Header artwork by Haru Akasaka, from a Pokémon TCG Galarian Gallery ultra rare Zamazenta V card.
Hey everyone! My name is Aaron Brok, and I recently placed 13th at the World Championships in Anaheim, California! I’m honored to have competed against and placed amongst some of the best players in the world. This is my team report and experience during the 2025 Pokémon VGC World Championships.
I’m 23 years old, born and raised in Southern California. I have been playing Pokémon games since I was a kid, and playing VGC since 2020 with Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield. My first official event was the North America International Championships in Columbus, Ohio, in 2022. Since then, I have top cut a handful of regionals (Drednaw comes to mind* 😉), got Top 32 at the World Championships in Yokohama in 2023, and, most recently, got Top 16 at the World Championships in Anaheim in 2025.
* You can read my 2023 San Diego Regional Top 4 team report featuring Drednaw here!
But enough about that, you’re here for my World Championships team report. To get to Worlds, though, we have to backtrack a few months, to the Portland Regional in May.
Table of Contents
Portland Regional Championships
Leading up to the Portland Regional, I struggled to find a team. I tested almost anything and everything: some Koraidon + Ice Rider Calyrex; some Lunala + Miraidon; some Miraidon + Zamazenta; even Ho-Oh! The one thing I learned was that nothing felt remotely good. The weekend of May 9th brought the Grand Challenge IV, and I locked the team that had just won the Milwaukee Regional Championship, with an item change tailored for closed-teamsheet best-of-one.
I was not super impressed with my performance nor my team choice. The team didn’t necessarily feel bad, but not something I could see myself performing well with. However, my friend Carlos Cabal ended up placing 5th using an interesting Shadow Rider Calyrex + Zamazanta composition, originally created by Berumotto.
The team had many techs tailored for closed-teamsheet best-of-one, such as Iron Defense Zamazenta and Life Orb Chien-Pao, but after some testing I quickly learned that this build was very strong in open-teamsheet best-of-three as well. I brought the team to a League Cup and placed 1st, feeling very impressed with the team’s strength. A week later, I brought it to a League Challenge with a few changes: changing Iron Defense to Wide Guard on Zamazenta, and adding Sand Tomb on Ting-Lu. I placed 1st again, and I knew I was bringing some version of this team to Portland Regionals. After changing some moves and reworking some EV spreads, I had the final version of the team. I almost pivoted the night before the tournament because I was terrified of the mirror, but my friends Sebastian Liu Li and Alex Arand helped keep my head on my shoulders and stick with what I had prepared with.
Get my Portland team’s paste here!
Not much to say here. Shadow Rider Calyrex is incredibly strong and Focus Sash gives it some safety and survivability that Life Orb doesn’t. Normal Tera Type was chosen from preference and comfort and was occasionally nice defensively, but it could be Ghost.
The Water Tera Type was chosen to help against Koraidon sun teams because they almost always had Flutter Mane and seemed to be dropping Raging Bolt, which threatened Dragon- and Water-Tera Types, respectively. It survives Timid 252 SpA Choice Specs Miraidon’s Hadron Engine-boosted Electro Drift and outspeeds all Kyogre (and other base 90 Pokémon).
Life Orb was chosen because Focus Sash was taken on Calyrex already. Taunt was a late change to help against Amoonguss and Leech Seed Ice Rider Calyrex.
Pollen Puff was chosen to heal Zamazenta or Ting-Lu in longer endgames. It underspeeds minimum speed Ice Rider Calyrex, and it always survives Psychic from Focus Sash Shadow Rider Calyrex and Draco Meteor from Modest 252+ SpA Choice Specs Miraidon without Electric Terrain.
Magnet and Dragon Pulse were chosen as more consistent options that retained the boost if Raging Bolt needed to be switched out and didn’t reduce in power after use, respectively. It survives 252+ Attack Ice Rider Calyrex’s Glacial Lance.
Ting-Lu is extremely helpful against Volcarona and the restricted legendary pair of Lunala + Miraidon. Not having a single 100% accurate move makes it inconsistent. Carlos put it best: “Eventually the apocalypse will happen. And Ting-Lu will still be standing there. But he doesn’t feel like doing anything.”
Highlight matches
| Round | Result | Opponent | Opponent’s team | List |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R5 | WLW |  Ben Grissmer (chef) |      |  |
Game 1 he didn’t bring the Dondozo + Tatsugiri mode and I was able to win after stalling out Psychic Terrain. Game 2 I lost Amoonguss too early and he was able to Terastalize Dondozo to Grass type, and I couldn’t deal enough damage. Game 3 I forced Terastalization early on Calyrex, and after knocking it out I could deal massive damage to Dondozo with Raging Bolt.
You can watch my Round 5 set against Ben here starting at 4:05:20!
| Round | Result | Opponent | Opponent’s team | List |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top 16 | WLW | Kian Campbell (Kian) |    | |
Much of this set came down to getting the early turns correctly and preserving Calyrex to remove his Amoonguss. I want to give Kian his flowers here; this matchup should have been pretty positive for me but he played out of his mind to come within a double Protect or a critical hit in Game 3. He got neither, and I ended up winning against a good friend.
| Round | Result | Opponent | Opponent’s team | List |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top 8 | LWW | Giovanni Cischke (PqlarBear) |     | |
This matchup requires me to lead a very specific way and spend a lot of resources in order to remove Brute Bonnet. Game 1 was one of the funniest endgames I’ve ever botched, but somehow I was able to keep my composure and win the Sucker Punch & Thunderclap mindgames in Games 2 and 3. I was happy to have gotten a medal at this point, but sad to have had to eliminate another close friend.
You can watch my Top 8 set against Giovanni here starting at 3:26:45!
| Round | Result | Opponent | Opponent’s team | List |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R4 | LWL |  Zhang Zhe (天难忱斯) |  | |
Another Koraidon + Brute Bonnet sun team, this time with Rocky Helmet making the Brute Bonnet even tougher to deal with. I skipped over the Aqua Jet on the teamsheet in Game 1 and lost, but I got two Protect and Wide Guard turns correct in Game 2, allowing me to win. I anticipated the Chi-Yu adjustment in Game 3 and brought Ting-Lu, but it came down to the dreaded Shadow Rider Calyrex speed tie, and I unfortunately lost, ending my shot at the regional win.
You can watch my Top 4 set against Zhe here starting at 5:12:55!
I’m happy and proud to have gotten a medal, even though I wish I had gone further. I was very impressed with how the team felt (less so Ting-Lu, but I had played against 7 Kyogre over the whole tournament, so I didn’t know if it was a fair judgement). I had also functionally locked my invite for the World Championships, so a lot of pressure was relieved ahead of the North American International Championships.
North America International Championships (NAIC)
Between the lack of pressure, my birthday, and getting sick, I had next to no preparation in between Portland and NAIC… and it showed. I played sloppy using the same outdated team and ended up missing Day 2 completely. While I had still received my Worlds invite and would have needed to perform exceptionally well at NAIC to sneak into the stipend race anyway, I knew that I would have to prepare with more purpose and explicit goals for the World Championships if I didn’t want a repeat of this performance. Specifically, I wanted to decide on a Restricted pair early and do more targeted matchup practice in the form of best-of-threes with friends. If I did ladder, I wanted it to be purposeful rather than mindless clicking.
Preparing for the World Championships
Deciding on a Restricted pair
I wanted to be mostly decided on a team, or at the very least an archetype, multiple weeks ahead of the World Championships. As I am about to detail, that did not happen.
I wanted to be more purposeful with my testing, but I still considered a wide variety of archetypes:
- I knew my Portland and NAIC team was outdated and I didn’t want to use the Life Orb double Fake Out compositions, but I kept it in mind simply based off of my experience with the archetype and its pure strength.
This was the archetype I tested the most outside of Shadow Rider Calyrex + Zamazenta. I thought Kyogre was in a pretty good position in the meta, and the archetype felt very flexible with its distribution of speeds and strong offensive pins. I ended up dropping it because I didn’t like how Kyogre needed to rely on inaccurate moves and I struggled to navigate Kyogre’s middling Speed, specifically against opposing Rapid Strike Style Urshifu.- I tested the composition with Choice Scarf Miraidon + Clefairy + Quiver Dance Volcarona that had placed well in a few of the Victory Road tournaments pretty extensively. I thought that Calyrex + Clefairy was strong, and I wanted to test Fairy-Tera Type Calyrex with Draining Kiss. I ultimately decided against the team because Fairy-Tera Type Calyrex was not as strong as I thought it would be, and the team felt way too dependent on getting the setup off with either Calyrex or Volcarona.
- Koraidon + Ice Rider Calyrex, Koraidon + Shadow Rider Calyrex, and Koraidon + Lunala interested me, particularly because Koraidon enabled other Pokémon which had a positive matchup into Shadow Rider Calyrex + Zamazenta on paper. Lunala also happened to be one of my favorite restricted Pokémon. However, I did not believe I could build the correct “call” with this composition with the amount of time I had, nor did I feel like I had enough time to practice enough to feel confident with the archetype.
- I tested various Miraidon + Zamazenta compositions because I liked how Zamazenta played and wanted to test it with different Restricted Legendaries. It felt extremely restrictive with the supplemental Pokémon, as well as the items to be used on each Pokémon, so I dropped it. I also briefly tested Federico Camporesi’s NAIC-winning Miraidon + Lunala team, as well as Michael Kelsch’s NAIC Day 2 Miraidon + Ice Rider Calyrex team. I wanted to stay familiar with these teams because of their proven success, but I wanted them to only be an emergency backup in the event I could not find anything else.
Team Iterations
I wish I could say that I decided on an archetype early and focused all of my time towards practicing and iterating on the same team, but that was nowhere close to what actually happened. I let poor ladder sessions get to me and swapped between different teams repeatedly, trying to find the “perfect” team. My preparation was not linear, so I will only describe the iterations of the team I ended up using at the World Championships.
The first iteration of the team was shared to me by Sebastian.
This was a great starting point because it was very similar to the team I had used earlier in Regulation Set I. It was based on the team that Marco Silva used to place 2nd in the Victory Road to Anaheim #1. Like with any Shadow Rider Calyrex + Zamazenta team, I was worried about not having a consistent mirror matchup, so I kept working to see if I could find something to meet my (unrealistic) expectations.
I saw this version of the team that Yuya Wakasugi used to win the Teru Fest tournament in Japan. Chi-Yu was marginally better against the mirror, but felt worse into the general matchup board, and the decrease in bulk and stability was very noticeable, especially against Rapid Strike Style Urshifu.
I thought of Tornadus because it offered speed control while still carrying priority Taunt with Prankster to help against Smeargle, something that was becoming extremely popular. Again, the team felt marginally stronger against the mirror, but much worse across the board, as Tornadus was especially bad against Miraidon + Ice Rider Calyrex compositions (where the speed control and damage into the occasional Volcarona would have been important).
In the days leading up to the tournament, there were whispers of high-ladder teams using Dragonite in these compositions. I was curious because Dragonite was a lot more punishing against Shadow Rider Calyrex if I was able to force Terastalization, but it was basically useless against Zamazenta. In the end I didn’t end up testing it all that much, but it performed extremely well at Worlds so clearly it was very strong.
And so I ended up back at the same six Pokémon that I started with. At this point (much later than I should have) I had come to terms with the fact that:
- No team will have a good matchup against everything
- It is not possible to completely avoid needing to make reads, especially not in this format.
Raging Bolt felt safer compared to Dragonite, being able to use its priority attacks in the end game against a wider variety of Pokémon. Once again proving comfort is key, I was set on these 6 Pokémon and used the remaining days until the tournament for specific matchup preparation.
Days Before Worlds
Our Airbnb reservation began on Wednesday, but Carlos’s flight arrived on Tuesday. Luckily, living in Southern California, I was able to host him for the night. After work, I met up with him, Víctor Medina, and Antonio Sánchez, and we all got dinner. I brought Carlos back to my house, and we both immediately crashed.
Wednesday morning we got right to work practicing. Giovanni Cischke eventually joined us after his flight landed. By the end of the day, we were all feeling a little more confident, and I was able to narrow down the moves and EV spreads for my team. Chris Han met up with us (little did we know we would have 4 of the Worlds Top 32 prepping in my room) and we left to hang out at Víctor and Antonio’s hotel pool.
The next day was filled with check-in and Pokémon Center lines. After what felt like a longer day than the actual competition, we arrived at the Airbnb, checked our team submissions one last time, and tried to get some sleep.
The Team
Get the team’s paste here!
Still not much to say. I prefer the defensive capabilities and security that Focus Sash offers compared to the extra offense provided by Life Orb. Focus Sash allows it to accomplish the most without requiring resources from other Pokemon, facilitating the team’s trade-heavy nature. I chose Ghost Tera Type this time to have the ability to reach damage output comparable to Life Orb if I needed to. Encore offers strong late game pressure and gives the team a way to punish Protects (otherwise lacking setup, Urshifu, etc) and create checkmate scenarios.
Dragon Tera Type was chosen because of the elemental resists it granted, specifically Electric for Miraidon. Other Tera Types, such as Water, Ghost, or even Fighting, as Yuma Kinugawa used in his team, could be considered, but I tested and practiced the most with Dragon Tera Type, and all of the gained resistances came up at some point during the tournament.
Full credit on the spread goes to Sebastian Liu Li. I chose Careful Nature because, to be completely honest, I could not find a way to consistently beat the Nasty Plot Life Orb Shadow Rider Calyrex compositions if Zamazenta would always faint to a +2 Psychic. Unfortunately, I faced zero Modest Calyrex over the tournament, but it was once again a comfort pick as that was what I had practiced the most with. Most common Pokémon in the format were still 2HKO’d by Body Press, a notable exception being Zamazenta with max Defense and high HP investment. However, Sword of Ruin helps offset this slight reduction in power. I believe the Special Defense investment came up in other ways throughout the tournament, so I do not regret the choice at all.
The Speed stat was chosen in an attempt to outspeed as many opposing Zamazenta as possible who did not commit to being extremely fast. Behemoth Bash was chosen to have consistent damage into Fairy-Tera Type Ice Rider Calyrex.
4 Atk Zamazenta-Crowned Behemoth Bash vs. 244 HP / 0 Def Calyrex-Ice Rider: 96-114 (46.6 – 55.3%) — 62.5% chance to 2HKO +1 172 Def Zamazenta-Crowned Body Press vs. 228 HP / 188+ Def Incineroar: 168-200 (84.4 – 100.5%) — 6.25% chance to OHKO (It OHKOs with Sword of Ruin!) +1 172 Def Zamazenta-Crowned Body Press vs. 44 HP / 4 Def Miraidon: 102-121 (56.3 – 66.8%) — guaranteed 2HKO
+1 172 Def Zamazenta-Crowned Body Press vs. +1 196 HP / 244+ Def Zamazenta-Crowned: 80-96 (41.6 – 50%) — 0.39% chance to 2HKO
+1 172 Def Sword of Ruin Zamazenta-Crowned Body Press vs. +1 196 HP / 244+ Def Zamazenta-Crowned: 104-126 (54.1 – 65.6%) — guaranteed 2HKO (It is a guaranteed KO after Ruination!)
252 Atk Sword of Ruin Chien-Pao Ice Spinner AND +1 244+ Def Sword of Ruin Zamazenta-Crowned Body Press vs. 164 HP / +1 172 Def Zamazenta-Crowned: 159-191 (84.5 – 101.5%) — 5.1% chance to OHKO
252 Atk Sword of Ruin Chien-Pao Ice Spinner AND +1 244+ Def Sword of Ruin Zamazenta-Crowned Body Press vs. 164 HP / +1 172 Def Tera Dragon Zamazenta-Crowned: 148-176 (78.7 – 93.6%) — guaranteed 2HKO +2 252+ SpA Life Orb Calyrex-Shadow Rider Astral Barrage vs. 164 HP / 76+ SpD Zamazenta-Crowned: 168-199 (89.3 – 105.8%) — 31.25% chance to OHKO 252+ SpA Choice Specs Hadron Engine Miraidon Electro Drift vs. 164 HP / 76+ SpD Zamazenta-Crowned in Electric Terrain: 160-190 (85.1 – 101%) — 6.25% chance to OHKO 252 Atk Life Orb Orichalcum Pulse Koraidon Close Combat vs. +1 164 HP / 172 Def Zamazenta-Crowned: 164-195 (87.2 – 103.7%) — 18.75% chance to OHKO 220 SpA Choice Specs Flutter Mane Moonblast vs. 164 HP / 76+ SpD Tera-Dragon Zamazenta-Crowned: 158-188 (84 – 100%) — 6.25% chance to OHKO
Chien-Pao is still one of the favorite partners of Shadow Rider Calyrex and Zamazenta, but this Chien-Pao serves more of a utility-based role. I chose Poison Tera Type because of the resistances it provided against Fairy- and Fighting-type attacks. Sebastian suggested I consider other Tera Types such as Water or even Electric, because “with Poison Tera Type, [opposing Zamazenta] always Heavy Slam because it still 2HKOs through Tera. But with Water they will always Body Press, and I can pressure a hard swap into Calyrex.” I did not end up testing other Tera Types, though. Full credit on this spread goes to Sebastian, as well. 252 Speed EVs was chosen to outrun Modest Miraidon and, at worst, speed tie Timid Miraidon, as it was impossible to survive Electro Drift from either without investing way too many EVs. It also coincides with the meta shift to Modest Shadow Rider Calyrex and was helpful (although not game-breaking) in that matchup.
252+ SpA Hadron Engine Miraidon Electro Drift vs. 220 HP / 36 SpD Assault Vest Chien-Pao in Electric Terrain: 148-175 (80.8 – 95.6%) — guaranteed 2HKO
252+ SpA Choice Specs Hadron Engine Miraidon Volt Switch vs. 220 HP / 36 SpD Assault Vest Chien-Pao in Electric Terrain: 156-184 (85.2 – 100.5%) — 6.25% chance to OHKO 252 SpA Life Orb Calyrex-Shadow Rider Astral Barrage vs. 220 HP / 36 SpD Assault Vest Chien-Pao: 52-62 (28.4 – 33.8%) — 0.63% chance to 3HKO
Raging Bolt is a strong, bulky, all-around attacker that can pin low-HP Pokémon in the endgame with Thunderclap. Booster Energy was chosen to have slightly more damage amplification compared to Magnet, as well as provide the damage boost to Dragon Pulse. Few gameplans involve leading Raging Bolt, so the tradeoff of losing the boost upon switching does not come up frequently. The Speed stat was chosen in an attempt to outspeed the fastest Raging Bolt according to Pokémon Showdown usage stats by 2 points to account for speed creep, while still maintaining the offensive and defensive benchmarks.
116+ Atk Calyrex-Ice Rider Glacial Lance vs. 148 HP / 60 Def Raging Bolt: 186-222 (84.9 – 101.3%) — 6.25% chance to OHKO 252 Atk Sword of Ruin Chien-Pao Icicle Crash vs. 148 HP / 60 Def Raging Bolt: 186-222 (84.9 – 101.3%) — 6.25% chance to OHKO +1 244+ Def Zamazenta-Crowned Helping Hand Body Press vs. 148 HP / 60 Def Raging Bolt: 178-211 (81.2 – 96.3%) — guaranteed 2HKO 252 SpA Life Orb Calyrex-Shadow Rider Helping Hand Astral Barrage vs. 148 HP / 4 SpD Raging Bolt: 195-230 (89 – 105%) — 31.25% chance to OHKO 252 Atk Life Orb Orichalcum Pulse Koraidon Close Combat vs. 148 HP / 60 Def Raging Bolt: 185-218 (84.4 – 99.5%) — guaranteed 2HKO
Ogerpon was the team’s resident Volcarona check, as well as providing additional redirection. Taunt was chosen over a Grass-type move in order to help against Amoonguss, Smeargle, and Leech Seed Ice Rider Calyrex. Taunt also makes Sitrus Berry Brute Bonnet (such as on the World Champion team) somewhat winnable due to removing the necessity to knock it out to neutralize Spore. Otherwise, it would be an unplayable matchup since it is impossible to knock out Brute Bonnet in one turn if it holds Sitrus Berry. It outspeeds Pokémon at 150 Speed by 2 points (again to account for speed creep), which is a common Volcarona Speed stat and outspeeds neutral Nature 252 Spe Urshifu. Terastalizing Ogerpon is extremely rare and is almost exclusively a desperation play, as Terastalization gets much more value on other Pokémon on the team.
252+ Atk Tera-Stellar Urshifu-Rapid Strike Surging Strikes (3 hits) (1st Use) vs. 252 HP / 52 Def Ogerpon-Cornerstone on a critical hit: 156-186 (83.4 – 99.4%) — guaranteed 2HKO
252+ SpA Hadron Engine Miraidon Volt Switch AND +1 36 SpA Volcarona Fiery Dance vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Ogerpon-Cornerstone in Electric Terrain: 153-182 (81.8 – 97.3%) — guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Flutter Mane Moonblast AND 196+ Atk Orichalcum Pulse Koraidon Flame Charge vs. 252 HP / 52 Def / 4 SpD Ogerpon-Cornerstone: 153-183 (81.8 – 97.8%) — guaranteed 2HKO
Amoonguss is a key defensive piece of the team, providing redirection and sleep pressure while sponging multiple hits. I chose Sludge Bomb to allow Amoonguss to threaten some amount of damage itself, as Pollen Puff’s healing did not feel as important as before. In theory, Fairy Tera Type could disincentivize opposing Miraidon from clicking Draco Meteor to try to knock Amoonguss out. However, I did not Terastallize Amoonguss a single time over the tournament, and there were multiple instances where a different type, such as Water, would have been better. The Speed stat underspeeds minimum speed Ice Rider Calyrex, Iron Hands, and regular Ursaluna.
252+ Atk Guts Ursaluna Facade (140 BP) vs. 244 HP / 236+ Def Amoonguss: 189-223 (85.9 – 101.3%) — 12.5% chance to OHKO 252+ Atk Calyrex-Ice Rider Glacial Lance vs. 244 HP / 236+ Def Amoonguss: 186-218 (84.5 – 99%) — guaranteed 2HKO 252+ SpA Hadron Engine Miraidon Draco Meteor vs. 244 HP / 28 SpD Amoonguss: 193-228 (87.7 – 103.6%) — 25% chance to OHKO
Matchup Gameplans
A lot of this format comes down to getting leads correctly, or calling some key turns or 50/50 situations correctly. It is rare that there is a consistent, linear gameplan into many of the archetypes. I’ll outline possible leads and good general plans to keep in mind. In general, this team focuses on winning damage trades because almost every Pokemon on the team can both take hits and dish them back (due to natural bulk, Focus Sash or Sturdy, and non-standard defensive investment).
Against Shadow Rider Calyrex + Zamazenta teams, learning which Zamazenta is faster quickly is key. If yours is faster, you threaten Ruination + Body Press. Zamazenta + Chien-Pao is a strong lead into both the Focus Sash and Life Orb compositions. In the Focus Sash Calyrex mirror, preserving Chien-Pao for the late game can be very helpful, and Amoonguss can be the difference maker. Against the Life Orb setup compositions, try to make trades as best as you can with the knowledge that your Zamazenta will most likely survive the +2 attack from Calyrex. If you can get Calyrex in range of Raging Bolt’s Thunderclap, then at worst it becomes a speed tie with your own Calyrex if they preserve redirection for the end game.
Against Lunala + Miraidon teams, Calyrex + Zamazenta or Chien-Pao + Zamazenta are solid leads across the board, but can get tricky if the opponent leads Whimsicott and Rapid Strike Style Urshifu. Zamazenta’s HP must be preserved as it is the best way of dealing with Ursaluna. Do not let them sweep through in Trick Room, or set up a second Trick Room. If they lead Lunala + Miraidon, you must call whether they Electro Drift the Zamazenta or Volt Switch off of the partner.
Calyrex Shadow + Zamazenta is a safe lead into most leads from Ice Rider Calyrex + Miraidon teams. Try not to get into a position where you have Zamazenta on the field without anything to threaten Amoonguss. If they lead Miraidon + Urshifu, they are forcing a call on turn 1 of whether or not they will Aqua Jet + Electro Drift Calyrex. Ogerpon, Chien-Pao, and Amoonguss are all good in the back.
Chien-Pao + Zamazenta or Zamazenta + Ogerpon are strong leads into almost anything Ice Rider Calyrex + Kyogre teams can do. If they have Choice Scarf Urshifu, then you may need to play it slightly differently with Amoonguss. Between Wide Guard, Sturdy, Protects, and your own Amoonguss, you can stall out the Trick Room or Tailwind and clean up with Calyrex. Behemoth Bash is extremely important here.
Against the Shadow Rider Calyrex + Miraidon setup compositions with Clefairy and Volcarona, you can lead either Chien-Pao + Zamazenta or Zamazenta + Ogerpon. The most important part of the gameplan is that you cannot let them get in a position to knock out Ogerpon before you knock out their Volcarona.
Sun-style teams
/ / / 
The leads against these styles of teams are often very similar. Zamazenta + Ogerpon is very safe across the board because you offer redirection against Flutter Mane + Koraidon offense, Taunt against Smeargle, Brute Bonnet, or Ice Rider Calyrex, or strong Rock-type damage into Chi-Yu. Raging Bolt can be brought in the back for priority damage and another soft check for Chi-Yu, or Amoonguss can be brought for additional redirection and a Trick Room response. These matchups can be difficult to recover from after an early deficit, so try to avoid falling behind without trading as well as you can.
Tournament Run
I typically don’t like to eat a huge breakfast on tournament days, so I grab the yogurt and coffee I bought the night before and try to get more alert and ready for the long day ahead. I Uber to the venue and after watching the opening ceremony performance, I sit down and take a look at my Round 1 opponent.
At the time of writing this, the exact turn by turn playback of some of the individual games has already gotten a little fuzzy. If some of the details are missing or incorrect I apologize in advance.
Day 1 Swiss rounds
| Round | Result | Opponent | Opponent’s team | List |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R1 | WW | Connor Swikart (Condor) |   | |
This set was played on a side stream TV, and (most of) it was recorded!
📹 Watch my Round 1 match against Connor here!
Game 1
- Me:
- Opp:
I choose my standard lead against Shadow Rider Calyrex + Zamazenta because I want to determine the speed order of Zamazenta, as well as whether his Calyrex is Timid or Modest, as fast as possible.
He Protects Calyrex + Ruinations my Zamazenta as I spread damage and bring his Chien-Pao down to Focus Sash. I knock out the Chien-Pao with Ice Shard and get damage into Calyrex with Behemoth Bash, since I know I will survive any attack from Calyrex the majority of the time. Over the rest of the game, I am able to make trades successfully and reach a Raging Bolt vs Ogerpon endgame, which Raging Bolt easily wins.
I learn the key information that his Calyrex is Timid Nature and his Zamazenta is faster than mine.
Game 2
- Me:
- Opp:
Knowing his Zamazenta is faster and he has Ruination on Chien-Pao, he can immediately threaten my Zamazenta with massive damage, if not an outright knockout.
I adjust to Zamazenta + Amoonguss, calling out his adjustment to Zamazenta + Chien-Pao, and I am half correct upon seeing Zamazenta + Ogerpon. I double Protect to scout Protects from his end, but he double attacks Zamazenta’s Protect. I make the call that he wants to remove Amoonguss, rather than playing passively with Protect and ignoring Amoonguss for a turn, as I select Rage Powder + Body Press into his Zamazenta. I am correct, and we trade Amoonguss for a lot of damage on his non-Terastalized Zamazenta.
I bring in Calyrex and lock in Astral Barrage + Body Press into Ogerpon. Wide Guard is extremely obvious from his end, but I do not actually care if this happens because I still have my Focus Sash intact, and there is a chance he does not Wide Guard because it is so obvious. Wide Guard goes off, Ogerpon loses 60% to Body Press and Calyrex loses 70% to Ivy Cudgel. I repeat the same turn because Ogerpon is now in range of Body Press, so, no matter what, my Pokémon are not taking any damage this turn. He switches Ogerpon into Chien-Pao and does not Wide Guard. Both of his Pokémon faint, putting me in a huge advantage.
Calyrex and mid-HP Ogerpon come back in. I Terastalize Zamazenta to Dragon, selecting Wide Guard + Astral Barrage. In this situation, he needs to both call the turn correctly (Astral Barrage vs Psychic) AND win the speed tie on Calyrex. I believed I could have still won the game with my remaining Pokémon even if I had lost the speed tie, and I was up 1 game so I was comfortable risking a speed tie. However, in hindsight I think there were much safer plays I could have made. It did not matter, though, as he does not Terastalize Calyrex, loses the speed tie, and loses both of his remaining Pokémon.
| Round | Result | Opponent | Opponent’s team | List |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R2 | LTWW |  Max Morales (Shiba-Max) |   | |
Game 1
- Me:
- Opp:
I know he will use Fake Out on one of my Pokémon, and there is a chance he Protects Calyrex and tries to sneak a Spore in, so I double target the Smeargle. He Fakes Out Zamazenta and Nasty Plots as I bring Smeargle almost down to Focus Sash, revealing that his Calyrex is also Timid Nature. My very bulky Zamazenta will survive any attack from +2 Timid Calyrex 100% of the time, but I didn’t consider Beads of Ruin. He switches Chi-yu and Psychics Zamazenta, which knocks it out. I mistakenly brought Ogerpon instead of Raging Bolt, overcompensating for Smeargle, so I instantly lose from there.
Game 2
- Me:
- Opp:
Turn 1 plays out similarly to Game 1. I am now more aware of the potential Chi-Yu swap, so I play more defensively with Zamazenta. Eventually Raging Bolt comes in, and I am in what I believe to be a slightly favorable position and… we disconnect. The judges rule the game a tie and that if I were to win game 3, we would then progress to sudden death.
Game 3
- Me:
- Opp:
Game 3 starts as games 1 and 2 did: Smeargle down to very low HP and Calyrex at +2 Special Attack. After some trading and repositioning we reach a point where Calyrex has Encore pressure into Iron Hands who had just used Fake Out. I read Iron Hands switching out and ignore it, using Astral Barrage to spread damage across the board (I see later in the game that even with Beads of Ruin, it would not have knocked out the Iron Hands from the HP it was at). Through this key turn, as well as getting some Thunderclap mindgames correct, I am able to win and force sudden death.
Game 4
- Me:
- Opp:
…Or so we thought? We call the judges to confirm that we are going to sudden death due to the disconnect, but they allow us to play a full fourth game since there are many other matches who are still playing, and thus we are not short on time. This is great news for me as Max’s team is much more offensive and has many more tools to take the first knockout at his discretion. I honestly don’t remember the details of this game at all, but I think I was able to get a key turn correct with Protect or a hard switch.
| Round | Result | Opponent | Opponent’s team | List |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R3 | LWL | Cary D’Ortona (Cary) | | |
Game 1
- Me:
- Opp:
The leads arrive and I determine that his Zamazenta is slower than mine. We trade Zamazenta after a few turns, and I Terastalize Raging Bolt for the damage boost so Thunderclap can knock out the mid-HP Calyrex. Unfortunately, because I lost Zamazenta early and Terastalized Raging Bolt out of the Dragon type, I no longer have a Grass-type resist, and double Grassy Glide proves too much in the endgame.
Game 2
- Me:
- Opp:
Knowing his Calyrex is Timid, my Zamazenta will survive an attack at +2 Special Attack. However, his Incineroar has Helping Hand, so with the additional multiplier he is able to knock out my Zamazenta in one attack, if I let him. I read that he will Protect the Calyrex turn 2 rather than going all in on the Helping Hand-boosted attack, and I am correct. Body Press knocks out Incineroar, paving the way for my own Calyrex to clean up the endgame with some help from Raging Bolt.
Game 3
- Me:
- Opp:
I go for Astral Barrage + Wide Guard, expecting Fake Out from Incineroar and covering for Astral Barrage from Cary’s Calyrex. Incineroar does use Fake Out, but the opposing Calyrex Terastalizes to Dark and uses Psychic into Zamazenta, getting the Special Defense drop. This drop puts me in an incredibly tricky position, because now he does not need to use Helping Hand to knock out Zamazenta.
Immediately on the back foot, I make a very defensive play, Protecting Calyrex and switching Zamazenta into Chien-Pao. Cary calls the switch and uses Astral Barrage + Knock Off into my Protecting Calyrex. We trade the Calyrex, and the board is now my Zamazenta + Chien-Pao against his Zamazenta + Ogerpon. I Terastallize Zamazenta and knock out Ogerpon with Ruination + Body Press, but Cary’s Zamazenta uses Body Press into my own, which still knocks me out due to no longer having the +1 Defense boost. I knew I didn’t have the boost, but the damage calc was something I should have known and simply forgot in the moment.
Raging Bolt + Chien-Pao come close to winning against Zamazenta + Incineroar, but Zamazenta barely lives the second Thunderbolt and I lose.
| Round | Result | Opponent | Opponent’s team | List |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R4 | WW |  Cruz Ting (Ze Banded) |   | |
Game 1
- Me:
- Opp:
I switch Chien-Pao to Ogerpon immediately and Protect Zamazenta because I’m threatened by Tailwind + Electro Drift on either Pokémon. Electro Drift goes into Zamazenta’s Protect, and next turn Ogerpon redirects both attacks, fainting while I knock out Whimsicott. I’m able to stall out Tailwind without losing too much, but I’m still worried because I expect Chi-Yu in the back, and with Ogerpon fainted and Zamazenta at low HP, Chi-Yu will be very difficult to deal with.
To my surprise, though, Farigiraf comes in as the fourth Pokémon. At this point with no Tailwind, Chien-Pao is able to deal with Miraidon and help clean up the game against the remaining Pokémon.
Game 2
- Me:
- Opp:
At this point I’m sure Chi-Yu is coming, so I adjust to Raging Bolt to have some additional help against it, as well as a strong resistance to Electric-type moves from Miraidon. I double Protect to scout for Miraidon’s Choice Specs lock and to see what Farigiraf wants to do, then I Taunt Farigiraf to prevent Trick Room and Body Press the Miraidon slot. To my surprise again, there’s no Chi-Yu, so by stopping Trick Room my Calyrex is faster/speed ties all of his Pokémon and threatens strong damage.
The endgame comes down to a read on if he locks into Dazzling Gleam, hoping to knock out both of my Pokémon or knock out Zamazenta on the switch, or Draco Meteor. I Protect Raging Bolt as he chooses Dazzling Gleam, so I am able to bring Zamazenta in for the fainted Ogerpon and use Wide Guard for the rest of the game.
| Round | Result | Opponent | Opponent’s team | List |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R5 | LL | James Evans (James) |  | |
Game 1
- Me:
- Opp:
Not to take anything away from James, because he played incredibly here, but this matchup is abysmal for me. I try to make risky plays, Protecting only one of my Pokémon calling James’s targeting, but I get it wrong and James is able to pivot Raging Bolt into his own Calyrex. Encore pressure, +1 Speed Koraidon, Assault Vest Raging Bolt, and Protosynthesis-boosted Brute Bonnet prove too much for me to come back against after losing Ogerpon for essentially nothing.
Game 2
- Me:
- Opp:
I Protect both Pokémon to scout and try to sneak in some Spiky Shield recoil. The next turn I Terastalize to Ghost and Astral Barrage as Koraidon switches to Brute Bonnet, doing less than 50% to Raging Bolt as it Volt Switches out. Once again, Brute Bonnet is incredibly tough with Ogerpon weakened, and I get multiple turns wrong trying to somehow claw my way back into the game.
At this point I know that I cannot lose another set or I will be eliminated.
| Round | Result | Opponent | Opponent’s team | List |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R6 | WW | Luke Kroll (Luke) |  | |
Game 1
- Me:
- Opp:
Upon seeing I have the faster Zamazenta, I know I can threaten Ruination + Body Press for a knock out. This entire matchup comes down to knocking out Volcarona before my Ogerpon is knocked out. Assault Vest Miraidon is tougher to remove due the increased bulk, but my Chien-Pao and Calyrex have a lot more freedom in the matchup due to the speed tiers. I am able to make some reads and position so that the Volcarona doesn’t get out of hand with boosts, and Calyrex cleans up the endgame.
Game 2
- Me:
- Opp:
I anticipate a Volcarona lead to counter my lead from game 1 and get it perfectly. However, it is very easy to misplay a position like this due to my team’s limited answers for Volcarona.
Expecting Volt Switch into Ogerpon to break Sturdy and reposition, I Spiky Shield. Volcarona Protects, Chien-Pao uses Ruination into Miraidon, and Volt Switch goes into Spiky Shield. The next turn I double the Volcarona slot with Ruination + Ivy Cudgel to cover for a switch into Zamazenta. Volcarona does switch into Ogerpon, but I miss Ruination as Miraidon Volt Switches back into Volcarona.
I play passively because I don’t want to knock out Ogerpon as Volcarona Protects, giving him a position to knock out Ogerpon and set up Quiver Dance with Volcarona next turn. However, he reads this and Quiver Dances this turn. Despite this momentum shift, Ogerpon survives an attack with just a sliver of HP and knocks out Volcarona, and I have enough resources to handle his remaining Zamazenta and Miraidon.
| Round | Result | Opponent | Opponent’s team | List |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R7 | WW |  Katsuhiko Minami (みなみん) | | |
Game 1
- Me:
- Opp:
As I see the leads, I feel relief that he is not forcing an immediate 50/50 with Urshifu + Miraidon. It is very hard for them to stop Astral Barrage + Body Press without Amoonguss inside Trick Room, especially if Shadow Rider Calyrex is able to get momentum early. Since neither Ice Rider Calyrex nor Amoonguss were led, I was able to click attacks relatively easily and take advantage of this early position.
Game 2
- Me:
- Opp:
Turns 1 and 2 might have been the worst turns I made of the entire tournament. Despite tunnel-visioning on the potential Amoonguss switch, I am able to knock out Calyrex with minimal losses. Miraidon comes in, and both of our Amoonguss become redirection bots. I get a lucky Sludge Bomb poison on Miraidon, and after Rocky Helmet and poison damage, I’m left with Ogerpon against Incineroar and Amoonguss, both just above 50%. Ivy Cudgel just misses the knockout on Incineroar, but he knocks himself out with Flare Blitz recoil, and Ogerpon barely survives Pollen Puff. Ogerpon picks the perfect time to score a critical hit, and Ivy Cudgel knocks out Amoonguss.
| Round | Result | Opponent | Opponent’s team | List |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R7 | WLW | Chyr Wei (Megumi～) | | |
Game 1
- Me:
- Opp:
The dreaded 6 Pokémon mirror. Luckily, I learn that my Zamazenta is faster immediately (and he would tell me after the set that my Chien-Pao was also faster). I aggressively target around his Protects due to the pressure Ruination + Body Press puts on his Zamazenta, but he reciprocates the read on my Amoonguss’s Protect the following turn and deals massive damage to my own Zamazenta. Despite trying everything we can to avoid it, the game comes down to a Calyrex speed tie. I win the first speed tie and win the first game.
Game 2
- Me:
- Opp:
I expect Amoonguss to be led because my Zamazenta was revealed to be faster, but he repeats his game 1 lead. My Calyrex is immediately on the back foot, and due to needing to reposition I fall to an early deficit. For the second game in a row, we arrive at a Calyrex speed tie. Even if I had won this speed tie, I think it would have been very hard to win from the position I was in. I don’t even get a chance to see his fourth Pokémon, though, as I lose the speed tie and lose game 2.
Game 3
- Me:
- Opp:
I adjust to Amoonguss expecting Zamazenta + Chien-Pao a third time, but I’m met with Calyrex in the lead. I switch Amoonguss to Chien-Pao fearing Psychic, but he switches Calyrex to Amoonguss and Body Presses my Zamazenta, now Terastallized to Dragon. I force Terastallization on the Amoonguss due to Ice Spinner pressuring a knockout, but I switch Chien-Pao back into Amoonguss immediately. Now I am able to use Spore on all of his Pokémon.
I bring it back using this advantage with Amoonguss, but speed ties are inevitable, and the game will once again be decided by who wins it. I lock my attacks and hold my breath and…
…my Calyrex moves first! I win the game, the set, and move on to Day 2.
Day 1 summary: 6-2 (13-6) — Advancing to Day 2!
I didn’t feel like I had played the absolute best, but I was super excited to make Day 2 of a tournament as stacked as the World Championships. After getting dinner with a group of friends and taking a quick look at the teams that made Day 2, I dozed off while my friends watched some of the streamed matches from Day 1 at our Airbnb. They woke me up when everyone went to sleep, and I went to my room and actually went to bed, excited for the day ahead.
Day 2 Swiss rounds
| Round | Result | Opponent | Opponent’s team | List |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R9 | WW |  Brian Collins (Angeló) |   | |
Game 1
- Me:
- Opp:
My heart dropped when I saw my Round 9 pairing: not only was I against a good friend and Southern California local, but he had Dark-Tera Type Zamazenta with Imprison! After a quick and panicked discussion with some friends, I had somewhat of a gameplan.
I switch Calyrex to Zamazenta and remove Maushold after a few turns, trying not to give him a lot of momentum. He brings Zamazenta in to Imprison. I realize 2 things: 1) my Zamazenta has Behemoth Bash so it can still attack; and 2) with the current board he does not have great ways of removing Amoonguss since Roaring Moon doesn’t have Acrobatics. Amoonguss comes in and starts putting things to sleep, and I slowly start chipping away with Behemoth Bash and Sludge Bomb. Eventually my Calyrex comes in and I just need to quickly click attacks before I run out of “Your Time” to win.
Game 2
- Me:
- Opp:
The game begins the same as game 1, eventually knocking out Maushold and getting Amoonguss in position to Spore. The difference in this game is that I preserved Chien-Pao better, and he brought Calyrex instead of Ursaluna. The game progresses the same way as game 1 until I can bring Chien-Pao back in and Sucker Punch the Calyrex to win.
Brian told me after the set that I played out of my mind, and I think I needed to in a matchup like this. I’m feeling extremely excited and confident for my win-and-in round.
| Round | Result | Opponent | Opponent’s team | List |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R9 | WW | Shunsuke Minami (Érizabeth) | | |
Game 1
- Me:
- Opp:
I Protect both Pokémon to scout what Chi-Yu will lock into. Next turn we trade Chi-Yu and a Body Press into Groudon for Ogerpon and Terastallization on Zamazenta. Zamazenta takes no damage since he used two single-target attacks, fearing Wide Guard or a miss. Smeargle comes in, only to faint without using a move. Flutter Mane comes in, and I make a read that he will attack Calyrex, Protecting it. I get the 50/50 right, as Fairy Tera Type-boosted Moonblast goes into Protect and I knock out Flutter Mane with Behemoth Bash. Calyrex and Zamazenta finish the game against Groudon.
Game 2
- Me:
- Opp:
I Spiky Shield + Body Press Groudon, Terastallizing to Dragon. I land a critical hit as Chi-Yu switches into Smeargle.
Eventually we reach a board state where Flutter Mane is next to Smeargle and sun is running out soon. I Protect Calyrex and switch Zamazenta to Amoonguss as Fairy Tera Type-boosted Moonblast deals 40% to it. Amoonguss should be able to survive another Moonblast, and it can redirect Smeargle attacks because Grass Tera Type is no longer an option. More turns pass and we are left with Calyrex + Zamazenta against Smeargle who just entered the field, Flutter Mane around half HP, and Chi-Yu, with sun expired. I read Flutter Mane switching out, threatened by Astral Barrage, and Smeargle using Fake Out, Encoring it.
Now all that’s between me and Top Cut of the World Championships is avoiding a Dark Pulse flinch. I put my hands together as the animation plays, and when Zamazenta’s Body Press knocks Chi-Yu out, I can’t help but smile and pump my fist.
Day 2 Swiss rounds summary: 2-0 (4-0)
Final Swiss result: 8-2 (17-6) — Advancing to Top Cut!
I had Top Cut the World Championships for the first time! I was on cloud 9. Carlos Cabal was at the table next to mine, and he had also won his win-and-in. We give each other a quick dap and hug and go celebrate for about 30 seconds with the rest of our friends, but then we’re back to the moment: the most important part of the tournament has yet to play. We take the rest of the time until the bracket is posted discussing gameplans for who we could expect to play in Top Cut.
Top Cut
| Round | Result | Opponent | Opponent’s team | List |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R9 | LWW | Chuppa Cross IV (Chuppa*Cross) | | |
Game 1
- Me:
- Opp:
Another Focus Sash Calyrex mirror. This time, though, my Zamazenta is slower, and their Chien-Pao is max speed with Icy Wind. I try to play defensively, but they play aggressively and punish me. I don’t remember exactly how the game finished, but I could not come back from the early deficit.
Going forward in this set, I now know that I need to play around Amoonguss early, as I cannot brute-force my way through with Chien-Pao since my Zamazenta is slower.
Game 2
- Me:
- Opp:
I Protect Amoonguss trying to catch a double target, but they ignore it and deal massive damage to my Zamazenta. I survive due to Terastallization and deal some damage to their Zamazenta, also Terastallized. The next turn we trade Amoonguss for Chien-Pao. Unfortunately, I don’t remember the details of this game either, but preserving my Chien-Pao for the endgame provides me with the tools to win.
Game 3
- Me:
- Opp:
I Protect both Pokémon as a safer play than game 2 and to scout for any Terastallization from their end. It is a dead turn, and turn 2 we both Terastallize our Zamazenta and trade Chien-Pao for Amoonguss. Calyrex and Raging Bolt come in. After trading some damage, I use almost my entire turn timer unsure about what play I should make and end up making a very neutral play, spreading damage on each Pokémon. Luckily, Chuppa reads my low HP Calyrex to Protect and doesn’t Thunderclap, allowing me to bring Raging Bolt very low and Zamazenta in range of Psychic.
Chien-Pao comes in for my fainted Zamazenta and finishes off Raging Bolt as his Zamazenta Protects, and Calyrex comes in. Zamazenta gets a double Protect, but I thankfully win the Calyrex speed tie, bringing his Calyrex to 1 HP. Zamazenta fails the triple and gets knocked out to Ice Spinner, and Calyrex does not land a critical hit with Astral Barrage. Chien-Pao survives and wins the game with Ice Shard.
| Round | Result | Opponent | Opponent’s team | List |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top 16 | WLL | Hirofumi Kimura (カ・エール) | | |
This set was played on the feature station!
📹 Watch my Top 16 match against Hirofumi here!
Game 1
- Me:
- Opp:
Protect on Ice Rider Calyrex is very obvious, and I don’t expect a player of Hirofumi’s caliber to risk his Koraidon while making that play (unless he Protects with both), so I double target it with Ruination + Behemoth Bash and knock it out, as Koraidon uses Flame Charge without Terastallization and fails to knock out Chien-Pao. Smeargle comes in and does not get a Speed boost after Chien-Pao is knocked out, and I bring Ogerpon and knock out Smeargle. Calyrex and Zamazenta are able to clean up the end game.
Game 2
- Me:
- Opp:
Game 2 technically starts Calyrex + Zamazenta against Calyrex + Incineroar, but we disconnect before turn 1 happens. The judges rule it a null game and that we are allowed to switch Pokémon if we choose. I realized my original game 2 lead was simply a poor lead in general, not specifically into what Hirofumi revealed before the disconnect, so I use this unfortunate blessing to revise my plan.
The early game starts about as good as it could have, and by the time Ogerpon faints I have chipped Landorus, brought Calyrex to 50%, and Taunted it. My Calyrex comes in, and I feel like the win is almost within my grasp.
This is where things start to go off the rails. I tunnel-vision on the Taunted and incredibly threatened Ice Rider Calyrex, allowing Hirofumi to hard-switch Smeargle in untouched, sacrificing Incineroar and getting a Speed boost immediately. He makes a few correct reads on my Protects with Spore, my Pokémon sleep for a while, and I am unable to come back.
Game 3
- Me:
- Opp:
Turn 1 goes poorly, but I get Body Press damage into Koraidon in exchange for Ogerpon, as Calyrex switches to Incineroar. I fear Fire Tera Type-boosted Flare Blitz knocking out Zamazenta in one hit, and in the moment I mistakenly assume Low Kick has a chance to OHKO Zamazenta since I am Careful Nature. I Terastallize Zamazenta, but Hirofumi double-targets Calyrex, and Incineroar barely survives Astral Barrage + Body Press after Terastallizing to Water. With only Zamazenta + Amoonguss against Calyrex + Landorus, I fish for a critical hit for a few turns but never land one.
In a cruel twist of fate, the Careful-Natured Zamazenta that I had felt so much comfort in eliminates me from the World Championships.
Top Cut summary: 1-1 (3-3)
Final total result: 9-3 (20-9) — Finished in Top 16!
Final Words
It’s a bittersweet ending to the World Championships, but I am still incredibly proud of reaching Top Cut for my first time, and even winning a Top Cut round. It will be hard to top the feeling of seeing my local friends and family supporting me at the tournament in person, and it will be even harder to top the feeling of watching Gio win with all of my friends in the VGC community. The friendships and community are the best parts of this game, and I truly cherish every friend I have here.
I’ve said my shoutouts but once more for good measure. Shoutout to my friends and family for coming to watch, many of them their first time spectating a tournament. Shoutout Sebastian, Carlos, and Gio for help with the team, EV spreads, preparation, and just being amazing friends. Shoutout Team Z for always supporting me even when I’m at my lowest.
My performance, as well as my friends’, has lit a fire inside me I didn’t really even know I had. I hope to do even better next year in San Francisco – home state advantage hasn’t failed me yet.
Until next time, I hope you enjoyed the report!
