3 Age Divisions at VGC This Year - Juniors, Seniors, and Masters

[Feathers]

I have to say I actually do like the age groups this year much better than previous years. My first foray into the VGC was stopped by some kid who was a year younger than me who used Destiny Bond, something you probably wouldn't have seen in the Smogon/Skarmbliss metagame. It is a bit hard to prepare for the metagame you know as well as the unpredictable metagame of the larger group that is the common pokemon game fan.

I hopefully won't have to worry about that this year... I'd just rather not have to take any Smogonites out of the top 16. I don't mind losing but I sort of hate when I win, because it's just "oh damn, that was my buddy I just took out".

We'll just have to see what goes down on the battlefield, yeah?

Also, do you expect that parents of juniors/senior might be compelled to play in masters just for the sake of supporting their kid? I know some parents play for reals, but I've met some that play just to be involved and 'understand' the interest their kids have.

 

[zenzen~]

JRANK2WIN Seniors Division.

That youngster.

 

[breh]

fuck I don't wanna be a master

DAMN YOU NOVEMBER BIRTHDAAAAAATE

 

[Alaka]

Before bashing 15-year-olds, I would like to remind you that Jeremy Fan was 13 when he placed 25th at Worlds in 2010, and that Tasuku Mano was 15 when he placed 2nd at Worlds in 2009. Yeah, by the time you're around 15, you've pretty much learned much of what there is to pokemon :D

Seniors isn't going to be a breeze either, since people in the Seniors division still are better than the Juniors players and may actually EV train and such, using all attack teams. Don't try to do anything fancy, but instead make a solid team. And this game IS all luck, little skill, so really, you're still gambling in Seniors.

I was being sarcastic mosquito, I was 15 for worlds 09.

 

[Terrador]

I missed out on Seniors by 30 days. FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF. First time attempting VGC, too. Oh man.

 

[ck49]

If there is a regional in San Fransisco during the 2.5 weeks when I am there over the summer I may actually get to play. Seniors division is nice, especially since I have a chance to get to the Nats (I probably can't go for the nats though, maybe telling my parents I made the national pokemon championships will get me out of school for a week and get a trip to wherever 3 weeks into the school year. That could be hard to explain ("hey guys, I'm going to be out of school for a week because i'm going to wherever to play in the national pokemon championships").). Way too many what ifs for it to happen, i'd think. Still, it would be fun.

 

[ultimatedra]

Dude, you could TOTALLY tell your parents you qualified for Nats. As for the school excuse, say "Video Game National Championships" and they generally leave it at that.

 

[ck49]

I'm willing to bet everyone's first question will be "what game?". Either way, I think waiting until I actually qualify (or find out if I will be in town for the regional) is a good idea. Did I mention I live in India. That makes it kinda hard to travel. If I still lived in Iowa I wouldn't be worrying about if I could go or not.

 

[Arcticblast]

Masters byatches.

 

[Sprocket]

Man, kids these days. I wouldn't have made Seniors division ten+ years ago, when I first started playing Pokemon Red and Blue in high school. And that was back before the Gameboy Color was even released.

Do kids these days even know what a Gameboy is?!

Hell I remember playing Pokemon Red for hours on my Super Gameboy on my SNES.

 

[Ninahaza]

born 1990 = i'm in masters

 

[mattj]

x)

I'm actually looking forward to masters. It really made me feel bad when I had to face young kids that I didn't know. If they're 17+ they can just suck it up.

 

[MarioMan2.0]

I am glad for the separation, although it is a weird age breakdown. Last year having to go against a 13 year old for her first tourney and I had to knock her out wasn't all too fun.

 

[Tyler]

ew

 

[Cannonfodder]

You feel bad about knocking out a 13 year old girl, try knocking out a 13 year old boy in wheel chair , with his parents right next to him cheering him on, 3 rounds into Nationals....I am sure there is a special spot in pokemon hell for me for that one.......

 

[Ekaru]

although it is a weird age breakdown.

Actually, it isn't that weird. Instead of using the 13/18 divisions, they went with school grades instead:

Elementary School | Middle School | High School and beyond

5th graders and 9th graders are just split between the categories because they have to go by birth year to avoid division changes mid-season. It's best explained if I use this year's High School birth years:

Seniors: '92/'93
Juniors: '93/'94
Sophomores: '94/'95
Freshmen: '95/'96

If we continue with Middle School...

8th grade: '96/'97
7th grade: '97/'98
6th grade: '98/'99
5th grade: '99/'00

So, all the Middle Schoolers are caught in Seniors, along with the older 5th graders and younger 9th graders which might as well be in Middle School because Freshmen are arrogant and the majority will lose to a 6th grader in the first few rounds (including certain posters in this thread).

Elementary | Middle | High School and beyond has been proven to work for over half a decade now with the TCG, so it makes sense to stick with it, especially when the skill gap between High School and Beyond isn't that big.

 

[Team Rocket Elite]

http://www.pokemon.co.jp/wcs/2011/game/index.html#cont_1

Correct me if I'm wrong on this, but according to that it seems Japan only has 2 age divisions. I don't think the Worlds will work out very well if we have 3 age divisions and Japan only has 2. I wonder which if it's us or them that got the age divisions wrong.

 

[Cybertron]

I doubt either of us got the division "wrong," they just might split the people from Japan going into Worlds this year into 3 divisions. Japan might have to adjust to the Seniors division for Worlds. In TCG, they play a completely different format and use different rules but follow American rules when playing at Worlds.

 

[zenzen~]

born 1990 = i'm in masters

GOD FUCKING DAMMIT

You're Jesus though, you can do it! Right?

 

[erasmus]

You feel bad about knocking out a 13 year old girl, try knocking out a 13 year old boy in wheel chair , with his parents right next to him cheering him on, 3 rounds into Nationals....I am sure there is a special spot in pokemon hell for me for that one.......

Damn yo.

I remember doing a tourney back before gen II was even out.

I entered the lv 100 division (there was no age division only levels) and the girl in my first match had entered the wrong division, she was only level 50 ish

I felt bad.

 

[His Eminence Lord Poppington II]

You young'un's and your god damned new fangled strategies. Back in my day it was all hyper beam and you get knocked the fuck out.

 

[drcossack]

Damn yo.

I remember doing a tourney back before gen II was even out.

I entered the lv 100 division (there was no age division only levels) and the girl in my first match had entered the wrong division, she was only level 50 ish

I felt bad.

hahaha, I played in some of those too, always in the level 100 division (though there were age divisions too IIRC); in one of them, the kid I played (who was about my age) had a level 78 Blastoise + 2 other Pokemon. I promptly destroyed him with Mewtwo. Felt bad, but that's what you get for not preparing.

 

[commi$$ioner]

Santa Ito has so many more years of domination now, unless Jeremy Fann has something to say about that.

 

[Niched]

Master Divison.

^Proof that even Game Freak got tired of watching 40 year olds play little kids.

Also, Masters for me. How ironic.

 

[Fishy]

WHO WANTS A MASTER (GIRLS ONLY)

I think this is cooler for meeting more people your own age when you're running around the battling areas! I'm definitely looking forward to spotting more smogoners at nationals/worlds with the designated age groups. :)