How to Become a Pokémon Master (In Real Life)

Pokémon Worlds. In a sense, it’s like challenging the Elite Four and Champion at the Pokémon League. The countless hours training are put to the test fighting against the best of the best. There’s no turning back, you can only hope for the best with the team you brought and just keep moving forward. While I didn’t attend this year’s competition, I enjoyed watching the stream and seeing how much the community has evolved since my last foray in 2011. Pokémon Worlds offers the highest level of play, so how does one prepare for the biggest battles and become a Pokémon Master in real life?

The coveted Worlds trophy. They even give you a card!

Know the game. This goes beyond knowing what moves are super effective. It’s about knowing the trends of the metagame and what to expect before the first Pokéball is sent out. Looking at player statistics from Pokémon's Global Link, Charizard ranks as one of the top used Pokémon in doubles. Thanks to its useful Mega Evolutions, Charizard is a force to reckon with. When building your team, ask yourself “what do I have to take down this threat?” If you don’t have a good answer, go back to the drawing board. It’s impossible to deal with every threat, but be prepared for the common ones like Charizard, Kangaskhan, and Garchomp. Plan on using a Charizard of your own? Know ways people tend to counter it and address those issues. Maybe have a Wide Guard user to stop Rock Slide, speed control like Icy Wind or Tailwind so Charizard outspeeds opponents, Pokémon like Marowak who can switch in and redirect Electric moves that threaten Charizard, things like that.

Do you have a plan in case of Charizard?

Once you know the metagame; take past assumptions and turning them upside their head. A great example of this is Germany’s Markus Lie and his Machamp. When one sees a Machamp in Team Preview, they’ll most likely come to the conclusion that:

·       Machamp will abuse No Guard and Dynamicpunch to spread confusion with a strong move

·       Machamp will support his teammates with Quick Guard and/or Wide Guard

·       Machamp will be slow yet bulky and physically strong

Markus’ Machamp went against convention to emphasize speed over power and support. By holding a Choice Scarf, Machamp was able to outspeed threats like Charizard before they could hit first. Many Charizard players, including myself, are familiar with Wide Guard stopping Heat Wave. One way to stop this is to single-target Machamp, letting it waste its turn with Wide Guard while I knock it out. With Machamp out of the way, I can continue to spam Heat Wave for game. So you happily hit the Air Slash or Overheat button only to have Machamp knock you out before you can move.

Look how fast he goes!

But the surprises don’t stop there. Instead of No Guard and Dynamicpunch, Markus’ Machamp uses Guts and Close Combat. While usually an inferior choice, the current metagame makes it a superior option. As I mentioned earlier, Kangaskan is a huge threat. One of the ways to deal with physical hitters is to deliver a burn to half their attack power. For this reason, Rotom is a prominent Pokémon thanks to Will-o-Wisp and other support moves in its arsenal. Naturally, one would burn Machamp to weaken it, and this is true if it was the No Guard variant. However, Guts actually boosts Machamp’s attack when afflicted with a status effect. Players will instinctively burn Machamp, only to make Machamp even stronger. A hindrance for physical attackers becomes an advantage for Machamp, and the choice of Guts over No Guard is a great metagame call from Markus.
 

Competing in live events differs from online competitions due to human interaction. While it might seem weird to have a “strategy” for it, human interaction can prove either helpful or hurtful depending on the way you look at it and should be something to keep in mind before going into battle. For one thing, you don’t want to go blabbing your mouth about how trainers won’t anticipate your “Choice Specs Gyarados” only to have your strategy fall flat on its face.

Quit your blabbing and start battling!

That example seems obvious, but even subtle hints before you fight can be detrimental. During VGC Nationals 2013, one trainer I fought was talking up about one Pokémon on his team no one really expects. During Team Preview, I saw an Electabuzz and thought “he’s probably means that.” Sent out my Landorus first turn and “surprisingly”, he led with Electabuzz who immediately ran tail.

Of course, one could argue that someone could bluff you with prebattle talks, so it’s best to avoid those mind games to begin with. I find it helpful to introduce myself, shake hands, and maybe throw in light banter to help people relax. During battles, it’s all focus. I don’t say much and tend to just look at my screen when making moves. At the end, I’ll extend my hand for another hand shake and compliment my opponent (Good prediction with your Abomasnow’s Safeguard!).  When you’re less nervous, it’ll help you think clearer in battles, so have a plan to go in with a calm mind. Raise your Special Attack and Special Defense by one stage!



Be calm young one.

Probably the most helpful advice I can give is practice. A LOT. Coming up with winning strategies doesn’t happen by only reading articles online or watching a few matches. You can only level up through experience. In a previous blog post, I mentioned how Kangaskhan caused significant problems for my team. So I battled and failed, multiple times, until I could finally secure a strategy to effectively take her down. I might not have a trophy of my own, but I don't plan on giving up anytime soon. It took Se Jun Park, the current World Champion, five years to finally claim his title. Any champion can tell you their success comes from their failures. So never give up! Go out there and battle to become the very best like no one ever was!

Always a joy to see my boy Pikachu

 

A Tough Trek through Victory Road

I can't believe a whole year has passed since my last VGC competition. While I've been able to play a little online, I missed the experience only a live competition can bring. Meeting new trainers, catching up with old friends, taking a picture with the guy in the Pikachu costume, I missed it all! This year's VGC though was...different. I still can't fully process this year's experience, but it gave me a new perspective of what it means to be a Pokémon Trainer.

Since my brother won regionals again, we got a free hotel room. It was the same one as last year, but we slept in the train car rooms. Yeah I thought the train car rooms were cool last year, but that's because I didn't sleep in them! If only I knew how claustrophobic they were. To make matters worse, there was a wedding that same weekend and our family was unfortunate to be neighbors with the groom's family. Look, I get that you hate your new in-laws, but SHUT UP! It's 4 in the morning and I have to battle at 9!

QUIET!!!

After a terrible night sleep, me and my family walked into the convention center, ready for a day of battling. We even convinced my sister to play! Seeing the success my brother had with rain, I decided to change up my team and add some new tricks. After some quick playtests and adjustments, this was what I came up with:

Dahlia, Bolin, Toadsworth, Sgt. Calhoun, Slippy and Sheik are ready for battle

This year I decided not to go with an overall theme. My main strategy was to slow down my opponent's momentum with moves like Icy Wind, Spore and Yawn or quickly knock out two of their Pokémon and use Perish Song. Giving up movepool coverage like Ice Beam on Kingdra was a tough choice to make, but in the end the surprise factor gave me a slight edge. Unfortunately, I ended up with a 4-5 record. My sister also ended up with a 4-5 record, which is amazing for her first time battling competitively.

At this time, I was down in the dumps. Going in this competition, I told myself I wanted to walk out with a winning record. My losses were especially crushing; battles ended with my opponent sitting on little health with one Pokémon left. I was the Spurs losing Game 6 to the Heat. I failed to claim victory when it was literally at my finger tips. While it was a lose, this match was the most intense match I had in the competition. Oh yeah, sorry for the bad camera quality.

After me and my sister finished playing, my brother entered the ring. His first win brought a smile to his face, but his next two losses left him disheartened. His battles were close too! My brother's opponent's won by the skin of their teeth. As a coach, I felt bad I couldn't help. My brother made all the right moves in the replays. Could it be that Dragonite needed more Speed EVs? Or maybe Rotom needed Hidden Power Fire over Grass? These thoughts haunted me. Maybe I didn't do all I could to prepare him for competition.

I was pretty depressed leaving the convention center that evening. We had a strong desire to win but fell short of our goal. It took me some time to get over it, but I had to think back to Ash Ketchum. This kid only won a league once, and that wasn't even in the main series! Time after time, he's failed to become the champion. And yet, Ash remains optimistic.

It's been over ten years and he's still at it.

Besides the tournament, we also got to play in some side events. This really helped lift our spirits, especially when we managed to win eight booster packs. Plus, we pulled three Latios EX cards! One was even the full

body artwork!
Here's a match during the side events where I made Perish Song work. It's a pretty good strategy if you can pull it off:

This year's Nationals had its disappointments, but the experience humbled me. As a Pokémon Trainer, you have to deal with defeat. Not every match will end with a win, so you have to grow from it. Does this mean I'm giving up? Of course not! I am now more determined than ever to compete again! My brother has already drafted a new team and my sister even wants to compete again. Nationals let me spend time with Pokémon and family, two of the greatest things in the universe. I wouldn't trade it for anything, not even for another Latios EX.

The picture that sums up what I love about Nationals