent Protects, it wouldn’t matter as my Kangaskhan could knock out both of his Pokémon, and I could always Brave Bird the Amoonguss on the next turn if his Kangaskhan was still asleep. If his Kangaskhan did awaken, he would either knock out my Talonflame, letting me get a free switch in for Amoonguss, or I could Brave Bird the Kangaskhan next turn. His Amoonguss did not Protect and got knocked out by Brave Bird while both Kangaskhan takes a turn of Sleep. He sent out Rotom-Wash to replace his Amoonguss.

Turn 4: I didn’t see any reason to not Brave Bird my opponent’s Kangaskhan and to Return his Rotom-Wash, as I figured I should be guaranteed at least one KO. My opponent withdraws his Kangaskhan, sending out his Talonflame, and my Talonflame knocks it out with a Brave Bird. My Kangaskhan woke up this turn and knocked out Rotom with a +2 Return.

After sending out his sleeping Kangaskhan, my opponent forfeits, and I bring the series to a Game 3. Win 4-1

Game 3

Team Preview: I felt like my opponent wanted to bring Mr. Mime this game to support his team. I expected him to lead Talonflame and Rotom-Wash to counter my lead from the last game, so I decided that I would bring the same lead as game one.

He brought:

I brought:

I led Kangaskhan and Hydreigon against my opponent’s Kangaskhan and Amoonguss.

Turn 1: I was surprised to see him lead the same lead, but I was happy about my position as I had two choices. I could either Fake Out the Amoonguss and Draco Meteor Kangaskhan, or Fake Out the Kangaskhan and Fire Blast Amoonguss. I decided to Fire Blast the Amoonguss, as I did not want to take a Spore late in the game. My Kangaskhan is once against faster than my opponent’s and gets the Fake Out off. Hydreigon’s Fire Blast connects and knocks out Amoonguss, and I take an early lead. He replaces his Amoonguss with Mr. Mime.

Turn 2: I figured my opponent wanted to Fake Out one of my Pokémon, but I didn’t know which Pokémon he wanted to target. One thing I did know was that his Kangaskhan was in Brave Bird KO range, so I decided to switch out Hydreigon for Talonflame and use Return on Mr. Mime because I did not want to deal with Icy Wind again. Mr. Mime Faked Out Kangaskhan, flinching it, and his Kangaskhan’s Return knocks Talonflame out. I sent out Sawk to replace my Talonflame.

Turn 3: I couldn’t make assumptions about what my opponent’s last Pokémon was, so I needed to be careful. I didn’t know if he had a safe switch-in, so I Close Combatted his Kangaskhan and went for a Return onto his Mr. Mime. Sawk was able to knock out my opponent’s Kangaskhan, and Kangaskhan got the knock out on Mr. Mime. My opponent sent out his last Pokémon, which was Tyranitar.

Turn 4: Sawk gets the final knock out with another Close Combat, and I advance to the Top 8 of the Senior Division Last Chance Qualifier. Win 3-0

Final Result: 2-1

Top Eight of the LCQ. One more game, and I’d be participating in the Pokémon World Championships. I found out that Max had also won his last set. We talked for about an hour while waiting for the next round to start. Max and I hoped we wouldn’t be paired against one another because both of us to wanted to make it into Worlds. Pairings went up and thankfully we weren’t paired together. After a handshake, we wished each other good luck.

Round 5 vs Bargens

Game 1

Team Preview: Conkeldurr was an interesting choice of Pokémon. I did have Pokémon weak to Mach Punch, so I couldn’t afford to leave Conkeldurr on the field for long. His team also seemed weak to Garchomp, so I expected the Hydreigon to have a Choice Scarf. I thought Talonflame and Kangaskhan would make a good lead, with Azumarill and Hydreigon in the back to help deal with the bulkier Pokémon on my opponent’s team.

He brought:

I brought:

Both players led with Talonflame and Kangaskhan.

Turn 1: I knew I could win the Talonflame mirror match, so I wanted to Fake Out his Kangaskhan, anticipating him not wanting to go for Protect if he had it. I doubted he had Quick Guard, since his team really didn’t seem to benefit from Quick Guard support. My Kangaskhan was faster and got the Fake Out off. His Talonflame Brave Birded my Kangaskhan, doing enough damage to indicated that it was a Choice Band Talonflame. My Talonflame’s Brave Bird picked up the KO on the weakened enemy Talonflame, and my opponent sent out Rotom-Wash to replace his fallen Talonflame.

Turn 2: I feared a Will-o-Wisp from the enemy Rotom, so I decided to switch my Kangaskhan out for Hydreigon and Brave Bird my opponent’s Kangaskhan. I figured that I could either knock out Kangaskhan with Brave Bird, or if he switched out into Aegislash I could have Hydreigon KO Aegislash on the next turn with a Dark Pulse. Talonflame’s Brave Bird knocks out Kangaskhan, but is KOed in return by a Thunderbolt from Rotom-Wash. My opponent sends out Hydreigon to replace his Kangaskhan, while I send out my Kangaskhan to replace Talonflame.

Turn 3: I had a win condition in mind: all I needed to do was knock out the Rotom-Wash, because Hydreigon couldn’t touch the Azumarill I had in back. I decided to Fake Out his Rotom-Wash with Kangaskhan, because if he Protected Rotom he would have wasted a turn, and if he didn’t I’d have gotten free chip damage in. I switched out my Hydreigon into Azumarill to take the incoming Draco Meteor, and Kangaskhan’s Fake Out flinches Rotom after doing about 30% damage.

Turn 4: I knew if his Hydreigon went before my Kangaskhan, it would confirm that the Hydreigon was holding a Choice Scarf. If not, I could figure out which item it was using based on the damage it did to my Kangaskhan. I simply decided to use Return on Rotom-Wash and Play Rough on Hydreigon. Hydreigon was faster than my Kangaskhan, and knocked it out with a Draco Meteor. Rotom-Wash’s Thunderbolt did about 70% to Azumarill, and Play Rough knocked out Hydreigon. I sent out Hydreigon as my last Pokémon.

Turn 5: Hydreigon KOs Rotom-Wash with a Draco Meteor. Win 2-0

Game 2

Team Preview: I expected my opponent to lead with Hydreigon and maybe Rotom-Wash this game. I decided my best lead would be Amoonguss and Kangaskhan in this scenario.

He brought:

I brought:

I lead with Kangaskhan and Amoonguss against his Kangaskhan and Talonflame. I made a bad play on the first turn by predicting him to expect my Amoonguss to Protect. I ended up with a fainted Amoonguss for my trouble. Later in the game, his Rotom-Wash revealed Thunder Wave and ended up Paralyzing all of my Pokémon. I don’t remember much from this game except Rotom-Wash spreading Paralysis and Conkeldurr doing some heavy work with Drain Punch.

Game 3

Team Preview: That was one of the worst games I have ever played in an official tournament. I decided that because he brought Talonflame and Kangaskhan twice, I would abuse the fact his Talonflame didn’t have Quick Guard. I decided to lead Kangaskhan and Sawk so that I could Fake Out the Talonflame and Close Combat the Kangaskhan. I also assumed that because he didn’t bring Aegislash in the first two games, he probably wouldn’t bring it this game.

He brought:

I brought:

I led Kangaskhan and Sawk against his Kangaskhan and Conkeldurr.

Turn 1: Even though my opponent didn’t lead as I expected, I would still be able to finish the Kangaskhan off on the first turn. I doubted he would switch out his Kangaskhan because of all of the crazy predictions in the first two games. My Kangaskhan Faked Out my opponent’s Conkeldurr, and Sawk got the KO on the enemy Kangaskhan. My opponent sent out Rotom-Wash to replace his Kangaskhan.

Turn 2: I anticipated a Drain Punch on Kangaskhan and a Thunderbolt or Hydro Pump on Sawk. I didn’t want to risk a double target into a Protect, and I couldn’t knock out each Pokémon on my opponent’s side of the field individually. If I tried, I could have lost both of my Pokémon in the process. The safest play I could make was switch out Kangaskhan for Azumarill to take the anticipated Fighting-type attack while getting some damage off on Rotom-Wash with another Close Combat. Conkeldurr’s Mach Punch on Azumarill did almost no damage, while Sawk’s Close Combat left Rotom with around 52% HP remaining. Rotom-Wash knocked out my Sawk with a Thunderbolt, and I replaced it with Kangaskhan.

Turn 3: I decided that I would use Return on Rotom-Wash instead of going for Fake Out, as I was hoping the damage from the first hit would be enough to KO the Rotom without activating its Sitrus Berry. I also decided to Belly Drum with Azumarill because Conkeldurr couldn’t touch Azumarill unless it had Poison Jab, which I highly doubted. Conkeldurr’s Mach Punch does about 50% damage to Kangaskhan, and the first hit of Kangaskhan’s Return barely failed to KO Rotom. Rotom’s Sitrus Berry activated, and my second hit brought Rotom down to about 1 HP with a critical hit. Rotom Thunder Waves my Kangaskhan, and Azumarill gets the Belly Drum off without a hitch.

Turn 4: I felt as though Azumarill’s Belly Drum had won me the game, so I Aqua Jetted the Conkeldurr and Sucker Punched the Rotom-Wash, knocking both out.

Turn 5: His last Pokémon is his Choice Scarf Hydreigon, and a Play Rough gets me the win. Win 2-0

Final Result: 2-1

I felt relieved. I’d finally gotten my invite to the Pokémon World Championships. Everyone I knew congratulated me, and while I was on line for the Pokémon World Championships check in, I spent a lot of time talking to ShadePride who had also gotten in through the LCQ. I got my Worlds items and headed over to the player’s area for the player’s meeting. I ran into Tommy (Tman), who told me that my good friend Vinny (who I played in the finals of two West Babylon Premier Challenges) had made it through the TCG LCQ. We congratulated each other and talked about the things we used to get through our respective tournaments. We found out half an hour later that the player’s meeting was postponed until the next day, so I decided to head back to my hotel. On my way back, I got to run into my friend TechnoZ as well as the finalists of the 2013 Pokémon VG Senior World Championship: Ben Hickey (Darkpenguin67) and Hayden Mctavish (Enigne). I had a great time talking to them.

The Pokémon World Championships

I woke up and felt very confident in my team. Thanks to the Last Chance Qualifier, I got a few extra practice games in before Worlds. Pairings went up, and I was placed right next to Mark McQuillan (woopahking). While waiting me, Mark, Mark’s opponent, and Thomas (my opponent) started talking. They mentioned Bargens, who I’d eliminated the day before in the LCQ.

Round 1 vs Thomas Davies (UK) (51st)

Game 1

Team Preview: My opponent placed in the top 16 at two different UK Nationals tournaments, so I was looking forward to the challenge. His team looked standard with good synergy. I felt that as long as I could find out which items his Pokémon were using, I should be in control of the games. His team looked like it could easily be swept by Azumarill, so I knew that Azumarill would be the key to winning this set.

He brought:

I brought:

My opponent led Gyarados and Hydreigon against my Azumarill and Amoonguss. I couldn’t have asked for a better lead. I was able to set up Belly Drum with ease, and I didn’t have to worry about Taunt from Gyarados since it was a Dragon Dance set. As soon as Azumarill got its Belly Drum up, I started to sweep his entire team, as Amoonguss was able to Rage Powder attacks away from Azumarill or just Spore Pokémon that didn’t threaten Azumarill.

Game 2

Team Preview: Since Azumarill and Amoonguss did so well against my opponent’s team, I figured that he was going to adjust his leads. I expected a Talonflame lead, and I decided that instead of trying to set up Belly Drum with Azumarill, I would instead use it to bait attacks into Protects and have Kangaskhan set up instead.

He brought:

I brought:

I led Kangaskhan and Azumarill against Talonflame and Gardevoir. I was able to bait a double target with both of my opponent’s Pokémon attacking into Azumarill’s Protect, and Kangaskhan was able to set up a Power-Up Punch with ease. At that point I was able to sweep through the rest of his team, and later in the game Azumarill was also able to set up Belly Drum for an unstoppable duo. I took the set 2-0.

Round 2 vs Keita Miyamoto (JP) (25th)

Game 1

Team Preview: I felt ready for this battle. This set was going to be one of the craziest sets I have ever played in my VGC career. My opponent’s team looked standard as well, and finding out moveset and item information would allow me take control of the set. It looked as though Kangaskhan and Talonflame would be my best lead for the first game, so that is what I led with.

He brought:

I brought:

I led with Kangaskhan and Talonflame against Hydreigon and Amoonguss. There was a lot of switching, as he would often switch his Gyarados in to try to Intimidate my Pokémon, but my Kangaskhan was able to Power-Up Punch the stat drops away. Sawk was able to deal a lot of damage to Gyarados and Amoonguss with Rock Slide as my Kangaskhan did damage with Power-Up-Punch or Return. The game ended with Sawk being able to knock out his Hydreigon, Gyarados, and Kangaskhan, and Sawk ended up being the MVP for this battle.

Game 2

Team Preview: I was able to win the first game pretty easily, but I knew that letting my guard down would be a bad idea. I planned to sweep with Azumarill while knocking out the Pokémon that threatened it with Talonflame and Gyarados.

He brought:

I brought:

I led Kangaskhan and Azumarill against Hydreigon and Gyarados. Unlike the last set where Gyarados was not a threat to Azumarill, my opponent in this round used a support Gyarados with Taunt and Thunder Wave. I was able to Fake Out my opponent’s Gyarados and set up Belly Drum with Azumarill, even through Hydreigon’s Earth Power. At this point in the set, Gyarados starts spreading Thunder Waves around on my Pokémon. My Kangaskhan was fully Paralyzed three turns in a row, preventing me from getting chip damage onto his Gyarados. The game ended up coming down to my 1 HP Paralyzed Kangaskhan against his low HP Gyarados. All I needed to do was hit a Sucker Punch, and my opponent used Protect to try to stall out my Sucker Punch PP. Unfortunately, the turn he decided to go for the Waterfall my Kangaskhan got fully Paralyzed again, and I ended up losing a very close match.

Game 3

Team Preview: I decided there was nothing wrong with what I led in the previous game, so I decided I would bring the same Pokémon and try to knock out the Gyarados quickly before it could Paralyze too many of my Pokémon.

He brought:

I brought:

We both used the same leads as before, as I led Kangaskhan and Azumarill against my opponent’s Hydreigon and Gyarados. This time we both made different plays, and his Hydreigon KOs my Kangaskhan with a Draco Meteor. Azumarill still gets the Belly Drum off, but gets Paralyzed by Gyarados. Unfortunately for me, my Azumarill was often fully Paralyzed, and I ended up missing a crucial Draco Meteor on his Gyarados. My opponent made some great plays, like Waterfalling the Amoonguss slot when I switched it out for Talonflame. The game came down to Azumarill being able to attack through Paralysis, but it ended up being fully Paralyzed. My opponent and I ended up laughing at the games we had, and I was already thinking about the next game.

Round 3 vs Takumi Furugori (JP) (14th)

Game 1

Team Preview: I wasn’t feeling too stressed going into this set. This team looked very standard, so I felt that I needed to find out the opponent’s play style and adjust accordingly. I felt Azumarill would be great in this set, so long as I brought Hydreigon to deal with the Rotom-Wash and the Aegislash.

He brought:

I brought:

I decided to lead with Kangaskhan and Azumarill, and my opponent led Rotom-Wash and his own Kangaskhan. I remember getting the Belly Drum off easily, but his Rotom-Wash revealed that it had Thunder Wave, and I hoped that this game would not be like the last. I predicted that Rotom-Wash would not attack my Azumarill, and was able to KO it with a +6 Attack Play Rough. From there, I was able to make quick work of the rest of my opponent’s team.

Game 2

Team Preview: Now that my opponent knew that I had Belly Drum Azumarill, I had to play around that factor and counter his possible leads. I decided that he would probably lead with Rotom-Wash and Kangaskhan again, but change up his strategy. I decided that my best lead would be Kangaskhan and Amoonguss.

He brought:

I brought:

My opponent did lead Rotom-Wash and Kangaskhan. Normally, I would have had the better matchup in this situation, but his Rotom-Wash revealed that it had Safety Goggles, making it free to Paralyze my Pokémon. My Kangaskhan is knocked out by a Hammer Arm from my opponent’s Kangaskhan, and his Rotom-Wash survived a Draco Meteor from my Hydreigon.

Game 3

Team Preview: Now that I knew my opponent’s Rotom-Wash had Safety Goggles, I knew that Hydreigon was going to be crucial. I decided that I would lead Kangaskhan for Fake Out pressure as well as Hydreigon to hopefully KO Rotom.

He brought:

I brought:

I led Kangaskhan and Hydreigon against my opponent’s Kangaskhan and Salamence. I knew that my lead match up wasn’t good, so I decided to pull a double switch, switching out Hydreigon for Azumarill and Kangaskhan for Amoonguss. My opponent ended up Protecting his Kangaskhan and switching out his Salamence for Garchomp. I predicted his next move to be switching out the Kangaskhan for Salamence while using Earthquake with Garchomp, so I felt that I could double target the Garchomp with Play Rough and Giga Drain. I did not want to Spore the Garchomp on the off chance that it was holding a Lum Berry. The turn went as I expected, with Earthquake getting a critical hit on my Azumarill, activating the Sitrus Berry. Play Rough misses Garchomp, and Giga Drain does very little damage. My only out at this point is to Rage Powder and try to Play Rough the Garchomp again, because I knew I could survive another Earthquake. However, Garchomp gets another critical hit with Earthquake and picks up the knock out. I had no chance of winning from that point on.

Round 4 vs George Langford (KobraTail) (US) (40th)

Game 1

Team Preview: From looking at this team, I felt that either Gardevoir or Tyranitar was holding a Choice Scarf in order to deal with Garchomp. The only problem that I had to deal with is if the Gardevoir is holding a Choice Scarf, was my Sawk faster than his Gardevoir? I decided that Kangaskhan and Talonflame would be my best lead because Talonflame could deal heavy damage to his team.

He brought:

I brought:

I led with Talonflame and Kangaskhan against my opponent’s Amoonguss and Kangaskhan. The first couple of turns went in my favor, as I was able to get rid of the Kangaskhan and Amoonguss early with Talonflame. However, I did make a huge mistake when I thought Talonflame could KO my opponent’s Rotom-Wash with a Brave Bird when it was under half HP. As a result, I carelessly lost Talonflame. I still had a favorable situation with my Hydreigon, Kangaskhan, and Sawk against his Gardevoir, but I ended up losing due to the Gardevoir carrying a Choice Scarf. All Gardevoir had to do was use Dazzling Gleam to knock out all of my Pokémon. His Gardevoir was faster than my Sawk, which was interesting.

Game 2

Team Preview: I knew I wanted to conserve Talonflame in order to KO Gardevoir. I felt as though there was nothing wrong with the Pokémon I brought in the previous game, so I just decided to switch up my lead with Kangaskhan and Sawk.

He brought:

I brought:

This game was close, as George and I kept switching out our Pokémon to try to gain momentum and find an opening to attack. I was able to KO his Kangaskhan and Amoonguss with Hydreigon, and he was able to KO Sawk early in the game. On the game deciding turn, I only had Talonflame with a bit of chip damage left against George’s full HP Gardevoir and a Choice Banded Talonflame at 25% health. My Talonflame would always survive an Adamant Choice Band Talonflame’s Brave Bird, but with the chip damage I thought I needed my opponent to get a low damage role with his Brave Bird, knocking his own Talonflame out with recoil and letting me KO his Gardevoir with Brave Bird. His Talonflame does get the KO with Brave Bird, though, and I shake George’s hand. It turns out his Gardevoir was Timid, so that’s why it was able to outspeed my Sawk. I really couldn’t be mad at that game, but I felt like I shouldn’t have made the mistake of losing Talonflame prematurely in the first game. At this point, my chance at making Top Cut was gone, so my goal from there out was to get at least a 3-3 record, with hopefully a Top 32 finish.

Round 5 vs Tim Sudermann (DE) (44th)

Game 1

Team Preview: Looking at my opponent’s team, I thought the Charizard would be Mega Charizard X, as he didn’t have any other physical attackers other than Tyranitar (unless his Aegislash was physical, which I highly doubted). Sylveon was the most interesting Pokémon on this team, as Hyper Beam was the best STAB move it got without access to Hyper Voice. I was very interested in its moveset. I felt that Kangaskhan and Sawk would be a pretty safe lead against this team.

He brought:

I brought:

My opponent brought Charizard and Sylveon against my Kangaskhan and Sawk. I Faked Out Sylveon and Rock Slided to start the match, doing a lot of damage to Sylveon as Charizard Protected. On the next turn, I found out his Charizard was indeed a Mega Charizard X, as Rock Slide does about half HP to Charizard X. Sylveon is KOed by Return as Charizard Flare Blitzed Kangaskhan. I was able to KO Charizard next turn with another Rock Slide, and Talonflame and Hydreigon were able to take care of my opponent’s Amoonguss and Rotom-Wash in the back.

Game 2

Team Preview: Finding out that my opponent had Mega Charizard X was good, as I knew I would have to KO it with by double targeting Charizard instead of just using Rock Slide. I decided that my opponent would probably lead Amoonguss this time, so I led Kangaskhan and Talonflame. I wasn’t sure if he would bring Sylveon, but I did expect Aegislash to appear.

He brought:

I brought:

My opponent led Aegislash and Amoonguss, and I could not have been happier with my lead. I used Fake Out the Aegislash while not Mega Evolving, and pick up an early 4-3 lead by Flare Blitzing the Amoonguss for a early 4-3 lead. Sylveon replaces the fallen Amoonguss, and I Flare Blitzed Sylveon, predicting a King’s Shield from Aegislash. I switched out Kangaskhan for Sawk to be able to create Fake Out pressure later, and Aegislash does attempt a King’s Shield as Flare Blitz knocks out Sylveon. His last Pokémon was Tyranitar, which Mega Evolved and Protected as Sawk wasted a turn. Flare Blitz knocked out Aegislash, but the recoil was enough to knock out Talonflame as well. I sent out Kangaskhan, and I was able to finish the game with Sawk’s Close Combat.

Round 6 vs Melisa A (DE) (50th)

Game 1

Team Preview: I knew that even if I was able to win this next set, I would probably not get a Top 32 finish because my opponent was 1-4 currently. Her team was interesting, with three possible Mega Evolutions and a Sharpedo. I had no idea what to expect, so I decided to lead Kangaskhan and Talonflame since it would hit most of her team hard, especially if she decided to lead with Sun.

She brought:

I brought:

My opponent ended up leading with Sylveon and Sharpedo. I had no idea what this lead combination would do, so I hesitated a bit while choosing my moves. She Protected with both Pokémon on the first turn in order to avoid my Fake Out. The next turn, I ran out of time because I was unsure as to whether or not I should double target Sharpedo, since most Sharpedo carry Focus Sash. Instead, I used Return on Sylveon and Brave Bird on Sharpedo, which indeed carried a Focus Sash. My opponent then uses Round with both Pokémon, and Sylveon’s Round gets the Knock Out on Kangaskhan with a critical hit I’m not sure mattered. I sent out Sawk to replace Kangaskhan, and by knocking out Sylveon with a Brave Bird, I’m able to stop the Round shenanigans. Her last Pokémon were Mega Charizard Y and Tyranitar, and with some switching I was able to win with Sawk and Talonflame.

Game 2

Team Preview: I found out a lot of information in the last game. Her Tyranitar was holding a Choice Scarf. Her Charizard was Mega Charizard Y. I also now knew about here Round combination. I decided that she probably wouldn’t lead Sylveon this time, instead leading with her Tyranitar. I decided that this would be my best opportunity to set up a Belly Drum with Azumarill, so I led Azumarill and Kangaskhan for this battle.

She brought:

I brought:

She does lead with Tyranitar, with the second Pokémon being Talonflame. I used Fake Out on Tyranitar to avoid a Rock Slide flinch, and her Talonflame used Sleep Talk for some reason. I was really confused, like someone had hit me with Swagger. As a result, Azumarill was able to get a free Belly Drum in. Her Talonflame switched out for Venusaur as I Protected my Azumarill and Power-Up Punched Tyranitar. I then Aqua Jetted Tyranitar and used Return on Venusaur for a double KO. From there, I was able to deal with her Talonflame and Charizard in the back.

After Worlds Thoughts

Final standings were posted, and I finished 36th overall. I was decently satisfied with that result after a crazy weekend. I spent the rest of the day battling people with my Worlds team in best of threes, going undefeated. I really enjoyed the Pokémon World Championships. I got to meet so many friends in person that I have known online, such as Zach (TechnoZ) and Alex (Pokealex). I had so much fun playing in the tournament, and I definitely hope to come back next year.

Pros

• Using an amazing team and going so far into the Pokémon World Championships
• Meeting a lot of old and new friends, and making friends with people I have never met before
• Eating Chinese food everyday
• Not running into Smeargle at Worlds
• Having fun at every single moment

Cons.

• The long bus rides, especially when someone right next to you is chatting on his cell phone for three hours
• The first event that I didn’t get at least a Top 32

Conclusion

The Pokémon World Championships were an amazing experience and I highly recommend going, either as a player or just as a spectator. I will definitely be trying hard to make it back next year in the 2015 season. I hope to do well in the Masters Division, and if I make it back, who knows. I could be a future World Champion. Until then, I will be working hard. If you want to get into Worlds, I recommend that you work hard and practice a lot as well.                                      

About the Author

Jamesspeed1 Jamesspeed1 is a competitive VGC player starting in the 2014 season. He is not afraid to try new pokemon and qualified for the 2014 Senior World Championship using Sawk. He does Lets Plays and competitive battles on his YouTube channel and enjoys streaming when not practicing for pokemon events.

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