My Team History
Introduction
Hey everyone, thanks for taking a look at this blog/post/report/war story/whatever you consider it. Since I don't have a tournament I am attending until North America Internats in July, I thought this would be a fun little project to do (It actually took much longer than I expected). It is basically a look back at memory lane and my history as a player. I have every single team I have ever used at a regional, national/internats and worlds tournament. Unfortunately I don't have pastebins of all these teams from the day I used them in tournament, but it's as close as accurate as I could get. I mention in the notes if there is a chance something is off. I know this is extremely long, but I hope you enjoy reading it and share it on Twitter. I just went off the top of my head for about 10 hours straight to get this project done. If you have any questions or remarks, feel free to let me know on Twitter @Alberto310 I hope you guys enjoy all the little details, snippets, stories, insight, etc. that I wrote down below!
SoCal Regionals 2014 (January 19th, 2014)
http://pokepast.es/a55059a9bbc66f16
Finish: 5th of 503 players
Swiss Record: 8-1
Notes: This is where it all started. This is one of my favorite tournaments of all time, even if I also consider it one of the worst tournaments of all time. The tournament started roughly 4 hours late, I had to wait 2 hours or so in line to register, the venue was absurdly over crowded (There was legitimately not enough space for people to sit, so people had to sit on the floor in the hallways) and I didn't leave the venue until around 1am. With all that said, I would do it all over again though in a heartbeat. This was the hypest/craziest tournament I have ever gone to, and it was essentially my introduction to the scene. The tournament was split into two pods (~250 each), and there was a top 32 cut. My only losses the entire tournament were to eventual winner @BadIntentX, once in swiss and 2-0 in top 8. I remember almost losing round 1 though to an inexperienced player who tried going for fake out multiple times with his mega Kangaskhan without switching it out. He Muddy Water accuracy dropped my Mawile with his Vaporeon, and if I missed my Play Rough, I would've lost round 1. I also remember facing almost an exact mirror in top 16 and completely destroying my opponent, which I felt really happy about at the time haha.
Seattle Regionals 2014 (April 6th, 2014)
Finish: 10th of 251 players
Swiss Record: 8-1
Notes: This was the first time I ever flew to a regionals. I was primarily a TCG player at this time, but I played VGC because it was free to enter. I would say I am about 90% sure everything is accurate to the version I actually used at the tournament (I don't have an actual pastebin). I lost in top 16 to a mega Abomasnow team and a person I had originally beaten in swiss.
Swiss Record: 8-1
Notes: This was the first time I ever flew to a regionals. I was primarily a TCG player at this time, but I played VGC because it was free to enter. I would say I am about 90% sure everything is accurate to the version I actually used at the tournament (I don't have an actual pastebin). I lost in top 16 to a mega Abomasnow team and a person I had originally beaten in swiss.
Utah Regionals 2014 (April 13th, 2014)
Finish: 5th of 169 players
Swiss Record: 7-1
Notes: I remember I decided to go last minute to this regional, because I found an open spot in a group of people who made the 10 hour drive. I remember bombing TCG in Seattle, and barely missing out on my top 64 $300 stipend to nationals. Because of that, I decided to make the trip to Utah, and boy did it pay off. I ended up getting top 8 in TCG to secure my $300 stipend and I also got top 8 in VGC to increase my $300/$350 (I don't remember the amount) stipend to a $700 stipend. Back then TCG used to be played on Saturday with day 2 swiss/top cut on Sunday and all of VGC on Sunday. I scooped my top 8 TCG match because I didn't have enough time to play it out before VGC started. I lost to @RookieVGC in top 8 and that was the first time I had met him. We didn't become good friends until Utah in 2015 though. Great tournament overall and I am pretty sure I am one of the few people who has ever top cut both TCG and VGC at the same regional?
Swiss Record: 7-1
Notes: I remember I decided to go last minute to this regional, because I found an open spot in a group of people who made the 10 hour drive. I remember bombing TCG in Seattle, and barely missing out on my top 64 $300 stipend to nationals. Because of that, I decided to make the trip to Utah, and boy did it pay off. I ended up getting top 8 in TCG to secure my $300 stipend and I also got top 8 in VGC to increase my $300/$350 (I don't remember the amount) stipend to a $700 stipend. Back then TCG used to be played on Saturday with day 2 swiss/top cut on Sunday and all of VGC on Sunday. I scooped my top 8 TCG match because I didn't have enough time to play it out before VGC started. I lost to @RookieVGC in top 8 and that was the first time I had met him. We didn't become good friends until Utah in 2015 though. Great tournament overall and I am pretty sure I am one of the few people who has ever top cut both TCG and VGC at the same regional?
Nationals 2014 (July 4th, 2014)
Finish: 0 of 491 players
Swiss Record: 2-3 drop
Notes: This was the first time I ever had to take a bite of that humble pie. Going into this event I was 19th in CP (PCs were barely introduced in May/June of 2014, so regionals/international challenges were the only way to get points if I remember correctly) and I had top cut all 3 regionals I attended. I needed to get top 16 to get my worlds invite (only the top 16 in CP in North America got there invite) and I thought it was guaranteed, given my track record. This was around the time that I started to learn how to build EV spreads kind of, even if they were really bad (What in the world is that Dragonite spread?). I remember playing terribly, like forgetting mega Gyarados got mold breaker and just sacking my Rotom-H to its Earthquake. Swiss was still best of 1 and you needed a 7-2 record to make day 2. I was out by round 5 and sad that I didn't make worlds that year.
Swiss Record: 2-3 drop
Notes: This was the first time I ever had to take a bite of that humble pie. Going into this event I was 19th in CP (PCs were barely introduced in May/June of 2014, so regionals/international challenges were the only way to get points if I remember correctly) and I had top cut all 3 regionals I attended. I needed to get top 16 to get my worlds invite (only the top 16 in CP in North America got there invite) and I thought it was guaranteed, given my track record. This was around the time that I started to learn how to build EV spreads kind of, even if they were really bad (What in the world is that Dragonite spread?). I remember playing terribly, like forgetting mega Gyarados got mold breaker and just sacking my Rotom-H to its Earthquake. Swiss was still best of 1 and you needed a 7-2 record to make day 2. I was out by round 5 and sad that I didn't make worlds that year.
Arizona Regionals 2014 (October 5th, 2014)
Finish: 0 of 150 players
Swiss Record: 2-4 drop
Notes: Going into this event I was confident I would bounce back from nationals and win this event. I had gone 40-5 with this team on Showdown and was at the top of the ladder right before the event. This was the most I had prepped for a regionals up until this point, and where I began to start taking notes while practicing. As you can see though, I once again bombed. I thought that this was the end of VGC for me and that I was washed up at this point. Something good did happen at this event though. As I previously mentioned, I was primarily a TCG player during this time and I had never really talked to too many people in the VGC community. The only people I had really known were Mike Suleski and @komvgc. I messaged Gavin asking if he was looking to carpool and he said he was flying. He told me though some guy named Riley was driving and that he had space. This is when I met @GENGARboi_ and @LegacyVGC for the first time, who went on to be my first real VGC friends. I remember hating Riley when first meeting him because he was a terrible driver (still is) and not having much of an opinion on Alex.
Swiss Record: 2-4 drop
Notes: Going into this event I was confident I would bounce back from nationals and win this event. I had gone 40-5 with this team on Showdown and was at the top of the ladder right before the event. This was the most I had prepped for a regionals up until this point, and where I began to start taking notes while practicing. As you can see though, I once again bombed. I thought that this was the end of VGC for me and that I was washed up at this point. Something good did happen at this event though. As I previously mentioned, I was primarily a TCG player during this time and I had never really talked to too many people in the VGC community. The only people I had really known were Mike Suleski and @komvgc. I messaged Gavin asking if he was looking to carpool and he said he was flying. He told me though some guy named Riley was driving and that he had space. This is when I met @GENGARboi_ and @LegacyVGC for the first time, who went on to be my first real VGC friends. I remember hating Riley when first meeting him because he was a terrible driver (still is) and not having much of an opinion on Alex.
NorCal Regionals 2014 (October 19th, 2014)
Finish: 21st of 207 players
Swiss Record: 6-2
Notes: I remember not caring much about this tournament, because I had bombed my last 2 big events. I decided to just go back to a revised version of my team before nationals that had carried me to 3 top cuts. Since I had learned to somewhat create EV spreads, I optimized my previous 252/252 spreads for the most part. I remember getting screwed at this tournament round 4 I believe. I was 4-0, but my match slip got marked as a loss accidentally and I got down paired to a 2-2 (I was actually 4-0, but was marked as 3-1). The tournament organizer refused to fix this error before the round started, as he said it would slow down the tournament/cut into our lunch break. This error was fixed during the lunch break (I won my round so I was 5-0), but I unfortunately got stuck with a 2-3 in my resistance that round instead of a 4-1. My memory is a little foggy on this, so this may have happened in round 3 instead, but the rest is still true as I recall.
Swiss Record: 6-2
Notes: I remember not caring much about this tournament, because I had bombed my last 2 big events. I decided to just go back to a revised version of my team before nationals that had carried me to 3 top cuts. Since I had learned to somewhat create EV spreads, I optimized my previous 252/252 spreads for the most part. I remember getting screwed at this tournament round 4 I believe. I was 4-0, but my match slip got marked as a loss accidentally and I got down paired to a 2-2 (I was actually 4-0, but was marked as 3-1). The tournament organizer refused to fix this error before the round started, as he said it would slow down the tournament/cut into our lunch break. This error was fixed during the lunch break (I won my round so I was 5-0), but I unfortunately got stuck with a 2-3 in my resistance that round instead of a 4-1. My memory is a little foggy on this, so this may have happened in round 3 instead, but the rest is still true as I recall.
SoCal Regionals 2015 (February 15th, 2015)
Finish: 1st of 260 players
Swiss Record: 8-1
Notes: My first regional win. I remember my motivation being at an all time low for VGC and I had intended this to be my last regional of the season. I was heavily into ORAS OU at the time, I didn't play VGC14.5 at all and I had only played about 80 games of VGC15 (The meta had been developing for 2 months at this point). I really only attended this regional because it was only a 1 1/2 hour drive for me. This was also the first time that a VGC regional was run on Saturday with top cut on Sunday. I remember being on 45 minutes of sleep Saturday, as I had a long night out with friends. I lost round 2 vs @RookieVGC, but I managed to win out and cut. I somehow managed to win it all and I didn't expect to at all. I was in the running for a worlds invite, so I guess this isn't going to be my last regional as I intended anymore.
Swiss Record: 8-1
Notes: My first regional win. I remember my motivation being at an all time low for VGC and I had intended this to be my last regional of the season. I was heavily into ORAS OU at the time, I didn't play VGC14.5 at all and I had only played about 80 games of VGC15 (The meta had been developing for 2 months at this point). I really only attended this regional because it was only a 1 1/2 hour drive for me. This was also the first time that a VGC regional was run on Saturday with top cut on Sunday. I remember being on 45 minutes of sleep Saturday, as I had a long night out with friends. I lost round 2 vs @RookieVGC, but I managed to win out and cut. I somehow managed to win it all and I didn't expect to at all. I was in the running for a worlds invite, so I guess this isn't going to be my last regional as I intended anymore.
Seattle Regionals 2015 (May 16th, 2015)
Finish: 50th of 229 players
Swiss Record: 5-3
Notes: Not too much to say about this regional. I revised my SoCal team, played poorly and didn't do well. @GENGARboi_ skipped out on his university graduation ceremony to go and ended up winning. There is a fun story that relates to this that happens in Utah.
Swiss Record: 5-3
Notes: Not too much to say about this regional. I revised my SoCal team, played poorly and didn't do well. @GENGARboi_ skipped out on his university graduation ceremony to go and ended up winning. There is a fun story that relates to this that happens in Utah.
Utah Regionals 2015 (May 24th, 2015)
Finish: 1st of 159 players
Swiss Record: 7-1
Notes: I win my second regional. This was when I feel that I truly started improving as a player. I brought the exact same team from Seattle, since I knew that it was me and not the team in Seattle. This win definitely meant more than my first, because I was really proud of how I played. This is one of my best played tournaments of all time. I feel like I made little to no misplays the majority of the tournament. To connect this to Seattle, @GENGARboi_ beat a player named Mark Hanson in the finals to win his first regional. I beat a player named Max Douglas in the finals to win my second regional. Max and Mark are both good friends and they used the exact same team (Salamence/Politoed/Ludicolo/Terrakion/Aegislash/Thundurus) to get 2nd in both Seattle and Utah. So @GENGARboi_ and I both had to beat a good pair of friends with the same exact team to win our respective regional. I also became good friends with @RookieVGC at this tournament and got terrible food poisoning after the tournament. So I'm definitely not a fan of The Cheesecake Factory, I'll never eat there again.
http://pokepast.es/39bc55daf1711040
Swiss Record: 7-1
Notes: I win my second regional. This was when I feel that I truly started improving as a player. I brought the exact same team from Seattle, since I knew that it was me and not the team in Seattle. This win definitely meant more than my first, because I was really proud of how I played. This is one of my best played tournaments of all time. I feel like I made little to no misplays the majority of the tournament. To connect this to Seattle, @GENGARboi_ beat a player named Mark Hanson in the finals to win his first regional. I beat a player named Max Douglas in the finals to win my second regional. Max and Mark are both good friends and they used the exact same team (Salamence/Politoed/Ludicolo/Terrakion/Aegislash/Thundurus) to get 2nd in both Seattle and Utah. So @GENGARboi_ and I both had to beat a good pair of friends with the same exact team to win our respective regional. I also became good friends with @RookieVGC at this tournament and got terrible food poisoning after the tournament. So I'm definitely not a fan of The Cheesecake Factory, I'll never eat there again.
Nationals 2015 (July 3rd, 2015)
Finish: 24th of 418 players
Swiss Record: 7-2 (day one) 3-3 (day two)
Notes: I had a free trip to nationals because I was in the top 16 for CP standings. I slightly revised my team from Utah/Seattle, as I thought Greninja was a great addition. I remember this being the hardest tournament I had played up to this point. In order to make day 2, I had to play @R_Inanimate at 6-2 in the final round. I was scared as I really wanted to make day 2 and Randy had beaten me 2-0 at a PC during Seattle regionals. We were both running the same/revised versions of our teams from when we had played in Seattle. Luckily I was able to win and I made day 2! Day 2 was rough and I believe I started 0-2. Even though I wasn't able to cut and I didn't do too well, I had one of the greatest sets of Pokemon I had ever played to this day (I think round 3/4) vs @SoulSurVGC . The set was mostly clean, had crazy reads (I remember dragon dancing multiple times with my Salamence in front of his Sylveon predicting him to protect/switch), went to game 3 and all the games were nail biters. I was able to barely win the set and it was a damn good one.
Swiss Record: 7-2 (day one) 3-3 (day two)
Notes: I had a free trip to nationals because I was in the top 16 for CP standings. I slightly revised my team from Utah/Seattle, as I thought Greninja was a great addition. I remember this being the hardest tournament I had played up to this point. In order to make day 2, I had to play @R_Inanimate at 6-2 in the final round. I was scared as I really wanted to make day 2 and Randy had beaten me 2-0 at a PC during Seattle regionals. We were both running the same/revised versions of our teams from when we had played in Seattle. Luckily I was able to win and I made day 2! Day 2 was rough and I believe I started 0-2. Even though I wasn't able to cut and I didn't do too well, I had one of the greatest sets of Pokemon I had ever played to this day (I think round 3/4) vs @SoulSurVGC . The set was mostly clean, had crazy reads (I remember dragon dancing multiple times with my Salamence in front of his Sylveon predicting him to protect/switch), went to game 3 and all the games were nail biters. I was able to barely win the set and it was a damn good one.
Worlds 2015 (July 3rd, 2015)
Day One
Day Two
Finish: 0 of 77 players
Swiss Record: 4-2 (day one) 0-3 (day two)
Notes: My first time playing at Worlds. I remember being pretty burnt out on Pokemon at this time and because of that I was 100% genuinely testing mega Ampharos for Worlds (Here is what I tested http://pokepast.es/dc40939796ea26f2). After all the testing though, I just couldn't bring myself to use it, regardless of how much fun I had with it. I used a fairly standard Charizard team, except it had a Bisharp on it. I manage to barely make day 2 by beating a Japanese player in the final round of swiss (We were both 3-2). Day 1 was amazing, I was rooming with @GENGARboi_, @RookieVGC, @LegacyVGC and @RookieSlayerMLG and all of us had made day 2 except Chase (RIP). What happens after this though is definitely my biggest VGC mistake of all time. Since 4/5 of us had made day 2, we had a lot of info on a bunch of different teams people would be using for day 2. After looking at the teams, I decide to trash my day 1 team and rebuild my Utah/Nationals team from scratch with a ton of untested changes. The reason I did this was because in my head it looked good vs a lot of the teams we had info on from day 1. This was a huge mistake though, as I made a bunch of changes to the team that I had never even tested before, but sounded good in theory. The day 2 pastebin above is as close as I remember the team, as I built it the night before and never saved it. I would say it is about 80% accurate to the actual version I used at worlds. Round 1 I got critted on my game winning turn during game 3 (My scarfed Landorus only had enough speed for mega Salamence, because I was an idiot) by a mega Gengar's Icy Wind. I remember this being one of the few times I had an outburst at a tournament and being really upset. Round 2 I lose to @GENGARboi_ and round 3 I lose to a sun team. That was the end of my tournament. I didn't bother to go on, as I didn't have a shot at top cut and I wouldn't have been satisfied even if I had managed to go 4-3. This was one of my biggest VGC lessons I learned, and that was that I shouldn't use teams I am not comfortable with/have only theorymonned with.
Swiss Record: 4-2 (day one) 0-3 (day two)
Notes: My first time playing at Worlds. I remember being pretty burnt out on Pokemon at this time and because of that I was 100% genuinely testing mega Ampharos for Worlds (Here is what I tested http://pokepast.es/dc40939796ea26f2). After all the testing though, I just couldn't bring myself to use it, regardless of how much fun I had with it. I used a fairly standard Charizard team, except it had a Bisharp on it. I manage to barely make day 2 by beating a Japanese player in the final round of swiss (We were both 3-2). Day 1 was amazing, I was rooming with @GENGARboi_, @RookieVGC, @LegacyVGC and @RookieSlayerMLG and all of us had made day 2 except Chase (RIP). What happens after this though is definitely my biggest VGC mistake of all time. Since 4/5 of us had made day 2, we had a lot of info on a bunch of different teams people would be using for day 2. After looking at the teams, I decide to trash my day 1 team and rebuild my Utah/Nationals team from scratch with a ton of untested changes. The reason I did this was because in my head it looked good vs a lot of the teams we had info on from day 1. This was a huge mistake though, as I made a bunch of changes to the team that I had never even tested before, but sounded good in theory. The day 2 pastebin above is as close as I remember the team, as I built it the night before and never saved it. I would say it is about 80% accurate to the actual version I used at worlds. Round 1 I got critted on my game winning turn during game 3 (My scarfed Landorus only had enough speed for mega Salamence, because I was an idiot) by a mega Gengar's Icy Wind. I remember this being one of the few times I had an outburst at a tournament and being really upset. Round 2 I lose to @GENGARboi_ and round 3 I lose to a sun team. That was the end of my tournament. I didn't bother to go on, as I didn't have a shot at top cut and I wouldn't have been satisfied even if I had managed to go 4-3. This was one of my biggest VGC lessons I learned, and that was that I shouldn't use teams I am not comfortable with/have only theorymonned with.
Arizona Regionals 2015 (October 4th, 2015)
Finish: 44th of 165 players
Swiss Record: 5-3
Notes: This is definitely one of my least accurate pastebins. This tournament is pretty forgettable to me and all I remember is that I used a revised version of my day 1 worlds team. I don't have an actual pastebin and I'd say this one is like 60% accurate to what I actually used.
Swiss Record: 5-3
Notes: This is definitely one of my least accurate pastebins. This tournament is pretty forgettable to me and all I remember is that I used a revised version of my day 1 worlds team. I don't have an actual pastebin and I'd say this one is like 60% accurate to what I actually used.
NorCal Regionals 2015 (October 18th, 2015)
Finish: 7th of 205 players
Swiss Record: 7-1
Notes: This is one of my favorite teams of all time and probably the best I have ever played at a tournament I didn't win. I remember just having a random epiphany after Arizona of oh hey I should replace Heatran with Volcarona and see how I like it. It instantly clicked with my team. Bulky Rage Powder Volcarona + banded Bisharp & Life Orb Sheer Force Conkeldurr = undeniably the funnest team I have ever used. This tournament is probably one of the hardest regionals I have ever played in as well. Besides my round 1 opponent, all my opponents were extremely competent with good teams, and most if not all my games came down to the final turn do decide the victor. If I didn't run into my demon @RookieVGC once again, with also the hardest counter team ever, I would've won this tournament. He was the only one to beat me in swiss and we played round 1 of top cut. He had a stupid Safety Goggles Arcanine that prevented my Volcarona from redirecting his Will-O-Wisps from my Bisharp and Conkeldurr. This dumb Arcanine was also timid/outsped my entire team, had Snarl, and had Morning Sun which benefited from my Charizard's sun. I somehow managed to win a game by timer stalling in top 8, but it wasn't enough. To this day I hate that Arcanine. No one used Arcanine in VGC15, and it was literally the absolute perfect set to 1v6 my entire team.
Swiss Record: 7-1
Notes: This is one of my favorite teams of all time and probably the best I have ever played at a tournament I didn't win. I remember just having a random epiphany after Arizona of oh hey I should replace Heatran with Volcarona and see how I like it. It instantly clicked with my team. Bulky Rage Powder Volcarona + banded Bisharp & Life Orb Sheer Force Conkeldurr = undeniably the funnest team I have ever used. This tournament is probably one of the hardest regionals I have ever played in as well. Besides my round 1 opponent, all my opponents were extremely competent with good teams, and most if not all my games came down to the final turn do decide the victor. If I didn't run into my demon @RookieVGC once again, with also the hardest counter team ever, I would've won this tournament. He was the only one to beat me in swiss and we played round 1 of top cut. He had a stupid Safety Goggles Arcanine that prevented my Volcarona from redirecting his Will-O-Wisps from my Bisharp and Conkeldurr. This dumb Arcanine was also timid/outsped my entire team, had Snarl, and had Morning Sun which benefited from my Charizard's sun. I somehow managed to win a game by timer stalling in top 8, but it wasn't enough. To this day I hate that Arcanine. No one used Arcanine in VGC15, and it was literally the absolute perfect set to 1v6 my entire team.
SoCal Regionals 2016 (February 21st, 2016)
Finish: 6th of 208 players
Swiss Record: 7-1
Notes: Ah, the worst format ever. I actually really enjoyed this format the first few weeks before it went down the gutter. I used XernDon at every single event that was a regional or higher. I don't have too much to say except I'm going to toot my own horn a bit and say I was ahead of the metagame. I was the first person to successfully run bulky Mental Herb Smeargle and bulky Geomancy Xerneas. I was almost ahead with Salamence as well, except I ran Dragon Dance over Tailwind lol (No one used Tailwind at the beginning of the format). I lost in top 8 vs @SalaMenaceVGC who I had beaten in swiss. I had an amazing matchup vs him, but I played terribly and lost.
Swiss Record: 7-1
Notes: Ah, the worst format ever. I actually really enjoyed this format the first few weeks before it went down the gutter. I used XernDon at every single event that was a regional or higher. I don't have too much to say except I'm going to toot my own horn a bit and say I was ahead of the metagame. I was the first person to successfully run bulky Mental Herb Smeargle and bulky Geomancy Xerneas. I was almost ahead with Salamence as well, except I ran Dragon Dance over Tailwind lol (No one used Tailwind at the beginning of the format). I lost in top 8 vs @SalaMenaceVGC who I had beaten in swiss. I had an amazing matchup vs him, but I played terribly and lost.
Florida Regionals 2016 (February 28th, 2016)
Finish: 0 of 170 players
Swiss Record: 2-3 drop
Notes: I used a variant of my SoCal team from the week before with a few changes. Unfortunately I don't have that pastebin saved and I don't remember any of the changes. So I'd say this pastebin is about 80% accurate to what I actually used. I just played bad this tournament, not much else to say.
Swiss Record: 2-3 drop
Notes: I used a variant of my SoCal team from the week before with a few changes. Unfortunately I don't have that pastebin saved and I don't remember any of the changes. So I'd say this pastebin is about 80% accurate to what I actually used. I just played bad this tournament, not much else to say.
Seattle Regionals 2016 (May 14th, 2016)
Finish: 30th of 117 players
Swiss Record: 5-3 or 4-3 (I don't remember how many rounds)
Notes: I do not remember anything about this tournament/team. I'm not even sure if this is actually the team I used haha. I had a pastebin on my computer saved as "Spring Regionals Final Team". I also had a pastebin saved as "Utah Team", so that is why I am assuming I used this team for Seattle. I'd say it is 60% likely that I used this team in Seattle. All I remember is that I got my second worlds invite that weekend.
Swiss Record: 5-3 or 4-3 (I don't remember how many rounds)
Notes: I do not remember anything about this tournament/team. I'm not even sure if this is actually the team I used haha. I had a pastebin on my computer saved as "Spring Regionals Final Team". I also had a pastebin saved as "Utah Team", so that is why I am assuming I used this team for Seattle. I'd say it is 60% likely that I used this team in Seattle. All I remember is that I got my second worlds invite that weekend.
Utah Regionals 2016 (May 29th, 2016)
Finish: 12th of 78 players
Swiss Record: 5-2
Notes: Not much to say, I went 5-2 and didn't bubble into cut on resistance. This was the first time I had ever missed cut by going into the final round with an x-1 record. I had always been a clutch player up until this point and won my final round when it mattered to get into top cut.
Swiss Record: 5-2
Notes: Not much to say, I went 5-2 and didn't bubble into cut on resistance. This was the first time I had ever missed cut by going into the final round with an x-1 record. I had always been a clutch player up until this point and won my final round when it mattered to get into top cut.
Nationals 2016 (July 1st, 2016)
Finish: 24th of 396 players
Swiss Record: 8-1 (day one) 2-4 (day two)
Notes: Going into this tournament I had Weavile over Crobat. A few days before the event I played like 10 big 6 variant mirrors with @LegacyVGC, and got destroyed something like 8-2. I knew that I was really bad in the mirror, so I replaced Weavile with Crobat to better my odds vs Smeargle/Xerneas. I played damn well day one not dropping a single set (I scooped round 9 as records didn't carry over and I was already guaranteed day 2). I got down paired round 8 to a 7-1 and gate kept him from day 2, as I didn't know who they were (He did win his last round to make day 2 though). I got a bye round 1 and I managed to win only 1 set in all of day 2. I played poorly and there was no one else to blame but myself really. This was still one of my favorite tournaments though, since @RookieVGC, @GENGARboi_ and I all made day 2. @RookieVGC won the whole tournament and I hung out/met @The_One_Gio for the first time, who's now one of my best friends.
Swiss Record: 8-1 (day one) 2-4 (day two)
Notes: Going into this tournament I had Weavile over Crobat. A few days before the event I played like 10 big 6 variant mirrors with @LegacyVGC, and got destroyed something like 8-2. I knew that I was really bad in the mirror, so I replaced Weavile with Crobat to better my odds vs Smeargle/Xerneas. I played damn well day one not dropping a single set (I scooped round 9 as records didn't carry over and I was already guaranteed day 2). I got down paired round 8 to a 7-1 and gate kept him from day 2, as I didn't know who they were (He did win his last round to make day 2 though). I got a bye round 1 and I managed to win only 1 set in all of day 2. I played poorly and there was no one else to blame but myself really. This was still one of my favorite tournaments though, since @RookieVGC, @GENGARboi_ and I all made day 2. @RookieVGC won the whole tournament and I hung out/met @The_One_Gio for the first time, who's now one of my best friends.
Worlds 2016 (August 19, 2016)
Finish: 0 of 420 players
Swiss Record: 0-3 drop (day one)
Notes: This tournament really stung and hurt my morale. I had been struggling in VGC16 for the most part all season (Definitely my weakest VGC season of them all) and this tournament put the final nail in the coffin. I was playing a ton of Pokemon GO leading up to the event (Like 10 hours a day) and not practicing, but I still felt relatively confident. I had been using the big 6 variant all season, so I was comfortable with the team. I just didn't play well and got bopped the first 3 rounds. I was definitely feeling down the whole weekend, but I was happy for @The_One_Gio, @SalaMenaceVGC and @LegacyVGC for their strong finishes at the tournament.
Swiss Record: 0-3 drop (day one)
Notes: This tournament really stung and hurt my morale. I had been struggling in VGC16 for the most part all season (Definitely my weakest VGC season of them all) and this tournament put the final nail in the coffin. I was playing a ton of Pokemon GO leading up to the event (Like 10 hours a day) and not practicing, but I still felt relatively confident. I had been using the big 6 variant all season, so I was comfortable with the team. I just didn't play well and got bopped the first 3 rounds. I was definitely feeling down the whole weekend, but I was happy for @The_One_Gio, @SalaMenaceVGC and @LegacyVGC for their strong finishes at the tournament.
Arizona Regionals 2016 (October 1st, 2016)
Finish: 8th of 133 players
Swiss Record: 6-2
Notes: I lost my final round on a Precipice Blades miss game 3, but I luckily got in as the only x-2 on resistance. I had to play @SalaMenaceVGC in top 8 who beat me pretty handily. T-wave Groudon + fast Cresselia were the MVPs this tournament.
Swiss Record: 6-2
Notes: I lost my final round on a Precipice Blades miss game 3, but I luckily got in as the only x-2 on resistance. I had to play @SalaMenaceVGC in top 8 who beat me pretty handily. T-wave Groudon + fast Cresselia were the MVPs this tournament.
NorCal Regionals 2016 (December 17th, 2016)
Finish: 10th of 247 players
Swiss Record: 7-1
Notes: The start of a new era and my favorite format of all time. The beginning of VGC17 was some of the fondest memories I have of playing Pokemon. The format was so wide and open, and tons of new things were being discovered everyday. If anyone would've brought a standard Snorlax to London, they would've had a 90% chance to win the entire tournament. This is the archetype that I used almost the entirety of VGC17. Scarf Chomp + Substitute Celesteela with Tapus. I remember having a ton of fun throughout this tournament. I lost in top 16 to eventual winner @komvgc, who I had beaten in swiss. I had a really good matchup vs his team thanks to sash Tapu Lele, but Gavin played hella good and was able to win the set 2-1.
Swiss Record: 7-1
Notes: The start of a new era and my favorite format of all time. The beginning of VGC17 was some of the fondest memories I have of playing Pokemon. The format was so wide and open, and tons of new things were being discovered everyday. If anyone would've brought a standard Snorlax to London, they would've had a 90% chance to win the entire tournament. This is the archetype that I used almost the entirety of VGC17. Scarf Chomp + Substitute Celesteela with Tapus. I remember having a ton of fun throughout this tournament. I lost in top 16 to eventual winner @komvgc, who I had beaten in swiss. I had a really good matchup vs his team thanks to sash Tapu Lele, but Gavin played hella good and was able to win the set 2-1.
Dallas Regionals 2016 (December 31st, 2016)
Finish: 9th of 261 players
Swiss Record: 7-2
Notes: Like I mentioned above, the beginning of VGC17 was some of the funnest I have ever had playing Pokemon. Between San Jose and Dallas I had a bunch of different teams and managed to get 3 accounts into the top 10 of the Showdown ladder. This team was amazing in testing and I felt confident I would do well going into Dallas. At the regional though I ran into one large glaring issue that I hadn't encountered in testing, this team basically auto loses to @EnoshShachar 2nd place San Jose team (Araquanid/Marowak/Porygon2/Tapu Fini/Krookodile/Kartana). I never once ran into this team in testing somehow (Or hardly ran into it), but I managed to run into it 3 or 4 times in swiss and in top 16. This team just could not break Marowak/Fini and I was easily defeated by @CableVG in top 16.
Swiss Record: 7-2
Notes: Like I mentioned above, the beginning of VGC17 was some of the funnest I have ever had playing Pokemon. Between San Jose and Dallas I had a bunch of different teams and managed to get 3 accounts into the top 10 of the Showdown ladder. This team was amazing in testing and I felt confident I would do well going into Dallas. At the regional though I ran into one large glaring issue that I hadn't encountered in testing, this team basically auto loses to @EnoshShachar 2nd place San Jose team (Araquanid/Marowak/Porygon2/Tapu Fini/Krookodile/Kartana). I never once ran into this team in testing somehow (Or hardly ran into it), but I managed to run into it 3 or 4 times in swiss and in top 16. This team just could not break Marowak/Fini and I was easily defeated by @CableVG in top 16.
Georgia Regionals 2017 (January 14th, 2017)
Finish: 20th of 358 players
Swiss Record: 7-2
Notes: This was a damn fun team. Unfortunately I didn't have the resistance to squeeze into top cut, but this was still a good tournament. I lost my final round at 7-1 to @Paul_Chua_1, who ended winning the whole regional. My Tapu Fini set was terrible and my logic for Substitute doesn't make any sense. I just wanted a Tapu to get rid of Electric/Psychic terrain and stay on the field basically. Porygon-Z was sick, getting OHKOs on basically everything with Normalium Z.
Swiss Record: 7-2
Notes: This was a damn fun team. Unfortunately I didn't have the resistance to squeeze into top cut, but this was still a good tournament. I lost my final round at 7-1 to @Paul_Chua_1, who ended winning the whole regional. My Tapu Fini set was terrible and my logic for Substitute doesn't make any sense. I just wanted a Tapu to get rid of Electric/Psychic terrain and stay on the field basically. Porygon-Z was sick, getting OHKOs on basically everything with Normalium Z.
SoCal Regionals 2017 (February 18th, 2017)
Finish: 0 of 324 players
Swiss Record: 3-4 drop? (I don't remember 100%)
Notes: I don't remember too much about this tournament. Using the same archetype that I usually do, but sometimes tournaments just don't go your way. This was also the first time I didn't top cut SoCal Regionals since I started playing VGC.
Swiss Record: 3-4 drop? (I don't remember 100%)
Notes: I don't remember too much about this tournament. Using the same archetype that I usually do, but sometimes tournaments just don't go your way. This was also the first time I didn't top cut SoCal Regionals since I started playing VGC.
St. Louis Regionals 2017 (March 4th, 2017)
Finish: 8th of 287 players
Swiss Record: 7-2
Notes: The origins of Fly Z Salamence. I originally got the idea from OU, as it was a popular set at the time. I basically just adapted it to VGC, but I had Dragon Claw over Earthquake because I was a dummy (I also didn't really have Salamence Earthquake partners though). Yes, I did use a Garchomp that wasn't scarfed and had success with it ^_^
Swiss Record: 7-2
Notes: The origins of Fly Z Salamence. I originally got the idea from OU, as it was a popular set at the time. I basically just adapted it to VGC, but I had Dragon Claw over Earthquake because I was a dummy (I also didn't really have Salamence Earthquake partners though). Yes, I did use a Garchomp that wasn't scarfed and had success with it ^_^
Portland Regionals 2017 (March 25th, 2017)
Finish: 5th of 130 players
Swiss Record: 7-1
Notes: Still using the same archetype and trying to perfect it. In hindsight, a Calm Mind Tapu Lele that under speeds Tapu Fini was a terrible idea. You'd be better off just losing terrain and getting a Calm Mind off before taking a hit from Tapu Fini. I don't really remember how good Stockpile + Baton Pass was, but I do remember using it a few times. It was mostly to just baton pass to Celesteela and make it impossible to knock out.
Swiss Record: 7-1
Notes: Still using the same archetype and trying to perfect it. In hindsight, a Calm Mind Tapu Lele that under speeds Tapu Fini was a terrible idea. You'd be better off just losing terrain and getting a Calm Mind off before taking a hit from Tapu Fini. I don't really remember how good Stockpile + Baton Pass was, but I do remember using it a few times. It was mostly to just baton pass to Celesteela and make it impossible to knock out.
Utah Regionals 2017 (April 8th, 2017)
Finish: 28th of 120 players
Swiss Record: 4-3
Notes: Same team as Oregon, but sets are different. Not much to say except that Flamethrower Celesteela sucks and Substitute is superior.
Swiss Record: 4-3
Notes: Same team as Oregon, but sets are different. Not much to say except that Flamethrower Celesteela sucks and Substitute is superior.
Toronto Regionals 2017 (May 13th, 2017)
Finish: 0 of 114 players
Swiss Record: 0-2 drop
Notes: This is probably the worst team I have ever brought to a tournament, I don't know what I was thinking.
Swiss Record: 0-2 drop
Notes: This is probably the worst team I have ever brought to a tournament, I don't know what I was thinking.
Seattle Regionals 2017 (May 27th, 2017)
Finish: 4th of 151 players
Swiss Record: 7-1
Notes: A revised version of my Oregon team. I put Sunny Day on Drifblim so I'd actually have a rain match-up for once. I also made Tapu Lele faster again/not under speed Tapu Fini. This was the closest I got to winning a regional with Tapunium Z Tapu Koko, and I'm sad I was never able to do it. I loved that set and I was basically the sole successful user of it the entire season.
Swiss Record: 7-1
Notes: A revised version of my Oregon team. I put Sunny Day on Drifblim so I'd actually have a rain match-up for once. I also made Tapu Lele faster again/not under speed Tapu Fini. This was the closest I got to winning a regional with Tapunium Z Tapu Koko, and I'm sad I was never able to do it. I loved that set and I was basically the sole successful user of it the entire season.
North America Internats 2017 (June 30th, 2017)
Finish: 89th of 400 players
Swiss Record: 6-3
Notes: I didn't prep for this tournament almost at all, since I had already locked up my worlds invite, and I would've had to get like top 4 to get my day 2 invite. I just made a few minor changes to the team that I thought would be good for it. Even though I didn't make day 2, I still had a lot of fun at this tournament. I also threw a sick party in my room at the Homewood Suites that I'm sure you all remember if you went.
Finish: 0 of 138 players and 2nd of 313
Swiss Record: 3-3 (Worlds day 1) & 7-1 (Anaheim Open)
Notes: I wanted to do well this year, as I still hadn't had a strong Worlds finish. It didn't pan out the way I had hoped, but I got 2nd in the Anaheim Open at least. I'll start with day 1 though first. I started off 2-0, beating two Japanese players, and then I unfortunately lost game 3 round 3 off a Rock Slide flinch. If my Celesteela hadn't gotten Rock Slide flinched that turn, I won the game. In round 4 I played vs @MeninoJardim. I won game 1, I set up the perfect sweep game 2 (I led Chomp/Celesteela and hard switched to Milotic predicting the Arcanine to come in so I can get my competitive boost + adrenaline orb), but I played terribly and didn't play Milotic safely like I should have. He then wins game 3 clean. Round 5 I go to sudden death against @Kenvgc and lose a close set. My worlds run is over round 5. I show up to scoop to my round 6 opponent, but he doesn't show up and I get the win. I don't show up to round 7 and just finish the tournament at 3-3. I used the exact same team for the Anaheim Open and ended up with much better results. I had an amazing set round 5 with @Mean_vgc that was extremely close in game 3 that I barely won. I played Scar (Japanese player who got top 8 at worlds in 2015) in top 32, but it wasn't a fair set because he lost his Tapu Koko and had a game 1 loss due to a team sheet error. I had another insane set with @KnappiKing in top 8 that goes to like turn 20 in sudden death, no joke. Every time I got a knockout, he got a knockout the same turn and vice versa. We essentially played 4 full games. I eventually win the Celesteela mirror and move on. I get bodied in finals by a Japanese player whose name I forget, sorry. That was Worlds for me, it didn't go how I originally had wanted, but it starts the #snowball for me.
Swiss Record: 6-3
Notes: I didn't prep for this tournament almost at all, since I had already locked up my worlds invite, and I would've had to get like top 4 to get my day 2 invite. I just made a few minor changes to the team that I thought would be good for it. Even though I didn't make day 2, I still had a lot of fun at this tournament. I also threw a sick party in my room at the Homewood Suites that I'm sure you all remember if you went.
Worlds and Anaheim Open 2017 (August 18th, 2017)
Swiss Record: 3-3 (Worlds day 1) & 7-1 (Anaheim Open)
Notes: I wanted to do well this year, as I still hadn't had a strong Worlds finish. It didn't pan out the way I had hoped, but I got 2nd in the Anaheim Open at least. I'll start with day 1 though first. I started off 2-0, beating two Japanese players, and then I unfortunately lost game 3 round 3 off a Rock Slide flinch. If my Celesteela hadn't gotten Rock Slide flinched that turn, I won the game. In round 4 I played vs @MeninoJardim. I won game 1, I set up the perfect sweep game 2 (I led Chomp/Celesteela and hard switched to Milotic predicting the Arcanine to come in so I can get my competitive boost + adrenaline orb), but I played terribly and didn't play Milotic safely like I should have. He then wins game 3 clean. Round 5 I go to sudden death against @Kenvgc and lose a close set. My worlds run is over round 5. I show up to scoop to my round 6 opponent, but he doesn't show up and I get the win. I don't show up to round 7 and just finish the tournament at 3-3. I used the exact same team for the Anaheim Open and ended up with much better results. I had an amazing set round 5 with @Mean_vgc that was extremely close in game 3 that I barely won. I played Scar (Japanese player who got top 8 at worlds in 2015) in top 32, but it wasn't a fair set because he lost his Tapu Koko and had a game 1 loss due to a team sheet error. I had another insane set with @KnappiKing in top 8 that goes to like turn 20 in sudden death, no joke. Every time I got a knockout, he got a knockout the same turn and vice versa. We essentially played 4 full games. I eventually win the Celesteela mirror and move on. I get bodied in finals by a Japanese player whose name I forget, sorry. That was Worlds for me, it didn't go how I originally had wanted, but it starts the #snowball for me.
Fort Wayne Regionals 2017 (September 2nd, 2017)
Finish: 8th of 170
Swiss Record: 6-2
Notes: I basically just brought my worlds team, but with one clutch tweak. I make my Snorlax even faster, as I learned how annoying it was to deal with Clear Smog Gastrodon and Bug Bite Araquanid. I lose my final round to Sun Dude (I don't know his Twitter) in what is a pretty terrible matchup for my team. Luckily I squeeze in as the 8th seed off resistance and make cut. Unluckily I have to deal with an inexperienced head judge who issues me a game 1 loss in top cut because my moves are out of order. I talked with other higher up judges about this after the tournament, and they all said this judge didn't know what he was doing (Move order only matters with Porgyon-Z and Z Conversion). I felt pretty defeated because of the game loss and didn't even prep really for top 8. I just took my extra CP and $250 and lost basically haha.
Swiss Record: 6-2
Notes: I basically just brought my worlds team, but with one clutch tweak. I make my Snorlax even faster, as I learned how annoying it was to deal with Clear Smog Gastrodon and Bug Bite Araquanid. I lose my final round to Sun Dude (I don't know his Twitter) in what is a pretty terrible matchup for my team. Luckily I squeeze in as the 8th seed off resistance and make cut. Unluckily I have to deal with an inexperienced head judge who issues me a game 1 loss in top cut because my moves are out of order. I talked with other higher up judges about this after the tournament, and they all said this judge didn't know what he was doing (Move order only matters with Porgyon-Z and Z Conversion). I felt pretty defeated because of the game loss and didn't even prep really for top 8. I just took my extra CP and $250 and lost basically haha.
Hartford Regionals 2017 (September 30th, 2017)
Finish: 1st of 222
Swiss Record: 7-1
Notes: FINALLY, I WON A REGIONAL AGAIN! This is definitely the most meaningful regional win of my 3. It had been a long time, and it couldn't have come at a better time. I'm pretty sure this was the best weekend of my life. I finally won my 3rd regional after 2 1/2 years of not winning one, my girlfriend @_emeraldellie flew in as a surprise for my birthday (October 1st) and I won $3,000 doing something I love. I also finally conquered one of my demons, Tapu Fini/Marowak. This core had knocked me out of Dallas, Oregon, Seattle and the Anaheim Open. Not only that, this was arguably the best I have ever played at a tournament. I went 20-2 in games and I felt unstoppable (as the tweet down below shows). This is probably the closest I will get to perfecting the archetype that I had been using all season. This team was damn good and damn fun as well.
Swiss Record: 7-1
Notes: FINALLY, I WON A REGIONAL AGAIN! This is definitely the most meaningful regional win of my 3. It had been a long time, and it couldn't have come at a better time. I'm pretty sure this was the best weekend of my life. I finally won my 3rd regional after 2 1/2 years of not winning one, my girlfriend @_emeraldellie flew in as a surprise for my birthday (October 1st) and I won $3,000 doing something I love. I also finally conquered one of my demons, Tapu Fini/Marowak. This core had knocked me out of Dallas, Oregon, Seattle and the Anaheim Open. Not only that, this was arguably the best I have ever played at a tournament. I went 20-2 in games and I felt unstoppable (as the tweet down below shows). This is probably the closest I will get to perfecting the archetype that I had been using all season. This team was damn good and damn fun as well.
Florida Regionals 2017 (October 7th, 2017)
Finish: 2nd of 89
Swiss Record: 5-2
Notes: I didn't really have high expectations for this tournament, as I was just going to have fun. I had just won Hartford the week before and I really felt like this team wasn't good haha. I lost round 7 game 3 on a Blizzard freeze unfortunately, but I managed to top cut still because of my resistance. I made it all the way to finals and came extremely close to making history, as being the first person in VGC to win regionals on back to back weekends. The only other two people that I can think of who have come close are @CybertronVGC who got 1st and then 4th in 2014 and @KimosBrother who got 1st and 2nd in 2016. At the time I wasn't really sad or anything that I got 2nd, as I genuinely went into that regional just wanting to have fun. In hindsight though, I really wish I would've played better in finals and won. Not only did I have a really good match up against @SerapisVGC, but like I said I would've made history and be only the 4th person to win 4 regionals or more behind @WolfeyGlick, @CybertronVGC and @Braverius (In North America at least). Jeremy played great though and obviously deserved to win.
Swiss Record: 5-2
Notes: I didn't really have high expectations for this tournament, as I was just going to have fun. I had just won Hartford the week before and I really felt like this team wasn't good haha. I lost round 7 game 3 on a Blizzard freeze unfortunately, but I managed to top cut still because of my resistance. I made it all the way to finals and came extremely close to making history, as being the first person in VGC to win regionals on back to back weekends. The only other two people that I can think of who have come close are @CybertronVGC who got 1st and then 4th in 2014 and @KimosBrother who got 1st and 2nd in 2016. At the time I wasn't really sad or anything that I got 2nd, as I genuinely went into that regional just wanting to have fun. In hindsight though, I really wish I would've played better in finals and won. Not only did I have a really good match up against @SerapisVGC, but like I said I would've made history and be only the 4th person to win 4 regionals or more behind @WolfeyGlick, @CybertronVGC and @Braverius (In North America at least). Jeremy played great though and obviously deserved to win.
Vancouver Regionals 2017 (October 14th, 2017)
Finish: 29th of 87
Swiss Record: 4-3
Notes: This was basically just my Hartford team, except I changed HP Ice on Gengar to Taunt. I just didn't play well, and I wasn't really upset that I didn't do well considering this was my 3rd regional weekend in a row.
Swiss Record: 4-3
Notes: This was basically just my Hartford team, except I changed HP Ice on Gengar to Taunt. I just didn't play well, and I wasn't really upset that I didn't do well considering this was my 3rd regional weekend in a row.
London Internats 2017 (November 17th, 2017)
Finish: 36th of 465
Swiss Record: 9-5 (7-2 day one & 2-3 day two)
Notes: This team is back at it again for a 3rd time. Like I said earlier, this team was as close to perfect/complete as I thought I could make it. I didn't prep too much for this tournament, but I made a few small EV & moveset adjustments on some Pokemon. Per usual I bombed day 2 and I unfortunately bubbled out of top 32, which would've gotten me $500 and some nicer CP. I had a lot of fun at this tournament regardless, as it was my first time in Europe and I loved London.
Swiss Record: 9-5 (7-2 day one & 2-3 day two)
Notes: This team is back at it again for a 3rd time. Like I said earlier, this team was as close to perfect/complete as I thought I could make it. I didn't prep too much for this tournament, but I made a few small EV & moveset adjustments on some Pokemon. Per usual I bombed day 2 and I unfortunately bubbled out of top 32, which would've gotten me $500 and some nicer CP. I had a lot of fun at this tournament regardless, as it was my first time in Europe and I loved London.
NorCal Regionals 2017 (November 25th, 2017)
Finish: 23rd of 141
Swiss Record: 4-3
Notes: I did not care about this tournament whatsoever. I was jetlagged from London from a few days ago (I didn't leave London until Tuesday) and I was also not feeling well at all. I still went to it though since it is only a 3 1/2 hour drive from where I live. Used the London team, got CP as a 4-3 and called it a day.
Swiss Record: 4-3
Notes: I did not care about this tournament whatsoever. I was jetlagged from London from a few days ago (I didn't leave London until Tuesday) and I was also not feeling well at all. I still went to it though since it is only a 3 1/2 hour drive from where I live. Used the London team, got CP as a 4-3 and called it a day.
Memphis Regionals 2017 (December 15th, 2017)
Finish: 0 of 157
Swiss Record: 3-4 drop
Notes: At this point I was basically done with VGC17. As much as I loved the format, I was burnt out, as this was my 19th big tournament of the format. I had booked this flight way back in September, so I might as well go, since it would be lost money otherwise. I decided to make Garchomp AV and Tapu Koko Scarfed kind of just for the sake of switching things up. Plus Scarfed Tapu Koko sounded like a lot of fun. It didn't work out, but I was happy to finally move on to the new format.
Swiss Record: 3-4 drop
Notes: At this point I was basically done with VGC17. As much as I loved the format, I was burnt out, as this was my 19th big tournament of the format. I had booked this flight way back in September, so I might as well go, since it would be lost money otherwise. I decided to make Garchomp AV and Tapu Koko Scarfed kind of just for the sake of switching things up. Plus Scarfed Tapu Koko sounded like a lot of fun. It didn't work out, but I was happy to finally move on to the new format.
Dallas Regionals 2018 (January 27th, 2018)
Finish: 29th of 315
Swiss Record: 7-2
Notes: The rough draft to my Oceania Internats team. I originally had another team the day before the tournament (Linoone), but I went 10-5 in the International Challenge with it and panicked. I hadn't fully fleshed out this team, but it was the only one I had besides the Linoone team I had intended to use. I didn't have too much practice with the team either, but it felt straightforward enough to use. I was able to do really well with it luckily, but I had terrible resistance and had no shot at top cut.
http://pokepast.es/d857031b0acbe759
Finish: 5th of 212
Swiss Record: 7-1
Notes: I finally cut my first internats level event! I was honestly not expecting to do this well. Not only had I never had an amazing finish at one of these events, but I just wasn't feeling confident in my play at the time. I updated the team and made a lot of good changes from Dallas. Snorlax + Goth were definitely the MVPs of the tournament and they carried me to most of my wins. Charizard was bad. I lost in top 8 in a close set against @YureeVGC who I was actually rooming with as well. Not much else to say except that I had a great time at the tournament and in Sydney.
Swiss Record: 7-2
Notes: The rough draft to my Oceania Internats team. I originally had another team the day before the tournament (Linoone), but I went 10-5 in the International Challenge with it and panicked. I hadn't fully fleshed out this team, but it was the only one I had besides the Linoone team I had intended to use. I didn't have too much practice with the team either, but it felt straightforward enough to use. I was able to do really well with it luckily, but I had terrible resistance and had no shot at top cut.
Oceania Internats 2018 (February 9th, 2018)
Finish: 5th of 212
Swiss Record: 7-1
Notes: I finally cut my first internats level event! I was honestly not expecting to do this well. Not only had I never had an amazing finish at one of these events, but I just wasn't feeling confident in my play at the time. I updated the team and made a lot of good changes from Dallas. Snorlax + Goth were definitely the MVPs of the tournament and they carried me to most of my wins. Charizard was bad. I lost in top 8 in a close set against @YureeVGC who I was actually rooming with as well. Not much else to say except that I had a great time at the tournament and in Sydney.
SoCal Regionals 2018 (March 3rd, 2018)
Finish: 41st of 177 players
Swiss Record: 5-3
Notes: I felt like I further improved the team over the Oceania version. I tested fast Charizard and it fit the team much better. I went back to Substitute Celesteela and it worked well. I made Snorlax bulkier and gave it Double-Edge over Return. I really liked these changes I made and I felt that the team was better overall. Unfortunately I didn't do as well as I had hoped. The combination of running into multiple bad matchups (Incinineroar even before intimidate was released) and poor play on my end caused me to have a lackluster finish.
Swiss Record: 5-3
Notes: I felt like I further improved the team over the Oceania version. I tested fast Charizard and it fit the team much better. I went back to Substitute Celesteela and it worked well. I made Snorlax bulkier and gave it Double-Edge over Return. I really liked these changes I made and I felt that the team was better overall. Unfortunately I didn't do as well as I had hoped. The combination of running into multiple bad matchups (Incinineroar even before intimidate was released) and poor play on my end caused me to have a lackluster finish.
Portland Regionals 2018 (March 24th, 2018)
Finish: 7th of 89 players
Swiss Record: 5-2
Notes: With the release of intimidate Incineroar, my Goth/Zard/Lax team was dead. The team was never meant to be able to handle Incineroar, and now it was one of the most used Pokemon in the format. I didn't have a team ready for Oregon, only for Brazil. This team was never meant to be used for Oregon, but I really didn't have another solid team. I felt like this team was extremely strong and I was guaranteed to do well with it, that's why I wanted to save it for Brazil (It still worked out haha). Every opponent I played finished 5-2 or better, so I easily made top cut with like 75% resistance. Unfortunately I had a game 1 loss in top cut, because I wrote Fling twice on my Raichu. The team wasn't really prepared for mega Gardevoir & Amoongus + Snorlax either, so I lost in top 8. I got a lot of valuable information though on how to improve the team and learned that Cresselia was dead weight essentially.
Swiss Record: 5-2
Notes: With the release of intimidate Incineroar, my Goth/Zard/Lax team was dead. The team was never meant to be able to handle Incineroar, and now it was one of the most used Pokemon in the format. I didn't have a team ready for Oregon, only for Brazil. This team was never meant to be used for Oregon, but I really didn't have another solid team. I felt like this team was extremely strong and I was guaranteed to do well with it, that's why I wanted to save it for Brazil (It still worked out haha). Every opponent I played finished 5-2 or better, so I easily made top cut with like 75% resistance. Unfortunately I had a game 1 loss in top cut, because I wrote Fling twice on my Raichu. The team wasn't really prepared for mega Gardevoir & Amoongus + Snorlax either, so I lost in top 8. I got a lot of valuable information though on how to improve the team and learned that Cresselia was dead weight essentially.
Latin America Internats 2018 (April 27th, 2018)
Finish: 2nd of 136 players
Swiss Record: 6-2
Notes: The tournament the team was originally meant for. I learned from Portland and made some good changes overall. Gengar, Landorus and Tapu Fini essentially stayed the same. Raichu was changed to Safety Goggles and Knock Off over Fling. Raichu was honestly probably the MVP of this tournament for me, it was so good. I got the idea of Safety Goggles from @The_One_Gio who told me he was testing Safety Goggles Mimikyu for his team. I decided to test it on Raichu, and it worked. Safety Goggles also paid off during the tournament, as I played against two mega Gardevoir/Amoongus teams that I was able to get wins off of. The logic behind P2 Spider is simply that the two most common Pokemon in the format are weak to water, and Araquanid hits them hard. I chose an adamant nature, since I wanted to always be sure I'd out speed Snorlax outside of Trick Room. I also had Icy Wind Gengar, so it paired nicely against Incineroar with that. The nature on P2 never came into effect the whole tournament, but I ran calm because of Icy Wind Gengar. I really love this team regardless of the many flaws it had, no fire type, Tapu Bulu & Bisharp being a pain, no psychic resist and more. I'm happy that I was able to pilot it to a strong finish in the tournament it was intended to be used for. I told @SalaMenaceVGC and @RookieVGC in early March that I was going to win Brazil with an earlier version of this team, and I got pretty darn close :)
Swiss Record: 6-2
Notes: The tournament the team was originally meant for. I learned from Portland and made some good changes overall. Gengar, Landorus and Tapu Fini essentially stayed the same. Raichu was changed to Safety Goggles and Knock Off over Fling. Raichu was honestly probably the MVP of this tournament for me, it was so good. I got the idea of Safety Goggles from @The_One_Gio who told me he was testing Safety Goggles Mimikyu for his team. I decided to test it on Raichu, and it worked. Safety Goggles also paid off during the tournament, as I played against two mega Gardevoir/Amoongus teams that I was able to get wins off of. The logic behind P2 Spider is simply that the two most common Pokemon in the format are weak to water, and Araquanid hits them hard. I chose an adamant nature, since I wanted to always be sure I'd out speed Snorlax outside of Trick Room. I also had Icy Wind Gengar, so it paired nicely against Incineroar with that. The nature on P2 never came into effect the whole tournament, but I ran calm because of Icy Wind Gengar. I really love this team regardless of the many flaws it had, no fire type, Tapu Bulu & Bisharp being a pain, no psychic resist and more. I'm happy that I was able to pilot it to a strong finish in the tournament it was intended to be used for. I told @SalaMenaceVGC and @RookieVGC in early March that I was going to win Brazil with an earlier version of this team, and I got pretty darn close :)
Utah Regionals 2018 (May 5th, 2018)
Finish: 16th of 76 players
Swiss Record: 5-2
Notes: A version of the team I had originally planned on bringing to Dallas, except I had Salamence over Scizor and Greninja over Incineroar. I didn't take this tournament too seriously and I was just looking to have fun after a long weekend in Brazil.
Swiss Record: 5-2
Notes: A version of the team I had originally planned on bringing to Dallas, except I had Salamence over Scizor and Greninja over Incineroar. I didn't take this tournament too seriously and I was just looking to have fun after a long weekend in Brazil.
Conclusion
So that's it, this is every team I have ever used at a regional, national, or worlds event. I really enjoyed doing this and I hoped you enjoyed reading it. If you did, please share this with others! Let me know if you had any questions or remarks on Twitter @Alberto310!
I've top cut 18/35 regionals I have attended lifetime (I count the Anaheim Open) and won 3 of them.
I've made day 2 at 3/5 possible nationals/internats level events and have top cut 2 of them that didn't have a day 2.
I've made day 2 at Worlds 1/3 times I've gone (Not counting 2018, which hasn't happened).
lol
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