Header artwork by KUREIRO Natsuhi.
Hello everyone! My name is Giovanni Cischke / PqlarBear, and I’m unbelievably grateful, honored, and proud to present myself to you as the 2025 Pokémon VGC World Champion in the Masters Division. My journey to get to this point is far greater than the tale of the weekend I hoisted the World Champion trophy in Anaheim, California, so it is with great fulfillment and pleasure for me to share the complete story of my victory through the trials and tribulations, as well as the people who challenged, inspired, and supported me along the way.
Table of Contents
About Me
I am a 23-year-old from Dallas, Texas, in the United States, and my introduction to Pokémon was through my older brother who received Pokémon Platinum for his 9th birthday back in 2009.
After many years of casual single battles with school friends, I stumbled upon the 2014 United States National Championships, and I was instantly hooked by the complex nature of double battles. Hoewever, it wouldn’t be until years later at the 2018 Dallas Regional where I started off competing in the Senior Division. I finished with a record of 3 wins and 2 losses for 12th place after receiving the game the week of the tournament, registering the night before, and using a Metagross that was not capable of Mega Evolving because I had not completed the game in time for the Mega Ring. My only other major event of my 2018 season was the North America International Championships, where I lost every single match after round 1.
For many years, I failed to leave much of an impact on the competitive Pokémon scene without a big result at an official event. However, the start of Scarlet & Violet was where I started to achieve results that were indicative of the potential I saw in myself…
I finally managed to get by “breakout” season in 2023 with a Top 8 at the San Diego Regional, Top 32 at the European International Championships, and my first invite to the Pokémon World Championships that year in Yokohama, Japan. Despite how well I thought I was playing at Worlds, I was at the mercy of my poor teambuilding choices and found myself at an early exit, being knocked out at a record of 2 wins and 3 losses.
In the 2024 season, I had multiple lackluster placements before breaking the drought with a Day 2 finish at the 2024 Pokémon World Championships in Honolulu, Hawaii, where I quickly flamed out and lost all three Day 2 rounds in uninspiring fashion.
Going into the 2025 season, I strongly believed that I was capable of far more than what my player profile showed. I was determined to have my first-ever featured match on the official broadcast and make it past the Top 8 at a Regional Championship to finally win a medal, as both of which had evaded me time and time again. More importantly, I had my sights set on qualifying for the World Championships, another chance to play in Day 2, a chance to prove to myself that I could go further, a chance to live out a dream.
Without further ado, I present to you the development of my team from its conception up to its final form, and my experience at the 2025 Pokémon World Championships in Anaheim, California.
My 2025 Season — Regulation Set G
After the 2024 World Championships, I took a break from competing at major tournaments for the remainder of the calendar year, earning Championship Points from local and online tournaments until I felt ready to compete at Regionals once again. My expectation for the season was to play at most two large-scale events: the San Antonio Regional in January and the North America Internationals in June. With plans to only possibly attend one or two major tournaments, I was forced to have a deep run to earn an invite to the World Championships. As many of you know, this is not at all how my season played out, but we will get to how that changed in a bit.
At the 2024 World Championships, I brought my own version of Spanish Koraidon, a team originally created by Juan Manuel Odriozola, Juan Núñez, and Guillermo Castilla. As previously mentioned, I was able to make Day 2 alongside my tournament preparation partners Carlos Cabal (25th place), and Luca Paz (51st place), who eliminated me from Worlds in a Round 9 true mirror match. Fast forward to December, the official competitive format would return to Regulation Set G in 2025, where the San Antonio Regional Championships would be waiting for me the following month.
San Antonio Regional Championships (January 25th–26th)
Result: 8-3
26th place / 602 players
After a devastating 8-1 to 8-3 finish that ended off with a max damage roll, my chance at qualifying for Worlds looked bleak. It felt like I wasted an opportunity, as I left the tournament hall that weekend thinking of what could have been.
In the weeks following San Antonio, Izzy Lee was trying to convince me to register for the Vancouver Regional Championships. I entertained the idea mostly as a joke, but I eventually decided to commit to it on a whim. My preparation process leading up to Vancouver was limited to understanding my matchups against top-performing teams at the European International Championships that took place two weeks before Vancouver.
Vancouver Regional Championships (March 8th–9th)
Result: 8-2 into Top 8 (total 10-3)
8th place / 426 players
📹 Watch my Round 10 match against Yotam Cohen here!
📹 Watch my Top 8 match against Behzad Muntazir here!
The Vancouver Regional was just about everything I could have wanted, I finally got my first (and second) appearance on the official broadcast! I was disappointed to lose another Top 8 match and fall just short of a medal for the second time, but the overall experience meant more to me than a piece of hardware would have.
On April 1st, Regulation Set I was announced as the official format for the remainder of the 2025 season, spanning from May 1st to August 31st. However, the second cycle of Regulation Set G was still ongoing through the end of April, so most players (including myself), put Regulation Set I on hold until after the final Regulation Set G events passed. For me, the Atlanta Regional Championships was in two weeks and held all of my attention. In the lead up to Atlanta, I felt great about my team choice, my understanding of the team, and my level of play, but I was in for a rude awakening.
Atlanta Regional Championships (April 12th–13th)
Result: 5-3
126th place / 783 players
I finished the tournament with a record of 5 wins and 3 losses, not even advancing to Day 2. After leaving the venue on Saturday, I was broken from the result and struggled to accept what happened. How could this happen? What was I doing wrong?
I believed that this team and my skill had what it takes to win an official tournament or finish within the Top 4 for my first hardware of a medal, and yet I wasn’t even able to make it to the second day of competition. Although some of my games were quite unfortunate and lost to thin margins, my principle for tournaments is that the best players will always make it to Day 2, no matter how many times the tournament is replayed. I had to come to terms that I was far from one of the best players in the tournament and did not deserve to play on Sunday.
In my sorrows, I did some reflecting, and everything started to make sense after a while. This tournament was different because I went into it with heavy expectations, something I did not acknowledge was a problem until now. My goal going forward was to free myself of these personal expectations, shifting my focus away from the tournament results and towards the quality of my preparation and gameplay. With Regulation Set I and the Milwaukee Regional Championships on the horizon and the most important time of the season quickly approaching, perhaps this was an inopportune time for me to reinvent my approach, and inherently myself. However, I considered this as too important to postpone.
Teambuilding Process
Regulation Set I was announced at the beginning of April to become the official format on May 1st, meaning it would also be the ruleset for the Milwaukee Regional Championships on May 3rd. The short turnaround left players scrambling for ideas and trying to figure out what pair of Restricted Pokémon to bring. I wanted to select a pair that was advantageous against the most popular archetypes (most notably Shadow Rider Calyrex + Zamazenta), while also not overly popular. Luckily, this criteria already aligned with my playstyle, so I was certain on what Restricted pairing I wanted to play: Koraidon + Lunala.
Those who know me well understand why I love Koraidon but I have yet to explain it publicly, so I think now is the best time. Six years ago from the release of Regulation Set I was the first month of VGC 2019 Ultra Series, where my taste in teams took a turn by pivoting from Kyogre to Groudon, and I never looked back. I personally found the playstyle of using sun-based teams in Restricted formats more dynamic than rain-based teams because sun enabled a wider range of partners both offensively and defensively. This sentiment has remained true to this day and was the main influence behind me playing Koraidon for the entirety of Regulation Set G. Naturally, I believed that my experience and investment as one of the few longtime Koraidon players would pay dividends when almost everyone else seemed to be starting from a clean slate.
As for Lunala, I have consistently used it in restricted formats since it was first legal in the VGC 2019 Sun Series. Lunala’s tools were enticing to me: astronomical power and bulk, an extraordinary ability, incredibly versatile speed tier, and numerous support options that made it extremely consistent. Both Koraidon and Lunala were Pokémon that I had thorough experience with independently and they seemed to complement each other very well. Koraidon had super-effective Fighting-type damage to threaten Dark-type Pokémon that historically troubled Lunala, and Lunala had super-effective Ghost-type damage to threaten opposing Ghost types that are otherwise immune to Fighting-type attacks.
April 14th
The Monday after the Atlanta Regional, my close friend Sven van der Voorden of The Netherlands started playing Regulation Set I and working in collaboration with Riccardo Stellini of Italy, who I have a lot of respect for. Before preparing for Milwaukee, I made it clear that I wanted to use Koraidon + Lunala, so Sven sent me a theory team based on my version of the Spanish Koraidon team (originally created by Juan Manuel Odriozola, Juan Núñez, and Guillermo Castilla) that I brought to the 2024 World Championships and piloted throughout the second cycle of Regulation Set G.
April 15th
Allegedly, the team left a lot to be desired. Sven decided to scrap the concept of a Spanish Koraidon remaster, changing course to a different Koraidon + Lunala team concept that was seeing significant play online within the past week.
This team was very similar to a team created by Puerto Rican player Jorge Sepulveda, which featured a Fairy-Tera Type Moonblast Lunala and an Ursaluna in place of Female Indeedee.
I took a liking to the appearance of this version immediately because Ursaluna seemed more flexible than Indeedee, and I also happened to have a lot of experience playing Ursaluna from Regulation Sets D and E. Indeedee seemed unstable to me because of the constant terrain war with Miraidon and Rillaboom, while also denying Lunala the freedom of fitting Trick Room into its moveset, which I believed to be one of Lunala’s greatest assets. Regardless of using Indeedee or Ursaluna, the three of us unanimously agreed that Moonblast on Lunala was redundant because of Flutter Mane already being on the team, while Meteor Beam seemed much stronger to provide Lunala with an inherent setup move and the ability to punch through Incineroar on its own. Sven’s use of Water Tera Type was also better defensively to resist common powerful attacks from Ice Rider Calyrex, Koraidon, and Kyogre since Moonblast was no longer on the moveset for the Fairy-Tera Type damage boost.
April 16th
Riccardo and Sven collectively held 5 of the top 50 spots on the ladder within a few days of testing the new team. At this time, the two of them were exploring separate versions: Sven further learning the aforementioned Clear Amulet Koraidon and Female Indeedee, while Riccardo was experimenting with Life Orb Koraidon and Ursaluna. Even though these two versions functioned differently, both Riccardo and Sven were speaking highly of this archetype’s control over the game and ability to break down opposing teams with calculated offense. As a remedy for me being busy around this time, Riccardo and Sven would send me replays of their games so I could watch and learn from their gameplay before practicing myself.
April 20th
The Victory Road April Challenge #2 took place over the weekend and multiple players in Day 2 used nearly identical teams, giving me more confidence that the three of us were onto something legitimate.
April 23rd
After digesting information about this team concept for around a week, I sent my interpretation of the team for feedback from my more experienced friends.
Koraidon:
- I think the no-bulk Life Orb set is necessary to increase the damage output in matchups where necessary KOs are not threatened otherwise.
Lunala:
- The minimum Spe stat should be 121 for −1 Spe Zamazenta with max Spe Impish since I have not seen any Jolly Incineroar that could otherwise Knock Off first, but I would not be surprised if it gets used later on.
- Lunala could be made faster for Lunala vs. Lunala interactions, attacking independently of Icy Wind support, covering max Speed Incineroar, and Icy Wind combinations against the highest speed tier Pokémon.
Flutter Mane:
- Normal Tera Type does not get value in the games I have seen from you guys, so I believe that Stellar Tera Type is stronger when combined with Beads of Ruin.
- Investing 4 HP instead of 4 Defense EVs because Surging Strikes damage in Sun does not change.
Chi-Yu:
- Urshifu’s Tera-boosted Aqua Jet is a 1/16 chance to OHKO.
- The EV spread could be tweaked to sacrifice some of the damage rolls on the defensive end for more Special Attack investment.
Brute Bonnet:
- Speed EVs would only be increased to improve Brute Bonnet interactions.
- The general concept of the 244 HP / 244 Def EV spread is extremely strong into the metagame because of the insanely powerful attacks it can soak up and secure Spore.
Ursaluna:
- Ghost Tera Type is better than Water against everything outside of Zacian + Kyogre.
- Ursaluna EVs stay 252 HP / 252 Atk unless more EVs in bulk are needed to take a specific attack. This shouldn’t exist with our current tools, but this is the only idea I can entertain for EVs changing.
My version of the team received approval, but Riccardo suggested to me that I should try out Fairy-Tera Type Ursaluna because it seemed promising to him when trying out a new version for the past few days. The idea of Fairy-Tera Type Ursaluna was intriguing to me because Miraidon almost always used Choice Specs or Choice Scarf, so Ursaluna could take advantage of the “choice-lock” with an immunity to Miraidon’s Electro Drift and Volt Switch naturally or Draco Meteor with Fairy-type Terastallization.
April 25th
When watching some of the replays from Sven and Riccardo, I noticed a position where Lunala attacked after an Adamant Chien-Pao at −1 Speed from Icy Wind. I instantly went to create a new EV spread that focused on retaining the Special Attack and sacrificing a slight amount of bulk to make Lunala fast enough to attack before Adamant/Modest Chien-Pao, Koraidon and Miraidon at −1 Speed. Additionally, this served as a second motive to ensure that Lunala would always attack with Meteor Beam before max Speed Incineroar (123 Speed) can use Knock Off.
April 26th–27th
Upon testing the current version of the team on Saturday and Sunday, I managed to win 45 of my 53 best-of-three practice sets and cracked the top 10 on the ladder over the weekend. I was amazed by the team firing on all cylinders without having any prior experience of playing the team myself, as I did not make nearly as many mistakes as I anticipated. The team transitioned between the fast mode (Koraidon, Flutter Mane, Chi-Yu, Lunala) and the slow mode (Lunala, Brute Bonnet, Ursaluna) so seamlessly that the team simply felt right. Brute Bonnet was specifically impressive in handling Smeargle consistently, which I thought would be quite valuable because I was assuming that Smeargle would eventually rise in popularity over the course of the format.
Miraidon with Iron Bundle was the main problematic matchup in testing because I was fighting at a constant speed disadvantage from Quark Drive Icy Wind and had to play extra careful around Encore. The only remaining change I wanted to make afterwards was decreasing Chi-Yu’s bulk slightly for more Special Attack because Tera-boosted Aqua Jet from Rapid Strike Style Urshifu was irrelevant in my practice games, and extra Special Attack EVs hit the “jump point” (the extra stat gained from a boosting nature for every 80 EVs invested). The extra EVs put into Special Attack guaranteed the Overheat OHKO against Choice Scarf Rapid Strike Style Urshifu in Sun, making Koraidon + Chi-Yu leads more comfortable. As of now, my preparation was done and my team for Milwaukee Regionals was finalized.
Milwaukee Regional Championships (May 3rd–4th)
Get my Milwaukee team’s full info here!
Result: 9-2 into Top 32 (total 9-3)
17th place / 743 players
📹 Watch my Round 5 match against Andrew Zheng here!
All of my losses were due to my own mistakes, but the team was exactly what I needed it to be for the time of this tournament. Although this result is not what I wanted, I considered my return to a Top Cut finish as an overall successful result. Additionally, I was happy with my gameplay during my streamed match and felt like I showcased the team nicely for an early meta best-of-three set.
May 5th: the day after Milwaukee
Fairy-Tera Type Ursaluna was very strong against Miraidon teams in Milwaukee and I do not regret using it, but I knew that Ghost Tera Type was a necessary change to the team because I expected Incineroar usage to increase drastically (I was correct!).
May 7th
Another Dutch friend of mine, Sebastian Liu Li, joined the group to prepare with Sven for Utrecht and assist Riccardo with Bologna, as all three of them looked to play Miraidon + Lunala because it matched their play styles better.
May 20th–21st
I won a League Cup which inspired me to sign up for the Portland Regional Championships at 3 am on the Wednesday before the event. Other players had doubts towards the team I was playing and they were becoming louder by the day, which caused me to question my team and start looking into other options.
May 23rd: the day before Portland
I spent 12 hours passively thinking about other team options throughout the day in Portland and reached out to a couple players about their teams to see if I could pick up a new team quickly. Despite many players writing off Koraidon + Lunala, I eventually settled on what I knew best and trusted my own opinion of the team instead. The only change to my team between Milwaukee and Portland Regionals was Ursaluna’s Tera Type from Fairy to Ghost, enabling Ursaluna to attack in front of Fake Out.
Milwaukee Regional
Incineroar: 31.2% of teams
Utrecht SC
Incineroar: 37.3% of teams
Portland Regional
Incineroar: 42.6% of teams
Portland Regional Championships (May 24th–25th)
Get my Portland team’s full info here!
Result: 8-2 into Top 8 (total 10-3)
7th place / 466 players
📹 Watch my Top 8 match against Aaron Brok here!
Finishing in the Top 8 is a result that I was happy with despite just falling short of winning my first medal. Full transparency, I believe that my Top 8 match against Aaron is by far the worst I have played on the official stream and Aaron unquestionably deserved the win. I think my indifference on who won between the two of us led me to make poor decisions on multiple key turns, but at least I added a clip to my highlight reel by calling every Thunderclap with Lunala’s Wide Guard in the 1v1. Aaron’s lead combination of Water-Tera Type Zamazenta + Raging Bolt was a problem that my team could not handle consistently. If only Brute Bonnet was bulky enough to withstand the Body Press + Dragon Pulse double target and use Spore…
May 26th: the day after Portland
Sebastian and I talked about my Top 8 match against our mutual friend Aaron and he asked me if I was actually finding value in Covert Cloak on Brute Bonnet. Ignoring the flinch from Fake Out against Smeargle or Incineroar + Rillaboom was helpful beforehand, but I found that the bulk from Brute Bonnet was so forgiving that Fake Out was trivial. Covert Cloak and Rocky Helmet lost value in my eyes because of the team’s ability to render Fake Out cycle useless with two natural Ghost types (Flutter Mane and Lunala) and two other Pokémon with Ghost Tera Type (Chi-Yu and Ursaluna), and sun from Koraidon scaring off Rapid Strike Style Urshifu.
Sebastian highlighted the lead of Zamazenta and Raging Bolt to propose Sitrus Berry as an adaptation. I found this funny because I was thinking the exact same thing as a joke when I was actively playing the match, but there’s more science to Sitrus Berry than just this one interaction. Unlike the more common items of Covert Cloak and Rocky Helmet, Sitrus Berry is applicable to every matchup because of its versatility and would crucially improve the matchup against Kyogre teams. Calyrex’s Unnerve has deterred most players from using berries, but Calyrex is a positive matchup for Brute Bonnet anyway. Furthermore, the team’s offensive pressure and hostility towards Calyrex and Fake Out cycle often forces Calyrex to switch, allowing Brute Bonnet to consume the Sitrus Berry eventually.
June 8th
When starting to prepare for NAIC, I wanted to develop Sebastian’s idea of Sitrus Berry Brute Bonnet before testing any new changes in practice games. Adding Sitrus Berry to Brute Bonnet required the EV spread changing slightly to consume Sitrus Berry after Ruination with an even HP stat. Moreover, this new Brute Bonnet EV spread has a higher HP stat than Annihilape to survive Choice Scarf Final Gambit guaranteed, which began to see play the week before NAIC.
June 10th
From casually playing games in the downtime after the Portland Regional, I found that numerous players were emulating Shohei Kimura’s Melbourne Regional 9th place team. This matchup was problematic for my team because Adamant Crunch Chien-Pao could potentially KO Lunala through Shadow Shield, which was nearly game-losing. I determined that the matchup would be close to neutral if my Lunala could reliably take Crunch and guarantee at least one action, mostly to set Trick Room for Ursaluna. As a result, I conceded some Special Attack on Lunala for enough HP and Defense to improve the odds against Adamant Crunch and Timid Life Orb Astral Barrage as well.
252+ Atk Sword of Ruin Chien-Pao Crunch vs. 148 HP / 4 Def Shadow Shield Lunala: 210-248 (90.9 – 107.3%) — 43.75% chance to OHKO
252 SpA Life Orb Calyrex-Shadow Rider Astral Barrage vs. 148 HP / 116 SpD Shadow Shield Lunala: 198-237 (85.7 – 102.5%) — 12.5% chance to OHKO
252+ Atk Sword of Ruin Chien-Pao Crunch vs. 180 HP / 52 Def Shadow Shield Lunala: 198-234 (84.2 – 99.5%) — guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Life Orb Calyrex-Shadow Rider Astral Barrage vs. 180 HP / 116 SpD Shadow Shield Lunala: 198-237 (84.2 – 100.8%) — 6.25% chance to OHKO
North America International Championships (June 13th–15th)
Get my NAIC team’s full info here!
Result: 10-2 into Top 32 (total 10-3)
20th place / 1,129 players
📹 Watch my Top 32 match against Víctor Medina here!
Many friends made an effort to console me after my “extremely unlucky” loss against Víctor, who is also a great friend of mine. However, I truthfully did not play well enough to guarantee a win and allowed Smeargle to influence the outcome of the match, ultimately deserving to lose. Additionally, I poorly managed my team preview in the third game and hesitated too long, not having enough time to change my selection for Ursaluna, as the game 2 and game 3 plan from Víctor would fall apart from a well-positioned Ghost-Tera Type Ursaluna.
On the bright side, I finished the weekend with my first Top Cut at an International Championship and managed to make it to the Top Cut of all three major Regulation Set I tournaments in North America.
This result also earned me 5th overall on the North America rating zone Championship Points leaderboard to end the season!
The Grind
The time frame between the North America International Championships and the World Championships is unlike any other period in the competitive season because there are no official events for two whole months. These two months are massively influential on the World Championships, with the strongest players from all over the globe innovating to potentially crack the metagame and perfect their style of play across the summer. My approach was founded on my principle that a teambuilding masterclass was incomparable to the value of experience (especially in double Restricted formats), so I chose to strictly focus on the latter. However, the experience level I was currently at with my team was nowhere near what I considered necessary for success at the World Championships. I needed to find a proper medium of practice that will enhance my skill and understanding with my team. Fortunately for me, I knew of just the places to test myself against tough competition.
Bosan Night (ぼさんないと)
Bosan is not a real word, but rather one that was created by the Japanese competitive Pokémon community. It is formed from ぼ / bo (from the English-language acronym “best of”) and さん / san (“three”); so “Bosan Night” means “Best-of-Three Night”.
Bosan Night is an annual Japanese tournament circuit organized by oMi (assisted by Viora this year) that extends from late June to early August with the primary goal of preparing World Championships-qualified players from Japan in best-of-three play. Japan’s qualification system for the World Championships is strictly played in best-of-one (excluding the Japan Championships Top 8), so it is a major attraction for many top Japanese players to practice consistently, refine their teams, and become accustomed to playing best-of-three sets in the two months leading up to Worlds. From my viewpoint, Japanese players are more willing than the Western world to challenge the game’s limitations by preparing a never-before-seen team for the biggest stage, so I wanted to ensure that I was well-informed of and practicing against these kinds of teams.
Bosan Night was hosted a few times a week and ran for 3 rounds each tournament without a Top Cut. You might have also noticed the Night part of “Bosan Night”, where the first round started at 9 pm. However, this is 9 pm Japan Standard Time (UTC+9), and as someone from Dallas in Central Standard Time (UTC−5), these practice tournaments are scheduled to start before sunrise at 7 am. I wish I could say that the early start time did not affect my play because I pride myself on my mental endurance and do not believe in restraining myself with excuses, but these circumstances admittedly affected me, where I would find myself making uncharacteristic plays due to my lack of sleep. Unfortunately, I missed a few practice tournaments because I woke up a few minutes late and was unable to register in time, as well as a handful of others due to scheduling conflicts.
Although I do not believe my gameplay in some of these practice tournaments was truly representative of me as a player, I believe that my overall results were solid and showed some promise. Over the summer, I played in 18 of the 26 Bosan Night tournaments and finished with the 5th highest win rate amongst all participants, also being the 2nd highest win rate of those who played a minimum of 25 best-of-three matches.
Victory Road tournaments
I supplemented my practice against Japanese competition with Victory Road tournaments to gain experience against players from a variety of regions. As I have alluded to before, I personally believe that a player’s home region has a major influence on their perspective of the game and style of play, and participants of Victory Road tournaments are mostly from Europe, North America, and Latin America. This was my testing ground for ironing out my approach against conventional teams and becoming more well-rounded against Western players. These tournaments also reflected the 2-day Swiss rounds + asymmetrical Top Cut structure of all major tournaments for the past year and would help simulate the feel of a full tournament day instead of a few rounds.
Victory Road to Anaheim #1: July 26th–27th
Result: 8-2 into Top 16 (total 8-3)
14th place / 257 players
Victory Road to Anaheim #2: August 2nd–3rd
Result: 8-1 into Top 16 (total 9-2)
9th place / 214 players
Victory Road to Anaheim – The Final Stretch: August 9th–10th
Result: 7-2 into Finals (total 11-3)
2nd place / 236 players
I used the same exact version of the team I played at NAIC throughout every Victory Road tournament for consistency since it would be more difficult to identify any potential changes if I was switching between versions of the team. Even before I started playing in Victory Road tournaments this summer, the EV spread of Lunala was the only part of the team I had any serious consideration of changing.
As previously stated, my Lunala at NAIC prioritized taking Adamant Chien-Pao’s Crunch with Shadow Shield guaranteed because it completely changed the matchup into Miraidon + Zamazenta, leaving Timid Shadow Rider Calyrex’s Astral Barrage with Shadow Shield as a 1/16 chance to one-hit KO. However, the fall of Adamant Chien-Pao on mainstream team compositions (largely because Jolly Assault Vest Chien-Pao increased in usage) and the rise of Modest Calyrex in the month of July flipped the importance of these benchmarks in my opinion. Nevertheless, I held off from committing to one specific EV spread so I could give myself as much time to make the decision, as a single stat point could make the difference at the World Championships.
Match Analysis and Studying
With over 60 hours of gameplay footage from Bosan Night and Victory Road tournaments, a lot of mistakes were made along the way. In my free time or between rounds of these online tournaments, I would watch back the recordings of my matches, sometimes multiple times over to deeply analyze the games and search for undiscovered errors.
On top of analyzing my own gameplay recordings throughout the summer, I studied countless matches and articles from past formats with successful teams that possessed any resemblance to mine. Even though this was far from the first time I have seen these, I found myself learning something new from each player this time around.
- Team report by Kiwamu Endo on his 1st place at DEX Off (VGC19 Sun Series)
- Team report by Kiwamu Endo and Shohei Kimura on their respective 10th and 30th places at the 2018 International Challenge November (VGC19 Sun Series).
- Team report by Naoto Mizobuchi on his 2019 World Championships win (VGC19 Ultra Series).
- Team report by Hirofumi Kimura on his 2nd place at the 2019 World Championships (VGC19 Ultra Series).
- Team report by Kazuki Kobayashi on his Top 4 at the 2019 World Championships (VGC19 Ultra Series).
- Team report by Hirofumi Kimura on his 3rd place at the Sword & Shield doubles Ranked Battles Season 22 (VGC Series 10).
- Team details of Guillermo Castilla‘s 2nd place at the 2022 World Championships (VGC Series 12).
- Team report by Naoto Mizobuchi on his Top 8 at the 2022 World Championships (VGC Series 12).
- Team report by Wolfe Glick on his 2025 Europe International Championships win (VGC Regulation Set G).
Touchdown in Anaheim
In the week leading up to Worlds, I practiced key matchups that I found difficult and lacked experience against. Outside of finalizing and executing my game plans, I searched alternate paths for how games could play out so I would hopefully be prepared for any other problems my opponents could give me at Worlds. I believe this process is where my confidence and mentality comes from because I should be able to beat anything if I can take wins off my more difficult matchups. Even though it might sound crazy, I also think that preparing the more difficult matchups before a tournament makes other matchups appear simple in comparison.
August 13th: Two Days Until Worlds
My flight to Anaheim landed early in the afternoon and I immediately went to see Aaron Brok and Carlos Cabal at Aaron’s house because he is conveniently a Southern California native! While Aaron and Carlos were working on their own preparation (though we still watched each other’s games and talked through ideas), I practiced my difficult Ice Rider Calyrex + Koraidon and Ice Rider Calyrex + Kyogre matchups remotely with Ale Piscitelli, who graciously assisted me on short notice.
Chris Han also joined us for a little while (we had four of the eventual Worlds Top 32 preparing in the same room together!), as Carlos and Chris worked together for Worlds and wanted to be on the same page. Afterwards, the four of us went to Anaheim to meet up with Antonio Sánchez and Víctor Medina at their hotel pool. This is where Víctor would lie to me by saying that he was not using Smeargle for Worlds (I forgive you this time, Víctor).
We got dinner together near the convention center and eventually went our separate ways. Carlos and I went to our accommodation to meet up with Kian Campbell, Jonathan Zuniga, and Justin Stahler, who had all landed in the evening, as Aaron went back home for the night and would join up with us the next day.
August 14th: One Day Until Worlds
The entire day was filled with meeting people around the venue after waiting in lines at competitor check-in, the Pokémon Center, and any final adjustments before submitting my team online. In the 45-minute wait for competitor badges, I passed the time talking to Joseph Ugarte and James Evans (which honestly feels scripted in hindsight).
Towards the end of the night, half of my accommodation was still submitting teams online, including myself. I was left to make the final decision on my team, choosing which of my three potential Lunala EV spreads I was going to use.
252+ Atk Sword of Ruin Chien-Pao Crunch vs. 180 HP / 52 Def Shadow Shield Lunala: 198-234 (84.2 – 99.5%) — guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Life Orb Calyrex-Shadow Rider Astral Barrage vs. 180 HP / 116 SpD Shadow Shield Lunala: 198-237 (84.2 – 100.8%) — 6.25% chance to OHKO
252+ Atk Sword of Ruin Chien-Pao Crunch vs. 244 HP / 12 Def Shadow Shield Lunala: 206-246 (84.7 – 101.2%) — 6.25% chance to OHKO
252 SpA Life Orb Calyrex-Shadow Rider Astral Barrage vs. 244 HP / 60 SpD Shadow Shield Lunala: 211-250 (86.8 – 102.8%) — 12.5% chance to OHKO
252+ Atk Sword of Ruin Chien-Pao Crunch vs. 204 HP / 28 Def Shadow Shield Lunala: 204-240 (85.7 – 100.8%) — 6.25% chance to OHKO
252 SpA Life Orb Calyrex-Shadow Rider Astral Barrage vs. 204 HP / 116 SpD Shadow Shield Lunala: 198-237 (83.1 – 99.5%) — guaranteed 2HKO
After much deliberation amongst friends, I came to the decision that the “125 Speed Lunala” was the best because Adamant Chien-Pao’s Crunch seemed far less relevant than Life Orb Shadow Rider Calyrex’s Astral Barrage. Miraidon + Zamazenta teams were on the decline and supportive Assault Vest Chien-Pao, which chose to forgo a consistent Dark-type attack and opted for utility moves like Ice Shard and Ruination instead, was on the rise. Additionally, speed interactions between my Lunala and opposing Raging Bolt or bulky Landorus were mostly trivial, and Trick Room from both my Lunala and opposing Ice Rider Calyrex (commonly paired with Raging Bolt or Landorus) increased the randomness of these speed interactions further. Still, I held off from committing to one specific EV spread until the final moment because a single stat point could make all the difference at the World Championships (foreshadowing)…
The Team
Get my Worlds team’s full info here!
Koraidon is considered to be my signature Pokémon of the Scarlet & Violet Restricted formats. A Pokémon that has become so synonymous with my name, Koraidon has been the star of my teams even dating back to the beginning of Regulation Set G, when almost nobody else believed the Apex Predator could compete with the best of the other Restricted Pokémon.
Koraidon is straightforward on this team, designed to be as quick and powerful as possible. My 4 remaining EVs went into HP for one extra health point gained from opposing Rillaboom’s Grassy Terrain and to help combat the inevitable Life Orb recoil Koraidon would receive from its attacks. I chose to use Life Orb Koraidon as opposed to the more common Clear Amulet because the damage increase is drastic and necessary in a metagame of two restricted Pokémon.
Close Combat, as opposed to Koraidon’s signature move Collision Course, is a major game-changer for Life Orb Koraidon. The extra power from Life Orb enables Koraidon to reach for a one-hit KO against frail Miraidon with the increase in base power over Collision Course, and bulky Calyrex forms with Orichalcum Pulse-boosted Flare Blitz. Moreover, adopting the Life Orb on Koraidon makes the use of Jolly Nature more justifiable for its offensive role, allowing for my Koraidon to get the jump on opposing Koraidon, Miraidon, Flutter Mane, Chien-Pao, and Modest Shadow Rider Calyrex, which players were adapting to the month before the World Championships.
Flame Charge allows Koraidon to increase its speed on its own to outpace Shadow Rider Calyrex and all Pokémon as slow as max speed Modest Landorus (153 Speed stat) in Tailwind after a single speed boost. Remarkably, Flame Charge still outputs unbelievable damage for an attack that is 50 base power, increasing to 60 base power upon Terastallization for KOs.
I selected the standard Fire Tera Type because of its key resistance to Fairy- and Ice-type attacks that would otherwise threaten super effective damage to Koraidon, while also coincidentally breaking the damage calculator. Fire boosts Koraidon’s Flare Blitz and Flame Charge with a fourth multiplier: Orichalcum Pulse (1.33x), Sun (1.5x), Life Orb (1.3x) and Fire Tera Type (1.5x), totaling out to a combined multiplier of 3.9x when all four are simultaneously active, and a potential fifth multiplier if you prefer to include the base power increase of Flame Charge from 50 to 60 (1.2x) upon Terastallization.
252 Atk Life Orb Orichalcum Pulse Koraidon Close Combat vs. 44 HP / 4 Def Miraidon: 181-214 (100 – 118.2%) — guaranteed OHKO
252 Atk Life Orb Orichalcum Pulse Koraidon Flare Blitz vs. 188 HP / 84 Def Calyrex-Shadow Rider in Sun: 199-234 (100 – 117.5%) — guaranteed OHKO
252 Atk Life Orb Orichalcum Pulse Koraidon Flare Blitz vs. 252 HP / 156+ Def Calyrex-Ice Rider in Sun: 211-250 (101.9 – 120.7%) — guaranteed OHKO
+1 244+ Def Sword of Ruin Zamazenta-Crowned Body Press vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Koraidon: 141-166 (80.1 – 94.3%) — guaranteed 2HKO
252 Atk Sword of Ruin Chien-Pao Ice Spinner vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Koraidon: 152-182 (86.3 – 103.4%) — 25% chance to OHKO
Lunala dual-wields as a threat that can carry games on its own and serve as a supportive piece for my other Pokémon to attack safely. Shadow Shield is just an absurdly strong ability, forcing opponents to dedicate at least two attacks (often times more) to KO Lunala while its versatile speed tier and Trick Room seamlessly link the fast and slow modes of the team.
- Moongeist Beam is a phenomenal signature move with an oppressive secondary effect that helps it stand out in matchups against Friend Guard Clefairy and Unaware Dondozo (still respects the +2 SpD Commander boost, but hits with +1 SpA after Meteor Beam), completely ignoring their damage mitigation and attacking at full power.
- Meteor Beam is somewhat unique because most players use Moonblast in this slot, but the Rock-type coverage is crucial in flipping the dynamic between Lunala and Incineroar, and setting up with an attack takes full advantage of the team’s offensive style.
- Wide Guard is a hallmark utility move of Restricted formats because the metagame is centralized around extremely powerful spread moves, such as Astral Barrage, Glacial Lance, Tera-boosted Dazzling Gleam, Stellar-Tera Type Tera Starstorm, Water Spout, Origin Pulse, Precipice Blades… should I keep going?
- Trick Room adds another element to Lunala’s utility as well, inverting the turn order against opponents aiming to outpace my team or reversing the twisted dimensions to normal against opponents that would prefer to play inside Trick Room.
Lunala has the most complex EV spread on the team as both an attacker and a supportive piece, taking Adamant Chien-Pao’s Crunch and Timid Life Orb Shadow Rider Calyrex’s Astral Barrage with Shadow Shield. Offensively, Lunala is able to claim a one-hit knockout on more physically bulky Incineroar with Meteor Beam and sometimes Assault Vest Incineroar with Beads of Ruin active, guaranteeing a KO after any prior damage. Lunala is trained with enough Speed EVs (125 Speed stat) to be faster than Modest Miraidon and Adamant Chien-Pao after Icy Wind, while also outspeeding max speed Incineroar (123 Speed stat) by two stat points. This speed creep also helped me gain an advantage over other Lunala players who settled for 124 Speed.
Water Tera Type was chosen for Lunala because of oppressive attacking duos like Zamazenta + Chien-Pao, Koraidon + Chi-Yu, and Kyogre + Ice Rider Calyrex or Zacian. Water Tera Type Lunala virtually has only one real weakness on this team (Electric) because Rillaboom, the main Grass-type attacker of the format, will always struggle to find an opening against Koraidon and Chi-Yu. As for exceptions to this rule, Lunala prefers to forgo Water Tera Type in matchups against Hearthflame Mask Ogerpon and avoid being brought against Brute Bonnet entirely.
+1 100+ SpA Lunala Meteor Beam vs. 244 HP / 108 SpD Incineroar: 204-242 (101.4 – 120.3%) — guaranteed OHKO
+1 100+ SpA Beads of Ruin Lunala Meteor Beam vs. 252 HP / 60 SpD Assault Vest Incineroar: 192-226 (95 – 111.8%) — 68.75% chance to OHKO
+1 100+ SpA Lunala Moongeist Beam vs. 252 HP / 100 SpD Calyrex-Ice Rider: 194-230 (93.7 – 111.1%) — 62.5% chance to OHKO
+1 100+ SpA Lunala Moongeist Beam vs. 244 HP / 4 SpD Zamazenta-Crowned: 99-117 (50 – 59%) — guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Sword of Ruin Chien-Pao Crunch vs. 204 HP / 28 Def Shadow Shield Lunala: 204-240 (85.7 – 100.8%) — 6.25% chance to OHKO
252 SpA Life Orb Calyrex-Shadow Rider Astral Barrage vs. 204 HP / 116 SpD Shadow Shield Lunala: 198-237 (83.1 – 99.5%) — guaranteed 2HKO
196+ SpA Hadron Engine Miraidon Electro Drift in Electric Terrain [Shadow Shield] AND 196+ SpA Hadron Engine Miraidon Electro Drift vs. 204 HP / 116 SpD Lunala in Electric Terrain: 3.515625% chance to KO
Flutter Mane is the foundation of the team’s fast mode with Icy Wind and the Protosynthesis speed boost. Similar to Koraidon after Flame Charge, speed-boosted Flutter Mane outpaces Shadow Rider Calyrex, Choice Scarf Miraidon, Choice Scarf Urshifu, and any Pokémon as slow as max speed Modest Landorus in Tailwind. Although I strongly disagree with having two Pokémon on the same team speed-tying, the speed tier is so heavily contested between Chien-Pao, Flutter Mane, Koraidon, and Miraidon for any decrease in speed for either my Koraidon or Flutter Mane to be worthwhile. Additionally, Flutter Mane will almost always move before Koraidon because of Protosynthesis, and in times where Koraidon was already at +1 Speed from Flame Charge next to Flutter Mane with Protosynthesis active, it was inconsistent to always prefer one attacking before the other.
Focus Sash is critical to the durability of Flutter Mane in a metagame filled with attacks capable of knocking it out in one hit, otherwise becoming inconsistent with a different item. I decided to invest fully into Flutter Mane’s offense and speed because it is naturally capable of taking Stellar Tera Type-boosted Surging Strikes when Sun is active, while additional defensive investment to endure Choice Band or Mystic Water Water Tera Type-boosted Surging Strikes in Sun was never relevant. Practically all Rapid Strike Style Urshifu with a damage-boosting item are Adamant, meaning that Urshifu in Tailwind are guaranteed to be slower than Flutter Mane with its Protosynthesis speed boost. Consequently, Urshifu is not frequently brought by opponents unless it is Focus Sash.
- Shadow Ball largely serves as auxiliary coverage for the three supreme Ghost-type Pokémon of Shadow Rider Calyrex, Lunala, and Flutter Mane, as well as generic type coverage to avoid attacking into resistances with Moonblast.
- Moonblast, which I personally believe is Flutter Mane’s best move by far, helps take on the top Dragon- (Miraidon, Koraidon, and Raging Bolt), Fighting- (Rapid Strike Style Urshifu and Iron Hands), and Dark-type Pokémon (Chien-Pao, Brute Bonnet, Single Strike Style Urshifu), that Lunala cannot easily break through. Moonblast was also incredible for punishing Dragon-Tera Type Zamazenta, which many Shadow Rider Calyrex + Zamazenta teams relied on to play through Sun teams.
- Icy Wind offers speed control for the fast mode (Koraidon, Lunala, and Chi-Yu) to maintain the speed advantage into opposing teams reliant on Tailwind support.
- Protect is strong in general, but becomes incredibly strong on a Pokémon with Focus Sash, allowing Flutter Mane to stall extra turns and find more favorable positions through opposing Tailwind or Trick Room without needing to switch out or faint entirely.
Stellar Tera Type on Flutter Mane was a novelty of mine since the beginning of Regulation Set I and it strangely never surpassed being an unconventional choice throughout the entire format. Focus Sash sets commonly utilize Fairy or Normal Tera Types and occasionally forgo Shadow Ball and/or Protect in favor of Taunt, molding itself to the role that its surrounding team requires of it. However, Stellar was excusable on this team because every team member of mine can handle Shadow Rider Calyrex under the right circumstances and Chi-Yu’s Beads of Ruin leads to a fatal combination of damage amplifiers, with Stellar being effectively the exact same multiplier as Beads of Ruin too.
252 SpA Tera-Stellar Flutter Mane Moonblast (1st Use) vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Miraidon: 200-236 (96.6 – 114%) — 75% chance to OHKO
252 SpA Tera-Stellar Flutter Mane Moonblast (1st Use) vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Raging Bolt: 248-292 (106.8 – 125.8%) — guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Tera-Stellar/Water Urshifu-Rapid Strike Surging Strikes (3 hits) vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Flutter Mane in Sun on a critical hit: 108-132 (82.4 – 100.7%) — 0.02% chance to OHKO
Chi-Yu is the premier Fire-type attacker to abuse Sun with a scorchingly high Special Attack stat. Chi-Yu’s ability, Beads of Ruin, is beneficial past Chi-Yu’s own damage, passively supporting Lunala and Flutter Mane to exceed their standard damage thresholds too.
I considered Choice Scarf on Chi-Yu to be mandatory for threatening clean one-hit knowckouts against Shadow Rider Calyrex and Zamazenta. Without the Choice Scarf, Chi-Yu is limited to Flutter Mane’s Icy Wind for speed control support. One of my principles of teambuilding is that Pokémon entirely reliant on the presence of another are inherently a weakness to their team, so Choice Scarf allowed for Chi-Yu to function independently from Flutter Mane and lead freely with either Koraidon or Lunala.
Chi-Yu is trained heavily in Special Attack to efficiently KO Shadow Rider Calyrex and Zamazenta with Snarl and Heat Wave respectively, as well as KO Amoonguss and Assault Vest Rillaboom (sometimes) with Heat Wave in Sun. Chi-Yu is max Speed to outpace Adamant Choice Scarf Urshifu and opposing Modest Choice Scarf Chi-Yu that are settling to be slightly faster than Shadow Rider Calyrex. The remaining EVs were allocated into HP for Chi-Yu to take +1 Atk Fire-Tera Type Hearthflame Mask Ogerpon’s Ivy Cudgel outside of Sun, Focus Sash Urshifu’s Surging Strikes or Tera-boosted Aqua Jet in Sun, Glacial Lance twice from Ice Rider Calyrex, and Magnet Protosynthesis Tera-boosted Thunderclap from Raging Bolt.
- Dark Pulse is the only move on this moveset that was ever under the limelight for change. Even though Dark Pulse is not used very often and weaker than Flamethrower, it is superior to Flamethrower on this team because of the diversity in type coverage that it offers, along with a 20% flinch chance that wins games on its own.
- Despite its infamous accuracy issues, Heat Wave is the best move available to Chi-Yu, efficiently distributing massive damage that is amplified by both Beads of Ruin and Sun.
- Similarly to Heat Wave, Overheat is also absolutely necessary in spite of its inconsistency. Overheat’s blazing 130 base power enables Chi-Yu to take KOs on bulky targets when boosted by the Sun, while other attacks would otherwise fall short. That is to say, in some positions Overheat wins 90% of the time, while all other moves win 0% of the time.
- Snarl is an amazing utility move on an otherwise offensively-minded Pokémon, weakening special attackers at the start of the turn before taking damage and hitting Shadow Rider Calyrex around Follow Me and Rage Powder redirection.
Ghost Tera Type provides the most consistent value for Chi-Yu due to its extremely potent immunities to Normal and Fighting type attacks, which are most often seen with Fake Out, Body Press, and Close Combat. These immunities allow Chi-Yu to attack fearlessly in front of Pokémon that traditionally stifle its offense or threaten a knockout, and Ghost Tera Type overturns the matchup against Water-type Pokémon if Sun is active.
196+ SpA Beads of Ruin Chi-Yu Snarl vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Calyrex-Shadow Rider: 204-240 (98.5 – 115.9%) — 81.25% chance to OHKO
196+ SpA Beads of Ruin Chi-Yu Heat Wave vs. 244 HP / 4 SpD Zamazenta-Crowned in Sun: 198-234 (100 – 118.1%) — guaranteed OHKO
196+ SpA Beads of Ruin Chi-Yu Heat Wave vs. 252 HP / 124 SpD Assault Vest Rillaboom in Sun: 200-236 (96.6 – 114%) — 75% chance to OHKO
196+ SpA Beads of Ruin Chi-Yu Heat Wave vs. 252 HP / 236+ SpD Amoonguss in Sun: 222-264 (100.4 – 119.4%) — guaranteed OHKO
+1 252 Atk Tera-Fire Ogerpon-Hearthflame Ivy Cudgel (1.2x Mask Boost) vs. 52 HP / 4 Def Chi-Yu: 115-136 (83.9 – 99.2%) — guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Tera-Water/Tera-Stellar Urshifu-Rapid Strike Aqua Jet (1st Use) vs. 52 HP / 4 Def Chi-Yu: 120-144 (87.5 – 105.1%) — 18.75% chance to OHKO
180+ SpA Magnet Protosynthesis Tera-Electric Raging Bolt Thunderclap vs. 52 HP / 4 SpD Chi-Yu: 116-138 (84.6 – 100.7%) — 6.25% chance to OHKO
252+ Atk Calyrex-Ice Rider Glacial Lance vs. 52 HP / 4 Def Tera-Ghost Chi-Yu: 118-141 (86.1 – 102.9%) — 18.75% chance to OHKO
Brute Bonnet was undoubtedly the most overlooked and underrated Pokémon of the format. Its unfathomable bulk after Protosynthesis makes for a nearly unbreakable Pokémon that can take over the game through a supportive role. All four moves on Brute Bonnet were necessary to how it plays as the defensive backbone of the team, and at no point were other move options under contemplation.
As mentioned in the teambuilding process, Sitrus Berry was primarily added to the team as a countermeasure to Zamazenta + Raging Bolt on lead, allowing Brute Bonnet to take the combination of Body Press into Dragon Pulse with the Protosynthesis Defense boost. Sitrus Berry is fantastic into Calyrex regardless of Unnerve because Brute Bonnet is favorable (with ample support) into the Calyrex forms when they are on the field, and Sitrus Berry is consumable upon Calyrex leaving the battle. Covert Cloak and Rocky Helmet on Brute Bonnet are not as effective on this team specifically because of the team’s ability to render Fake Out cycle useless against two natural Ghost types (Flutter Mane and Lunala), as well as two other Pokémon with Ghost Tera Type (Chi-Yu and Ursaluna).
- Seed Bomb is far too important because the Grass-type coverage makes Brute Bonnet capable of checking Kyogre, Ursaluna, and Rapid Strike Style Urshifu.
- Sucker Punch is naturally an excellent option in a format with the omnipresent Shadow Rider Calyrex and Lunala because of its KO potential into both (excl. Shadow Shield) without Terastallization and utility of increased priority, getting around Brute Bonnet’s otherwise subpar speed stat.
- Spore is the centerpiece of Brute Bonnet’s moveset. Limiting your opponent’s number of attacks for 1-3 turns within a format of this power level is insane, but I believe it’s truly best displayed when reflecting on the past two double-restricted World Championships. At the 2022 World Championships, 3 of the Top 4 teams, and 6 of the Top 8 teams featured a move with sleep-inducing effects (Yawn, Hypnosis, and Spore). When looking at the 2025 World Championships, all Top 4 teams and 6 of the Top 8 teams featured a Pokémon knowing the move Spore again. Sleep was not disproportionately represented amongst the Top 8 placements either, with numerous other players in the 26-player (2022) and 20-player (2025) asymmetrical Top Cuts utilizing Yawn or Spore as well.
- Rage Power is just as influential to the success of Brute Bonnet in the way that redirection is able to restrict the options and targeting of your opponent’s attacks, but redirection has impressively been on both Worlds finalists teams at the past two Scarlet & Violet World Championships (2023 and 2024), playing a significant role on all three World Champion teams and in the Grand Finals matchups. Funnily enough, redirection (excl. Lightning Rod and Storm Drain), has only won the World Championships in a period of three consecutive years, with a decade separating the “three-peats” (2013–2015 and 2023–2025).
Brute Bonnet is almost entirely trained in its Defense to withstand the onslaught of the most powerful physical attackers in Regulation Set I: Koraidon, Zamazenta, Zacian, and Urshifu, and consistently retaliate with Spore. Even though the defensive damage calculations are the exact same between 244 HP EVs (217 HP) and 252 HP EVs (218 HP), maximum HP is optimal on Brute Bonnet for two reasons: max HP Annihilape (217 HP) with Final Gambit will miss the KO by 1 HP, and an even HP stat for Sitrus Berry to be consumed immediately after Ruination, which saw increasing popularity on Assault Vest Chien-Pao in the month leading up to the World Championships. The remaining 12 EVs put into Speed to hit 77 Speed stat are not insignificant by any means, and contribute greatly to Brute Bonnet’s effectiveness for two main reasons: firstly, most Ice Rider Calyrex only go as fast as 75 or 76 Speed stat, which retains the favorable speed order of Brute Bonnet being faster than Calyrex outside of Trick Room; secondly, outside of fast Brute Bonnet that predominantly reside between 82 and 86 Speed stat, I found from my experience that other Brute Bonnet were using 75 or 76 Speed stat. Upon learning I have the faster Brute Bonnet, I can target down the opposing Brute Bonnet with Koraidon or Chi-Yu and follow up with a subsequent Spore to cover for a Terastallization before the opposing Brute Bonnet can move. If my Brute Bonnet happens to be slower, I can confidently assume that Koraidon will be able to KO the opposing Brute Bonnet with Close Combat or Flare Blitz (without the Fire-Tera Type boost) guaranteed.
With similar reasons to Lunala, Water Tera Type was important for Brute Bonnet to reliably Spore against teams with Zamazenta + Chien-Pao, Koraidon + Chi-Yu and Kyogre + Ice Rider Calyrex or Zacian pairings.
0 Atk Brute Bonnet Sucker Punch vs. 252 HP / 84 Def Calyrex-Shadow Rider: 208-252 (100.4 – 121.7%) — guaranteed OHKO
−1 0 Atk Brute Bonnet Sucker Punch vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Calyrex-Shadow Rider: 160-192 (90.9 – 109%) — 43.75% chance to OHKO [guaranteed KO after Calyrex’s Life Orb recoil]
+1 252+ Def Zamazenta-Crowned Body Press vs. 252 HP / 244+ Def Protosynthesis Brute Bonnet: 134-158 (61.4 – 72.4%) AND 108+ SpA Protosynthesis Raging Bolt Dragon Pulse vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Brute Bonnet: 99-117 (45.4 – 53.6%) — combined 1.5625% chance to KO
252 SpA Life Orb Calyrex-Shadow Rider Astral Barrage vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Brute Bonnet: 60-70 (27.5 – 32.1%) AND +1 252+ Def Zamazenta-Crowned Body Press vs. 252 HP / 244+ Def Protosynthesis Brute Bonnet: 134-158 (61.4 – 72.4%) — combined 20.703125% chance to KO
252 SpA Tera-Ghost Calyrex-Shadow Rider Astral Barrage vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Brute Bonnet: 62-73 (28.4 – 33.4%) AND +1 252+ Def Zamazenta-Crowned Body Press vs. 252 HP / 244+ Def Protosynthesis Brute Bonnet: 134-158 (61.4 – 72.4%) — combined 27.34375% chance to KO
+1 252+ Def Zamazenta-Crowned Body Press vs. 252 HP / 244+ Def Brute Bonnet: 174-206 (79.8 – 94.4%) — guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Never-Melt Ice Calyrex-Ice Rider Glacial Lance vs. 252 HP / 244+ Def Brute Bonnet: 176-210 (80.7 – 96.3%) — guaranteed 2HKO
196+ Atk Orichalcum Pulse Koraidon Collision Course (Super Effective) vs. 252 HP / 244+ Def Protosynthesis Brute Bonnet: 187-224 (85.7 – 102.7%) — 12.5% chance to OHKO
+1 252 Atk Tera-Fairy Zacian-Crowned Play Rough vs. 252 HP / 244+ Def Protosynthesis Brute Bonnet: 192-228 (88 – 104.5%) — 25% chance to OHKO
156+ Atk Tera-Fire Groudon Heat Crash (120 BP) vs. 252 HP / 244+ Def Protosynthesis Brute Bonnet in Sun: 200-236 (91.7 – 108.2%) — 50% chance to OHKO
252 SpA Life Orb Hadron Engine Miraidon Draco Meteor vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Brute Bonnet: 199-235 (91.2 – 107.7%) — 50% chance to OHKO
236+ Atk Choice Band Urshifu-Rapid Strike Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 244+ Def Protosynthesis Brute Bonnet: 186-222 (85.3 – 101.8%) — 12.5% chance to OHKO
+1 76+ Atk Tera-Fire Ogerpon-Hearthflame Wood Hammer (1.2x Mask Boost) vs. 252 HP / 244+ Def Protosynthesis Tera-Water Brute Bonnet: 186-222 (85.3 – 101.8%) — 12.5% chance to OHKO
252+ Atk Guts Ursaluna Facade (140 BP) vs. 252 HP / 244+ Def Protosynthesis Brute Bonnet: 117-138 (53.6 – 63.3%) — 2.34% chance to 2HKO after Sitrus Berry recovery
Ursaluna is the Trick Room ace of the team and the perfect partner for Lunala. Ursaluna has an immunity to Ghost and a weakness to Fighting, whereas Lunala has a weakness to Ghost and an immunity to Fighting. The two of Lunala and Ursaluna complement each other to control the second most popular Restricted pairing, Ice Rider Calyrex + Miraidon, which are shut down by Lunala’s Wide Guard and Ursaluna’s Ground typing against Glacial Lance and Electro Drift or Volt Switch respectively.
- Headlong Rush gives Ursaluna a single-target Ground-type move to attack irrespective of Wide Guard.
- Facade is extraordinarily strong when coupled with the Guts boost from Flame Orb burn, exerting offense that is only rivaled by Restricted Pokémon.
- Earthquake is for efficient damage output into both opposing Pokémon when spread damage is more rewarding than the aforementioned single-target attacks, Headlong Rush and Facade. The lack of a Ground immunity on my team is not an issue for Earthquake’s effectiveness because of the team’s defensive capabilities. Lunala can use Wide Guard beside Ursaluna to block any damage that Earthquake would otherwise deal, Koraidon and Flutter Mane can similarly Protect to avoid taking damage, Brute Bonnet takes negligible damage from its Ground resistance and monstrous Defense, and Chi-Yu is fringely used in tandem with Ursaluna, where Headlong Rush and Facade are suitable anyway.
- Protect is vital to buy time for Flame Orb to burn Ursaluna, therefore activating Guts, full-power Facade, and immunity to other status conditions, namely sleep. As you may have noticed, this team does not have any pivot moves (Volt Switch, U-Turn, Parting Shot, etc.) that traditionally help Ursaluna satisfy the prerequisite turn before Flame Orb activates, placing emphasis on gaining tempo through proactive and reactive switching. Ursaluna is naturally brought in the back but has its moments to be brought on lead against Miraidon + Fire-Tera Type Ice Rider Calyrex or Kyogre + Roaring Moon, where Headlong Rush and Protect, respectively, can’t be punished.
In the end, I stayed faithful to maximum HP and Atk because the physical bulk is important for taking Ice Rider Calyrex’s Glacial Lance and Urshifu’s Close Combat, while also surviving Modest Miraidon’s Draco Meteor guaranteed. Minimum Speed on Ursaluna is vital because the Trick Room mode would not be nearly as threatening against the likes of Ice Rider Calyrex, Iron Hands, and opposing Ursaluna if I were moving slower in Trick Room. In rare endgames where Ursaluna needs to attack before slow Leftovers Calyrex or Iron Hands (73 Speed stat or less) outside of Trick Room, Icy Wind can give Ursaluna the chance to Facade or Headlong Rush and win games that would otherwise be lost.
Ghost Tera Type is exceptional on Ursaluna with its immunities to Fake Out, Close Combat, Low Kick, Body Press, and Facade. Although Ursaluna is an infrequent bring into Shadow Rider Calyrex + Zamazenta teams because the other five Pokémon are collectively more consistent, it is worth mentioning that the restricted duo is bounded to Psychic and Heavy Slam when opposite Ghost-Tera Type Ursaluna and Wide Guard Lunala.
252+ Atk Guts Ursaluna Facade (140 BP) vs. 236 HP / 4 Def Miraidon: 205-243 (100 – 118.5%) — guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Guts Ursaluna Earthquake vs. 236 HP / 52 Def Miraidon: 210-248 (102.4 – 120.9%) — guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Guts Ursaluna Headlong Rush vs. 188 HP / 84 Def Calyrex-Shadow Rider: 193-228 (96.9 – 114.5%) — 81.25% chance to OHKO
−1 252+ Atk Guts Ursaluna Headlong Rush vs. 252 HP / 188+ Def Incineroar: 194-230 (96 – 113.8%) — 75% chance to OHKO
252+ Atk Ursaluna Headlong Rush vs. 188 HP / 132 Def Raging Bolt: 224-266 (100 – 118.7%) — guaranteed OHKO [without Flame Orb]
252+ SpA Hadron Engine Miraidon Draco Meteor vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Ursaluna: 198-234 (83.5 – 98.7%) — guaranteed 2HKO [31.25% chance to OHKO after burn damage]
36+ Atk Never-Melt Ice Calyrex-Ice Rider Glacial Lance vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Ursaluna: 204-240 (86 – 101.2%) — 6.25% chance to OHKO
116+ Atk Calyrex-Ice Rider Glacial Lance vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Ursaluna: 176-210 (74.2 – 88.6%) — guaranteed 2HKO [Takes two turns of burn damage except for 1/16 max roll]
252+ Atk Urshifu-Rapid Strike Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Ursaluna: 218-258 (91.9 – 108.8%) — 43.75% chance to OHKO
Matchups Guide
Advantageous
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Back, or or
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Back,
- Option 1
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Neutral
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,
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Back,
- Option 1
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Back,
- Option 1
Lead + or
Back, or or
- Option 2
Lead +
Back,
Lead +
Back,
Lead + or
Back,
Disadvantageous
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Tournament Run
Day 1 Swiss Rounds
| Round | Result | Opponent | Opponent’s team | List |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R1 | WW |  Chiu Yuan-Ming (Circle) |   |  |
Yuan-Ming is playing a slightly different team from the conventional Tornadus and Smeargle version of Shadow Rider Calyrex + Zamazenta, featuring Hearthflame Mask Ogerpon. This matchup looks quite awkward for me because I would normally like to bring Lunala for the Ogerpon, but Smeargle meant that bringing Lunala would leave the game to chance with sleep turns from Spore. Flutter Mane is also not great on lead due to the potential of double Grassy Glide. If there was any consolation, the Zamazenta was Grass Tera Type, so I could reliably KO it with my Koraidon and Chi-Yu. My idea was to lead around shutting down Smeargle as hard as possible and rely on my decision-making in all other situations.
Game 1:
- Me:
- Opp:
Not the lead matchup I would have liked to start off my World Championships. The battle begins with my Koraidon Terastallizing to Fire as a cover for Psychic from Calyrex, but is knocked out immediately by a critical-hit Astral Barrage, while my Spore is redirected into the Follow Me from Ogerpon (really setting the tone for the weekend). After sending out Chi-Yu, I connect Heat Wave onto the Fire-Tera Type Ogerpon and knock out the Rillaboom clean as it switched in for Calyrex, trading Brute Bonnet for a Sucker Punch into Ogerpon as well. With my Flutter Mane coming in opposite the Calyrex, Ogerpon is forced to Grassy Glide my Flutter Mane down to its Focus Sash, as Shadow Ball takes the KO back on Ogerpon. Heat Wave is blocked by the Protect from Calyrex to stall my last turn of sun. To my surprise, the last Pokémon is Smeargle, which leads to an uncomfortable endgame. Fortunately for me, Yuan-Ming mistakes my Flutter Mane for still being faster than the Calyrex, using Follow Me with Smeargle to no benefit. From here, I am able to win the game after landing Heat Wave on consecutive turns.
Game 2:
- Me:
- Opp:
A relief of a lead matchup this time around. Rillaboom uses Fake Out to prevent Koraidon from attacking, as Heat Wave chips the Fire-Tera Type Ogerpon and takes a one-hit KO on Rillaboom once again, while Chi-Yu is felled to the Tera-boosted Ivy Cudgel in sun. Similar to game 1, I bring out Flutter Mane at the same time as Calyrex, but this time I still have my Koraidon. With Ogerpon out of Shadow Ball range from Flutter Mane, I am forced to follow up with a Flame Charge for the KO. In return, I take massive damage from the Life Orb-boosted Astral Barrage, leaving my Koraidon at low HP and my Flutter Mane down to its Focus Sash. After Smeargle is revealed to be the final Pokémon once again, I find myself in a winning endgame. However, my “safe” play of using Protect with Koraidon + switching my Flutter Mane out to Brute Bonnet could be punished by a Nasty Plot + Decorate into the Calyrex, but I assumed a +4 SpA Life Orb-boosted Astral Barrage would not KO Brute Bonnet anyway. Thankfully, I am able to correctly predict the Follow Me + Astral Barrage play and take negligible damage, while also avoiding the Moody Speed boost. After KOing Smeargle on the following turn, Calyrex is checkmated by Shadow Ball and Sucker Punch for me to take the set.
Funnily enough, this was the first time I have won my round 1 match at Worlds, so I took it as a promising start.
| Round | Result | Opponent | Opponent’s team | List |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R2 | WW |  Joshua Denk (DarkPine) |  | |
Joshua is a player from Southern California that made it to Day 2 of his last four major tournaments this season and favored Shadow Rider Calyrex + Zamazenta for a restricted pairing. I was pleasantly surprised by the matchup advantage since I could justify bringing any four of my six Pokémon and Chi-Yu was the only natural resistance to Fire-type attacks. I knew I could not let this opportunity go to waste.
Game 1:
- Me:
- Opp:
A great lead matchup for me because there is no punishment against Water-type Terastallization with Lunala and Heat Wave + Moongeist Beam towards Calyrex, while Whimsicott is forced to Terastallize to Fire immediately and set Tailwind as Calyrex uses Protect. After repeating my turn 1 play, the combination of Astral Barrage + Moonblast leaves my Lunala above 50% HP thanks to Shadow Shield still being intact, as I am able to chip the Whimsicott below half and take the KO on Calyrex. With Zamazenta replacing Calyrex and my Lunala out of Moonblast range, I decide to allow Body Press into my Chi-Yu + Moonblast into my Lunala for the KO on Whimsicott with Meteor Beam (covering for a potential switch). When the dust settled, I was up 3-2 and forced to go into Koraidon, as the last Pokémon is revealed to be Amoonguss. The position is still awkward with chances for me to lose to a double Protect and so much potential recoil on Koraidon through Life Orb, Flare Blitz, and Rocky Helmet, so I figured that I would have to buy myself an extra turn. I switch in Flutter Mane for Lunala and target the Amoonguss with Flare Blitz, perfectly catching the Body Press as the Amoonguss uses Protect. At this point, Shadow Ball into the Zamazenta (covering Rage Powder) + Flare Blitz into the Amoonguss allows me to close out the game comfortably.
Game 2:
- Me:
- Opp:
My adjustment of leading Koraidon + Brute Bonnet is fantastic here because I am able to safely generate momentum against Heat Wave + Body Press with a Protect + Spore with Water-type Terastallization, also baiting out the opposing Water-type Terastallization from Zamazenta. Afterwards, I take another Heat Wave in exchange for a Flame Charge into Chi-Yu and a Seed Bomb into the sleeping Water-type Zamazenta. Next turn, I’m able to take the KO on Chi-Yu with Flare Blitz and continuously wear down Zamazenta with Seed Bomb as it stays asleep. Upon seeing Assault Vest Chien-Pao hit the field, Rage Powder can safely redirect Ice Shard away from Koraidon for Flame Charge to remove Chien-Pao, as Brute Bonnet faints to the ensuing Body Press. After Calyrex is revealed as the final Pokémon, all I have to do is keep attacking with the speed advantage on each of my Pokémon to take the set.
| Round | Result | Opponent | Opponent’s team | List |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R3 | LWW |  Arath Vera (Arath) | | |
Arath and I have already played twice during the 2025 season, with each of us winning once. I found this pairing extremely fitting since the World Championships is the culmination of the entire season, leaving no better place for me to settle the score.
Game 1:
- Me:
- Opp:
The battle starts off with a Protect + Spiky Shield to scout, but then the following turn my Koraidon moves first…? The combination of Flame Charge + Seed Bomb doesn’t get close to knocking out the Ogerpon using Follow Me either, while Calyrex fires off an Astral Barrage that nearly KOs Koraidon and Ivy Cudgel further chips away at my Brute Bonnet. It’s Modest Calyrex and bulky Ogerpon! Afterwards, Koraidon faints from attacking into Spiky Shield and Spore is blocked by the Protect on Calyrex, forcing me to go into Chi-Yu. Heat Wave connects with both and knocks out the Ogerpon but just barely misses the KO on Calyrex, allowing it to get off a second Astral Barrage, nearly KOing Brute Bonnet. Calyrex faints to Life Orb recoil and the effects of Unnerve are lifted, letting Brute Bonnet eat its Sitrus Berry. Even though I’m up 3-2, my position is terrible with Zamazenta and Raging Bolt taking the field. I switch out Chi-Yu for Flutter Mane on the obvious Wide Guard from Zamazenta, as Raging Bolt is able to knock out Brute Bonnet with a Protosynthesis-boosted, Tera-boosted Thunderbolt on the last turn of sun. From here, Tera-boosted Thunderclap easily knocks out Chi-Yu, leaving Flutter Mane helpless against Zamazenta.
Game 2:
- Me:
- Opp:
It appeared that nothing could stop a Koraidon + Chi-Yu lead since there is no speed control alongside the Modest Calyrex. The battle starts out perfectly with Calyrex Terastallizing to Dark and instantly fainting to the combination of Heat Wave + Flame Charge, while Ogerpon knocks out Chi-Yu with Ivy Cudgel. I opt to send in Flutter Mane to cover for Raging Bolt, but surprisingly, Zamazenta takes the field instead. Due to the Flame Charge speed boost, I’m put in an awkward situation with Koraidon and Flutter Mane speed-tying in the face of a potential Follow Me. After thinking through my options, I decide to commit to double-targeting Zamazenta with Flare Blitz + Moonblast without Terastallizing. Thankfully, Ogerpon goes for Spiky Shield and Zamazenta gets blown up before it can attack, effectively sealing up the game. I then use Protect with Koraidon and Icy Wind to KO Ogerpon, denying Draco Meteor from taking out my Koraidon. Thanks to this Protect, I am able to clean up the game without having to reveal Lunala as my fourth Pokémon.
Game 3:
- Me:
- Opp:
After another Protect + Spiky Shield on turn 1, Heat Wave + Flame Charge takes out the Ogerpon using Follow Me, while Calyrex takes a revenge KO on Koraidon with Astral Barrage thanks to Beads of Ruin. This time around, my Flutter Mane is brought out at the same time as Raging Bolt and I can safely Heat Wave + Moonblast with Stellar-type Terastallization since Calyrex is within range of fainting to Life Orb recoil. I’m able to take the KO on Calyrex with Heat Wave as Raging Bolt uses Protect, buying time for Zamazenta to come in and replace Calyrex. I repeat my play from the previous turn and Stellar Tera Type-boosted Moonblast deals roughly 65% damage to the Electric-Tera Type Raging Bolt, Zamazenta’s Wide Guard blocks Heat Wave, and Raging Bolt finishes off Chi-Yu with Thunderbolt.
| Round | Result | Opponent | Opponent’s team | List |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R4 | WLW |  Sebastián Escalante (Sebastian) |    | |
Sebastián is one of the most storied players from Latin America in VGC history and had been playing Ice Rider Calyrex + Kyogre for months, so I knew I was in for a rough time. However, this feeling of dread was only a fraction of what came over me when I got my first look at his team. Sebastián’s other four Pokémon were Teal Mask Ogerpon, Incarnate Forme Landorus, Smeargle, and Grimmsnarl (which thankfully does not have Light Clay). Simply put, this matchup is a nightmare, requires making no mistakes, and I would probably need to get lucky in the process.
Game 1:
- Me:
- Opp:
The game starts off with trading a KO on Grimmsnarl and a Meteor Beam Special Attack boost for the Fairy-Tera Type Calyrex to Leech Seed on my Lunala behind Light Screen and Reflect. We quickly transpose into a weather war with both of us juggling our weather-setting Restricted Pokémon, while I use Wide Guard to block Glacial Lance on consecutive turns. Eventually, I get Brute Bonnet on the field to spread Spore for my Lunala to freely use Moongeist Beam and stall out the remainder of Light Screen and Reflect. With our four Restricted Pokémon on the field in the sun, I predicted the Kyogre to Protect and double-targeted the full HP Fairy-Tera Type Calyrex with Flare Blitz and +1 Moongeist Beam for the KO to close out game 1.
Game 2:
- Me:
- Opp:
Anticipating a lead of Calyrex + Smeargle, I adjusted by leading Lunala + Brute Bonnet and left behind Chi-Yu for Ursaluna, since Ghost-Tera Type Ursaluna in the sun can be strong against Kyogre teams. Similar to game 1, I trade a Meteor Beam Special Attack boost and a Spore on Calyrex for Light Screen, a Spirit Break, and an eventual Leech Seed into Lunala from the Fairy-Tera Type Calyrex. Ogerpon switches in for Grimmsnarl and my Brute Bonnet is now in an awkward position, but I am able to predict the Ogerpon using Follow Me and my Spore puts the Calyrex to sleep once again. After switching my Brute Bonnet to Koraidon, I am able to KO the Ogerpon and Grimmsnarl with Close Combat from the previous Moongeist Beam + Meteor Beam chip damage. Even though I took two KOs without losing any Pokémon, I am way out of position in the rain and have to pivot out, sacrificing my Ursaluna and low HP Brute Bonnet to reset the sun. Sebastián makes a nice read afterwards by using Leech Seed into my Lunala once again on my Wide Guard, covering for Glacial Lance, and I take the KO on Kyogre with Close Combat. Unlike game 1, I don’t have a Special Attack boost on my Lunala, meaning that I can’t KO the Fairy-Tera Type Calyrex with the combination of Flare Blitz + Moongeist Beam. Sebastián gets the prediction correct by using Protect on my Moongeist Beam to heal Calyrex up to full from Leech Seed and Leftovers healing. The combination of Flare Blitz and Moongeist Beam falls just short of knocking out Calyrex, as Glacial Lance takes a double KO to win the game.
Game 3:
- Me:
- Opp:
At this point, I’m convinced I let my chance to win slip through my fingertips. Adding insult to injury, I’m now tasked with trying to beat the one lead I was extremely concerned about last game, this time without Brute Bonnet on lead to counter the Smeargle. I need to get rid of this Smeargle, and fast. Heat Wave + Meteor Beam is straightforward here, but I considered switching Lunala to Brute Bonnet because of the telegraphed Spore + Leech Seed into my Lunala. As expected, I miss out on a huge opportunity by deciding to play it safe, but connect Heat Wave to bring Smeargle down to its Focus Sash. Smeargle still remains a problem because Wide Guard ensures I cannot KO it with Heat Wave, while it can stay around to potentially get a speed boost. However, with one final stroke of luck, Lunala wakes up after one turn of sleep and connects Meteor Beam onto Smeargle, taking insignificant damage from the Glacial Lance with Water-type Terastallization alongside Chi-Yu. Kyogre is forced in early to replace the fainted Smeargle, which means I just need to get into my Brute Bonnet quickly to control the game with Spore. Being up 4 to 3 in the Pokémon count also gives me a massive advantage in the weather war, and without a first-turn wake from the Calyrex, my win is almost certain. I just need to keep attacking while occasionally using Wide Guard for Koraidon to safely switch in and overwrite the rain. Kyogre and Landorus quickly drop to the onslaught of +1 Moongeist Beam alongside Koraidon and Brute Bonnet, leaving Calyrex rendered useless by Spore. After going through a test of wit, will, and luck, I somehow made it out the other side unscathed.
I can’t deny that I needed the sleep turns to go my way in this matchup. While I was fortunate that the Calyrex never woke up immediately throughout the entire set, I know that I still played well to cover for it and put myself in positions to win. At this moment, being overly critical of myself wouldn’t do me any favors, so I only wanted to focus on the next game.
| Round | Result | Opponent | Opponent’s team | List |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R5 | LWW |  Jack Roth (jrmun) |   | |
Before getting into the match, all I expected to see on Jack’s team was Zamazenta and Focus Sash Chien-Pao, which I strongly dislike playing against when there is a Miraidon that discourages me from bringing Brute Bonnet. Since I am essentially forced to lead Koraidon + Flutter Mane, a turn 1 mindgame is forced upon me: “will the Chien-Pao attack or use Protect?” However, seeing Grass-Tera Type Zamazenta for the third time in five rounds was relieving and turned my focus to the Life Orb Dragonite lead instead.
Game 1:
- Me:
- Opp:
I’m immediately forced into an uncomfortable situation with a volatile lead matchup. After failing to bait out a Protect for safe targeting, I try to cover all of the options as best as I can with an Icy Wind + Close Combat into the Dragonite. However, a Tera-boosted Extreme Speed into Koraidon + Sucker Punch into my Flutter Mane puts me in a tough spot with Miraidon coming in the next turn. After a crafty switch into Ursaluna + a Protect on Koraidon, I’m able to dance around the Sucker Punch + Volt Switch for a perfect turn with Flame Orb Ursaluna activated. As long as I avoid a critical hit or a flinch here, Earthquake will destroy the board because of the Icy Wind chip damage onto Chien-Pao from earlier and the Miraidon being locked into Volt Switch with Zamazenta in the back. Upon sacrificing my Koraidon to Volt Switch and seeing Zamazenta replace Miraidon, Chien-Pao lands the Icicle Crash and gets the flinch onto my Ursaluna. In a tragic turn of events, I can’t recover from being a turn behind for the rest of the game and try to keep my emotions from affecting my play going forward.
Game 2:
- Me:
- Opp:
I fail to bait a Protect with the same leads once again, so I give up on respecting the Protect from Chien-Pao. Thanks to my play in the previous game, Dragonite uses Protect and I am able to take a massive advantage by trading Chien-Pao for a Sucker Punch into Flutter Mane. Thinking I have a safe double attack into Dragonite for the KO, Jack predicts my play and gets a double Protect to nullify my turn and take out my Flutter Mane with a Heavy Slam. Although it starts to feel like the game simply does not want me to win (we have all been there), Lunala and Ursaluna look strong with Chien-Pao gone. Lunala is safely able to get up Trick Room as I trade Koraidon for damage onto Zamazenta, granting Ursaluna maximum turns in Trick Room. Though I am slow to take knockouts through making safe plays and attacking into another double Protect (this time from Zamazenta), Lunala and Ursaluna prove to be overwhelming and force a third game.
Game 3:
- Me:
- Opp:
Considering the start to the last two games, I felt that my scouting turn was becoming too predictable and that Jack would save Protect for Chien-Pao turn 2. This time I am able to win another mindgame and capitalize on Dragonite’s Protect once again by knocking out the Chien-Pao after its Sucker Punch. Even though this was great, I had to reluctantly trust that the Dragonite would not get a double Protect like it did in the previous game. Unlike game 2, Jack chooses to preserve Dragonite and switch in Miraidon on my Moonblast + Flare Blitz, while Zamazenta targets Koraidon with Body Press to weaken it into range of Extreme Speed. After Moonblast nearly knocks out Dragonite, Koraidon and Flutter Mane fall to Extreme Speed and Heavy Slam respectively, bringing the game to an even count of 2 and 2. Just like in game 1, I find myself in a winning position, but this time there is nothing that can go wrong. Lunala comfortably takes the double target of Heavy Slam and Dragon Claw to set Trick Room, as Ghost-Tera Type Ursaluna knocks out the low HP Dragonite with Facade. Lunala and Ursaluna take out Zamazenta for me to advance to a record of 5-0.
I was relieved to get through the chaos of this matchup with a win, but I stopped myself from getting too happy because I still needed to win another round to make Day 2.
| Round | Result | Opponent | Opponent’s team | List |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R6 | LWL |  Mao Harada (シズ) |
 |
|
I was very excited to see that I was playing Mao for the “win-and-in” to qualify for Day 2. When I approached the match table, staff members notified us that we would be playing on the main stream! As we walked backstage, Mao asked me “Koraidon + Lunala?”, and I replied “yes” with a laugh. It was a crazy feeling and a real full-circle moment to officially make it onto the Worlds stage after watching others take the stage for more than a decade. Moreover, I watched my friend Abdullah Mohayyuddin play against Mao for the first Worlds Top Cut win-and-in two years ago in Yokohama, where I lost my mind and voice just below the stage when he won. This was now my chance to prove that I could do it too.
I looked to my left when we were seated and noticed Mao’s team was displayed opposite mine on the screen, which appeared to be a matchup in my favor. Lunala + Chi-Yu seemed difficult for Mao to deny because of the Koraidon carrying Low Kick instead of Collision Course and Moongeist Beam ignoring Friend Guard. Koraidon and Flutter Mane seemed strong to clean up the game with a general speed advantage, excluding Flutter Mane speed ties.
📹 Watch my Round 6 match against Mao here!
Read Mao’s Top 8 team report (in Japanese) here!
Game 1:
- Me:
- Opp:
A strong lead for me is partly negated by a Heat Wave miss onto the Koraidon, allowing the Calyrex to come in next to an undamaged Clefairy. After having my hand forced into sending out Koraidon, I am able to correctly predict the Helping Hand-boosted Psychic attacking my Koraidon and deal significant damage to the Clefairy for free. However, I am still in an awkward position with the same Helping Hand + Psychic threat looming over me, so I still need to get the following turn correct as well. I end up paying the ultimate price, a Helping Hand-boosted Astral Barrage that knocks out my Lunala and brings my Flutter Mane down to its Focus Sash upon switching in. Assuming the game is lost unless the Calyrex is Modest, I decide to play it out for information. Fortunately for me, the Calyrex is Modest, keeping me in the game after a double KO on Mao’s Clefairy and Calyrex. With Mao’s last Pokémon being Flutter Mane, the game would come down to a prediction, damage roll, or speed tie. I decide not to use Protect on my Flutter Mane, thinking that Mao will also use Protect to bait out mine. Mao wins the Flutter Mane speed tie to force the 1v1 with Koraidon, subsequently KOing Koraidon with Shadow Ball (13/16 chance to KO). In hindsight, this was a misplay because Shadow Ball into Life Orb recoil would never KO Koraidon and, worst case, would come down to a speed tie anyway. I don’t know how I made such a mistake, but all I could do was try to win the next two games.
Game 2:
- Me:
- Opp:
I decided to lean into Brute Bonnet in anticipation that Mao would lead Flutter Mane this time around, given the threat of my previous lead. I’m inclined to Terastallize my Brute Bonnet into Water immediately because Spore into the Flutter Mane would allow for Koraidon to attack safely. However, Mao switches out both Pokémon for Safety Goggles Incineroar and Rillaboom, negating my Spore entirely. Even though I can’t Spore, Koraidon is now in an amazing position. After switching Chi-Yu into a Wood Hammer, I am able to force Rillaboom’s Water-type Terastallization and get an advantage from Mao taking the KO with another Wood Hammer instead of a U-Turn into Flutter Mane. Funnily enough, we find ourselves in a similar position to the start of the game with the same four Pokémon. For the next two turns, I get reads right on Mao’s double target into my Koraidon’s Protect and the following Low Kick into my Flutter Mane switch, putting both Pokémon to sleep. Nevertheless, Mao’s Flutter Mane wakes up instantly and brings my Flutter Mane down to Focus Sash with Flare Blitz from Incineroar. Thanks to no burn from the Flare Blitz, I am able to remove Mao’s Koraidon with Moonblast and set up a winning endgame with Water-Tera Type Brute Bonnet using Rage Powder alongside my own Koraidon.
Game 3:
- Me:
- Opp:
I switch back to my lead of Lunala + Chi-Yu because I believed it was the best lead and also expected Mao to bring Clefairy again. The game starts out with an explosive one-for-one trade of Chi-Yu and Flutter Mane. Afterwards, I was in the perfect position to Terastallize my Lunala into Water and double target the Calyrex with Flare Blitz + Moongeist Beam, but I completely throw it away by Terastallizing my Koraidon into Fire instead. I overextended myself by tunnel-visioning on the Clefairy switching in for Koraidon instead of Calyrex, resulting in an abysmal trade of my Koraidon and Terastallization for Mao’s Clefairy. However, I didn’t have time to focus on my mistake. The game was still winnable and would be decided on the next turn. All I have to do is think it through, and I would likely win this game. That being said, I have a bad habit of overcomplicating turns. Expecting Mao to Terastallize the Calyrex into Dark, I commit to using Moonblast and Wide Guard in case I call the Terastallization wrong. Mao decides to Terastallize Koraidon into Fire instead and double targets my Flutter Mane with Psychic + Flame Charge to knock it out, a disastrous error. All of a sudden, I took my first loss at Worlds and could not believe what I had just done.
It hurt to reflect on how poorly I played, but I was happy to see and congratulate Mao on guaranteeing a spot in Day 2. Regardless, I couldn’t help but feel that I had simply lost to myself.
| Round | Result | Opponent | Opponent’s team | List |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R7 | WW | Nick Navarre (Nails) | | |
This is the one pairing I strongly wanted to avoid coming off a loss. I was aware that Nick likely collaborated with Sebastián Escalante because the two of them have been friends for a long time and worked on the same team for Worlds last year. Additionally, Nick had also been playing Ice Rider Calyrex + Kyogre for the entire format, so I was preparing myself for the worst. However, I was relieved to see this version, a more conventional and forgiving matchup.
Game 1:
- Me:
- Opp:
I am immediately on the backfoot after losing my Brute Bonnet and having my Lunala put to sleep for no value, all for assuming the Urshifu was Jolly. However, I am able to swing the game drastically with a prediction on Urshifu switching out to Kyogre by not Terastallizing my Chi-Yu into Ghost and getting a critical-hit Snarl that might have knocked out the Amoonguss anyway, but I was certainly not complaining. Afterwards, my Lunala wakes up immediately and knocks out Urshifu from full HP with a +1 Moongeist Beam, putting me in a commanding position. With my Koraidon out on the field in the rain, I am forced to sacrifice Chi-Yu and allow a Leech Seed onto my Water-Tera Type Lunala, resetting the weather to sun. On the deciding turn, I predict the Fairy-Tera Type Calyrex to attack and knock it out with the Flare Blitz and +1 Moongeist Beam, as the Kyogre misses a Hydro Pump in sun on my 41 HP Lunala (we found out after the match that Nick would have needed a critical hit) to seal the game.
Game 2:
- Me:
- Opp:
It was a major relief to see Flutter Mane on lead instead of Amoonguss this time. I start out with an early advantage by knocking out the Flutter Mane immediately for Shadow Ball damage into my Water-Tera Type Lunala + U-Turn chip damage into my Chi-Yu, predicting a Brute Bonnet switch once again. We get into a full-on weather war where I am advantaged with my Brute Bonnet using Spore to prevent the Calyrex from spamming Glacial Lance and Leech Seed. Despite my convincing position with repeatedly using +1 Moongeist Beam compared to Nick using Surging Strikes into my resistances or in sun, Nick is able to get a first-turn wake-up on the Calyrex to Protect, followed by a double Protect on the following turn for him to sacrifice Kyogre and switch the Choice Scarf lock on Urshifu from Surging Strikes to Close Combat. The endgame is tricky with my Lunala quickly losing Moongeist Beam PP and health from Leech Seed, as well as my Koraidon being in range of Close Combat. Against my will, I am forced to rely on the Calyrex not getting another double Protect on my Lunala using Moongeist Beam while guarded by Rage Powder for two turns. Calyrex fails the double Protect and Urshifu is left helpless to fight against my Koraidon and Lunala, guaranteeing me the win and a chance at redemption in Worlds Day 2.
| Round | Result | Opponent | Opponent’s team | List |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R8 | WLW | Kiwamu Endo (バイオレット) | | |
I was thrilled to see that I would get the chance to play against Kiwamu, a renowned Japanese player who finished 9th place at the 2018 World Championships, and part of the three-headed monster of Umbra. This hype faded quickly when I realized I was downpaired into Kiwamu at a record of 5-2 and facing elimination, while I was at 6-1 and fighting for an advantage in Day 2. This put me in an awkward situation mentally, but I just tried my best to focus on the match.
This matchup seemed extremely volatile from my limited experience. I figured that Kiwamu likely practiced against my team, making me believe that Tornadus + Smeargle would be brought on lead with Calyrex and Zamazenta in back for at least the first game, if not every time. Koraidon + Flutter Mane is sadly my best way of trading against Tornadus and Smeargle, requiring me to predict the turn 1 for a playable game.
Game 1:
- Me:
- Opp:
I correctly predicted Smeargle to use Fake Out, using Protect with Koraidon and trading Icy Wind for a Bleakwind Storm on my Flutter Mane. Thankfully, Bleakwind Storm did not get a speed drop, and Smeargle did not get a special defense boost. From here, I knock out Smeargle with Moonblast and try to get creative with Flame Charge (no Terastallization) into Tornadus, but somehow I knock out the Tornadus as it sets Tailwind. This allows Kiwamu to have both Calyrex and Zamazenta together with three turns of Tailwind, an absolute nightmare. I know I have to stall this Tailwind for a Flutter Mane and Chi-Yu endgame, so I go for Protect on both Koraidon and Flutter Mane. The only way I can buy enough turns is to sacrifice my Koraidon and switch my Lunala into Astral Barrage (presumably Modest), surviving on 4 HP. To stall the last turn of Tailwind, I bring Flutter Mane back in to use Protect and let Lunala go down. Finally, I have my best chance: a 2 vs 2 out of Tailwind. Neither Kiwamu nor I had Terastallized, so the game would be decided on whether or not Kiwamu would Terastallize Zamazenta. I decided to play aggressively, selecting Stellar Tera Type-boosted Moonblast into Zamazenta + Overheat into Calyrex. Calyrex uses Protect, and Zamazenta Terastallizes into Fighting, which gets deleted by the Tera-boosted Moonblast. Kiwamu forfeited to conceal information on his Calyrex’s Nature, further implying Modest to me because a Timid Calyrex could have still won the game from consecutive Overheat misses.
Game 2:
- Me:
- Opp:
I switched up my lead to Koraidon + Brute Bonnet to bait out Decorate and punish Smeargle with a Spore, but Kiwamu did not react to this lead in the way I expected. I chose to Protect with Koraidon and Kiwamu went for Fake Out + Bleakwind Storm into my now Water-Tera Type Brute Bonnet, receiving a speed boost on Smeargle to round out the turn. Without any stability against Smeargle, everything went downhill with a Taunt into Brute Bonnet and a Spore into Koraidon, followed by a subsequent Spore into Brute Bonnet and another Bleakwind Storm that knocked out Koraidon. The game seemed lost after the first turn, but I continued to play out the game because there is always a chance with Bleakwind Storm and favorable sleep turns. With the help of Brute Bonnet waking up after two turns of sleep and a Bleakwind Storm dodge from my Flutter Mane to keep my Focus Sash intact, I am able to get a well-timed Icy Wind to KO Tornadus and Smeagle. We end up in the same endgame of Flutter Mane + Chi-Yu against Calyrex + Zamazenta, but this time Kiwamu has two turns of Tailwind remaining. Here, I actually have a chance to win the game if Kiwamu’s Zamazenta is 153 Speed stat or slower because Flutter Mane with Protosynthesis could Icy Wind first, allowing Chi-Yu to use Overheat before Zamazenta can Body Press. Unfortunately for me, Kiwamu’s Zamazenta was fast enough to flatten my Chi-Yu before Icy Wind, ending my chance of a wishful comeback.
Game 3:
- Me:
- Opp:
Based on how one-sided game 2 was, I felt no choice but to return to my lead from game 1. Predicting a Protect from Tornadus + a Spore from Smeargle, I decide to go all in with Icy Wind + Fire Tera Type-boosted Flame Charge into Smeargle. The turn starts and… Tornadus uses Protect! Icy Wind connects with Smeargle, and Flame Charge picks up the KO. For the first time across three games, I actually feel like I have the advantage. Kiwamu sends out Calyrex, and I find myself in a similar position to the Terastallization mind game I had on the deciding turn of game 3 against Mao two rounds ago, but this time it feels different. From my viewpoint, Kiwamu had to Terastallize either Tornadus or Calyrex here because a KO on either would almost certainly win me the game, so I decide to risk it all and cover both options. Kiwamu Terastallized Tornadus into Water, using Tailwind + Astral Barrage, bringing my Flutter Mane down to its Focus Sash and Koraidon to around 15% HP. Moonblast leaves Calyrex at around half HP after Life Orb recoil, and Close Combat annihilates the Water-type Tornadus. I could see the record of 7-1 within my grasp, but I still have to close it out against Calyrex and Zamazenta with maximum Tailwind turns. I needed Brute Bonnet in safely to pin Calyrex with Sucker Punch, so I use Protect on my low-HP Koraidon (out of Life Orb range) and sacrifice Flutter Mane to the Astral Barrage, allowing me to bring in Brute Bonnet at full HP. The position is still scary because I have to predict whether Kiwamu would Astral Barrage or Nasty Plot while also trying to avoid relying on Overheat’s accuracy in the endgame. Ultimately, I select Sucker Punch into Calyrex + Flame Charge into Zamazenta. The turn starts off, and Sucker Punch… connects with Calyrex to knock it out! Zamazenta targets my Brute Bonnet with Body Press instead of Koraidon, allowing for Tera-boosted Flame Charge to bring Zamazenta down to around 30% HP. Knowing there is no out against Rage Powder, Kiwamu forfeits the game and I couldn’t help but feel a great sense of pride in what I just achieved.
Day 1 Swiss round summary: 7-1 (15-6) — Advancing to Day 2!
I was extremely happy to lock in a record of 7-1 on Day 1 of the World Championships alongside many of my friends who also made it through to Day 2. We all went out to celebrate together at dinner, talking about our matches, the teams that made Day 2, and the following day that awaited us. Since I made it through with only one loss, I was one win away from making it to the Top Cut of the World Championships and also had fewer teams to prepare for than most other players. After brainstorming game plans with friends on my potential matchups for Round 9, I felt a little more confident in my chances and hoped for the best.
Day 2 Swiss Rounds
| Round | Result | Opponent | Opponent’s team | List |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R9 | WW |  Lin Longyu (救我) | | |
I found out I would be playing against Longyu on the way to the venue in the morning, which was one of the pairings I felt less comfortable with. I was familiar with Longyu as a player, though this would be our first time ever playing against each other in an official tournament. Being paired against Smeargle to start both days at Worlds was a little unsettling, but I was optimistic about my chances with no Tornadus in sight and some more time to think about the matchup. I decided against leading Koraidon because +1 Atk Tera-boosted Ivy Cudgel cannot KO Chi-Yu without an additional boost from the sun, and I was not interested in forcing disadvantageous mindgames with Koraidon against the anticipated Ogerpon + Smeargle lead.
Game 1:
- Me:
- Opp:
As I expected, Longyu chose to lead Ogerpon + Smeargle. Chi-Yu did a nice job of connecting Heat Wave and avoiding the critical hit from +1 Tera-boosted Ivy Cudgel to stay around for another Heat Wave. Over the next three turns, I was able to avoid Moody speed boosts and remove Smeargle with Heat Wave while Ogerpon took out my Lunala after breaking its Shadow Shield the previous turn. After trading Lunala for Smeargle, I bring in Koraidon and Longyu brings in Calyrex. I’m forced to use Protect with Koraidon with my low-HP Chi-Yu still on the field, and thankfully Heat Wave connects on both Pokémon, weakening Calyrex to around 15% and Ogerpon to around 35%. Following my angle to play for a Flame Charge speed boost on my Koraidon to outpace the Calyrex, I find myself in an awkward speed tie with my own Protosynthesis speed boost on Flutter Mane against Ogerpon and Calyrex. While the Ogerpon uses Spiky Shield on my Fire-Tera Type Koraidon’s Flame Charge, I was able to KO the Calyrex with Shadow Ball and force Zamazenta out. In good fortune, my Flutter Mane won the speed tie against my own Koraidon, knocking out Ogerpon with Shadow Ball and allowing Tera-boosted Flare Blitz to delete the Zamazenta for the win.
Looking back, it’s likely I would have lost without winning the speed tie or getting a critical hit or SpD drop (Longyu later made his team public, showing 197 HP stat and notable Special Defense EVs). I knew the Zamazenta was 195–197 HP based on the 65 damage Koraidon took from Flare Blitz recoil, but the extra SpD would have given Zamazenta favorable odds in the 1v1 against Flutter Mane.
At that moment, I was just trying not to think too much about how I was one game away from reaching the Top Cut of the World Championships.
Game 2:
- Me:
- Opp:
With a Worlds Top Cut berth on the line, I was put in an awkward position on turn 1. I went all in on predicting Spiky Shield + Terastallization into Dragon and Body Press into Chi-Yu, using Moongeist Beam into Zamazenta and switching in Flutter Mane. I get the turn completely right and start out the game without taking any damage, the perfect turn. I am in a fantastic spot and do not want to fumble it, so I keep it simple with a Moonblast into Zamazenta + Meteor Beam into Ogerpon, narrowly missing the knockout on Zamazenta and trading my Flutter Mane for a KO on Ogerpon as well. Still, I can’t get comfortable with Smeargle coming in, so I bring out Chi-Yu to cover for Calyrex. Longyu stalls a turn with Protect + Spiky Shield to scout my Choice Scarf lock into Dark Pulse and fish for a speed boost on Moody, but I get away with avoiding the speed boost once again. Zamazenta fails a double Protect, which I covered for by using Dark Pulse to bring the Smeargle down to its Focus Sash instead, and Smeargle rounds out the turn by putting my Lunala to sleep with Spore. I’m on the verge of winning this game, and I know it, until Smeargle finally gets a speed boost. Longyu switches out Zamazenta for Calyrex to capitalize on sleep turns and cover for me Terastallizing into Ghost while putting my Chi-Yu to sleep as well. To compensate for Smeargle shenanigans, Water-Tera Type Lunala wakes up instantly to Wide Guard off the Astral Barrage, swinging the game even more in my favor. The following turns were stressful, catching the Astral Barrage with Wide Guard for three consecutive turns while my Chi-Yu stayed asleep and Shadow Shield remained intact. I was rewarded with a Smeargle speed drop in the midst of the chaos to make my Choice Scarf Chi-Yu faster once again. After avoiding another potential Moody speed boost and missing the chance to KO Zamazenta switching in, I am able to knock out the Zamazenta with Dark Pulse on the following turn, leaving Calyrex with only Smeargle support. Longyu forfeited and congratulated me on advancing to the Top Cut.
When I realized that I had won and secured my spot in the Top Cut of the World Championships, I lifted my face to look at friends of mine watching the match outside of the play area. I let out a slight smile, laughed while shaking my head in disbelief, and started breaking down into tears. All of my hard work was paying off on the greatest stage of competitive Pokémon, and despite dreaming about this exact scenario hundreds of times, I had no expectation for how emotional I would get. It truly meant everything to me.
| Round | Result | Opponent | Opponent’s team | List |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R10 | WW | Naoto Kishida (シャーベット) | | |
I met Naoto two years ago on the train in Yokohama at 2023 Worlds, thanks to our mutual friend Shinichi Matsuda / kakunaka. I was looking forward to this match because we both almost certainly guaranteed a bye into the Top 16 and there were no real stakes for either of us, we were both playing to win for the higher seeding in Top Cut. The matchup seemed fine for me because of Shadow Rider Calyrex + Zamazenta, but I could not allow the Grimmsnarl to stay around for long and take over the game by spreading Thunder Wave.
Game 1:
- Me:
- Opp:
My lead of Koraidon + Flutter Mane is specifically to remove the Grimmsnarl early and go from there. Naoto elected to lead off with Incineroar next to Grimmsnarl for Intimidate into my Koraidon, where Fake Out flinches Koraidon and Light Screen from Grimmsnarl comes at the cost of taking a Moonblast. Grimmsnarl sets Reflect before Flutter Mane KOs it with a second Moonblast, as I predict Incineroar to hard switch out for Clefairy and chip it for a little more than a third of its health with Flare Blitz, not committing Fire-type Terastallization to preserve the Water-type one for Lunala against Calyrex. Calyrex comes in behind Light Screen and Reflect, so I switch Koraidon out to Chi-Yu and Moonblast the Calyrex as it Terastallizes into Fairy and sets up a Nasty Plot, with Clefairy using Protect to guarantee Friend Guard for Naoto on the following turn. Clefairy uses Follow Me, as Flutter Mane and Chi-Yu are not able to KO Clefairy with Moonblast and Heat Wave, while Calyrex heals to around 50% HP with a +2 Draining Kiss into Chi-Yu. On the last turn of sun, I perfectly call Clefairy to switch out for Incineroar + a Protect from Calyrex, switching my Flutter Mane to Lunala and slightly chipping Incineroar with Heat Wave. Chi-Yu starts to look great for the endgame once I remove Incineroar. I switch out Chi-Yu for Flutter Mane to take the Draining Kiss instead, and knock out the Incineroar with Meteor Beam from my now Water-type Lunala, covering for a potential Astral Barrage and risking a Fake Out prediction into my Lunala. With Naoto down to Calyrex and Clefairy, I just need to keep dealing damage and position Chi-Yu for sun-boosted Heat Wave to win the game. I sacrifice my Flutter Mane to another Draining Kiss and nearly KO Calyrex with a +1 Moongeist Beam through Light Screen, ignoring Friend Guard completely, but Life Dew heals Calyrex out of range of Heat Wave without the sun boost. My only option is to switch Lunala to Koraidon and Heat Wave, hoping that I land on Calyrex. I wait with bated breath as my Heat Wave comes out and misses… the Clefairy! Calyrex goes down to Heat Wave, and I take game 1.
Game 2:
- Me:
- Opp:
I adjusted to Lunala + Chi-Yu in anticipation of a lead without Grimmsnarl, but Naoto didn’t budge. Grimmsnarl starts off game 2 by setting Light Screen, and my Chi-Yu and Lunala combined Heat Wave + Meteor Beam to remove the Incineroar immediately, getting away with not committing Water-type Terastallization in the face of Thunder Wave + Knock Off. Calyrex is forced onto the field and starts setting up with Nasty Plot while Grimmsnarl sets Reflect, but Heat Wave + Moongeist Beam bring Calyrex to around 10% HP with help from the Beads of Ruin and a Special Attack boost. From here, the position is dire for Naoto, and he switches to Clefairy to hopefully dodge Heat Wave and uses Draining Kiss to get some health back. Fortunately for me, Heat Wave connects on Calyrex for the knockout and the incoming Clefairy, while Moongeist Beam knocks out Clefairy right after. Naoto forfeits the game, and I win without taking a single point of damage on any of my Pokémon.
I was stoked to secure a record of 9 wins and 1 loss, heading into the Top Cut of the World Championships as the 2nd seed!
Day 2 Swiss round summary: 2-0 (4-0)
Final Swiss result: 9-1 (19-6) — Advancing to Top Cut!
Top Cut
As the 2nd seed, I had a bye into Top 16!
| Round | Result | Opponent | Opponent’s team | List |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top 16 | LWW |  Théotime Massaut (Didi) | | |
Two months prior, I met Théotime on the Sunday of NAIC when speaking with Aurélien Soula, so it was funny how our paths crossed again in Top 16 of the World Championships. Théotime had an incredible 2025 season with a Top 8 at EUIC and two Top 4 Regional finishes, which outclassed my Top 32 at NAIC and two Top 8 Regional finishes.
Théotime’s team seemed weak against Koraidon + Flutter Mane on lead with Icy Wind combos for fast KOs, while Lunala and Ursaluna could find openings later in the game as win conditions. The only lead that could slow down my offense was Calyrex + Incineroar, so I assumed this would be Théotime’s plan. Despite the matchup looking advantageous, I knew this was not going to be easy.
Game 1:
- Me:
- Opp:
As expected, my lead of Koraidon + Flutter Mane was met by Calyrex + Incineroar. I switch Koraidon out for Ursaluna and cacth the Fake Out from Incineroar, as Calyrex Terastallizes into Fairy, takes a Moonblast, and fires back with an Astral Barrage to bring my Flutter Mane to 1 HP. Calyrex seemed vulnerable here to a double target, so I double target the Incineroar with Moonblast + Facade, predicting a Protect. However, Théotime does not use Protect, and I lose my Flutter Mane to Astral Barrage, giving a Special Attack boost to the Calyrex. Incineroar’s Parting Shot drops the attack on my Ursaluna before I am able to Facade the incoming Clefairy for insignificant damage, the absolute worst possible scenario. Lunala has to be brought out, and I look towards Trick Room as my way of trying to turn this game around. Théotime makes the correct play to Draining Kiss into Ursaluna + Life Dew, leaving my Facade to deal negligible damage to Calyrex through the Friend Guard and Intimidate support. From here, my only hope of winning this game is to play extremely aggressively and sacrifice for Koraidon to attack in Trick Room or hope for a timely critical hit into Calyrex. Ursaluna and Lunala have the freedom to land a critical hit onto Calyrex for a couple turns, but to no avail. However, my Koraidon was able to get onto the field with two turns of Trick Room left, and I wanted to play it out and learn if my Koraidon was faster or slower than Théotime’s Calyrex. After a Protect from Calyrex stalls a turn, I am able to find out that the Calyrex moved before my Koraidon under Trick Room, indicating that it was Modest. Finding out my Koraidon is faster than Calyrex makes this matchup even better for me, though I obviously wish I hadn’t already lost a game in the process.
All of a sudden, I find myself facing elimination for the first time all tournament, but strangely I don’t feel nervous or stressed whatsoever.
Game 2:
- Me:
- Opp:
Théotime adjusted by leading Choice Scarf Miraidon instead of Incineroar. I predict Calyrex to not Protect because Icy Wind + Close Combat into Miraidon would instantly end the game. Assuming Calyrex would not Protect, Icy Wind + Flare Blitz into the Calyrex had very little downside. Théotime chose to play safe and cover both options by switching Calyrex to Clefairy, as my Icy Wind misses Miraidon, and Draco Meteor KOs my Koraidon before I can attack. A devastating turn in what would have been a good position otherwise… Thankfully, not all hope is lost with a −2 SpA Miraidon locked into Draco Meteor against Shadow Shield Lunala and Flutter Mane. I decide to double target the Miraidon with Moonblast + Meteor Beam through Friend Guard for the KO, only losing 15% of my Lunala’s HP and Shadow Shield in the process and baiting out a Protect from Clefairy. Calyrex is sent out onto the field and I want to stay aggressive with my Lunala at +1 Special Attack and the opportunity to Terastallize into Water by going after the now Fairy-type Calyrex with a Moonblast + Moongeist Beam combo, taking a Tera-boosted Draining Kiss on Flutter Mane in the process (covering for the Ursaluna switch), and Clefairy rounding out the turn with Life Dew to heal the Calyrex up to around 50%. Despite having the worst possible turn 1, I now have a significant advantage in offensive pressure and use this to further improve my position by switching in Ursaluna for Flutter Mane and setting Trick Room on a Follow Me + Nasty Plot. As long as I punish an Incineroar switch, there is nothing that can stop Ursaluna in this position. Calyrex gives up the Nasty Plot boost to switch into Incineroar and Clefairy goes for Protect, while I use Earthquake (hitting my own Lunala too, which I comfortably assumed was out of range of a critical hit) + Moongeist Beam into the incoming Incineroar, catching Théotime completely by surprise. Everything from Théotime’s side is too low on health to take another attack from −1 Facade and +1 Moongeist Beam in Trick Room, forcing a third game and keeping my World Championship dreams alive.
Game 3:
- Me:
- Opp:
The same leads as game 1. Last time this lead played out I was not able to generate enough offense after switching Koraidon to Ursaluna. This time around, I could simply Protect Koraidon + switch Flutter Mane out into Ursaluna, but I have a feeling that Théotime wants to make an aggressive play to gain momentum. I decided that Calyrex would not use Protect and that Incineroar would either Parting Shot or hard-switch, so I switch out Flutter Mane for Ursaluna and committed with Fire Tera Type-boosted Flare Blitz straight into the Calyrex. The turn begins with Flutter Mane switching out for Ursaluna, as Théotime hard-switches out Incineroar for Rillaboom! My Koraidon follows by Terastallizing into Fire and Théotime reacts deflated as his Calyrex Terastallizes into Fairy. My Koraidon moves first, using −1 Tera-boosted Flare Blitz into the Calyrex and… my Koraidon gets the one-hit KO! Countless friends of mine were watching my game behind me from a distance and the cheering completely drowned out my game audio. I refused to believe I had won the game just then, but Théotime sends out Clefairy, revealing to not bring Miraidon and be fully committed to the Calyrex setup. With no chance of getting back into the game, Théotime forfeits, offers a handshake, and congratulates me on advancing to the Top 8 of the World Championships.
| Round | Result | Opponent | Opponent’s team | List |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top 8 | WW | Mao Harada (シズ) | | |
Remember how Mao made it to the semifinals of the 2023 World Championships in Yokohama? The player that he eliminated in Top 8 back then was none other than my friend Víctor Medina, who was also back in the Top 8 of Worlds again this year, and I wanted to get revenge for the both of us. Mao stood between me and a Pikachu trophy, an invite to the 2026 World Championships in San Francisco, and a chance to return to the main stage to play in the semifinals. I earned this rematch and I was sure that I learned from my mistakes the previous day.
When I reflected on my loss to Mao in round 6, I recalled playing extremely aggressive with Lunala and successfully predicted that Mao would fear the option of Water-type Terastallization. This was the ideal setup for me going into Top 8 because Mao might assume that my plan is to always preserve my Terastallization for the Koraidon. Beforehand, I lacked the information of Calyrex being Modest and slower than my Koraidon, which now allows Koraidon to attack fearlessly of a Calyrex’s Psychic.
📹 Watch my Top 8 match against Mao here!
Game 1:
- Me:
- Opp:
Anticipating a Protect or Shadow Ball from Flutter Mane, I choose to Terastallize my Lunala into Water and mix up my targeting from round 6 by double-attacking Mao’s Koraidon. My prediction plays out perfectly, catching Shadow Ball + Flame Charge into my Water-type Lunala for minimal damage as I scored a fortunate KO onto Mao’s Koraidon with a Heat Wave critical hit and Beads of Ruin-boosted Moongeist Beam. My position would have already been strong without the KO, but I find myself immediately in an amazing spot by forcing Mao to bring in Calyrex a turn early. Even though Mao can read my play by using Protect with Flutter Mane + Psychic into my Water-type Lunala, nothing can prevent the combination of Wide Guard + Heat Wave from advancing my position, as long as I don’t miss. Heat Wave connects with Calyrex to nearly seal the game, and Mao gets the read right with Modest Psychic… which MISSES the KO by 1 HP (flashback to deciding on my Lunala EV spread) even with my own Beads of Ruin working against me! Mao’s Calyrex is effectively worthless in this position and forced to Protect because Lunala stayed around for another turn, allowing me to trade my 1 HP Lunala for Mao’s Flutter Mane. After Clefairy is revealed to be the last Pokémon, the game is over because Calyrex would eventually faint to Life Orb damage. Nonetheless, I connect the Icy Wind to KO Calyrex through Friend Guard and leave Clefairy helpless, putting me one game away from being in the World Championships semifinals.
Game 2:
- Me:
- Opp:
The same lead matchup once again. I considered using Wide Guard for a lot of my time on turn 1, predicting Icy Wind + Fire Tera Type-boosted Flare Blitz into Chi-Yu, but ultimately decided to repeat my opening turn from game 1 because taking unnecessary risks is exactly why I lost the matchup before. Mao uses Protect with Koraidon this time around + Shadow Ball into Lunala to keep me honest with Water-type Terastallization, while I get the better end of turn 1 again with Heat Wave connecting on Flutter Mane for almost 90% of its HP. Afterwards, Mao switches Koraidon out to Incineroar and uses Moonblast into Chi-Yu instead of going for a KO on my Lunala with Moonblast + Low Kick or on my Chi-Yu with Icy Wind + Tera-boosted Flare Blitz, giving me a massive opening with Heat Wave only missing on the incoming Incineroar. Rillaboom is revealed to be the final Pokémon instead of Calyrex, and I immediately notice that I am only a matter of turns away from advancing to Top 4 of Worlds. My plan is to switch out Chi-Yu into Koraidon, fearing the chance a critical-hit Grassy Glide KOs Chi-Yu, and safely force Water-type Terastallization out from the Rillaboom in the next two turns for my Flutter Mane to pin the Koraidon with Moonblast in the endgame. Surely enough, Mao commits to Terastallizing Rillaboom in front of the potential sun-boosted Heat Wave and double-targets my Lunala with Fake Out + Wood Hammer for the KO. Wood Hammer recoil damage securely puts Rillaboom in range of Close Combat from Koraidon, so all I have to do is KO Rillaboom for Flutter Mane to take over the endgame. I thought about bringing in Flutter Mane and using Protect while my Koraidon takes the KO on Rillaboom, but I did not want to take any chances with Mao’s bulky Rillaboom surviving Close Combat from a low damage roll. Grassy Glide ends up getting the critical hit onto Chi-Yu, but is comfortably short of the KO, as Heat Wave + Close Combat take out Mao’s Rillaboom, and U-Turn knocks out Chi-Yu to create a perfect checkmate on the following turn. I bring out Flutter Mane and lock in my moves as quickly as my game’s inputs would allow me to, knowing full well that I am seconds away from advancing past the Top 8 of a major tournament for the first time ever, at the most important tournament I have ever played in. Fake Out prevents Koraidon from knocking out Incineroar as Moonblast knocks out Mao’s Koraidon. With only Incineroar remaining, Mao forfeits and congratulates me on advancing to Worlds Top 4.
My friends promptly went into an uproar from a few tables behind me after I won. I turned to them and pointed to the main stage, shouting “I’m going back up there!” It was unreal to me that my first piece of hardware from a tournament would be a Pikachu trophy at the World Championships. I even forgot that I just earned my invite to the 2026 World Championships in San Francisco until friends and spectators started congratulating me about it amongst the celebration.
| Round | Result | Opponent | Opponent’s team | List |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top 4 | WW | Hirofumi Kimura (カ・エール) | | |
Of course Hirofumi Kimura was the player I had to get past, as arguably the greatest player, and undoubtedly the greatest Japanese player to have never won the World Championships. This match was meaningful to me on a personal level because he just came off eliminating two of my close friends in Aaron Brok (Top 16) and Víctor Medina (Top 8).
The hopes of guaranteeing the first United States Masters Division World Champion since 2016 rested on my shoulders. There is nobody I would rather play than Hirofumi Kimura to prove my worthiness of playing the most prestigious match in competitive Pokémon, the World Championship Grand Finals.
📹 Watch my Semifinals match against Hirofumi here!
Read Hirofumi’s Top 4 team report (written by Joji Kaieda in Japanese) here!
Game 1:
- Me:
- Opp:
After expecting a Protect + Spiky Shield and targeting the Koraidon with Close Combat to avoid taking chip damage, I lose a lot of momentum from fearing Smeargle, trading Heat Wave + Flame Charge damage into Incineroar for a Tera-boosted Flame Charge into Chi-Yu. From here, Fake Out + Flame Charge looks super scary, but I navigate it well by preserving Chi-Yu and giving up Shadow Shield for the threat of Meteor Beam against two Fire types. With so many ways this turn can play out, I figure that Close Combat into Koraidon + Meteor Beam into Incineroar is a safe option regardless. Hirofumi chooses to preserve Incineroar by switching in Smeargle and using Protect on Koraidon, a perfect opportunity to get some much-needed damage onto Smeargle… except for the fact that Meteor Beam missed and Smeargle got the Moody speed boost to boot. An absolute disaster, and to rub salt in the wound, I could hear the crowd roar through my noise-cancelling headphones too. At this point, I have to give up my Lunala and trade Flame Charge damage on Smeargle for a Spore so that Brute Bonnet hits the field after sun has expired. Fortunately for me, Hirofumi mistakes his Koraidon for being slower than Smeargle, missing the KO on my Koraidon with Low Kick going before Ruination, and putting me exactly in range of Life Orb recoil. In the meantime, I’m able to burn a turn of sleep on my Koraidon and retaliate with my own Spore, opening up a free turn to get my Chi-Yu on the field. Finally, I’m able to KO the Smeargle and bring Hirofumi’s Koraidon to very low HP with another Heat Wave, as Incineroar comes out to replace Smeargle. Koraidon wakes up just in time for Hirofumi to use Protect, while Chi-Yu fires off a Heat Wave in exchange for being brought to low HP as well by the Incineroar’s Flare Blitz. My targeting with Sucker Punch this next turn is crucial. I have to call whether the Koraidon attacks or attempts a double Protect. I decided to predict that Hirofumi would attack with Koraidon, but the double Protect fails and so does my Sucker Punch. By the end of the turn, Heat Wave takes out the Koraidon and narrowly misses the KO on Incineroar, allowing it to knock out my Chi-Yu with Knock Off. Hirofumi’s last Pokémon is revealed to be Calyrex and it all comes down to if Koraidon can wake up. The turn begins and Sucker Punch KOs Incineroar, all I can think about is three words that are about to appear on my screen… “Koraidon woke up!” In a dramatic turn of events, Flare Blitz is enough to one-shot Calyrex and steal a game 1 victory from the jaws of defeat.
Game 2:
- Me:
- Opp:
Upon repeating the first turn of game 1, Heat Wave misses Smeargle and Close Combat is redirected by Follow Me to bring Smeargle down to its Focus Sash, as Hirofumi’s Koraidon rounds out the turn with Low Kick getting the one-hit KO on my Koraidon with lowered defenses. This would actually be an amazing trade for me because I can just bring in Lunala and spam attacks, but Smeargle gets an early Speed boost again. Instead of pushing an advantage, I’m now forced into Brute Bonnet just to prevent Smeargle from taking over the game. Hirofumi switches out Koraidon for Incineroar and uses Spiky Shield to line up Fake Out + Spore on the following turn, and as luck would have it, Smeargle gets a Speed drop to make Chi-Yu faster once again. I keep Hirofumi honest by going for Rage Powder and neutralizing the Fake Out + Spore combo, only to concede my Choice Scarf to the unstoppable Spiky Shield + Knock Off as I switch out my Brute Bonnet for Lunala the very next turn. The situation is getting dire and I have to switch Brute Bonnet into whichever slot Hirofumi tries to Spore. Fortunately, I get the call right, catching Spore on the Lunala slot with my incoming Brute Bonnet and landing Heat Wave to remove the Smeargle at last. A great turn to put me back in the game, only taking a Parting Shot drop on Chi-Yu for my troubles. Hirofumi shuffles in Calyrex next to Incineroar, creating yet another awkward position without my Lunala on the field to help. I decide to go all in on Hirofumi using Knock Off (predicting a Lunala switch) instead of Fake Out, and I get rewarded with even more chip damage from Heat Wave and a Spore on Calyrex, except my Brute Bonnet moved before Incineroar this time…? It’s a speed tie! Thanks to the Knock Off from earlier, I’m no longer locked in to Heat Wave, which is huge here. From eyeballing the damage, Overheat + Seed Bomb should just barely KO the Incineroar and give me a favorable endgame position, and I can Terastallize my Brute Bonnet to prevent Calyrex from waking up and winning the game with Glacial Lance. The aforementioned combination knocks out Incineroar, but not before Flare Blitz takes out Chi-Yu, as Calyrex wakes up but uses Trick Room! I see the winning sequence of moves as soon as I bring in Lunala and Hirofumi brings in Koraidon. First, I use Spore into the Koraidon + Meteor Beam into the Calyrex, getting the +1 SpA boost for allowing a Leech Seed on Lunala. Next, I use Spore into the Calyrex as it uses Protect, opening up for +1 Moongeist Beam to eclipse Koraidon and knock it out. Hirofumi attempts to Leech Seed, but seeing “Brute Bonnet avoided the attack!”, put any remaining doubts to rest. Brute Bonnet puts Calyrex to sleep with Spore and Lunala is dealing way too much damage into the Calyrex for it to withstand the lunar assault. After the combination of Seed Bomb + a Moongeist Beam critical hit for good measure, Calyrex faints and I just made it to the Grand Finals of the World Championships.
Top Cut summary: 4-0 (8-1)
Total Swiss + Top Cut record: 13-1 (27-7) — Advancing to the Grand Finals!
Punching My Ticket to Championship Sunday
I couldn’t be more proud of the match I just played. Despite everything, I defied the odds, overcoming the “odd-year streak” of Japanese World Champions since 2015, which almost seemed inevitable heading into the World Championships. I was on cloud nine.
The staff members taking care of James Evans and I gave us 5–10 minutes to spend with our friends before being dragged backstage to take photos and record some footage for the grand finals promo. After talking about getting a group photo for minutes on end and nobody taking charge, Aaron told me “just start walking because everyone is going to follow you”, which I was embarrassingly oblivious to up until that point. Without consulting me, the rest of the group decided that I was only allowed to be placed in the middle of the photo (I was never going to win that argument anyway). Finally, we got a snapshot of this moment with everyone in our group, dubbed as “Team Z”. Everyone showed off their respective prizes and pointed in my direction, all while I tried not to embrace the “main character” role that was suddenly forced upon me.
After almost an hour, James and I were officially released to leave the studio for dinner with our friends who patiently waited on us (thank you guys!). The 10-minute walk to the restaurant was filled with classic Pokémon tournament storytelling of our respective tournament runs, numerous laughs about the irony of my reluctant thumbs-down photo with Smeargle after Round 1 the previous day, and competitors and spectators walking the streets of Anaheim who recognized me and asked for a photo (I guess I better get used to this!). Between ordering and receiving our food, Justin urged James and I to recreate the “finalists’ staredown” recording of us from earlier.
The dinner vibe was anything but tense, as everyone simply enjoyed the moment and it was great to truly separate ourselves from the tournament for the first time all weekend. By the end of dinner, someone came up with the idea for our massive group to grab ice cream together, which of course nobody could say “no” to. After our large-scale ice cream escapade and a photo to capture the moment, us finalists went our separate ways to mentally prepare for the day that was to come…
The Summit: Preparing for the Finals
Before Dinner
I talked with Antonio and Carlos about my general thoughts on the matchup, giving them my full team to test the matchup at a separate table with the rest of the “Team Z” guys that were helping me prepare.
After Dinner
Antonio and Carlos updated me on their matchup progress and I received dreadful news… According to their initial testing, the matchup was slightly unfavorable at best. Koraidon + Raging Bolt seemed devastating on lead with the threat of Tera-boosted Flame Charge + Thunderclap nullifying my one advantage of quick offense. When I started to watch the practice replays with Antonio, we quickly noticed that Lunala was useless in almost every single game because of how poorly it matches up into Shadow Rider Calyrex + Raging Bolt or Brute Bonnet. As a result, Antonio and I agreed that Brute Bonnet would take Lunala’s place in the matchup. Obviously, dropping Lunala in matchups is nothing new to me because I often favor Brute Bonnet over Lunala against Shadow Rider Calyrex + Zamazenta teams, but this just wasn’t my experience against traditional Shadow Rider Calyrex + Koraidon teams. If there was any consolation, at least we already knew the general game plan we needed to prepare for…
Antonio and Víctor led the way for Aaron, Carlos, Kian, Luca, and I across the city of Anaheim to begin preparation in their hotel room. Coincidentally, we arrived around the time the clock struck midnight: the day of the World Championship Grand Finals was already upon me.
Matchup Preparation — Part 1
I was honestly way too burnt out to be the one playing my side of the matchup (I would have denied being tired if anyone asked me), but Kian volunteered to take my place and Víctor took on the role of playing the opposing side. Meanwhile, Aaron was so tired that he passed out shortly afterwards (a much deserved rest for his Top 16 finish), making for a good laugh to lighten the mood.
For the first two hours, we experimented leading with Koraidon + Flutter Mane and Koraidon + Brute Bonnet leads, but both of them presented notable flaws for their own reasons:
- Koraidon + Flutter Mane doesn’t damage-trade effectively against Raging Bolt and my speed advantage is completely invalidated by Thunderclap.
- Brute Bonnet was too slow and allowed for Tera-boosted Flare Blitz + Thunderbolt to pin the defensive Water-type Terastallization, which forced us to play guessing games with Close Combat + Sucker Punch into Koraidon attacking or using Protect.
Essentially, most of the turns felt like hard predictions and any semblance of a “real” game plan would instantly fall apart if the optimal play was made from the opposing end. Almost every win seemed inconsistent and just about each of the (many) losses felt like a beatdown. Somehow, the games appeared as if we were only just finding out how daunting this matchup was. We weren’t making much progress and decided to take a short break. Carlos and Luca became the heroes of the hour by running an errand to buy everyone bottled water from the only nearby store still open so late at night.
However, after another 30 minutes of Thunderclap torment, whiffing Close Combat + Sucker Punch into Protect, and getting checkmated by Focus Sash Calyrex’s Astral Barrage, Antonio started working on an alternate game plan of leading Flutter Mane + Chi-Yu.
This is a lead that I rarely use, but as we began exploring all of the turn 1 possibilities, it became apparent that it is actually the best lead in this matchup. Flutter Mane picks up a guaranteed one-hit KO on Assault Vest Raging Bolt thanks to Stellar Tera Type-boosted Moonblast in Beads of Ruin, which importantly limits Raging Bolt to only one Thunderclap. As for Chi-Yu, we initially tested Heat Wave but eventually favored Overheat into Raging Bolt for the following reasons:
- The possibility of Electric-Tera Type Raging Bolt, which has very favorable odds to take Stellar Tera Type-boosted Moonblast + Heat Wave in sun.
- Overheat puts Koraidon in range of fainting to recoil from a Tera-boosted Flare Blitz OHKO vs Brute Bonnet at full HP later in the game (after calculating with the confirmed stats it is an 87.5% chance to KO), it was simply better for this game plan.
- Moreover, we almost always wanted to switch out Chi-Yu for Brute Bonnet on turn 2 anyway, so the −2 SpA drop wasn’t a problem.
We all agreed that Koraidon should use Protect in the off-chance scenario of Electric-Tera Type Raging Bolt, and in the worst case, a favorable trade of Thunderclap for Raging Bolt on turn 1. On the other hand, the combination of Stellar Tera Type-boosted Shadow Ball + Heat Wave is a guaranteed KO on Koraidon as well, which would almost instantly win me the game if Koraidon doesn’t Protect and commits to Fire-type Terastallization.
+ vs +
- Terastallize into Stellar
- Tera-boosted Moonblast into
- Overheat into
- Terastallize into Stellar
- Tera-boosted Shadow Ball into
- Heat Wave into
Additionally, we believed that the two most threatening leads are Koraidon + Raging Bolt or Koraidon + Brute Bonnet, so Flutter Mane + Chi-Yu would always receive their respective boosts in sun without requiring me to lead my own Koraidon.
The high of finding a real game plan to work with kept us going for a while, though it was becoming clear that everyone was exhausted around 4:15 am. We decided to call it a night and planned to reconvene early in the afternoon as a review of everything we prepared and to look for anything we may have potentially missed after four hours of nonstop matchup analysis. The rest of us went back to our accommodation to rest as much as possible, but I was still wired and could not fall asleep when we got back. My last recollection was mentally mapping out games with photos I took of Antonio’s notebook before crashing for the night.
Morning of the Finals
I felt a sudden surge of excitement when I woke up late into the morning. As cliché as it may sound, this was the day that I would remember forever and I was in control of my destiny. Additionally, August 17th also happens to be my older brother’s birthday, the very person who got me into Pokémon over a decade and a half ago. I was just hours away from potentially becoming World Champion and none of it felt real. The rest of us grabbed brunch before meeting up with Antonio and Víctor at their hotel room in the afternoon.
Matchup Preparation — Part 2
It was already 2 pm by the time we got back to working on the matchup, just three hours before my call time.
I selected the moves from my perspective instead of Kian this time around because I wanted to feel comfortable with and fully internalize the game plan that we designed. We spent the remaining time reviewing my lead options of Flutter Mane + Chi-Yu and developing alternate game plans with Koraidon + Brute Bonnet for a potential game 2 mix up. After a couple hours of confirming our plans as solid, it was time to head over to the arena for my 5 pm call time.
Total calmness came over me when we exited the hotel lobby and started walking to the venue, which I found amusing because all of my friends were beyond stressed. It was really cool being recognized by people on the sidewalk and outside the convention center on the way over, as well as receiving my fair share of “good luck!” comments too.
Funnily enough, the staff did not see me sitting down with my friends talking over the matchup for around 20 minutes, so they were extremely relieved to see that I showed up on time (I promise I was there!). I was escorted into the arena with my limited guests to reserved seating near to the stage, where I would meet up with James. I thought that my guests were going to be backstage with me to review the matchup since the page with instructions I was given the day before permitted it, but James and I were taken backstage by ourselves. Fortunately, I had Kian write down the game 1 plans before we made the walk over so I could review the sheet of paper backstage before the match. After another 20 minutes of studying, messaging with my preparation group on my phone, and thinking over everything for the thousandth time, it was time to take the catwalk and play the most important match of my life.
Six Pokémon, one player, and one match is all that stood between me and the World Champion title.
Day 3: Grand Finals
| Round | Result | Opponent | Opponent’s team | List |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finals | WLW | James Evans (James) |
|
|
The music selected on the spectator mode end (stream POV) was Gym Leader, while James and I selected Nemona 2 and Blueberry Academy Elite Four respectively.
Game 1:
- Me:
- Opp:
I’m instantly caught off guard by the lead matchup. Despite the lead being favorable, James must have prepared for this scenario, while I only have 45 seconds to figure it out. I strongly considered switching Chi-Yu to Brute Bonnet and using Protect with Flutter Mane, but a Parting Shot to bring in Koraidon (pinning my Brute Bonnet with Tera-boosted Flare Blitz + Spore the following turn) was too scary. I decided to hedge my bets by targeting Brute Bonnet with the combination of Dark Pulse + Moonblast. Fake Out prevents Chi-Yu from moving and Flutter Mane forces out Water-type Terastallization from Brute Bonnet, trading a Beads of Ruin-boosted Moonblast into Brute Bonnet for a Spore into Chi-Yu.
While Chi-Yu stays asleep for the next three turns being chipped down by Knock Off and Sucker Punch, I am able to put Incineroar to sleep before switching out Brute Bonnet for Koraidon to angle for a Flame Charge speed boost on the following turn. Out of nowhere, Incineroar wakes up and enables a Helping Hand-boosted Sucker Punch to knock out Chi-Yu, while my Koraidon takes more damage than it deals with Flame Charge when attempting to catch the Calyrex switch-in. After bringing in Brute Bonnet to replace Chi-Yu, we reach an unavoidable 50/50 where I have to predict whether James will stay in with Brute Bonnet or switch in Calyrex on a potential Close Combat. I got the call wrong, Calyrex switches into Close Combat and Incineroar uses Parting Shot to have Brute Bonnet take the Spore instead. As if things weren’t already spiraling out of control, I forget about my Flame Charge speed boost on the following turn and Terastallize with Koraidon for no reason.
Thankfully, my blunder goes unpunished as my Close Combat knocks out Brute Bonnet on the obvious Protect from Calyrex. Koraidon comes out to replace Brute Bonnet with one turn of sun remaining and we are presented with yet another 50/50 mind game: does the Calyrex attack or switch to Incineroar? If I expect Calyrex to attack, Sucker Punch + Flare Blitz would KO Calyrex and set up Flutter Mane to win the game, but I would instantly lose if Calyrex switches to Incineroar. Predicting the Calyrex to switch out to Incineroar, I switch my Koraidon out for Flutter Mane, and Calyrex… switches to Incineroar as Collision Course takes the KO on my Brute Bonnet, giving me Koraidon + Flutter Mane with Protosynthesis active for the endgame. For the first time since the beginning of the game, I finally have the advantage once again.
Incineroar could stay in or switch back out to Calyrex to take another Close Combat. I would instantly win if I were to get this turn right. The next turn begins and Incineroar switches back out to Calyrex, Flutter Mane knocks out the opposing Koraidon with Moonblast, and Flame Charge brings Calyrex down to its Focus Sash to effectively seal the game. After a couple more attacks to knock out Incineroar and Calyrex, I am just one game away from becoming World Champion.
Game 2:
- Me:
- Opp:
I felt that sticking with the same lead was fine because I never had to show my game plan vs Koraidon + Raging Bolt.
I got the worse end of turn 1 this time around, taking significant damage on Flutter Mane and losing my Choice Scarf speed boost thanks to Knock Off just to knock out Brute Bonnet. Calyrex comes in and I am immediately forced to use Snarl and switch Flutter Mane to Brute Bonnet, while Calyrex uses Protect, buying time for Incineroar to Parting Shot and bring out Koraidon. All of a sudden, I’m in a precarious position trying to cover for Koraidon attacking into either slot.
Fearing the next turn becoming predictions if Brute Bonnet is knocked out, I decide to Terastallize Brute Bonnet and I get the turn completely wrong. Astral Barrage + Fire Tera Type-boosted Flame Charge are more than enough to KO Chi-Yu and deal massive damage to Brute Bonnet with my own Beads of Ruin working against me, only having a Spore into Calyrex to show for it. If I want any chance of turning things around, I have to send out Koraidon and make things happen before Calyrex eventually wakes up. Expecting the Incineroar to switch in, I decide to take a risk by going for Close Combat into Calyrex, but no switch happens. Now, instead of improving my position with Flame Charge, I’ve wasted my turn and dug myself an even deeper hole to get out of.
Calyrex crucially doesn’t wake up, allowing me to trade a Flame Charge into Calyrex + a Spore into Koraidon for significant damage on my Koraidon with Collision Course (putting Koraidon just in range of fainting to Life Orb + Rocky Helmet recoil). The only way I can win this game is if Koraidon is able to KO Incineroar with Close Combat, so any mistake would cost me the game. Calyrex wakes up after two turns of sleep to use Protect, while Koraidon deals over 90% to the opposing Koraidon with Close Combat and Spore goes into the Calyrex (covering the Incineroar switch). Calyrex switches out to Incineroar and Koraidon gets the first-turn wake to use Protect, taking 0 damage from my Close Combat into Koraidon and Sucker Punch into Calyrex.
The battle has been on a knife’s edge for multiple turns, but then I proceed to make the most egregious oversight in the most important match of my life. From here, all I have to do is switch out Koraidon for Flutter Mane and Rage Powder, keeping Flutter Mane safe for the turn and giving me the ability to reset sun for Protosynthesis. However, because I do not Rage Powder, Incineroar is able to KO my Flutter Mane with Knock Off before I can put it to sleep with Spore. In a split second, I go from having the World Champion title in my grasp to a losing position. After my Koraidon knocks out the opposing Koraidon and Incineroar, there’s nothing I can do to stop the Calyrex from using Encore to lock my Brute Bonnet into Rage Powder, and I throw away a game in the most important match of my life in front of the entire world.
Game 3:
- Me:
- Opp:
Now that it has really come down to winner-takes-all, I’m hesitant to gamble on bringing any of the other game plans we prepared because James still has yet to bring Raging Bolt. After thinking through all of my options, I decided to place faith in myself and my friends who got me to this point.
Upon seeing the same leads for the third time in a row, I’m positive that James will go for Knock Off instead of Parting Shot with Incineroar, giving me the chance to use the play I nearly went for in game 1. I switch out Chi-Yu for Brute Bonnet and use Protect with Flutter Mane, as Fake Out from Incineroar hits Brute Bonnet and Sucker Punch fails. Going into turn 2, I decide that if I am going out, I’m going to do it on my own terms. I have a feeling that James is going to get aggressive by leaving his Brute Bonnet vulnerable, expecting me to switch out my Flutter Mane, so I commit to going all in on this read. The turn starts and Flutter Mane Terastallizes into Stellar, giving it a nice little damage boost… and there’s no Sucker Punch or defensive Terastallization! Stellar Tera Type-boosted Moonblast picks up the one-hit KO on Brute Bonnet! Incineroar follows up with a Knock Off into my Brute Bonnet instead of Flutter Mane, removing Sitrus Berry, and Brute Bonnet rounds out the turn by putting Incineroar to sleep with Spore. This game couldn’t have possibly started out better and I wasn’t going to let this one get away from me too.
Koraidon comes out and I just need to play it safe. Flutter Mane uses Moonblast into Incineroar, leaving it just above 50% HP, as Koraidon goes for Collision Course into Brute Bonnet and lands a critical hit (Collision Course normally has a 75% chance to KO anyway, but a Spore would have ended the game immediately). As I select Chi-Yu for my next Pokémon, I think back to our preparation from the night before and remember how the combination of Stellar Tera Type-boosted Shadow Ball + Heat Wave in Beads of Ruin will always KO Koraidon. However, James surely also knows this and can use Protect to try getting a first-turn wake on Incineroar for Parting Shot. Still, I think it is my best play and I go for it. James makes the right call by using Protect on Koraidon, blocking the Shadow Ball + Heat Wave combo, but Incineroar is brought low. I almost couldn’t bear to watch as Incineroar… stayed asleep.
All I have to do is connect Heat Wave one final time to become World Champion. Flutter Mane starts the turn and Tera-boosted Shadow Ball in Beads of Ruin shreds through Koraidon, leaving it at just above a quarter of its health. Just for a moment, it felt like the world froze. The entire arena held its breath as Chi-Yu used Heat Wave…
Total record: 14-1 (29-8) — World Champion
Becoming World Champion
Still in denial with what was happening, the arena’s eruption of applause, smoke machines, and pyrotechnics surrounding the stage served as proof that this all wasn’t just in my head.
Before celebrating, I wanted to make sure that I embraced James and congratulated him too, as he displayed incredible sportsmanship and also achieved something truly extraordinary. We exchanged a few more words, hugged it out, and he even urged the crowd to get louder for me too.
The next 30 seconds of walking around, raising my arms, throwing my fists, pointing to my friends, and screaming my head off was a moment that I’ve thought about in my head thousands of times over the years, but somehow every part of it exceeded my expectations.
After signing the match slip and receiving congratulations from the judges, I was just reminded that I would have my World Champion interview on stage with Anna Prosser momentarily with the whole world watching, and I was absolutely not prepared for it. To be honest, I was terrified. Even though I had no time to come up with something to say, I think that my advice perfectly describes my journey: “Trust yourself. If you want to pursue something, go for it, wholeheartedly.”
Afterwards, I was escorted backstage once again for the closing ceremony, though I spent most of the downtime frantically messaging with everyone who helped me prepare for the Grand Finals. Before I knew it, it was my turn to take the catwalk one last time and stand on top of the podium, hoisting my trophy for the world to see.
Once I was ushered out of the arena for my official World Champion photo, I walked into an ambush of my friends running towards me, screaming in excitement.
As for the photo…
You would think that’s all, but I still had to do another interview covering the tournament for future broadcasts.
Over an hour later, I’m finally free to claim all of my exclusive prizes, including the coveted No. 1 Trainer card. Recording the interview took so long that the convention center hall was now a ghost town, but after making sure I got everything, I walked outside and found out where everyone else went…
To tie off this unforgettable night and weekend, I showed up to the Worlds after-party to say my final goodbyes and snag some photos with legends of the game.
Someone once said “work hard until your idols become rivals”, and I think I’ve arrived.
Final Words
Through countless hours over the years dedicated to learning, practicing, and pushing myself beyond my limits, I could not imagine a better story for my crowning achievement. I won the World Championships with a record of 14 wins and 1 loss, avenging my only loss later on in the tournament. Countless people have said that this was the most difficult World Championship of all time, and regardless whether that is true, I feel complete with myself and the fact my name is immortalized in competitive Pokémon history. To this day, claiming the title of “World Champion” remains unbelievable to me, as if it were just a dream — showing the world that dreams really do come true.
I would like to extend my appreciation to the special people in my life, as none of this would have been possible without them:
- Thank you to my family for always believing in and supporting me since the days of being a wide-eyed kid with a vision to be the best.
- Thank you to my friends for never giving up on me and singing my praises despite my shortcomings, even in times where I lost faith in myself.
- Thank you to everyone around the world who supported me across the years.
- Thank you to all the players who came before me in this wonderful game, shaping me into the competitor, and more importantly, the person I am today.
Lastly…
Thank you, the reader, for taking the time to listen to my journey of becoming the 2025 Pokémon World Champion.
See you in San Francisco!
