Reports

Published on March 9th, 2014 | by TheBlooFoxx

8

World War Zedd: A Melbourne Fan-Event Report

Hello everyone! My name is Ty Power or TheBlooFoxx on Nugget Bridge and Pokémon Showdown. I’m relatively new to the VGC format (starting with X and Y) but have been playing competitively for a few years. This January I had the pleasure of being able to attend a fan-organized event in Melbourne, Australia. While it’s not formally organized like the US regionals, attendance hit 188 which was pretty huge for a not-so-big space and the staff did a fantastic job of keeping everyone happy making for a great day.

I rocked up to the event pretty early in the morning and was feeling a little off because I was there alone. It was my first competition of any sort, but luckily in the line for registration I managed to make some friends who I could hang with for the rest of the day. These guys were also new to VGC (as were most people really), which comforted me a little bit. We discussed strategies and breeding, and our shared fear of the rare and dreaded Dark Void Smeargle. The event took a while to start but in the interim there was a lot to do so no worries.

I think I’ll take this point in the story to discuss my team and thoughts going into the competition. X and Y was the first time I’d ever considered VGC mainly because of the ease of access to battles via battle spot. I started training by using favourites from last year and getting a feel for the format, but that wasn’t super successful for team building because of the huge changes this year. I then slowly got accustomed to the fast play style and different team building methods, but really I just had to put the hours in to learn everything I could for the competition.

The Team

FallIntoSky (Talonflame) @ Life Orb
Ability: Gale Wings
EVs: 36 HP / 252 Atk / 220 Spd
Adamant Nature
– Brave Bird
– Flare Blitz
– U-turn
– Protect

Talonflame was really Game Freak’s gift to players this year. Not only is it fantastic for breeding with Flame Body and Fly, but its hidden ability Gale Wings also gives it the strongest priority in the metagame making it a competitive monster. The speed EVs mean that its Brave Bird is faster priority than Prankster users, and the EVs were invested into HP. Attack is maxed out and I use Life Orb for maximum damage. The moveset is really standard. Dual STAB attacks threaten a lot of the metagame and U-turn helps keep momentum going and counters Perish Trap. My last choice was between Tailwind and Protect but I chose Protect because it helps aid predictions and control the flow of the game and to be honest I play weirdly when I have access to speed control.

Spectrum (Rotom-Wash) @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Levitate EVs: 252 HP / 116 SAtk / 140 SDef
Modest Nature
– Hydro Pump
– Thunderbolt
– Will-O-Wisp
– Light Screen

Rotom-Wash was my second choice for so many reasons. Its typing is fantastic and its bulk means that it can be helpful in so many situations. Will-o-Wisp and Light Screen shut down the other team’s offensive threats handily, and as long as I predict well enough, I can make sure to put my team in a great offensive position. Hydro Pump and Thunderbolt have great STAB and ironically are able to hit all dragons except goodra neutrally. It also makes a fantastic Talonflame counter and deals with many other threats in the metagame. The EV spread ensures that no Timid Charizard Y’s Solarbeams will OHKO as well as surviving special hits in general to return with a decently powered attack or Light Screen.

StayTheNight (Amoonguss) @ Leftovers
Ability: Effect Spore
EVs: 252 HP / 84 Def / 172 SDef
Sassy Nature
– Giga Drain
– Spore
– Rage Powder
– Protect

Amoonguss was the last piece of my Fire, Water, Grass core and even with the nerf to Spore and Rage Powder, manages to be a strong defensive wall. The EVs allow Amoonguss to survive nearly every special hit that isn’t a fire move in the sun, and counter back with a Spore or Giga Drain. Rage Powder helps to redirect moves and give partner Pokémon more freedom to take out threats and control the field for my team. Amoonguss is a fantastic counter to threats like Blastoise and Rotom-W. I run Effect Spore instead of Regenerator in part to deal with Mega Kangaskhan, as Parental Bond gives it a double chance for me to nab a status condition onto it — something which helped numerous times on the day of the tournament.

Hourglass (Tyranitar) @ Weakness Policy
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 204 HP / 132 SAtk / 52 Spd
Modest Nature
– Dark Pulse
– Fire Blast
– Ice Beam
– Protect

Tyranitar was a somewhat niche decision for the team, with a bit of creativity to surprise opponents. At this point I hadn’t yet seen Ray Rizzo’s tournament report, and I can definitely see the advantages it presents with Life Orb and Rock Slide, but if I had I still think I would have stuck with my own set. Dark Pulse helps with Pokémon like Chandelure and Meowstic, and also provides a strong special STAB. Weakness Policy was also a fantastic choice in my opinion, as Tyranitar’s wealth of weaknesses lead to getting boosts very often, and in return being able to OHKO. The EVs ensure Tyranitar outspeeds neutral Scizor and KOs with Fire Blast and the rest went into HP for general bulk. Fire Blast and Ice Beam are generally great coverage for dragons and steel types, and allow Tyranitar to take out plenty of threats providing he can survive a hit or outspeed. Most of my opponents were surprised to see it be special after burning it, which nabbed me plenty of KOs during the tournament.

Clarity (Mawile) @ Mawilite
Ability: Intimidate/Huge Power
EVs: 230 HP / 252 Atk / 28 Spd
Adamant Nature
– Play Rough
– Iron Head
– Sucker Punch
– Protect

Mawile is easily my favorite mega this generation with Intimidate, very strong typing, priority Sucker Punch and overall cuteness. Once again, I hadn’t seen Ray’s set and in this case I think I definitely would have used it. This set lacked a bit of bulk but still put up very solid offensive pressure against common Pokémon like Tyranitar, Garchomp and Kangaskhan, whilst also crippling physical threats on switch in. The set is very standard, and my only point to add is that I would recommend only mega-evolving on the turn you attack, in order to preserve the Intimidate support. The EVs are straightforward really: max attack, a bit of speed to creep other Mawiles, and the rest in HP.

BreaknASweat (Mienshao) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Inner Focus
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 SDef
Jolly Nature
– High Jump Kick
– Rock Slide
– Fake Out
– Quick Guard

Mienshao was the last Pokémon I put on the team. Opponents were surprised to see Quick Guard each time I revealed it which put me ahead in a few battles. It also leaves Prankster users stuck on their side of the field and usually keeps Talonflame at bay. High Jump Kick is there to ensure the OHKO on Mega Kangaskhan and Rock Slide to help with Talonflame and Charizard, provided I still had my sash intact to take a hit. Fake Out is self-explanatory as a way to put my team ahead for a turn and outspeeds the majority of other Fake Outs.

All in all this team was, in my opinion, solid and well-suited to my play style. This didnt really help boost my confidence though, as the prospect of my first competition was still rather daunting. Now, onto the matches:

Tournament

The Swiss rounds for the day were originally going to be 6 rounds, but ended up being only 4 due to time constraints. This was especially worrying, as even a single loss could have put you out of top cut, even with a solid win percentage.

Round 1: Dylan (didnt get his last name)

I brought: Talonflame, Mawile, Amoonguss, ???
He brought: Rotom-W, Noivern, Ditto, Heracross

So this was it, my debut to Pokémon competitions. I was very excited, but also rather nervous. I was matched up against someone who had experience at these sorts of events and seemed to have a very good handle on the game which was daunting, but also gave me some good competition for the first battle. The battle went in my favour pretty fantastically. Amoonguss was a clear MVP and luck was definitely on my side. I don’t remember exactly how it played out, but I know that the pairing of Mawile and Amoonguss pretty much won me the game. I led with Talonflame and Mawile and after a lot of early game Protecting, it ended up with my full hp Amoonguss and Mawile at about 70% vs his Ditto (transformed into Mega Mawile) and sleeping Rotom-W. Amoonguss Rage Powdered away the Iron Head from my Mawile, and Effect Spore scored a paralysis, meaning I would outspeed the Ditto. In the next few turns I was able to KO the Ditto and the Rotom so only his Heracross and Noivern remained. I was 4-2 here so I was pretty confident, but to add insult to injury, when Heracross attacked Amoonguss, Effect Spore activated yet again, putting him to sleep. I Play Roughed on the Heracross and Brave Birded the Noivern for the KO and came out of the battle with a comfortable 3-0.

Win Record: 1-0

After the first round I was feeling pretty good, but I tried my best not to get too confident. I went back to see my new friends and they had all won their 1st rounds, with one of them even winning 4-0.

Round 2: Phil Nyugen

I brought: Mawile, Rotom-W, Talonflame, Tyranitar
He brought: Aerodactyl, Salamence, Chesnaught, Rotom-H

Seeing the matchup for this round, I was actually pretty nervous. I recognized my opponents name and thought that I had seen him on YouTube or Nugget Bridge or something, which instantly made me think he was a pro. This fear was calmed a bit when I realized I just knew him from Showdown, but I still had to proceed with caution.

I led off this match with the combo of Mawile and Rotom and he did with Salamence and Aerodactyl. The first turn was made useless by a Hydro Pump miss on the incoming Chesnaught, and Mawile protecting while he Fire Blasted. I then brought in Tyranitar to take the Fire Blast while he KOed Rotom with Wood Hammer. The game got pretty rough from there. Poor predictions lost me my Talonflame when I Brave Birded into a Spiky Shield and was KOed by Aerodactyl’s Rock Slide. Luckily Tyranitar could deal out solid damage to his Rotom and Aerodactyl with Dark Pulse and Ice Beam, while he continued to focus on my other Pokémon. Sandstorm ended up taking out Rotom and left the game with Aerodactyl + Chesnaught vs Tyranitar + Mawile. Aerodactyl missed a fire fang (which would have done decent damage but not KOed) and fell to an Iron Head from Mawile while low sweep from Chesnaught failed to KO the small fairy type. This left me with Tyranitar and Mawile vs Chesnaught which was easy as both could OHKO. Chesnaught KOd Tyranitar and Mawile cleaned up with a Play Rough to net me a close 1-0 victory.

Win Record: 2-0

Round 3: Ben Veltmeyer

I brought: Mienshao, Rotom, Tyranitar, Amoonguss
He brought: Smeargle, Kangaskhan, Ferrothorn, Rotom-W

I led off the match with Mienshao and Rotom while he lead with Smeargle and Kangaskhan. On the first turn I Faked Out his Smeargle, scared of the Dark Void, and attacked into his Spiky Shield which didn;t really bother me. I think he faked me out with Kangaskhan after, and then revealed the Dark Void on his Moody Smeargle. Luckily, after repeated Dark Voids, I was able to dwindle down the HP of his Pokémon and finally took out his Smeargle with a fortunate High Jump Kick on Mienshao’s wake up. I don’t remember much else, other than getting his Kangaskhan poisoned with Effect Spore, and having it faint to a combination of that and sandstorm damage. The battle came down to a one-on-one between Tyranitar and Ferrothorn and I nabbed the KO with Fire Blast. Yet another close 1-0.

Win Record: 3-0

Round 4: Jamie Wilson

I brought: Mawile, Rotom-W, Tyranitar, Amoonguss
He brought: Rotom-W, Garchomp, Mawile, Talonflame

At this point I was feeling pretty good and honestly I probably let it get to me a bit. I remember coming into this game confident because I knew the common sets for most of his Pokémon. He was a good player, but his team was very standard and the knowledge I’d gained in the countless games I had racked up on Showdown helped me immensely. He led off with Talonflame and Mawile vs my Rotom and Mawile which was a great start. I got off a burn on Mawile while I switched into Amoonguss and him to his Garchomp. He ran a banded Garchomp which I’d seen Aaron Zheng (Cybertron) outline on YouTube before and locked himself into Outrage which Rotom took pretty well. At this point I Spore the Garchomp to make sure that both of his Pokémon were crippled. He sends out Talonflame and I Rage Powder, losing my Amoonguss but making sure I can KO with Rotom. Garchomp finally wakes up and Earthquakes but just in case I Protect with mawile anyway to ensure the KO on his Rotom with my own’s Thunderbolt. This leaves me with a 3-1, Rotom + Tyranitar + Mawile vs Garchomp. Here is where my confidence nearly got the best of me. Wanting to save the 2-0 at least, I make some questionable plays. I have a Hydro Pump miss and wait for Mawile and Rotom to KO, but it falls short. I send out Tyranitar trying to preserve the 2-0. But Garchomp double protects to get sandstorm to KO Rotom. It’s then Tyranitar+Mawile vs -1Atk Garchomp. He Earthquakes and takes out Mawile and I finish it with an Ice Beam from Tyranitar. I came out of it feeling so dumb, because my arrogance in trying to win with a good score put me in a situation where I could have lost to a critical hit. Luckily I didn’t, and pulled off a closer-than-it-should-have-been 1-0.

Win Record: 4-0

At this point it had been announced that there would only be 4 rounds in swiss which was small, but meant that my position in top cut was guaranteed. I even managed to be tied 1st seed because I went undefeated. There was a top 16 to deal with the huge number of people and the small number of rounds. Unfortunately my friends both missed out on top cut by a single loss each, and I was left to go alone into the next rounds.

Top 16 vs Paul Eugenio

I brought: Mienshao, Rotom, Talonflame, Tyranitar
He brought: Klefki, Talonflame, Venusaur, Greninja

This battle was pretty tense just like the others. He had a team of all shinies and referred to himself as a collector which was interesting. I lead with Mienshao and Rotom vs his Klefki and Talonflame. I Fake Out Klefki and Thunderbolt Talonflame, but he switches Talonflame for Venusaur. Thunderbolt connects and I actually manage to pull a paralysis which was lucky for me. Fortunately it didn’t really seem to matter as much as I thought it would as he mega evolves and shows himself to be a bulky set. Turn 2 I switch in Talonflame to a Sleep Powder as Klefki paralyses Mienshao. A few turns go by with Klefki setting up screens and Venusaur throwing out Sludge Bombs. I switch out my Mienshao and sleeping Talonflame for Rotom and Tyranitar in an attempt to turn the game a bit more in my favour. Sandstorm and Dark Pulse begin to wear out Venusaur until I take it out and Rotom repeatedly Hydro Pumps Klefki to break its subs. He throws out Greninja and uses Grass Knot allowing him to resist Thunderbolt. Klefki then uses Dazzling Gleam and Tyranitar survives with 1HP! Weakness Policy is activated as I take out Klefki with Tyranitar, who dies to poison damage right after. The game’s final pairings then come in and I really had no idea how it would go. It was my paralyzed Mienshao + Rotom vs his Greninja + Talonflame. I Quick Guard with Mienshao to block Brave Bird, and take out Talonflame with Thunderbolt while he Grass Knots Mienshao. Now it’s 2 vs 1 with Rotom and paralyzed Mienshao against Greninja. He Dark Pulses Rotom for the KO and I manage to break through paralysis and the low accuracy to hit the High Jump Kick and win with a narrow 1-0

Top 8 vs Luke Bradley

I brought: Rotom-W, Mawile, Amoonguss, Tyranitar
He brought: Greninja, Klefki, Chandelure, Mawile

At this point I’d had an unbeaten run through the competition due to a fair amount of luck and good team matchups. I went to this match happy, nervous and excited. I led off with Rotom and Mawile while he led with Greninja and Klefki. He uses Mat Block and sets up screens while I set up my own Light Screen with Rotom. He swaggers Rotom and U-turns with Grenjnja into his own Mawile. Rotom hits itself in confusion and I Play Rough into the new Mawile. Next turn Mawile is paralyzed and can’t move, while I Hydro Pump Mawile. He switches into Greninja and Mat Blocks again, while I Protect against Mawile’s Iron Head. Next turn I Protect with Tyranitar as Grenjnja takes out Amoonguss with Ice Beam. Past this point, his switching is getting the better of me. He whittles down my Pokémon, but after a few turns of trading blows and protecting, I manage to take out Mawile and Klefki with Tyranitar’s Fire Blast and Rotom’s Thunderbolt. Things were looking better now, but unfortunately Mawile was paralyzed and missed its KO on Greninja. Next turn Tyranitar was KOed and to add insult to injury Mawile was paralyzed again, then KOd, leaving me at a 2-0 loss.

There was a time when I would have been angry at the “hax” that I faced, but it’s a part of the game, and is really my fault for not bringing Safeguard or Quick Guard to protect from status. Even if the game had gone in my favour, from the other games I saw him play I knew he was a better player than me so it didn’t really bother me. Luke ended up winning the competition and I stayed to watch his last two battles which were both pretty great.

All in all the day was great! Overall finishing top 8 was pretty sweet for it being my first competition. Shoutouts to everyone that I played against and the guys that I hung out with on the day, as well as all of the staff helping to organize the event. As I’ve said, I’m pretty new to Nugget Bridge, so let me know if anyone I’ve mentioned has accounts here!

About the Author

TheBlooFoxx

Related Posts

Memoirs of a World Champion: by 2015 World Champion SHADEviera →

The Other Fire Doge: A Top 8 Lancaster Report →

Blazing Forward! A Malaysian Regionals 2nd Place Report →

Top 4, Top 4, We’ve Never Used This Team Before →