Hey, it's Ryan G, aka The Knights of Wario Land, and here's my warstory from the Spring VGC Philly Nationals.
A bit of history about myself and VGC: I started playing it at the Newark regional last year.
I lost. Bad.
I had EV'd and IV'd almost none of my Pokes, just thinking that having their natures right was the only thing that mattered.
So, seeing as I wanted to majorly improve, I started preparing ever since Smogon announced the dates last September. I was originally going to run a Trick Room team, but I realized after playing a lot with it, I could never get the last slot right and it was just really boring to use. Discouraged, I decided then to hand-raise a goodstuff team. Here it is, and how they all did:
Apu (Tornadus) @ Flying Gem
Ability: Prankster
Nature: Quiet (That was the best I could get, when I tried to RNG it wouldn't give me any other nature than that. Its IVs were good anyways)
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Attk / 252 Spe
-Acrobatics
-Tailwind
-Taunt
-Protect
Tornadus was meant to be my main utility Pokemon, able to set up Taunt and Tailwind well. However, he really didn't do much seeing as I faced so many Terrakion and Zapdos, I think Thundurus would've done a bit better.
Chomper V2 (Garchomp) @ Yache Berry
Ability: Sand Veil
Nature: Jolly
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Attk / 252 Spe (The Speed issue will come into play later)
-Dragon Claw
-Earthquake
-Rock Slide
-Protect
This was a well-trained one and he saved my butt Round 2 with a later-mentioned hax fest, but also fell victim to what crap happened Round 5.
Dozz (Durant) @ Focus Sash
(Shoutout to Mr. Durant man himself Dozz)
Ability: Jolly
Nature: Hustle
EVs:4 HP / 252 Attk / 252 Spe
-Hone Claws
-Iron Head
-X-Scissor
-Rock Slide
I tried to go for a Durant sweep this year, but unfortunately it only scored some rare KOs. I probably should've just went with Scizor this year, being ballsy is only for people who are really really good.
Swirlicus (Milotic) @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Marvel Scale
Nature: Bold
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Sp. Attk / 252 Sp. Def
-Scald
-Ice Beam
-Recover
-Protect
One of my stars mostly 'cause she was a tank of epic proportions. I was really glad I brought her along, she scored a lot of haxs also.
Rafiki (Infernape) @ Life Orb
Ability: Blaze
Nature: Hasty
EVs: 140 Attk / 116 Sp. A / 252 Spe
-Fake-Out
-Close Combat
-Overheat
-Protect
He was meant to be my Fake Out lead, but unfortunately I should've run a Naive instead of Hasty nature, he could've lived one of the physical moves that hit it.
TROLLygon2 (Porygon2) @Eviolite
Ability: Trace
Nature: Bold
EVs: 252 HP/4 Def/ 252 Sp.A
-Thunder Wave
-Thunderbolt
-Ice Beam
-Protect
The star of the show, and also the last one I raised, it was able to tank SO MANY hits and take most Trick Room teams by surprised. Most people were surprised that it wasn't running Trick Room, and it did better that way. Nice show, I might bring you along next year.
The problem with all of them is that I don't think they were "absolutely perfect", they were "close to perfect" 'cause I hand-bred them. In all honestly again I could've put in Cresselia and Thundurus over Durant and Tornadus, unfortunately I did not ask any RNGers to get one for me :(
--
Saturday- Pre-game
I had an art class on Saturday in the city, so I decided after it to hang out for a few hours at the TCG tournament, and to get a good feel of my surroundings. I got TONS of Streetpass (I think like 40 or so :O), and I got to meet Cybertron, Babbytron and Sapphire Birch, they're all really really nice people. During the games I faced these two guys on the sidelines who apparently hated Cybertron and Team Seniors, and when I went back to Mr. Zheng he just said:
"Dude, I'm only 14"
After that, I headed home, and got some early sleep for THE NEXT DAY BABEH.
--
SUNDAY- DAY OF THE TOURNAMENT
So since my body was soooooo hype for this, I couldn't get ANY sleep. Seriously, every two hours my body got me up until I just said "Screw it" and got up at 5 in the morning. I then had to wait two more hours until I could walk to the station, and it STARTED RAINING D:
(Can't really see it there but it was WET)
Here's my face, freshly-showered before I headed out:
Train arrived at 7:53, took me about 25 minutes to rest at the Market East station, then I got to the Convention Center directly from there at about 8:25.
This is me the second I got in line, the Master line had just started I think:
The aformentioned line, with me and my Munchlax waiting:
Girl cosplaying Dawn, got to talk with her later:
MY BOY Drifblim, in the Seniors line (awesome hat btw):
A shot of the line by the window:
Got in line with these two (Omar Left, Terrick Clark Right), I told them that they could use non-Unova Pokemon, and they were SHOCKED yo. I then drill-serganted them a good team, gave them good moves for their pre-existing Pokes and items, and probably saved them a bit from some embarrasment on the battlefield.
Best thing I saw all day: guy in a Diglett costume started walking around. Everyone loved him:
The start of the line (Guy in the green Unown shirt was Civ, I found out later when I faced him at R3):
Shot from out the window:
THIS is how big the Master line was. Damn, I think there was like 400+ of us D:
My armband, I was in the green section:
'cause I thought we wouldn't get a lunch break, me, Omar, and Terrick decided to go get some Popeyes.
LOOK AT HOW GOOD THAT SLAM BASKET IS
And this is the basket after me and Munchlax. Spicy, it was.
Had to take a pic I got of InfiniteParalysis, he had SWAGGIN necklaces:
Beautiful shot out the other window:
I think Munchlax agrees:
Kinda dark image but this guy had the third-best costume I saw all day as a Rocket Grunt:
Decided to get a nice profile image of me in front of the Tyranitar. I was wearing a Girlchan shirt, I was surprised at how many people recognized it:
'Cause those Seniors were taking so long with their teams of Stunfisk and Dig Umbreons (yes, I saw a match like that), we had to wait an extra THREE HOURS until we started playing. So we did get a lunch break after all :/
Three hours of chit-chatting with people later, we formed a line, for...no reason:
FINALLY, the list goes up. Mass chaos and rushing in line ensues:
(I'm Ryan Gadea btw)NUMBER 69 BABEH:
Finally, some dudes from Smogon before I started playing. From left to right: StormFront, Solace, The Gr8, and the last one still unknown.
With a ton more confusion from the staff, we FINALLY start playing... not before I go to the wrong side of the room D:
--
Well, here's what you've been wanting to see: the matches.
ROUND 1: Guy from Smogon
He leads with I think ZapTop, I go with Infernape and Durant. He had a standard VGC goodstuff team. It was a really close game, but even with his Hitmontop getting paralyzed 3 TIMES IN A ROW and me outlasting his Trick Room, I fall 0-1. Really GG.
0-1 record
ROUND 2: Me vs. Servah
...just watch it here:
88-74443-63546
I get off FOUR Rock Slide flinches and put the burn on his Metagross. I felt bad for all that haxs, but overall GG.
1-1 record
ROUND 3: Me vs. Civ
When I start to realize my Pokemon weren't perfectly IV'd. I loose a speed tie with my Durant to his Terrakion, but I was able to KO his Latios. Another standard team, the third so far that fell to Zapdos' wrath. And that was the last standard team I saw all day... still GG though.
1-2 record
ROUND 4
This guy was obviously new to the game, using a Floatzel and Inner Focus Dragonite, and asking mid-match if Porygon2 has Levitate. Easy victory, still GG for a newer player.
2-2 record
ROUND 5
This match.
This match is what I think ruined my entire day.
We're both 3-3, third turn. His Jolly Dragonite and my Chomp protect, no speed was lost at all, no Tailwind, and the Dragonite could not obviously be scarfed. I outspeed Jolly Dnite by over 20 points, easily.
So guess what happens next turn...
HE OUTSPEEDS MY GARCHOMP WITH A DRAGON CLAW AND KOS ME
After the match, I head over to Cybertron and some others and we run the calcs, seeing it was impossible for that to happen. He says I should try to call for hacks, so I do.
Both me and my former opponent go up to some 50 or 60-ish guy who obviously doesn't understand VGC and puts our carts in the Pokecheck, sees we're both clean, and tells us to go play next round.
2-3
I. Was. Pissed.
(I actually find out later that the Dragonite was 100% legit, but I was more pissed with the hack checking job in general, I felt like I at least should've had a rematch or something)
ROUND 6: This obnoxious kid
Seeing with what happened last round, this kid's stupid battle phrases and "taunts" just made me wanna shove my 3DS in his mouth. He ends up winning by outstalling my team with a non-Trick Room Dusclops (???????) and an Umbreon. I probably could've won that, but my frustration over last match was just too high.
2-4
Even though you can't see it in my face, I angry:
Round 7:
Paired against a guy with an Evire, Thundurus, Mienshao, and the Birthday Togekiss. I know his team isn't at all EVed cause his Kiss' Aura Sphere does 15% on my Porygon2. I sweep his entire team.
3-4
So the final rankings come up.
3-4, at 74th place :/
I felt like with the bad way that hey handled the 5th round controversey, I probably could've gotten into the Top 64.
So with the announcer lady pissed off at us she says, "Alright, if you aren't in the Top 4, come again next year.", basically saying "If you lost, GTFO and go eff yourselves."
Since I missed the latest train, I stick around to watch the top 8 with Cyber, Birchy, Babbytron, and a bunch of others from Smogon. I was glad to see that 6 out of 8 of them were Smogonites, but just everything was...anticlimactic, with the staff cleaning up and nearly everyone gone. In between the Top 4, after seeing kindergang roast another soul, I decided to head out, saying bye to all of them.
Mr. Sapphire Birch gave me some of the best going-away advice ever:
"Hey, don't say that about yourself. I was terrible two years ago but look at me now."
At the time I was disappointed with my losses and the hacks, but when I look back to this, getting 74th place in the hardest VGC ever (as said by most of the Smogonites there) in a group of over 400 people isn't really that bad. Sure, I did have improvements to do, but it was worth my time.
CONS:
-Bad management
-Final rankings for Swiss were run on both your and your opponent's win-percentage, which was really balls.
-Everything was anticlimactic, again. No music, no TVs, no announcer, no side events. Sure, the VGC doesn't get any funding near the level of TCG, but this was just piss-poor.
-The judge had no idea what he was doing.
-Waiting for four hours after registration was torture.
-That Round 6 jerkhole.
-My Pokes not being perfect this year, I need to ask for RNGer's help next year. It's impossible for me to perfectly hand-breed myself.
-I was massively Zapdos weak, I found that out the hard way.
PROS:
-If they improve the Swiss method a bit more next year, I would love it. I really didn't like the single-elimination style of last year, but the Swiss method has potential to be awesome. It's not there yet, though.
-Getting to meet all the awesome people from Smogon. Seriously, you guys are some of the nicest people on planet Earth. Socializing with my two friends I made and other Pokefans was also fun, it was the only place in the world where I could talk about EVs and IVs and not look like a total weirdo.
-Finally, and again the best part, DAT DIGLETT
--
I probably can't make it to Nationals this year due to how far away it is, so this is probably the end of my VGC 2011 season. It was fun while it lasted and well worth my time and if they heed to improve it next year, I'll definitely do it again.
A bit of history about myself and VGC: I started playing it at the Newark regional last year.
I lost. Bad.
I had EV'd and IV'd almost none of my Pokes, just thinking that having their natures right was the only thing that mattered.
So, seeing as I wanted to majorly improve, I started preparing ever since Smogon announced the dates last September. I was originally going to run a Trick Room team, but I realized after playing a lot with it, I could never get the last slot right and it was just really boring to use. Discouraged, I decided then to hand-raise a goodstuff team. Here it is, and how they all did:
Apu (Tornadus) @ Flying Gem
Ability: Prankster
Nature: Quiet (That was the best I could get, when I tried to RNG it wouldn't give me any other nature than that. Its IVs were good anyways)
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Attk / 252 Spe
-Acrobatics
-Tailwind
-Taunt
-Protect
Tornadus was meant to be my main utility Pokemon, able to set up Taunt and Tailwind well. However, he really didn't do much seeing as I faced so many Terrakion and Zapdos, I think Thundurus would've done a bit better.
Chomper V2 (Garchomp) @ Yache Berry
Ability: Sand Veil
Nature: Jolly
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Attk / 252 Spe (The Speed issue will come into play later)
-Dragon Claw
-Earthquake
-Rock Slide
-Protect
This was a well-trained one and he saved my butt Round 2 with a later-mentioned hax fest, but also fell victim to what crap happened Round 5.
Dozz (Durant) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Jolly
Nature: Hustle
EVs:4 HP / 252 Attk / 252 Spe
-Hone Claws
-Iron Head
-X-Scissor
-Rock Slide
I tried to go for a Durant sweep this year, but unfortunately it only scored some rare KOs. I probably should've just went with Scizor this year, being ballsy is only for people who are really really good.
Swirlicus (Milotic) @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Marvel Scale
Nature: Bold
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Sp. Attk / 252 Sp. Def
-Scald
-Ice Beam
-Recover
-Protect
One of my stars mostly 'cause she was a tank of epic proportions. I was really glad I brought her along, she scored a lot of haxs also.
Rafiki (Infernape) @ Life Orb
Ability: Blaze
Nature: Hasty
EVs: 140 Attk / 116 Sp. A / 252 Spe
-Fake-Out
-Close Combat
-Overheat
-Protect
He was meant to be my Fake Out lead, but unfortunately I should've run a Naive instead of Hasty nature, he could've lived one of the physical moves that hit it.
TROLLygon2 (Porygon2) @Eviolite
Ability: Trace
Nature: Bold
EVs: 252 HP/4 Def/ 252 Sp.A
-Thunder Wave
-Thunderbolt
-Ice Beam
-Protect
The star of the show, and also the last one I raised, it was able to tank SO MANY hits and take most Trick Room teams by surprised. Most people were surprised that it wasn't running Trick Room, and it did better that way. Nice show, I might bring you along next year.
The problem with all of them is that I don't think they were "absolutely perfect", they were "close to perfect" 'cause I hand-bred them. In all honestly again I could've put in Cresselia and Thundurus over Durant and Tornadus, unfortunately I did not ask any RNGers to get one for me :(
--
Saturday- Pre-game
I had an art class on Saturday in the city, so I decided after it to hang out for a few hours at the TCG tournament, and to get a good feel of my surroundings. I got TONS of Streetpass (I think like 40 or so :O), and I got to meet Cybertron, Babbytron and Sapphire Birch, they're all really really nice people. During the games I faced these two guys on the sidelines who apparently hated Cybertron and Team Seniors, and when I went back to Mr. Zheng he just said:
"Dude, I'm only 14"
After that, I headed home, and got some early sleep for THE NEXT DAY BABEH.
--
SUNDAY- DAY OF THE TOURNAMENT
So since my body was soooooo hype for this, I couldn't get ANY sleep. Seriously, every two hours my body got me up until I just said "Screw it" and got up at 5 in the morning. I then had to wait two more hours until I could walk to the station, and it STARTED RAINING D:
(Can't really see it there but it was WET)
Here's my face, freshly-showered before I headed out:
Train arrived at 7:53, took me about 25 minutes to rest at the Market East station, then I got to the Convention Center directly from there at about 8:25.
This is me the second I got in line, the Master line had just started I think:
The aformentioned line, with me and my Munchlax waiting:
Girl cosplaying Dawn, got to talk with her later:
MY BOY Drifblim, in the Seniors line (awesome hat btw):
A shot of the line by the window:
Got in line with these two (Omar Left, Terrick Clark Right), I told them that they could use non-Unova Pokemon, and they were SHOCKED yo. I then drill-serganted them a good team, gave them good moves for their pre-existing Pokes and items, and probably saved them a bit from some embarrasment on the battlefield.
Best thing I saw all day: guy in a Diglett costume started walking around. Everyone loved him:
The start of the line (Guy in the green Unown shirt was Civ, I found out later when I faced him at R3):
Shot from out the window:
THIS is how big the Master line was. Damn, I think there was like 400+ of us D:
My armband, I was in the green section:
'cause I thought we wouldn't get a lunch break, me, Omar, and Terrick decided to go get some Popeyes.
LOOK AT HOW GOOD THAT SLAM BASKET IS
And this is the basket after me and Munchlax. Spicy, it was.
Had to take a pic I got of InfiniteParalysis, he had SWAGGIN necklaces:
Beautiful shot out the other window:
I think Munchlax agrees:
Kinda dark image but this guy had the third-best costume I saw all day as a Rocket Grunt:
Decided to get a nice profile image of me in front of the Tyranitar. I was wearing a Girlchan shirt, I was surprised at how many people recognized it:
'Cause those Seniors were taking so long with their teams of Stunfisk and Dig Umbreons (yes, I saw a match like that), we had to wait an extra THREE HOURS until we started playing. So we did get a lunch break after all :/
Three hours of chit-chatting with people later, we formed a line, for...no reason:
FINALLY, the list goes up. Mass chaos and rushing in line ensues:
(I'm Ryan Gadea btw)NUMBER 69 BABEH:
Finally, some dudes from Smogon before I started playing. From left to right: StormFront, Solace, The Gr8, and the last one still unknown.
With a ton more confusion from the staff, we FINALLY start playing... not before I go to the wrong side of the room D:
--
Well, here's what you've been wanting to see: the matches.
ROUND 1: Guy from Smogon
He leads with I think ZapTop, I go with Infernape and Durant. He had a standard VGC goodstuff team. It was a really close game, but even with his Hitmontop getting paralyzed 3 TIMES IN A ROW and me outlasting his Trick Room, I fall 0-1. Really GG.
0-1 record
ROUND 2: Me vs. Servah
...just watch it here:
88-74443-63546
I get off FOUR Rock Slide flinches and put the burn on his Metagross. I felt bad for all that haxs, but overall GG.
1-1 record
ROUND 3: Me vs. Civ
When I start to realize my Pokemon weren't perfectly IV'd. I loose a speed tie with my Durant to his Terrakion, but I was able to KO his Latios. Another standard team, the third so far that fell to Zapdos' wrath. And that was the last standard team I saw all day... still GG though.
1-2 record
ROUND 4
This guy was obviously new to the game, using a Floatzel and Inner Focus Dragonite, and asking mid-match if Porygon2 has Levitate. Easy victory, still GG for a newer player.
2-2 record
ROUND 5
This match.
This match is what I think ruined my entire day.
We're both 3-3, third turn. His Jolly Dragonite and my Chomp protect, no speed was lost at all, no Tailwind, and the Dragonite could not obviously be scarfed. I outspeed Jolly Dnite by over 20 points, easily.
So guess what happens next turn...
HE OUTSPEEDS MY GARCHOMP WITH A DRAGON CLAW AND KOS ME
After the match, I head over to Cybertron and some others and we run the calcs, seeing it was impossible for that to happen. He says I should try to call for hacks, so I do.
Both me and my former opponent go up to some 50 or 60-ish guy who obviously doesn't understand VGC and puts our carts in the Pokecheck, sees we're both clean, and tells us to go play next round.
2-3
I. Was. Pissed.
(I actually find out later that the Dragonite was 100% legit, but I was more pissed with the hack checking job in general, I felt like I at least should've had a rematch or something)
ROUND 6: This obnoxious kid
Seeing with what happened last round, this kid's stupid battle phrases and "taunts" just made me wanna shove my 3DS in his mouth. He ends up winning by outstalling my team with a non-Trick Room Dusclops (???????) and an Umbreon. I probably could've won that, but my frustration over last match was just too high.
2-4
Even though you can't see it in my face, I angry:
Round 7:
Paired against a guy with an Evire, Thundurus, Mienshao, and the Birthday Togekiss. I know his team isn't at all EVed cause his Kiss' Aura Sphere does 15% on my Porygon2. I sweep his entire team.
3-4
So the final rankings come up.
3-4, at 74th place :/
I felt like with the bad way that hey handled the 5th round controversey, I probably could've gotten into the Top 64.
So with the announcer lady pissed off at us she says, "Alright, if you aren't in the Top 4, come again next year.", basically saying "If you lost, GTFO and go eff yourselves."
Since I missed the latest train, I stick around to watch the top 8 with Cyber, Birchy, Babbytron, and a bunch of others from Smogon. I was glad to see that 6 out of 8 of them were Smogonites, but just everything was...anticlimactic, with the staff cleaning up and nearly everyone gone. In between the Top 4, after seeing kindergang roast another soul, I decided to head out, saying bye to all of them.
Mr. Sapphire Birch gave me some of the best going-away advice ever:
"Hey, don't say that about yourself. I was terrible two years ago but look at me now."
At the time I was disappointed with my losses and the hacks, but when I look back to this, getting 74th place in the hardest VGC ever (as said by most of the Smogonites there) in a group of over 400 people isn't really that bad. Sure, I did have improvements to do, but it was worth my time.
CONS:
-Bad management
-Final rankings for Swiss were run on both your and your opponent's win-percentage, which was really balls.
-Everything was anticlimactic, again. No music, no TVs, no announcer, no side events. Sure, the VGC doesn't get any funding near the level of TCG, but this was just piss-poor.
-The judge had no idea what he was doing.
-Waiting for four hours after registration was torture.
-That Round 6 jerkhole.
-My Pokes not being perfect this year, I need to ask for RNGer's help next year. It's impossible for me to perfectly hand-breed myself.
-I was massively Zapdos weak, I found that out the hard way.
PROS:
-If they improve the Swiss method a bit more next year, I would love it. I really didn't like the single-elimination style of last year, but the Swiss method has potential to be awesome. It's not there yet, though.
-Getting to meet all the awesome people from Smogon. Seriously, you guys are some of the nicest people on planet Earth. Socializing with my two friends I made and other Pokefans was also fun, it was the only place in the world where I could talk about EVs and IVs and not look like a total weirdo.
-Finally, and again the best part, DAT DIGLETT
--
I probably can't make it to Nationals this year due to how far away it is, so this is probably the end of my VGC 2011 season. It was fun while it lasted and well worth my time and if they heed to improve it next year, I'll definitely do it again.
