Header artwork by KUREIRO Natsuhi.
Hello! My name is Kevin Han, and I won the 2025 VGC Senior World Championships. I would like to thank my friends from my personal life, my friends I met through Pokémon, my coaches, and especially my family for giving me the amazing life that I have.
Here is my team report/journey on how I won Worlds.
Table of Contents
Before the World Championships
Originally before Worlds, I wanted to use Choice Specs Miraidon. At NAIC, I went 3-3 with Miraidon + Zamazenta, but Zamazenta didn’t feel that great. Choice Specs Miraidon felt really good, though, as Draco Meteor usually picked up a OHKO on Shadow Rider Calyrex (the Pokémon which eliminated me from NAIC).
With Choice Specs Miraidon in mind, I picked up the team that the NAIC semifinalist Kazuki Kobayashi used. This team had Choice Specs Miraidon + Leftovers Ice Rider Calyrex with 4 strong Pokémon. This team gives a lot of options as long as you can get predictions correct because there are no Pokémon that cannot deal at least a little bit of damage on this team.
I used this team from around mid-June to the start of July. However, this team didn’t end up working as the meta developed. This made me start to look differently at the meta.
I ended up realizing that my whole team was outsped by Koraidon, Chien Pao, Shadow Rider Calyrex, and opposing Choice Scarf Miraidon. Justin Tang and I talked about this, and he told me that Michael Kelsch / MichaelderBeste ran a Choice Scarf Miraidon + Clear Amulet Ice Rider Calyrex team.
This team is a lot more offensive than the Leftovers Calyrex set that I was running with the Kobayashi team, and changes the main restricted Pokémon from Miraidon to Calyrex. However, it is a lot less bulky than the Kobayashi team, so I was very skeptical at first. Even though many of the same Pokémon were used, they were used very differently because they have different sets. Also, using Amoonguss over Farigiraf changes how the team plays a lot. I was also skeptical about Miraidon, because the only other item used on Miraidon before was Assault Vest, and that set only worked on one specific team. Choice Scarf also seems redundant at first because Miraidon is already one of the fastest Pokémon in the game. However, this option opened up an item slot on Urshifu to have it hold the Focus Sash, which I knew was going to be way better.
At first, the team didn’t feel good at all because it is more complex to use than my previous team. However, it started to feel better and better over time, until I realized it was really good. I edited around the sets and EV spreads here and there to my liking until I found the sets I liked. The main edits were Bug-Tera Type Incineroar, Water-Tera Type Amoonguss, and a more offensive Landorus set with Poison Tera Type and Sandsear Storm over Taunt. There were definitely a lot of bumps in my journey while using the team because I was playing incorrectly. I got feedback from Joe Ugarte / JoeUX9 that I was playing too passive and safe when he analyzed my losses. But since I was practicing with the team for over a month, I was able to overcome these challenges and improve my play over time.
At one point I was convinced that Iron Valiant and Iron Boulder would be what saved the team, but my coaches and friends brought me down to Earth and pointed out that I was playing incorrectly with my original team. Whenever I went on a losing streak, I would become convinced that my team wasn’t good enough, so I changed it numerous times which would often make it worse. However, when I finally decided to work with others, they set me back on the right track until Worlds. I cannot thank my friends and coaches enough for this, as I would’ve rolled up to Worlds with Pokémon that have less than 1% usage without them.
Leading up to the tournament, I practiced certain difficult matchups like SwordFish (Kyogre + Zacian), Cornerstone Mask Ogerpon, and Shadow Rider Calyrex with Zamazenta with my coaches and brother Chris, and figured out most of my lines into these teams.
I went to Anaheim a week early to visit relatives and Disneyland, which was really fun and I can’t thank my parents enough for it. This meant that my prep work had finished, so I was ready to compete in the 2025 VGC World Championships.
The Team
Get the team’s paste here!
Miraidon was the first half of the restricted pairing that won me Worlds. Choice Scarf Miraidon gives you a fast attacker with a lot of damage, Snarl pressure, and fast Volt Switch. A lot of Choice Scarf Miraidons went max Speed Timid to outspeed other Choice Scarf Miraidon, but I prioritized bulk over speed so I could play knowing my Miraidon will always be slower than my opponent’s. My other reasoning was that Timid Choice Scarf Miraidon only helps in 2 or 3 matchups, whereas bulky Miraidon helps in all of my matchups. This EV spread aims to survive Glacial Lance, take physical attacks well, but also maximize the odds for Electro Drift to 2-hit-KO Shadow Rider Calyrex in Grassy Terrain with one turn of Life Orb recoil.
Ice Rider Calyrex is not only the second half of my restricted pairing, not only the main restricted Pokémon on my team, but also one of my favorite Pokémon of all time. Calyrex’s role on the team was to set up Trick Room and hit as hard as it can. This EV spread aims to maximize Special Defense, but I also chose a weird Speed stat for this Pokémon. Usually, Calyrex likes to run a little Speed investment to outspeed other Pokémon that are at base 50 Speed, but I felt that bulk was more important than speed, just like with Miraidon. I can confidently say that Calyrex was the MVP of the team.
Amoonguss was one of the backbones of the team. If you ever needed a switch into Body Press, Surging Strikes, Wood Hammer, Electro Drift, etc., Amoonguss was there to tank the attacks. I ran maximum Defense and maximum HP because most of the matchups where I brought Amoonguss to, Amoonguss only took physical attacks (I mainly brought Amoonguss to Chien-Pao with Zamazenta + Shadow Rider Calyrex teams or just regular Shadow Rider Calyrex teams). Another cool thing I ran on Amoonguss was 0 Speed IVs: this was to counter Clefairy under Trick Room because, when Clefairy is slower than Ice Rider Calyrex, it could be a real nuisance under Trick Room. Amoonguss was the bulky backbone that could disrupt opposing Pokémon under Trick Room.
Incineroar was the other backbone of the team. Usually, Incineroar is very supportive with either Taunt, Will-O-Wisp, or Parting Shot, but my Incineroar was both offensive and supportive at the same time. It has 116+ Attack investment to maximize its offensive value inside of Trick Room, as Calyrex often needed a second attack to KO certain Pokémon. Specifically against Shadow Rider Calyrex + Zamazenta, offensive Incineroar + Ice Rider Calyrex can either OHKO Shadow Rider Calyrex, or deal a huge amount of damage to Zamazenta. The investment in its Special Defense and HP are here to guarantee that Incineroar always lives a Choice Specs Miraidon’s Electro Drift without a critical hit, while also leaving enough points for Speed investment. Overall, Incineroar was the most important non-restricted Pokémon on my team because it could support the team’s bulk with Intimidate and Ice Rider Calyrex’s damage under Trick Room.
With the support Pokémon decided, the team needs more general offense. Focus Sash Urshifu is the best Pokémon in the format for this role. Urshifu is faster than a solid chunk of the meta; deals solid, consistent damage; and always lives an attack with the Focus Sash. Since Urshifu doesn’t plan on staying around for a while, Stellar Tera Type is the best option for Urshifu to utilize its potential damage output. The spreads are here to maximize Urshifu’s Attack and Speed, and the 4 Defense EVs are to help in Urshifu or Ice Rider Calyrex mirrors. Urshifu was also my check for Kyogre teams and Cornerstone Mask Ogerpon teams: Ice Rider Calyrex really struggles against these two Pokémon because it cannot defensively Terastallize in front of them, so Urshifu really helped in these matchups.
Last but definitely not least, Landorus was added to the team. Landorus’s role is to:
- OHKO Pokémon weak to Earth Power
- OHKO Pokémon weak to Sludge Bomb
Landorus in this format is designed to tank attacks, and fire back with some of the strongest attacks in the game. Life Orb Sheer Power-boosted Earth Power can land a OHKO on Miraidon, Urshifu, Zamazenta, Incineroar, and so much more. The EV spreads enable Landorus to always tank two Heavy Slams from Zamazenta, outspeed Pokémon like Kyogre, Groudon, and Lunala, and still hit like a truck. The main matchups Landorus was here for were Shadow Rider Calyrex + Zamazenta teams, Groudon teams, and Lunala + Miraidon teams. Against Shadow Rider Calyrex + Zamazenta, Landorus could deal massive amounts of damage under Trick Room and swing the game in my favor. Against Groudon and Lunala + Miraidon teams, Landorus was a strong attacker that was immune to some of the attacks that gave my other Pokémon trouble.
Matchups
Even though I had a lot of doubts about this team in the beginning, it turned into my favorite team of all time. On the whole, this team doesn’t have amazing matchup spreads, but it gives enough options that there is no matchup that is completely impossible.
Best matchups
Shadow Rider Calyrex + Zamazenta with Whimsicott
Shadow Rider Calyrex + Terapagos
Shadow Rider Calyrex + Koraidon
Neutral matchups
Miraidon + Zamazenta
Shadow Rider Calyrex setup + Miraidon
Shadow Rider Calyrex balance
Miraidon + Ice Rider Calyrex
Worst matchups
Kyogre + Zacian
Shadow Rider Calyrex + Zamazenta with Cornerstone Mask Ogerpon
Clear Amulet Groudon
Kyogre + Zamazenta
Lunala + Life Orb Miraidon
I would say that this team is pretty difficult to use in the beginning, but if played correctly, it is one of the most rewarding ones. Funnily enough, this team uses 5 of the 6 Pokémon I used in Regulation Set G to win the Atlanta Regional with Miraidon over Raging Bolt, which share the exact same typing, so I already have tons of experience with most of these Pokémon. Even after Regulation Set I events ended, I could still use this team in the Regulation Set J and Regulation Set I in-game ladder.
Tournament Run
I will be covering Phase 1, Phase 2, Top Cut and Championship Sunday individually. Some matches I will be giving little detail on because I started making this team report three months after Worlds, so I don’t remember all of the matches in detail.
So without further ado, here was my tournament experience:
Morning of Day 1
On the morning of the 2025 VGC World Championship’s first day, I got up bright and early and ready to compete. I walked over to the venue just to learn that I get an extra two hours, because the Junior and Senior competition started later at 11 am. However, the late start only added to my already high and rising levels of anxiety. Thankfully, I was able to meet up with my friends and watch the stream before we had to sit down to play Round 1. However, the time eventually ran out and I headed over to play the first round of many.
As I head over to my table, I see so many faces that I recognize, and as I finally reach my table, my anxiety levels reach an all-time high. However, I was able to somehow push it down for a little bit. It felt like an eternity until the judges of the tournament announced it. They finally said the words I haven’t heard in over a year: “Video Game Juniors and Seniors, welcome to the 2025 Pokémon World Championships! This is your Round 1, you may begin.”
Phase 1 Swiss rounds
| Round | Result | Opponent | Opponent’s team | List |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R1 | WW |  Genki E. |     |  |
In the first round, I faced off against Shadow Rider Calyrex + Zamazenta but with Smeargle and a Grass-Tera Type Zamazenta. This threw a wrench in my usual gameplans that included disrupting my opponent’s team with Amoonguss under Trick Room.
Thankfully, I was able to find plays around my opponent’s Grass-Tera Type Zamazenta, and I won in two nice games.
This was a good sign to start off the day, as starting the World Championships with a loss doesn’t help with mindsets nor the tournament.
| Round | Result | Opponent | Opponent’s team | List |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R2 | WLW | Kenshi K. |  | |
In the second round, I faced off against Kyogre + Miraidon with Farigiraf. This matchup was very difficult as the Farigiraf prevented my Incineroar from taking control of the battle.
Thankfully, I was able to win Game 1 after getting some risky predictions correct.
In Game 2, however, my opponent was able to predict me in the endgame, and I lost.
In Game 3, I got lucky in the early game with a Close Combat critical hit from my Urshifu, which gave me a huge lead. However, it was still close, and came down to a tight prediction game. I got the final predictions correct and narrowly pulled off the win.
| Round | Result | Opponent | Opponent’s team | List |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R3 | WLW |  João Felipe L. |   | |
In this round, I recognized my opponent as they were a very strong competitor and well known online. They were using a Shadow Rider Calyrex + Zamazenta team with Ting-Lu and a very strong Raging Bolt.
Game 1 came down to if my Calyrex with about 45% of its HP would survive a Stone Edge from Ting-Lu, but it missed, and I won the game.
In Game 2, my opponent adjusted very well, so I got swept easily.
In Game 3, I led with Landorus + Calyrex to try and catch a Raging Bolt lead. However, my opponent led with Calyrex + Zamazenta. This immediately put me on the back foot. However, I used Sandsear Storm + Glacial Lance to OHKO their Calyrex while dealing over 85% to their Zamazenta to obtain a huge lead. Even after my opponent made some good predictions to get back into the game, it wasn’t enough, and I eventually won.
| Round | Result | Opponent | Opponent’s team | List |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R4 | LWW | Ryutaro H. | | |
My opponent this round was using the same team as my Round 1 opponent with Smeargle and Grass-Tera Type Zamazenta.
This time, however, my opponent made a very risky prediction on turn 1 of Game 1 that won them the game immediately.
In Game 2, I won the turn 1 prediction and was able to pull out the win.
Finally, in Game 3, my opponent went for a much more balanced approach with a Rillaboom + Zamazenta lead. Eventually, my Incineroar, Landorus and Calyrex under Trick Room were able to run through my opponent’s team, giving me the win.
After this win, I was really happy because it guaranteed that I would make it to the second day of competition. However, Day 1 still wasn’t over, as I had two more rounds to go.
| Round | Result | Opponent | Opponent’s team | List |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R5 | LWW |  Liam S. |  | |
My opponent this round was actually one of my friends from the United States, and they were using Meteor Beam Terapagos + Choice Scarf Miraidon. Their Terapagos was Timid Nature, which meant it outspeeds my Urshifu. This changed the matchup because my Urshifu wouldn’t be able to deal with Terapagos, so I needed another way to beat it.
In Game 1, I lost some of the early prediction games which swayed the game in my opponent’s favor so much that they won from there.
In Game 2, I predicted the first two turns correctly, which won me the game.
In Game 3, we traded resources throughout the early game, but at the midgame, I realized I was on the back foot. I was too low on HP and used up my Terastillization. However, I realized I still had one option left. I sacrificed my Miraidon to get Incineroar in, and used Fake Out to set up Trick Room. From there, my Calyrex was able to clean up my opponent’s Pokémon.
| Round | Result | Opponent | Opponent’s team | List |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R6 | WW |  Louis F. |   | |
My final opponent of the day was another European friend of mine, who is one of the best players in their region. They were using Ice Rider Calyrex + Groudon, which may sound like a bad matchup, but it’s actually not. First, my opponent was using Assault Vest Groudon instead of Clear Amulet, and also Sitrus Berry Calyrex. This made it so my Incineroar could take full control of the battle.
In Game 1, Miraidon OHKO’d my opponent’s Chi-Yu without taking any damage on the first turn. This won me the game smoothly.
In Game 2, I switched in my Landorus as a Thunderbolt + Precipice Blade was targeted into it and it took no damage. Both of these plays gained me so much momentum in the match that I won smoothly from there.
Phase 1 Swiss rounds summary: 6-0 (12-4) — Advancing to Phase 2!
Thoughts at the end of Day 1
At the end of Round 6, I could not believe myself. I went 6-0 on Day 1! This made it so I guaranteed my position in Top Cut regardless of how I performed tomorrow. I was so shocked because:
- My team didn’t have a great matchup spread, so I needed to play optimally on every single turn
- I thought I exhausted all my luck at 2024 Junior Worlds and this year’s Atlanta
- I didn’t perform well at NAIC, which reminded me that I wasn’t always going to perform well at every tournament
For this World Championships, a lot of top players struggled because this format is like nothing else before as it requires a lot of hard reads. This can make the format really inconsistent.
At the end of the day, I went out to dinner with some friends, and a couple of them also made it to Phase 2. Overall, Day 1 was an amazing day for me tournament-wise and also having fun-with-friends-wise. After having a lot of fun at dinner, I went back to my hotel to relax and mentally prepare for Day 2.
Morning of Day 2
Similar to the morning of Day 1, I woke up decently early and went to eat breakfast. A cool routine I picked up recently was to eat bananas at breakfast. Eating bananas actually helps a lot with anxiety and stress before tournaments and is also a good source of nutrition.
On Day 2, we started at 8:30 am instead of 11 am, so I headed over to the venue around 8 am and met up with some friends to talk with before Round 7. However, the time was short, and I had to head over to my seat to play the first round of Day 2. The good news is that I only have 2 Swiss rounds today. The bad news is that my next round will be the most difficult round so far.
Phase 2 Swiss rounds
| Round | Result | Opponent | Opponent’s team | List |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R7 | LWW |  Vikram T. | | |
This set was played on a side stream TV!
📹 Watch my Round 7 match against Vikram here!
My opponent was the only other player who went undefeated on Day 1, and they are also a very strong opponent. They were using an Ice Rider Calyrex + Clear Amulet Groudon team with Smeargle, which is a pretty bad matchup for me: instead of Incineroar taking over the battle, Smeargle can Fake Out Incineroar before it can move and Groudon can pick up a OHKO on Incineroar and deal huge damage to my other Pokémon as well. Landorus can beat Groudon, but Smeagle is faster and can put it to sleep or my opponent’s Calyrex can KO it in one hit. On the whole, this is a bad matchup that will require many predictions to pull off a win.
Game 1
In Game 1, I lead with Miraidon + Calyrex, as I thought it would give me the most options into my opponent’s potential leads. However, he leads with Flutter Mane + Groudon, which means that he applies way more pressure onto my Pokémon than I do to his. I predict the first turn correctly, getting good chip damage onto his Flutter Mane as I Volt Switch to Landorus and take 0 damage from the incoming Precipice Blades. The next couple of turns, however, are not so good for me. I sacrifice my Incineroar, not realizing that I need it to beat their Calyrex and Smeargle, which gave my opponent a slight win condition to come back into the game. After that, they get hard read after hard read, protecting into double-focus attacks and switching in Smeargle at the right time to apply Fake Out pressure. With these great plays, my opponent wins the game.
Game 2
In Game 2, I still believed that Miraidon + Calyrex was my best lead, I just messed up the midgame. Once the game starts, we both lead with the same Pokémon, except this time, I Draco Meteor Groudon to bring it down into the red, as it misses Precipice Blades into my Miraidon. This is possibly one of the best starts to a game I could ask for. However, immediately after he misses Precipice Blades, we disconnect from the game. This is really unfortunate, especially right after that massive lead. We call a judge over, and unfortunately, they tell us that it’s game void and we just have to restart the game.
Game 2 – Restart
At that moment, my mentality was starting to shatter. Having a near guaranteed win from turn 1 stripped away from me felt really bad. On top of that, if I wanted to win the set, I would need to win two more games after playing two already. It felt mentally draining and crushing, but I am not one to give up easily. I picked myself up, and decided something: I was going to lead the same Pokémon and give it my all. If it fails, then it’s alright – I would still get a break in between rounds, and I had already secured my place in Top Cut yesterday. This is what I told myself when I locked in my Pokémon for the Game 2 restart.
Once again, we both led with the same Pokémon, but this time I had a different plan. After they targeted their Flutter Mane’s Shadow Ball into my Protect on Calyrex two games in a row, I believed my opponent would switch up what they would do with their Flutter Mane. After a tense couple of seconds, I saw that I predicted my opponent correctly. I Terastallized my Miraidon and launched a Volt Switch into Flutter Mane to put it in range of Glacial Lance. They Terastallized their Flutter Mane and used Dazzling Gleam to deal good chip damage to both of my Pokémon, as my switched-in Landorus took no damage from the incoming Precipice Blades. My Calyrex finished off the turn with a Glacial Lance that dealt massive damage to Groudon and KO’d the Flutter Mane. In the following turns, I let my Calyrex go down to safely bring in Incineroar that pressured Smeargle to switch out. After I KO’ed Groudon and Smeargle, Incineroar was able to successfully 1v1 their Calyrex in the endgame. Now, after three games, it all came down to Game 3.
Game 3
Every first couple of turns have been a jumble of risky predictions, but I don’t end up finding a way around these, so I lock in the same Pokémon once again for the fourth time in a row. Just like the previous games, my opponent locks in the same Pokémon they did for all three previous games. In this game, I decided that my opponent will go back to the play they made in Games 1 and 2, and I respond with the play I made in the original Game 2. Luckily, they do exactly what they did in the original Game 2, but their Precipice Blades connected onto my Miraidon this time, dealing 90% of its HP. Instead of either of us gaining the lead, we land in a stalemate, where we both go for safe plays, scared of making an incorrect prediction.
However, this works out in my opponent’s favor because they have the matchup advantage, which I didn’t realize at the time. We end up in a position that looks unwinnable for me:
- They have Smeargle that can put either of my Pokémon to sleep with Spore because Electric Terrain has worn out, a +2 Atk Calyrex, and Terastallization still available.
- On my end, I have Fake Out active on Incineroar, and a low-HP +2 Atk Calyrex.
My opponent can Terastallize their Calyrex + Spore my Calyrex. This play they have only loses if my Incineroar can land a critical hit, which may sound appealing… but I have a trick up my sleeve. I know my opponent sees this play, but they have been playing so well in this set, that I believe they will make a play around this luck. Another option they have is to Terastallize their Smeargle to Ghost, which prevents a Fake Out and guarantees a Spore onto my Incineroar. Then, their Calyrex can pick up a KO onto my Calyrex and they would still have both Pokémon remaining. So between betting on luck or a chance my opponent makes a mistake, I decide to play around my opponent making a mistake.
The Terastallization animation plays, and for a second, I think to myself that they Terastallized their Calyrex. However, it’s the Smeargle that Terastallizes, and then my Incineroar moves first and uses Fake Out. The Smeargle puts it to sleep, but the game is already sealed: his Calyrex tries to move, but gets flinched by Fake Out. Finally, my +2 Atk Calyrex picks up the KO on the weakened Calyrex on my opponent’s side of the field with a High Horsepower. My opponent’s last Pokémon, Smeargle, has no damaging moves in its moveset, and I just barely pull off the win.
The biggest wave of relief I have ever felt washes over me as I shake my opponent’s hand and sign the match slip. I got so incredibly lucky in that set with my predictions. Every first turn 50/50 prediction I got correct, and then some. I just felt so incredible in that moment, especially since my opponent was so strong. I walk over to my mom and dad who both tell me how close that match was, and I thank them a lot while taking a break, but it still felt insane to pull off that win despite so many mishaps that occurred. The part I am most proud of, however, is that my mental game stayed strong after the crucial disconnect. Even though it started to crumble, I kept my composure and stayed calm despite it. After taking a small break, I felt refreshed and happy going into Round 8.
| Round | Result | Opponent | Opponent’s team | List |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R8 | WW | Yoshihiro S. |  | |
Going into Round 8, I had no pressure to win as I already guaranteed a bye for the first round of Top Cut, but I still wanted to try my best.
I won Game 1 easily as Incineroar was able to take over the match under Trick Room.
Game 2, however, was not so smooth. My opponent made good plays that put my Calyrex under pressure of a Meteor Beam KO’ing it. I predict they will not use Meteor Beam because I could easily protect my Calyrex. However, they just use Meteor Beam. Luckily, it misses, and I am able to set my Trick Room up. From there, my remaining Pokémon are just enough to sweep my opponent’s Pokemon in the endgame, and I win the set.
Phase 2 Swiss rounds summary: 2-0 (4-1)
Final Swiss result: 8-0 (16-5) — Advancing to Top Cut!
After these two rounds, I felt dumbfounded. I couldn’t believe that I went 8 wins and 0 losses in the first two phases of competition. Going into the tournament, I didn’t have high expectations of myself because it was just my first year in the Senior Division this year. This completely changed my perspective. This was a record only one person in the tournament could receive, and often most tournaments don’t even have an undefeated player. I celebrated with my parents and friends, but I learned that my brother barely missed Top Cut in the Masters Division. Even though he was disappointed after losing, he still offered to help me prepare for my Top Cut matches. I cannot stress enough how much my brother means to me as he always helps me, even when he’s down and lost his own tournament.
So, as the Top Cut got announced, I got the bye for the first round of the bracket as I was the undefeated player. This meant that I had time to find a quiet spot to prepare for Top Cut with my brother.
Top Cut
My brother and I prepared for my Top 16 matchup which was against Miraidon + Zamazenta with Volcarona and Bloodmoon Ursaluna. This matchup depended on my ability to set up Trick Room while getting rid of the Ursaluna so it cannot reverse-sweep me. After we prepared for that matchup, we prepared a little bit for the matchup I played in Round 7, as there were two people using that same team in Top Cut. My brother tells me that a safer line is Calyrex + Amoonguss as Trick Room is a much more viable option here. However, the time runs out before we can prepare any further, and I head over to play my Top 16 match.
| Round | Result | Opponent | Opponent’s team | List |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top 16 | WW | Minato K. |   | |
In Game 1, my opponent leads off with Miraidon + Zamazenta as I lead with Miraidon + Calyrex. My opponent’s lead pressured my Calyrex, so I used Protect and Terastallized my Miraidon while using Electro Drift into the Zamazenta. However, my opponent Draco Meteors my Miraidon and Terastallizes Zamazenta to Grass. Thankfully, Draco Meteor misses as Zamazenta gets an Iron Defense up. Now, I could Electro Drift the Zamazenta again and put myself in a position to win under Trick Room.
In Game 2, I lead with Calyrex + Amoonguss to guarantee a Trick Room. However, my opponent brings in Bloodmoon Ursaluna while I have Landorus and Amoonguss on the field. To counter this, I predicted my opponent to use Hyper Voice instead of Blood Moon, so I used both Pollen Puff and Earth Power to KO Ursaluna. Now, my Landorus just barely won the game under Trick Room.
| Round | Result | Opponent | Opponent’s team | List |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top 8 | WW | Leland S. | | |
My opponent in Top 8 was actually another friend of mine from when I was in Juniors, and they were using the same team my Round 7 opponent was using, so I did not have a good matchup. This match will hopefully be different from Round 7, however, since my brother gave me a different gameplan.
In Game 1, my opponent led with Flutter Mane + Groudon, as I led Calyrex + Amoonguss. On turn 1, I predicted my opponent to double attack into my Amoonguss for the KO as I used Protect to block both attacks and set up Trick Room. From there, my Amoonguss under Trick Room took control of the battle by constantly spamming Spore, and I won the game.
In Game 2, my opponent led with Smeargle + their own Calyrex. However, I put my opponent’s Smeargle to sleep with Spore after I Terastallized my Amoonguss to Water. Then, my opponent switched their Smeargle out as I set up Trick Room and took full control of the match. I won the game smoothly from there.
I was feeling incredible after this set. I had made Top 4 of another World Championships, so I got my Worlds invite for next year and another trophy! I felt so excited and pumped up, but there was still one last match remaining before I had a special chance, and I had to try to stay focused. If I won this Top 4 match today, then I would be in the finals of the whole tournament.
| Round | Result | Opponent | Opponent’s team | List |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top 4 | WW | Conner P. |  | |
This set was played on a side stream TV!
📹 Watch my Top 4 match against Conner here!
My Top 4 opponent was using Shadow Rider Calyrex + Zamazenta with Hearthflame Mask Ogerpon and Chien-Pao. This is actually a matchup that is slightly in my favor, as I have a lot of offensive pressure with my Choice Scarf Miraidon and Urshifu. However, I personally don’t want to use that mode. That mode is a lot more volatile, and I prefer using my Miraidon, Ice Rider Calyrex and Amoonguss mode to deal with the early game and Landorus to clean up the end game.
Game 1
In Game 1, my opponent led with Zamazenta + Chien-Pao as I led with Miraidon + Ice Rider Calyrex. I used Volt Switch into the Zamazenta predicting Chien-Pao to Protect, but they both attacked. Thankfully, they both attacked into my Calyrex’s Protect, which means I got a good chunk of Zamazenta’s HP without taking any damage. The next turn, I set up Trick Room while using Rage Powder to protect my Calyrex. Next, I switched Amoonguss to Landorus, predicting my opponent to play defensively, and they did. They switched their Chien-Pao to Shadow Rider Calyrex and used Protect with Zamazenta, but since I got my Landorus in safely, I have a huge lead. Even though my opponent makes some good defensive plays, I KO’ed their Calyrex and won the game from there as Landorus could beat the rest of their Pokémon.
Game 2
In Game 2, we both led with the same Pokémon. This time, I used Volt Switch into Chien-Pao, predicting my opponent to use Protect with their Zamazenta because I targeted it last game. However, they double attacked into my Protect on Ice Rider Calyrex again, so I gained a lot of momentum. When I brought in Amoonguss, they used Ice Spinner instead of Ruination + Body Press to try and KO my Amoonguss, but it survived. However, this survival is actually worse for me because I don’t get a free switch to Landorus on the first turn of Trick Room.
To make it worse, my opponent predicted that I would use Glacial Lance instead of High Horsepower. They used Wide Guard + Astral Barrage to KO my Amoonguss while getting a Special Attack boost and dealt a good chunk to my Calyrex. However, this gave me the chance to get my Landorus in. My opponent stalled out one turn of Trick Room, but had to give up their Calyrex.
The endgame came down to if my Landorus lives through the turn to land an Earth Power. Since my opponent doesn’t know how bulky my Landorus is, they didn’t realize they had to double-attack it. Instead, they launched a Fire Tera Type-boosted Ivy Cudgel into it. It barely survived with 10% of its HP, and launched an Earth Power to KO their Zamazenta. From there, Miraidon outsped the Ogerpon and KO’d it with an Electro Drift critical hit to finish the game quickly.
Top Cut summary: 4-0 (6-0 + bye)
Final total result: 12-0 (22-5) — Advancing to the Finals!
Night of Day 2
I did it! I made it to the finals! I couldn’t believe myself. As my brother and my friend walk over to congratulate me, I can’t stop shaking. I made it to the Worlds finals for the second time in a row. The judges are now walking over to tell me all the details about tomorrow, but I zone out as I start thinking through the endless possibilities tomorrow. What if I lose? What if I win? The last time an opportunity like this happened for someone, they lost to two critical hits. Will that happen to me?
However, when they hand me a paper with all the details of tomorrow, I realize that even the worst scenario that could happen tomorrow won’t matter for now, as I have new tasks. First, I read the paper with all the stream details to make sure I understand what will happen tomorrow. Second, I burn off steam by talking with my friend and my brother to relax. Third, I meet up with some more friends to watch the remaining stream matches for Masters. Lastly, I meet up with more friends to have dinner together, as that is the true joy of Pokémon tournaments. I play some matches with my friends at dinner, but in the end, I decide to just enjoy having dinner with them instead. I can worry about preparing tomorrow morning, as my call time isn’t until 3 pm tomorrow. So, with my anxiety rising with every passing hour, I decide to go to sleep early after dinner.
Morning of Championship Sunday
In the morning, I get ready for the day and prepare with my brother. My opponent is Sian L., from Korea. I lost to him at last year’s World Championships during Day 1, and he is one of the best players in the world. He made Day 2 this year at many online tournaments with Masters, and he also has a very scary team: he was using a Shadow Rider Calyrex + Zamazenta team with Rillaboom, Ogerpon, Raging Bolt, and Incineroar. The main problem about this matchup is that I need to get many predictions correct to win, and Sian only needs a few. Another problem about this matchup is that his Calyrex is Spell Tag, not Life Orb: this means that two Electro Drifts in Grassy Terrain won’t KO the Calyrex since Life Orb isn’t there to chip it down.
After preparing a little bit with my brother, my family and I headed over to the convention center to meet up with the Junior finalist, Luke W., since he also needed help from my brother for his final match. Since my brother had to help Luke, his friends Víctor Medina / Torviv and Antonio Sánchez / Rahxen continued to help me prepare for finals. After 1 or 2 hours, we finally arrived at a gameplan for the match.
In Game 1, I will lead Ice Rider Calyrex + Incineroar to catch a Shadow Rider Calyrex + Rillaboom lead, since Incineroar resists both Astral Barrage and Wood Hammer. In Game 2, I will lead Ice Rider Calyrex + Miraidon to catch a Shadow Rider Calyrex + Zamazenta lead that would be an adjustment to my Incineroar lead in Game 1. If it has to come down to a Game 3, I will lead Ice Rider Calyrex + Miraidon again, as it has the most amount of options into any lead my opponent can lead.
Backstage
Before the Finals of the tournament, my parents, brother and I meet up with the staff who will take us backstage. Once the Junior finalists and Sian arrive, we all head backstage as they tell us all the details. The TCG Masters Finals is in their second game, but my anxiety stays at an all-time high. It keeps on rising until Riley McKay wins the TCG Masters World Championships.
After the Trophy Ceremony for TCG, I am led to the crowd where I watch the VGC Junior Finals play out. Before they started, I debated what I should bring on stage. I was going to bring my water bottle for sure, but the main thing I contemplated was which plushies I would bring. I decided on bringing my small Dracovish plushie. In the Junior Division, I had a bigger Dracovish plushie I brought to the Finals match, but I got a newer plushie this season and started bringing it to tournaments. This is what convinced me to bring my small Dracovish plushie on stage, as it was a symbol of how I grew up from Junior to Senior.
When Game 1 for the Junior Finals finishes, I am brought backstage to wait to go on stage. I am still so anxious, but Game 2 of the Junior Finals finishes quickly (congrats Luke!!!), so I am waiting right behind the big screens of the stage entrance for the interview.
On stage
When Luke’s interview finishes, I expect to have at least a couple minutes to mentally prepare myself, but when I hear, “First, from the USA,” I realized I was going on right now. I panicked for a second, then I walked out on stage, still nervous as a shivering cat. When my opponent, Sian, walked out, the prematch interview started. I was up first. When the caster asked me the first question, all I could hear was “How are you feeling…?” The other question I processed was “… What is your signature…?” As you can tell, I was really, really nervous. However, when I sat down, everything started to settle in. I took some sips of my water, I started to calm down, and I also started getting into the zone. However, when the Switch turns on, I realize it’s in Korean. When I tell the judges, they switch our seats, which resets everything for me. We wait a while before we can start the match, but when we finally do, I realize that I left my water on the other side of the table. They tell me they’ll get it for me after Game 1, so there’s nothing else for me to do except to lock in and play the finals of the 2025 Pokémon World Championships.
Finals
| Round | Result | Opponent | Opponent’s team | List |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finals | WW |  Sian L. | | |
Game 1
Game 1 starts off as expected, with my opponent leading Shadow Rider Calyrex + Rillaboom as I lead with Ice Rider Calyrex + Incineroar. I use Flare Blitz into the Shadow Rider Calyrex and Trick Room with my Ice Rider Calyrex, as I found it the safest play to go for on turn 1. However, Sian uses Fake Out onto my Incineroar, instead of using Fake Out onto my Calyrex as usual. He then uses Astral Barrage to deal good chip damage to both of my Pokémon as I set up Trick Room. In practice, the plan was to pressure damage under Trick Room with both Incineroar and Calyrex to KO the Shadow Rider Calyrex early. To cover a Hearthflame Mask Ogerpon switch-in, I double-attack the Rillaboom with both of my Pokémon. However, Sian switches to Incineroar, meaning my Incineroar wasted an attack and takes extra chip damage for not much in return. Shadow Rider Calyrex then fires off another Astral Barrage to put my Ice Rider Calyrex in range of another attack.
I feel like Sian has been playing so risky with his Calyrex because he didn’t use Protect on either of the first two turns. This is what causes me to make the play that wins me the game. I predict Sian to not Fake Out my Calyrex, and launch another Glacial Lance for the KO. Even better, my Incineroar’s U-Turn lets me get my Amoonguss in for free, meaning I am in an amazing position to win the game. My opponent brings in Rillaboom, realizing he needs it for Fake Out pressure. The Terastallization animation starts, and it’s on Sian’s Rillaboom to make sure it survives a Glacial Lance… but I don’t use Glacial Lance; instead, I use High Horsepower to hopefully KO Incineroar to seal up the game. However, the 95% accurate High Horsepower misses. This allows Incineroar to get a Parting Shot off, switching to Zamazenta.
Although this was very unfortunate, I don’t lose hope. I still have a huge advantage with my Amoonguss under Trick Room, and my Calyrex is still out of range of a Grassy Glide from Rillaboom. The next turn, I use Pollen Puff onto my Calyrex to guarantee I maximize the potential value I get from this turn, and this time my High Horsepower lands into the Rillaboom for the KO. Finally, Game 1 is guaranteed to be locked up. I KO the Incineroar with Calyrex, and use my Amoonguss to put Zamazenta to sleep. I miss another High Horsepower, but it doesn’t matter. I won Game 1.
Game 2
In Game 2, I made the planned lead adjustment to catch Sian off guard with my Miraidon + Ice Rider Calyrex lead as he leads with Shadow Rider Calyrex + Incineroar. In practice leading up to the tournament, whenever my opponent led with Calyrex + Incineroar, they always went for Protect + Knock Off onto my Miraidon. This would set themselves up next turn for a Helping Hand + Astral Barrage to KO my Miraidon and deal huge damage to Ice Rider Calyrex. To counter this play, I used Volt Switch into his Incineroar and Trick Room with Calyrex. I hold my breath, as I see Shadow Rider Calyrex move first… It uses Protect! I correctly predict the whole turn and get my Incineroar and Ice Rider Calyrex under Trick Room with barely any damage taken.
The next turn, Sian switches his Calyrex to Zamazenta to preserve it, but Incineroar’s Flare Blitz deals over half to Zamazenta’s HP. Next, my Calyrex KOs Sian’s Incineroar to gain even more momentum in the match. Sian then brings in his Calyrex. The next turn, I try to double attack the Calyrex for the KO, but it uses Protect, and the whole game now comes down to a 50/50:
- If Sian switches his Calyrex to Rillaboom, he can successfully stall out the Trick Room and use Astral Barrage + Body Press to KO my whole team.
- If Sian stays in with his Calyrex, he can KO my Ice Rider Calyrex and sweep my team from there.
What should I do? This is a pure 50/50 prediction, and whoever gets it correct wins the game. I lock in High Horsepower + Flare Blitz into the Shadow Rider Calyrex, and the first Pokémon to move is Zamazenta: he didn’t switch! High Horsepower connects into the Calyrex, and Flare Blitz finishes it off with an unnecessary critical hit. Now, Sian loses his main damage source. I let Incineroar go down to allow me to bring in Miraidon to pressure a guaranteed KO onto Zamazenta with Electro Drift.
Or at least, that’s what I thought. When my opponent Terastallizes, he does it with Zamazenta to Dragon, and I get confused. In practice, my brother used another top player’s team that had the same six Pokémon as Sian, but it was Water Tera Type, so I thought nothing was stopping Electro Drift from KO’ing Zamazenta that turn.
However, he targeted his Body Press into Miraidon instead of Calyrex. Rillaboom’s Wood Hammer fails to KO my Ice Rider Calyrex, and it launches off one last Glacial Lance for a double KO, winning me the 2025 Pokémon VGC Senior World Championships.
I couldn’t believe it. I won the World Championships for the second time in a row in my very first year of a new age division. Only one other player has ever won multiple World Championships, so I just made competitive Pokémon history as the second player to ever win multiple World Championships. The rest of the time I have before the after-match interview I use to process everything I just did.
Finally, the caster starts the interview, but all the nerves have washed away in the small amount of time after the match. I am able to listen and process the questions fully this time, and when it ends, I hug my mom first thing when I get backstage. When I go back on stage for the trophy ceremony, I let it all sink in.
Once I get to my podium, I shake hands with the Pokémon official, and do something I haven’t done in over a year: I raise my trophy as high as I could and remember all of the memories that made this weekend one of the best in my life.
Final Words
I’d like to close out my team report with another shoutout to all the people who supported me at any point in my journey to where I am today. This community is really special to me as there are so many kind and wonderful people who all share a passion for the game of Pokémon.
See y’all in San Francisco!
