A First for Everything: First Place Toronto, Ontario PC Team Report

Hey guys! My name is Abdulbasid Guled (or HyperTHD, if you will) and I recently participated in my first ever Premier Challenge on the 18th of October. Sadly, the scene here in Ontario is not as big as it is elsewhere for this particular day. In fact, only 8 Masters and 1 Senior players showed up. Another thing to note is that this PC took place around the same time as Ft.Wayne and San Jose Regionals, which limited the number of attendants even further. Nevertheless, I had loads of fun and never imagined that I'd come home bringing a win. I'll do a short backstory on myself, and then comes the team that did it all for me!

Backstory

I'm a 17 year old player from the West block of Toronto in the suburbs. I first found out about VGC through Aaron "Cybertron" Zheng - as well as Worlds 2014, of course - so this was my first full year of competing in the format. Sadly, due to school and real-life complications, I couldn't really compete to the fullest of extents. I, however, found this opportunity, and swiftly took it. Soon after, I found myself getting ready for the very first PC in my life.

I was originally going to bring my Mega Salamence Semi-TR team to the place, but fearing how popular the CHALK core was, I immediately scrapped that and went about to start building a new team.

Teambuilding Process

I wanted to test out Gothitelle Trap after seeing how effective Cybertron used it. The majority of this team was built with that idea in mind. Rather than use Salamence, though, I wanted to try Power-up Punch Kangaskhan. Any opponent trapped with a +2 Kangaskhan in the field would be faced with a deadly situation.


Sylveon and Ferrothorn were added to take advantage of Trick Room, as well for their ability to handle opposing Trick Room. Though it was my first time using Ferrothorn, I absolutely loved it in practice. While it was useless in my Round 2 match, it really did put in work once I eliminated the Fire-types my opponents would carry. Calm Mind Sylveon came in really clutch in Round 3 as I was able to do more damage than my opponent's CM Cresselia could handle.


Swampert and Arcanine were added in as a bulky Water and Fire-type to complete the FWG core. Swampert was definitely the MVP of the day, as my opponents usually had zero ways to effectively shut it down other than just brutally double-targetting it. Arcanine was my Intimidate user, while also packing Snarl to handle Special attackers. It served its role really well and I'm proud of what it was able to do.

Analysis

Kangaskhan @ Kangaskhanite 
Ability: Inner Focus 
Level: 50 
EVs: 36 HP / 200 Atk / 76 Def / 196 Spe 
Adamant Nature 
- Protect
- Return 
- Power-Up Punch 
- Sucker Punch

After using Salamence/Tyranitar for most of the summer, I knew I wanted to go back to using Kangaskhan, especially after seeing its success this year at Worlds. It was great with Gothitelle's Shadow Tag, simply because of how I'd play with it. Usually, I'd be able to setup a Power-up Punch and then go to work against the trapped Pokemon. I ran Return so I wouldn't have to deal with the recoil that Double-Edge brings to the table. Sucker Punch was chosen as a third move due to its priority. I ran Protect instead of Fake Out due to the team not really needing it, and that Kangaskhan is a plump target for attacks once it sets up. This spread lets it outspeed Jolly Breloom and survive a Low Kick from Jolly Kangaskhan.

I know that I accidentally wasted 4 EVs in Attack, but after further consideration, the extra 4 EVs won't affect Kangaskhan's damage intake much, and figured it won't be worth the effort to re-EV.



Gothitelle @ Sitrus Berry 
Ability: Shadow Tag 
Level: 50 
EVs: 252 HP / 12 Def / 244 SpD 
Sassy Nature 
IVs: 0 Spe 
- Psychic 
- Helping Hand 
- Trick Room 
- Protect

Hey, I know that Gothitelle spread! Yup, it's the same one that's been in use for a while now and still works really well. You know, the one that survives Modest Specs Hydreigon Dark Pulse. Gothitelle was fantastic for me all day as its ability to keep my opponents in was vital if I could lead properly. Trick Room helped out tremendously in the late-game, what with my team being relatively slow. A late-game Trick Room can force my opponent into a corner, and even seal up whole games. Helping Hand was useful for giving my teammates considerable extra firepower.


Sylveon @ Pixie Plate 
Ability: Pixilate 
Level: 50 
EVs: 244 HP / 124 Def / 140 SpA 
Modest Nature 
- Hyper Voice 
- Hidden Power Ground 
- Calm Mind 
- Protect

I love Calm Mind Sylveon! It's a really great tech that lets you win games once you get one or two Calm Minds off. Sylveon in general was very useful as her STAB Hyper Voice generated a lot of offensive pressure. I was thinking about using Life Orb over the Pixie Plate, but did not regret going with my current item. The Life Orb recoil would've probably done me in a few times in the tournament. Hidden Power Ground, as always, was for Heatran. I don't quite remember what the defensive investments are for, but I'm pretty sure it involved a Jolly Salamence's Return or Double-Edge.


Ferrothorn @ Rocky Helmet 
Ability: Iron Barbs 
Level: 50 
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def 
Brave Nature 
IVs: 0 Spe 
- Gyro Ball 
- Power Whip 
- Leech Seed 
- Protect

Ferrothorn was a pokemon I had only started using recently. Until now, I was very hesitant in using it because of how the meta seems to be really kind to its treats. With Trick Room being a pretty big thing with this team, however, I found that it may be time to start using it. This spread is simple, maximizing HP and Attack. Terrakion pretty much vanished off the face of the meta, so EVing for that was useless, while the Kangaskhans I played don't have that much Attack investments anyways, so I found I could get away with going simple with Ferrothorn. The moveset is standard, and there is no real reason to deviate from it.


Swampert @ Assault Vest 
Ability: Torrent 
Level: 50 
EVs: 4 HP / 76 Atk / 36 Def / 156 SpA / 236 SpD 
Quiet Nature 
- Scald 
- Ice Beam 
- Earth Power 
- Rock Slide

The clear cut MVP of the team and the tournament, Swampert put on immense offensive pressure against a lot of the teams I played. My opponents seem to always lack ways to handle this monster. It was able to KO a lot of threats, including the Genies and Heatran (who I despise playing against). The spread was made by my friend Patrick (Ayrias), and I know it survives two Giga Drains from Amoonguss. The attack EVs were specialized to handle Charizards with Rock Slide, while the rest of the EVs went to the optimization of Special Attack and bulk.


Arcanine @ Leftovers 
Ability: Intimidate 
Level: 50 
EVs: 248 HP / 4 Def / 56 SpA / 140 SpD / 60 Spe 
Calm Nature 
- Overheat 
- Will-O-Wisp 
- Snarl 
- Protect

Arcanine was definitely one of my favourite Pokemon to use in the tournament. Intimidate was a very important asset, as well as spreading burns and Snarls to limit my team's damage intake. I made the spread myself, but I only realized later that I was wasting EVs. After the event, I reallocated those EVs to other stats. This allowed me to reach a Speed stat of 124, allowing me to handle Pokemon EV'd to outspeed Bisharp better. Arcanine can easily tank a lot of attacks, and even handle Landorus-T just fine. Overheat was a good nuke button if I really needed a sudden burst of damage.

Conclusion

That's mostly it. As for warstories, I don't quite remember all that happens. I'll hold off my opponent's names for privacy reasons, but I ended swiss at 2-1 and won my top cut match 2-1. I gained experience in understanding how tournaments work, their setting, and how it actually feels to play in one. I had a blast getting to know everyone, as well as get a feel for myself, and what I could take back as a learning experience. As a growing player, I'm sure I would exhibit struggles early on. I will take the time to look back on them, though, and make the most of it, as to not make the same mistakes I made.

Special Thanks

- Patrick (Ayrias): Literally one of the best Swampert Spreads I've ever seen. Thanks a lot for helping me through the process of this team.
- Dannitard & GreatTornado: Being Grammar Nazis and providing criticism.
- Ace: For helping me practice, and also helping me come up with the Arcanine spread.
- CNS: Honestly, it feels weird being in a group with a lot of Australian guys, but really I wouldn't want it any other way. You guys are the best <3

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The Bravest of Birds: AU Nationals Senior Division Runner-Up Report

Hello everyone! I’m Patrick (@AyriasVGC on twitter), and I recently placed 2nd at the 2015 Australian National Championships. While I only lost once in Swiss to Aaron Van der Kolk (who also ended my 9-0 winning streak in day 1 of the July International Challenge), I can’t say that my success was purely due to skill. I was justifiably allocated the pseudonym ‘Hax God’ for the majority of the tournament due to the insane amount of RNG rolls in my favour. My top 8 and top 4 games were quite clean however, and I mentally proved that I wasn’t just some lucky noob. Enjoy the report!

Teambuilding Process

Mega Metagross caught my attention when I was at Sydney Regionals, while it was being played with on the big screen. It was very intimidating and its damage output looked quite viable. I didn't really use it until I had confirmed my visit to Nationals, though. I saw KellsterCartier's Mega Metagross report, and I just knew it was the mega that I wanted to build my team around. Upon research, I discovered the perfect teammate;


In theory, these two have perfect synergy, discounting Bug and Fighting-type attacks. So I added this powerful Dragon-type as a defensive pivot for Metagross. I had been using Hydreigon most of VGC15 thus far, so I got excited when I learnt how beneficial it would be. I noticed that a special Salamence could break through both of these 'mons, so I used a very outdated tactic to deal with it, as well as other dragons and the perish trap archetype.


As well as patching up weak spots in my team, Gardevoir formed a Fantasy core with Metagross and Hydreigon, a core that I am very comfortable playing with. It was also an excellent switch-in to Fighting-type attacks aimed at Hydreigon and sometimes Metagross. At this point in building, I was a little bit bulky, but my choices were weak to ever present types in the metagame, so I needed a bulky Pokemon that could also provide the speed control I was lacking;


While my team was quite fast, scarfed Landorus-Therian could outspeed them all, take a decent chunk of HP from two and OHKO one. I definitely needed a hard counter to the floating lion, so Suicune joined the squad. At this point, I could play battles on showdown with just these four. I noticed a severe weakness to Mega Kangaskhan and Charizard-Y, and I definitely could not ignore this.


Terrakion's job would have probably been better done by Virizion, but I'm certain that Stone Edge wouldn't connect when I needed it to. Also, I had a Terrakion in my PC box, which finalised the decision. Where are we? The 6th member. God, I tried so much before I found the perfect Pokemon to complete the team. Originally, I used Gothitelle, which I really enjoyed using in combination with Scald burns, but I couldn't handle triple Psychic, and the damage output was lacking. I searched for something that had both Intimidate and Tailwind, and I was given two choices; Staraptor or Salamence. I chose to not use the Pokemon that has actually been proven to be decent, which turned out to be an excellent decision.


"RAPTOR BURD" - dannitard

Analysis 

I'm not 100% sure the EVs listed below are accurate to what I used, but the movesets and item are definitely correct. Here are the complete sets:


Metal (Metagross) @ Metagrossite
Ability: Clear Body
Level: 50
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Iron Head
- Zen Headbutt
- Ice Punch
- Protect

Metagross is definitely one of my top 3 favourite megas. While at this point in the metagame it is walled by every steel type, I used it when the 'Standard 6' were not set in stone. I originally ran Bullet Punch over Iron Head, but I really needed a secure answer to all fairy types, who would otherwise destroy my team. I didn't really try the Substitute variant, as I had only been playing for a few months and didn't think I would be skilled enough to use it. Ice Punch was a very good call, as Metagross had the natural bulk to survive anything Salamence or Landorus could throw at it, and had the offensive capabilities to cleanly OHKO both of them with an Ice Punch. I think 4/252/252 is the best spread for Metagross, as otherwise odd choices that have a speed tier of 100-109 (Infernape and the Musketeers, to name a few) can ruin Metagross' day with knockouts or flinches.


Bird (Hydreigon) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Levitate
Level: 50
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Dark Pulse
- Earth Power
- Flamethrower

Hydreigon is definitely Metagross' official partner in crime. Choice Specs boosted Draco Meteor will OHKO a considerable chunk of the metagame, and the combination of its other moves will deal with every steel type that would otherwise create huge problems for the Mega. Modest Nature, 252 EVs and Choice Specs were chosen to maximise the damage of Draco Meteor, and to be able to knockout most Aegislash with Dark Pulse. Earth Power is almost solely used for Heatran, while Flamethrower deals with Scizor and Ferrothorn. These two attacks can also knockout Mawiles that aren't running maximum special bulk.

QUOTE OF THE EVENT: "Patrick brings out his Starap- sorry, no, his Hydreigon." - commentator of the finals.


Maid (Gardevoir) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Trace
Level: 50
EVs: 108 HP / 124 Def / 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 20 Spe
Modest Nature
- Moonblast
- Psychic
- Shadow Ball
- Energy Ball

First off, this is the only nickname that I made myself (more on that later), and apparently it created a small amount of controversy in the audience; this was NOT an innuendo, the name was a reference to how the Pokédex says it dedicates its life to its Master. With that out of the way; I believe this is the right EV spread, all I remember about the spread is that I copied it from Smogon. It was intended for the Mega forme, and is extremely inefficient for what I wanted Gardevoir to do, which was to outspeed and knockout a lot of threats to my team, namely Blaziken and Salamence, and to check Perish Trap. This spread doesn't even outspeed max speed Mega Gengar, but it did outspeed Fubat's, which was instrumental to my victory (as well as a few flinches here and there). The STABs should be pretty obvious, though picking a 3rd and 4th move was harder. Shadow Ball dealt decent neutral damage to a lot of Pokemon, and Energy Ball achieved some unexpected KOs on Swamperts and Gastrodons.


Cat (Suicune) @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Pressure
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def  / 132 SpA / 60 SpD / 60 Spe
Bold Nature
- Scald
- Ice Beam
- Tailwind
- Protect

This spread was ripped off of DaWoblefet's Top 16 Winter Regionals Report, and I really like it. Suicune is a very good disruptor, being able to turn the game quickly in my favour with Scald burns, Ice Beam freezes and Tailwind. Rocky Helmet came into clutch in a number of occasions, and turned Suicune into an excellent counter to most contact Physical attackers (because Scald). I didn't really consider Snarl over Protect, though in retrospect, that might have been a better choice. Protect did, however, allow Suicune to not be spored in the finals. The team did not rely on tailwind, but it did create a lot of win conditions throughout the tournament. Also; the name 'Cat' was chosen as Terrakion seemed more like a Dog. Speaking of which;


Dog (Terrakion) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Justified
Level: 50
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Rock Slide
- Close Combat
- Quick Guard
- Protect

Terrakion is the ultimate Kangaskhan counter. You know, unless the opponent has a Thundurus. But I did faint a lot of Kangaskhan (including one that predicted a Quick Guard - the plays!) throughout the event, and felt like it did put in a lot of work against neutral targets. Rock Slide is the second best move in the game (Swagger #1), and it definitely came in clutch in a lot of situations. It was also an excellent way to deal with Charizard-Ys that were EVd to survive Landorus-Therian's less powerful Rock Slide. Quick Guard switched places with Helping Hand multiple times during testing, but in the end I stuck with the former as it allowed me to create quite a few mind games. While Lum Berry is often used to check Thundurus more effectively, I liked the ability to survive Landorus' Earthquake, and to check Greninja better (neutral Close Combat will KO, assuming no Scald burn).


Dragon (Staraptor) @ Choice Band
Ability: Intimidate
Level: 50
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Double-Edge
- Brave Bird
- Close Combat
- U-turn

Hands down the MVP of the tournament. I originally ran a supportive version with Tailwind and Gothitelle replacing Suicune, but I discovered the power of Choice Band and never looked back. While most of the sets that focus on pure power use the Reckless ability, I find that it does not need the 1.2x boost to pick up any notable KOs. Intimidate also served as supportive option, but I was too dumb to use it correctly. Close Combat was chosen to allow Raptor to reliably counter Kangaskhan, as it can survive a -1 Double-Edge. To be honest; I don't think Staraptor is a really great pick. I think the only reason it worked so well is because people did not have a counter to it. The team ended up supporting it decently, however, with Tailwind allowing it to outspeed almost everything.

Finals Video

I did not write down any notes about my opponents' teams, but luckily DYoshiiTV has uploaded the streamed senior finals to his YouTube channel:

Common Leads


Ah, the Cat + Dog combo. I'm not sure what it is about this lead, but it was very reliable and was used for about 70% of my games. I think it's due to the good coverage, and the sheer amount of hax. Yeah, with this lead I usually just set up Tailwind, and begin Rock Sliding and Scalding. That's what I call balanced!


The tried and true combo; these two support each other perfectly as a defensive combo, and even better with the insane coverage they share. Whatever the two of them cannot knockout with type advantages, Draco Meteor can nuke. If I want something to flinch, I can Iron Head + Dark Pulse, giving them a 49% chance to move. Yeah, I suck.

Conclusion

I was a horrible player in June and I have no idea how I got so far. I earned a hefty sum of CP that awarded me an invititation to worlds, but I did not go due to the funds required. The Australian Nationals was my second event, and it was extremely fun. I did, however, hear reports that I became quite arrogant after the event, so I apologise to anyone affected by this, and I will definitely fix the behaviour up for VGC16.

While Staraptor was definitely an odd Pokemon choice, I don't believe I showcased it on stream. Se Jun Park is an amazing player who used a niche Pokemon, but he proved that Pachirisu could be good when used right by showing his talent on screen. I do believe that with the correct support, Choice Band Staraptor can be a monster. I'm still practising VGC, but who knows, someday I may put the retired bird back into my battle box.

Special Thanks

There are a few people who helped with the development of the team greatly and I'd like to thank these people:
- NamedHero/DestinyLife: Thank you so much for the nicknames! They were so fun to play with, even though they only showed in the finals.
- RhombusPKMN: Thank you for putting up with all the crazy ideas I threw at you in my teambuilding process, and for letting me practice.
- TragicBliss: Thank you for all the BO3s we had, as well as inspiring me to play VGC and staying in Melbourne with me. Sorry for being "the most arrogant person on the planet"!
- You: Thank you for reading my report! ^-^ if you have any questions about the team I used, feel free to send me a PM on Nugget Bridge! (NB: Ayrias)

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