Apr 13, 2023 4 min read

Issue #1: Welcome to my Newsletter!

Hello everybody! Thanks for subscribing. I'm going to keep this one short and sweet - this is honestly a test of how this all works. I'm going to try and make it worth the read but apologies if this rolls into your inbox looking like a bunch of tangled spaghetti.

Global Challenge I Results/Recap:

I was hoping to go a bit in depth on some of the teams that did well in the global challenge but I didn't end up seeing too many team reports posted sadly, which makes sense. With another one so close by I'm assuming players are keeping their teams secret until the three of them are done. Liberty Note (one of the best sites covering the Japanese VGC scene) has a post keeping track of the top trainers and their Twitter links/teams used if they're posted here, if you're interested!

I also posted a blog with my own thoughts from my run below, if you haven't read it yet!

Notable Teams + Results:

Justin Tang's Fort Wayne winning team:
https://pokepast.es/f75fbb4ae3e80885 | Rental Code - F2D6K4
Dragapult is the standout Pokemon on this team, having been essentially unseen in tournaments post-Sword/Shield. Combining a Choice Band Dragon Darts + Chien-Pao's Sword of Ruin ability can be oppresive, amounting to a 3HKO on an Amoonguss:
252 Atk Choice Band Sword of Ruin Dragapult Dragon Darts vs. 244 HP / 100+ Def Amoonguss: 85-102 (38.6 - 46.3%) -- 73.3% chance to 3HKO after Sitrus Berry recovery
Combining this with a Fire/Water/Grass Palafin core results in a team that isn't afraid of switch around to protect Chien-Pao or change Dragapult's moves. While everybody will be familiar with this team come the next round of Bo3 tournaments, I highly recommend giving this team a spin if you're looking for a starting point in Regulation C! Even if your opponent knows the team, it's strong enough that your playstyle/prediction ability can still win games.

Fiona 's Fort Wayne 3rd place team:
Rental Code - Y9VXFG
This team jumped out at me during the tournament becaue the combination of Chi-Yu and Flutter Mane was something I was not anticipating doing well in a Bo3, Open Team Sheet (OTS) format. These two were originally identified as synergistic in Regulation C due to Flutter Mane's insane Special Attack + the Beads of Ruin ability, which drops Special Defense by 25%. By running a Choice Scarf on Chi-Yu and +Speed Booster Energy on Flutter Mane Fiona's team does an excellent job of putting board pressure down immediately, with that lead alone threatening a 2KO if your opponent isn't careful. Loaded Dice Baxcallibur is also an excellent answer to the abundant ice-type weak Pokemon in the format that's a bit bulkier than Chien-Pao, and also can benefit from Thermal Exchange blocking any burns. And of course, if you are in a tight spot, there's always Fissure on Ting-Lu.
(I say this with respect - if your opponent is letting you click Fissure the 3-4 times it takes to land an OHKO, they should've knocked out Ting-Lu sooner or had a better answer to it!)

Current Pokemon Giveaways!

🎮 Gavin Michaels' Palafin (Password to be revealed during the EUIC broadcast, April 14-16)

Upcoming Important Dates/Streams:

IRL Events:

🇬🇧 EUIC (VGC): April 14-16 with Day 1 Swiss, Day 2 Swiss + Top Cut, Championship Sunday.
Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/pokemon
Youtube: Day 1 | Day 2 | Championship Sunday
🇬🇧 EUIC (GO): April 14-15 with a preshow Friday, Swiss + Top Cut, Championship Sunday.
Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/pokemongo
Youtube: Day 1 | Day 2 | Championship Sunday

Portland Regional Championships (VGC/GO/TCG): May 5-7
Run by Team NW - Registration information can be found here.
Hartford Regional Championships (VGC/GO/TCG): May 19-21
Run by Overload Events - Registration information can be found here.
Milwaukee Regional Championships (VGC/GO/TCG): June 2-4
Run by Day 2 Events - Registration information can be found here.
Fresno Regional Championships (VGC/GO/TCG): June 10-11
Run by Team NW - Registration is not yet open!

🇺🇸NAIC (VGC/GO/TCG/Unite): June 30-July 2
Run by TPCi - Registration is not yet open!

Online Tours:

🎮 Global Challenge #2 (VGC): April 21 - 24
Registration is not yet open!
🎮 Global Challenge #3 (VGC): May 5-8
Note: This overlaps with Portland Regionals
Registration is not yet open!

If you want your online tour listed here, feel free to reach out to me on Twitter!

That's all for now - thanks for reading everybody! :)