Farewell Kalos - A 2nd Place Kyo's XY Tournament Report
Hi everyone, I'm Yew Sun, but most of you know me as Sunny in the Nintendo Pokemon Communication Group (NPCGM). I have known of Pokemon since it was first introduced in Generation I, but it would take till Generation III for me to start my Pokemon Adventure in Leaf Green (and then Emerald). I wasn't a competitive battler when I started Pokemon (barely understanding EVs and IVs), but it was until the introduction of Pokemon X and Y when competitive battling became more accessible to newcomers, and I started playing Pokemon competitively (be it Singles or Doubles).
The announcement of Omega Ruby and Alpha Saphire (ORAS) got me really excited, as Hoenn is one of my most favourite regions of all. One of the local Nintendo game sellers - Kyo's Mini Game Mart, decided to have a Launch Party for ORAS, similar to what he did last year for the launching of Pokemon X and Y. Kyo also organized a Pokemon X and Y tournament during the launch party, similar to what he did last year for the X and Y launch (having a Black/White/Black 2/White 2 Tournament). Having more experience in battling (and in VGC), I decided to give the tournament a try.
After six rounds of Swiss and a Top 8 Top Cut, I got 2nd place due to some luck and skills (but mostly luck I suppose). I didn't really much videos of my battles, so there isn't gonna be any videos here to show how my team fared. Also, I didn't really want to make this report, but my friend insisted, so I'll just try my best to write this report.
The Team
While I do have a bunch of Pokemons well suited for a double battle, the one VGC team I've used the most frequently consist of a Lum Berry Garchomp, Bulky Sitrus Gardevoir, Mega Manectric, Leftovers Rotom-W, Weakness Policy Aegislash, and a Support Life Orb Talonflame.
However, playing with this team frequently made me realize how frail this team is (and how I need to beat the opponent fast to win). However, I still wanted to stick to the Dragon-Steel-Fairy core that the team has. For the team I used in the tournament, I changed up two Pokemons for the earlier team, while at the same time, changed the items and sets for the remaining four Pokemons, so here is the team I used:
However, playing with this team frequently made me realize how frail this team is (and how I need to beat the opponent fast to win). However, I still wanted to stick to the Dragon-Steel-Fairy core that the team has. For the team I used in the tournament, I changed up two Pokemons for the earlier team, while at the same time, changed the items and sets for the remaining four Pokemons, so here is the team I used:
Garchomp@Cynthia
Focus Sash
Jolly Nature
252 Atk & Speed, 4 HP
Rough Skin
Earthquake, Rock Slide, Dragon Claw, Protect
There's nothing much to say about the Garchomp's EVs and nature, it's all standard stuff. As for the item, I went for Focus Sash so that it could survive any incoming Hidden Power Ice from a Pokemon, as well as survive an attack that would kill it in one shot (like a Draco from Noivern & Scarfed Salamence/Hydreigon or any Fairy attack) and possibly return with at least one more attack before it dies.
My Garchomp was a female, so I named it after Cynthia, the Sinnoh Champion who's Garchomp is her ace, and the most feared of all her Pokemons in many trainers.
Aegislash@Joan of Arc
Leftovers
Quiet Nature
252 HP & Sp.Atk, 4 Sp.Def. IV: 0 Speed
Stance Change
Shadow Ball, Flash Cannon, King's Shield, Substitute
Standard set for a Substitute Aegislash, but something new to me. I used to run a Weakness Policy Aegislash, which was deadly when the opponent does stuff like Knock Off on me. But I see putting Substitute and a Leftover on it seems like a good idea as it makes it more bulkier and annoying. People who do not run Mega Khan has to gang it to destroy the Sub (or use Heat Wave and Earthquake). But with the right pairing, I could check the EQ or Heat Wave user, which makes Aegislash very dangerous.
My Aegislash was also a female, so I named it Joan of Arc, after the French heroine (since we're in Kalos and all).
Talonflame@Akahige
Life Orb
Lonely Nature
188 Atk, 68 Sp.Atk 252 Speed
Gale Wings
Protect, Overheat, Bravebird, Will-O-Wisp
One of the things I changed from my previous team was that I re-bred a new Talonflame for this tournament. Seeing Se Jun Park running a Mixed Talonflame in Worlds made me try it out, and it's surprisingly good as I do have success with it to some degree. Having Overheat instead of Flare Blitz allows be to kill Steel types like Mawile and Ferrothorn without the Attack drop or the Iron Barbs. I run Protect as a way to scout opponents, and Will-O-Wisp as a way to burn certain Pokemon since this team does not carry Intimidate.
Talonflame was named after the Japanese Robin, whose scientific name is the Erithacus Akahige.
Gardevoir@Fung-Jie
Choice Scarf
Modest Nature
4 HP, 20 Def, 252 Sp.Atk, 228 Speed
Telepathy
Psychic, Dazzling Gleam, Moonblast, Thunderbolt
One of the most versatile Pokemons around, Gardevoir has been my signature Pokemon way back in Emerald when I use it in my main game team (Specifically, a Male Gardevoir). It's one of my favourite Pokemons out there (not in a waifu kind of way cuz I don't have Pokephilia). The Fairy type buff made Gardevoir a viable Pokemon in VGC as its able to wall Dragons now. Gardevoir runs Psychic to kill Pokemons like Gengar, and Venusaur in general. Moonblast is the go-to Fairy type attack, but I also want to have a spread attack or in case I fight a Hydreigon, so I run Dazzling Gleam as well as it would OHKO it (and at the same time chip his partner a little). Thunderbolt is there to weaken Charizard Y a little, as well as to kill off Gyarados if I ever saw one. The EVs for Speed is enough for me to outspeed a Noivern, as I believe that a Specs Noivern may tear my team apart (if I see one, of course). Remaining EVs were distributed to Defense to give it a little bit more bulk (just a little). Telepathy is there to negate any Earthquake damage in case it was paired with Garchomp.
As my signature Gardevoir has always been a male, this one is no different. My Gardevoir's nickname was based on my friend Chi Fung, whose nickname is Fung-Jie. He has long hair that is very well kept (in fact, its better maintained than some of the girls I know), and he is occasionally mistaken for a girl due to this.
Kangaskhan@Onee-san
Kangaskhanite
Adamant Nature
252 Atk & Speed, 4 HP
Scrappy/Parental Bond
Protect, Sucker Punch, Double Edge, Power-Up Punch
One of the best megas in the metagame, I picked Kangaskhan over Manectric as my mega of choice this tournament for its bulk and damage. Double Edge was important in securing crucial kills, while running Protect helps in the long run as it is Adamant instead of Jolly. Other than that, there's nothing much to say other that I picked Adamant for more damage output.
Kangaskhan was named Onee-san, like the big sis of the team... or something. I didn't really put much thought into naming her.
Meowstic-M@Nyan-Nyan~
Sitrus Berry
Calm Nature
252 HP, 100 Def, 156 Sp.Def
Prankster
Protect, Safeguard, Rain Dance, Charm
I swapped my Rotom-W over this guy. I rarely bring him on to battles as I wouldn't normally win battles with him, but he was crucial to my team for a few reasons. It's the 2nd fastest in the metagame, losing only to Liepard, meaning I could use Safeguard before Sableye or Klefki inflict their status on my Pokemon (or before Sableye can taunt it). Safeguard also ensures I win against Khan-Artist leads (Dark Void Smeargle + Mega Kangaskhan). Since I don't run Intimidate, it's Charm can reduce some of the opponent's attack power (also the reason why I didn't invest much in Def compared to Sp.Def). I also anticipated matches where I have to fight in the Sun or Sand, which is why I brought Rain Dance, to weaken Charizard Y further, forcing it to switch. Switching the weather to rain also allows Gardevoir to OHKO a Tyranitar as the lack of Sand means its Sp.Def is not that high anymore.
I didn't give much thought to Meowstic's nickname. It was called Nyan-Nyan~ cuz my first Meowstic was called Nyan, that's about it.
Team Synergy
Usually, I don't have a specific lead Pokemon as I tend to lead based on what I see during Team Preview, but here are some of the team pairings I can think of.
Meowstic + Anyone with Protect (Not King's Shield)
This match up gives me some sort of tactical advantage against Smeargle leads. I can double Protect the first turn to scout the opponent and attack the next turn. Meowstic with Safeguard ensures my Pokemon don't get fallen asleep. Meowstic also helps with Prankster leads, but I have to thread with caution if I'm dealing with a Liepard (because of the potential Encore).
Aegislash + Anyone with Protect against anyone with Fake Out pressure.
Due to it being ghost, it can't be faked out unless the opponent has Scrappy. Depending on the situation, I could set up a Substitute or just go offensive on the opponent. As mentioned earlier, setting up subs will make him more annoying to the opponents.
Meowstic + Gardevoir
This specific pairing is to deal with Sun or Sand (as I expected these to be the most common weather to expect in the tournament). A Char Y lead will almost always Mega Evolve the first turn. Priority Rain Dance will weaken it severely, and I could hit it back with a Thunderbolt. The switch in weather also helps me in match ups against Tyranitar. Most Ttars do not expect their Sandstorm to be disrupted by a Meowstic, and they know that Gardevoir can't OHKO it in sand. Changing the weather to rain allows me to OHKO Ttar (unless its a rare max HP Sp.def builds).
Gardevoir + Garchomp
There's nothing much to say about this pairng other than Telepathy preventing EQs from Garchomp, and that Gardevoir can take out most Dragon threats of Garchomp.
How my tournament journey went
To be perfectly honest, I don't remember in full detail of the battles I had, so this is gonna be really, really short.
In Round 1, I faced off against a Trick Room team. I lost due to the opponent having the Pokemon advantage after 15 minutes (tournament time given). Should my Aegislash be his Weakness Policy build I would have won the match as the opponent's Hariyama decided to go for Knock Off on it instead of faking out my Meowstic (Neutral Flash Cannon wasn't enough to kill off the Aromatisse). The fact that my Aegislash had long animation for changing Stances and having the Substitute up wasted a lot of time making the matche less in my favour as the time passes. This was also the point when I realize that Meowstic may not be a good Pokemon to use as I thought it was when I made the team as the lack of offensive options as a support Pokemon makes it hard to turn things around.
After Round 1, my current standings was 0 (Win) -1 (Lose)
Going into Round 2, I fought a rather newbie trainer who used a Dragon Dance Charizard Y. Meowstic was able to disrupt it easily with Rain Dance and Charm, and the battle was an easy win
Current Standings: 1-1
Round 3 came, and I had to honour to fight a guy I know as Forte. He's a formidable trainer I know from the Play! Convention last June, who won the Flat Singles Tournament on his birthday. I didn't know he played VGC too, so I was kinda nervous when I fought him. Despite him having Tyranitar, I go with my guts and decided not to run Meowstic (from what I learnt in Round 1). Surprisingly enough, he did not bring any Mega Pokemons to the tournament, as I realize his Tyranitar had a Life Orb (Mixed Ttar), and there's no way his Salamence is his mega (lol). I made a crucial mistake when I switched out Gardevoir to Talonflame, dying in one hit to the Rock Slide (Talonflame was rather important in killing Ferrothorn), but I was able to make up for it by defeating his other Pokemons (Neutral Kanga OHKO'ed his Salamence, showing the importance of Double Edge landing crucial KOs), leaving him with just his Ferrothorn, which I defeated with Aegislash and Gardevoir.
Current Standings: 2-1
Round 4 I faced a guy named Haizan (I'm not too sure if his FB name is Haizan Ryuki or not). He had a Mega Lucario (which I anticipated had Bullet Punch, and I was right). I don't remember much about the fight, other than the fact that I sacrificed my Gardevoir to his Lucario, but was able defeat both of his Mons with an EQ from Garchomp.
Current Standings: 3-1
In Round 5, I faced off against a friend of mine named Ji Yun. Seeing me as his next opponent, he told me he has no mood to fight since I'm his opponent. I defeated him in a really short match (Sorry, Ji Yun)
Current Standings: 4-1
Round 6 was one of the most fun match I had in the tournament, against another friend named Akill. He had a really unique team that has Charizard Y, Rhyperior, Probopass, Yanmega (and some others I can't recall). The Yanmega had Hidden Power Ice and was Orbed, which would have killed my Garchomp, but it was sashed. But I made some misplays and I lost the match against him (it was a very close one).
Current Standings: 4-2
After the Swiss rounds, the tournament bracket generator Challonge ranks each players based on their Win-Lose ratio. In the event of a tie, Challonge apparently ranks the trainer based on who they face to get to the rank they are now (it has its algorithms and I dunno how it works). The Top Cut was to have the top 8 players move on to Quarter finals. I was ranked 10th place, just barely didn't make it. So I just stayed in to cheer on for Teo (aka Flurk) and Akill as they move on to the Top Cut.
However....
It was during the Top Cut when the judges realized someone in the top 8 brought a Pokemon that is not found in the Kalos Pokedex (I wonder why no one has ever noticed this till then), as the trainer had a Cradily in his team (the only Fossil Pokemons you will find in the Kalos Pokedex are the Aurorus and Tyrantrum line, as well as Aerodactyl). He was then disqualified, and the wins he had were changed to losses in the Challonge system. With the changes made, the some of the Top 8 players had their positions shifted, and it was because of this, I barely made it to the Top Cut, being 8th place now.
Battles started immediately, and now it's best of 3. My first opponent was unfortunately Akill (again....). Knowing that the lost I had earlier was due to a mistake on my end. I figured that I do not need to change lineup of the Pokemons I bring, so I brought the same Pokemons for all the matches I fought against him in this best of 3 (which were Garchomp, Gardevoir, Talonflame, and Kangaskhan). I won him the first round, and in the 2nd, I got introduced to his Probopass, which I had no idea what it can do. It had Wide Guard, shielding itself from his own Earthquake (and mine). Despite this, I was able to beat him this time, winning 2-0 and moving on to semis.
I fought Eric in the semis, in what I would consider the toughest victory I had in the tournament. Eric ran a team whereby 5/6 Pokemons he had were the same Pokemon I brought to the tournament. The only difference was that he had a Sableye while I had my Meowstic (even then, both of them are Prankster Pokemons). It was a mirror match, and it became somewhat of a battle of wits. While most of our mons are identical, the sets we run might be different. His Aegislash has Substitute, but it's a Weakness Policy build, his Talonflame is a Physical LO support similar to my older Talonflame, and I assume his Kanga is a Jolly build with Return. Losing the first round (cuz I brought Meowstic), I was able to win him in round 2, and lucked out in Round 3 when my Talonflame got really lucky and I pulled a double Protect with my Garchomp if I'm not mistaken. I moved on to the finals in a very close game. My score was 2-1.
I faced Stephen Tan in the finales (or as I like to call him Stephen Stone, cuz being the champion and all). He had a Mega Venusaur, Salamence, Rotom-W, Mamoswine, and some Pokemons I can't recall. I recall that I had trouble against his Rotom-W (the fact that I didn't bring my safeguarding Meowstic didn't help either). I was conflicted on bringing it actually, as from past battles, I couldn't win due to lack of fire power, and now I lost 2-0 as I can't kill off his Rotom-W cleanly without it disrupting my team.
Final thoughts
I didn't expect to not use Meowstic that often, as I thought he would be the gamble I need to win certain matches. In hindsight, I should have go for a different build for my Rotom-W to take people by surprise. But oh well, what's over is over, and at least I won a lotta stuff from the tournament, which I did not expect, so I'm not complaining much.
Special Thanks
Shoutouts to Kevin Ngim. He is by far the best VGC battler I know in Malaysia, and it was a shame he couldn't join the tournament as he was late for registration. The discussions I had with him were crucial in planning my team and how it synergises with each other.
Special thanks to members of the Midnight Multi Battle, you guys are one of the best battlers (and friends) i've met since playing Pokemon X.
Also, special thanks to my parents, who are surprisingly okay with my hobbies in gaming.
I hope you enjoy reading this report, this is my first time doing such a write-up.
I hope you enjoy reading this report, this is my first time doing such a write-up.
