I will try to mimic marcoasd 's thread from last year and do a report of my run from this year's RBY Invitational.
I will go over every opponent and talk about my thought process when selecting my teams. I will go over every game and comment on the games, trying to point out good moves as well as mistakes made (especially from myself).
Without further ado, let's jump right into the rounds:
ROUND 1 VS PEASOUNAY
Peasounay and I go way back. We started out around the same time on the ladder more than 10 years ago at this point and became freinds. We grew up in this game together. We have been practicing with each other for our first tournaments which we joined back then on PokemonPerfect and climbed the rankings there together. Eventually we competed for tournament victories and became rivals in a competitive sense. There are a lot of memories for me connected to Peasounay and I have nothing but the utmost respect for him and his skills. In my opinion he is one of the all-time great RBY-Players and he is proving it to this day. Winning the Global Championship is a monumental achievement and he did it not only twice but 7 years apart - it's one thing to be amoungst the best in 2017 but still showing up like that in 2024 cannot be overstated, a lot has changed in the meantime, but greatness does not go away. And right now he can almost smell victory in RBY Cup (as he is in the semifinals at the time of writing this section).
With all that said, it has been a long time since we faced each other: While we played regularly in 2015 - 2018, we have not played against each other since. Both of us stopped playing for a while. For me, I can say that the Introduction of RBY World Cup in 2023 reignited the fire for RBY OU a bit in me and I always come back to play this tour every year. I think it might be similar for him since he does the same. Still, we have never faced each other in that one.
If I write a long paragraph like that just as an introduction, it is no surpirse that facing Peasounay is very special for me and I was always hoping to some day meet him again. So when the tiers got assigned for Round 1 of Invitational and we both ended up in tier 2 the chances of us meeting were as good as they get and I can honeslty say that I was glad to be put in that situation. Fate did it's thing and we got paired. I was excited to play my friend and RBY legend again.
I knew what I had on my hands here and it was not going to be easy. But I also knew I can beat him. After all, our games were always close but historically I think I have beaten him more than he has beaten me (I am not sure though, I do not keep track). Despite everything, I did not prepare specifically or thoroughly for the matchup. My main focus was on bringing one Rhydon-, Cloyster- and Zapdos Team respectively (if possible with changing leads) and play well. I simply decided to use what I feel are currently the 3 most solid Rhydon-, Cloyster- and Zapdos-Teams respectively or at least the ones that I felt most comfortable using.
Game 1
VS 
Game 2
VS 
Game 3
VS
I manage to come out on top in a good set of games. Especially g2 and g3 were really close. I was overall satisfied with how I played g1 and g2. I think it could have been a 2-0 if my Tauros had the "normal" moveset. I would like to say that I learned my lesson from it immediately but I ended up bringing EQ Rest Tauros in the following two rounds as well (even though I don't think it mattered in those games) before finally adapting in the later weeks. In g3 I got the early game wrong and clicked too quickly after that. I almost got punished for it but managed to get some plays right to force my luck for the win.
ROUND 2 VS OAKDEON
In the context of trying to go on a deeper run in the tournament, week 2 was the one that felt the most important for me, because it's the first win that lets you skip a round. It was definitely the week that I put the most effort in prepping the games.
I am not that deeply involved in the RBY community these days. So I did not know too much about my next opponent, oakdeon, to be completely honest. I was warned, however, as he took out ABR in the round prior.
In my preperation I looked into his past games and noticed some tendencies I tried to exploit. Firstly, he had an unusually high (non-lead-)Starmie and Rhydon usage and fittingly favoured Jynx as a lead, which also lead to relatively low (for today's standards) Exeggutor usage. I also noticed that his Starmies (and Chanseys) were comparatively seldom carrying Thunderbolt. It felt like an ample opportunity to use a Slowbro, also diversifying my profile and keeping future opponents on their toes. As I very rarely bring Slowbro, I did not have a team ready that I felt comfortable with that had Slowbro. I do not especially like a classic ZamEggBro Team or the Laxless BroDon builds. So I decided to build a fresh one. I ended up taking MieEggDon and swapped Tauros of all things for Slowbro and modifying some movesets that I felt fitted the team as well as the opponent better. For g2 I used a Jynx-lead team as I noticed his tendency to switch leads between games from Jynx to Zam. It's the same team from g2 of Round 1 but I changed up the sets. I also had a Gengar-lead Team prepared for g3 as he really loves leading Jynx, but luckily I did not need it anymore.
Game 1
VS
Game 2
VS
My preperation for these games really paid off. Slowbro won g1 when it did not look good had I had a Tauros in its place. g2 I won the Jynx ditto and even though I did not get the freeze over the course of the game, paralyzing his Tauros paved the way to victory. I was delighted that I had jumped that hurdle, now had a week off and would continue to be in the winners bracket.
ROUND 4 VS CHUVA DE PERERECA
My opponent for Round 4 turned out to be chuva de perereca . At this point in the winners bracket there's only killers left to begin with but I thought chuva was a tough draw. When you think about the tournament and look at its participants you automatically assess the strenght of the other competitors and imagine who you think will be top contenders for the title. In my opinion chuva was definitely one of them and if I had to rank RBY OU players right now, he would be second place behind Serpi (clearly best player).
So I knew I had my work cut out for me. Still, unlike in round 2, I did not prep specifically for him. I thought it was pointless because he plays so much that the work I would have had to put into it would not have been proportional to the return. I chose a different apporach, as I looked at what I had brought so far in the tournament and noticed that is was 4 Rhydons in 5 games. Because of that, I figured he would not use Zapdos against me and I decided to bring some teams that I think are generally strong into Zapdosless but weak into Zapdos. Naturally I thought about MieEggCloy, which gets eaten alive by Zapdos but is pretty strong if it does not show up, so I locked that in for g1. Since Slowbro had done me good in the previous round, I decided to bring it back, this time with a set that had Reflect>T-Wave (which should backfire). For g3 I wanted to do something special and I tried my hands on a new Venusaur-Team that I theorized. It's probably not good but I felt it's extra strong into Rhydon Teams (even running Golem as the Ground type, which is very atypical for me) and I felt like there was a high chance those would show up.
Game 1
VS
Game 2
VS
Game 3
VS
I beat one of the strongest competitors in the tournament, so I was very happy. I was happy that my overall plan worked (I brought Zapdos-weak Teams and he never brought a Zapdos). I think g1 showed the weakness of his Team. I am not a fan of ZamMieEggDon exactly because of that weakness to BoltBeam Chansey. Surely RNG helped but it got devestating for him really quickly because the team lacks the necessary resistence. I think g2 was the worst game of my tournament so far and I am not happy with how I played it. The game decided to give me a lead and this is when you have to strike. I let my opponent take it away from me which is not what I expect of myself. g3 was a very volatile game because of the teamchoice I made. Aided by Sing's unreliability and some ballsy moves I got the win with my favourite Pokemon.
ROUND 6 VS BEE OR SOMETHING
Going into the next round, I got paired with BeeOrSomething . From my perspective a newer player but I knew from his introduction that he had made a name for himself in several RBY Tournaments in the last year. Also we met 2 times already in 2025 prior to this, once in RBYWC where I won and once in Global Championship where he won. He struck me as a player who likes to play agressively and his teamchoices reflected that. I had a feeling of what level to expect from him. I was alarmed for sure since he came off of wins against good players like Sceptross and my fellow Germans Larry and Serpi.
Still, I was full of confidence from the run I was on and from our previous encounters I took away that he was good but that I could definitely beat him if I play to my capabilities. Additionally, bo5 was starting and it also meant that if I won I would be guaranteed top 3. I just went into this battle with the mindset that I would not let anyone take this away from me. I did not have much time for preperation but it is less important in bo5 anyway. I like bringing a team with a different lead in situations like this, just to keep my opponent (and potential future opponents who like to scout me) guessing what is coming. So I prepped a different Jynx-lead team with Zapdos this time for g1, an Alakazam-lead team with BackJynx because I like the idea and wanted to bring that all tournament anyway. For g3 it was trusted MieEggDon. I had a Zapdos-lead team for g4 and a Gengar-lead team for g5 ready but did not need to reveal them.
Game 1
VS
Game 2
VS
Game 3
VS
I win the set 3-0 but it was closer than the result implies. g1 I had to overcome the Zapdos vs. Rhydon matchup and an early Snorlax crit against me. But managed to do so with a bit of luck of my own. g2 was close and in the end I had fast Pokemon to always give me odds for the win but it involved a Tauros speed tie in the endgame which, while not being solely decisive, obviously helped. g3 I was the one with the Rhydon against his Zapdos. Anyway, I got to top 3 against an opponent who beat good players along the way and my confidence grows from every victory.
I will go over every opponent and talk about my thought process when selecting my teams. I will go over every game and comment on the games, trying to point out good moves as well as mistakes made (especially from myself).
Without further ado, let's jump right into the rounds:
ROUND 1 VS PEASOUNAY
Peasounay and I go way back. We started out around the same time on the ladder more than 10 years ago at this point and became freinds. We grew up in this game together. We have been practicing with each other for our first tournaments which we joined back then on PokemonPerfect and climbed the rankings there together. Eventually we competed for tournament victories and became rivals in a competitive sense. There are a lot of memories for me connected to Peasounay and I have nothing but the utmost respect for him and his skills. In my opinion he is one of the all-time great RBY-Players and he is proving it to this day. Winning the Global Championship is a monumental achievement and he did it not only twice but 7 years apart - it's one thing to be amoungst the best in 2017 but still showing up like that in 2024 cannot be overstated, a lot has changed in the meantime, but greatness does not go away. And right now he can almost smell victory in RBY Cup (as he is in the semifinals at the time of writing this section).
With all that said, it has been a long time since we faced each other: While we played regularly in 2015 - 2018, we have not played against each other since. Both of us stopped playing for a while. For me, I can say that the Introduction of RBY World Cup in 2023 reignited the fire for RBY OU a bit in me and I always come back to play this tour every year. I think it might be similar for him since he does the same. Still, we have never faced each other in that one.
If I write a long paragraph like that just as an introduction, it is no surpirse that facing Peasounay is very special for me and I was always hoping to some day meet him again. So when the tiers got assigned for Round 1 of Invitational and we both ended up in tier 2 the chances of us meeting were as good as they get and I can honeslty say that I was glad to be put in that situation. Fate did it's thing and we got paired. I was excited to play my friend and RBY legend again.
I knew what I had on my hands here and it was not going to be easy. But I also knew I can beat him. After all, our games were always close but historically I think I have beaten him more than he has beaten me (I am not sure though, I do not keep track). Despite everything, I did not prepare specifically or thoroughly for the matchup. My main focus was on bringing one Rhydon-, Cloyster- and Zapdos Team respectively (if possible with changing leads) and play well. I simply decided to use what I feel are currently the 3 most solid Rhydon-, Cloyster- and Zapdos-Teams respectively or at least the ones that I felt most comfortable using.
Game 1
VS T1: Starmie vs. Jolteon: Of course I know a switch to a sleeper can come here but I decide for the honest move instead of risking getting critOHKOed
T2: Rhydon vs. Venusaur: I have to make a decision what takes the Sleep Powder. I decide to keep my Rhydon because I already know about Jolteon and I believed SingToss Chansey to be the most expendable, since I can get my own sleep (or threaten it) with my Exeggutor easily against Venusaur
T4: Exeggutor vs. Venusaur: Psychic is an easy click because Jolteon Sleep Sac is very likely since I have shown Rhydon
T6: Rhydon vs. Jolteon: Rock Slide because I don't want to paralyze Exeggutor to prevent it from blocking sleep
T11: Starmie vs. Jolteon: I feel a switch is obvious and I feel confident enough to make a read. T-Wave is the pussy-play though. Either Blizzard there or play safe. T-Wave was a bit of a midground to not give away the turn completely if he does stay in
T13: Starmie vs. Snorlax: I cannot let Starmie fight Snorlax. it is too important for Tauros, switch to ReflectLax
T15: He explodes his Lax on mine. I take it. I believe it is favourable for me even though at this point I still did not really have a read on his last
T17-18: Some more pussy-plays. I was expecting his switches the way they happened but did not want to risk anything which puts me in a bit of an awkward position for T19
T19: Starmie vs. Jolteon: Look at T11. Same thing. A real Tauros predict is T-Wave
T26: Tauros vs. Zapdos: I feel okay whether or not he stays in but he outplays me there, luckily I do not get punished as Blizzard hits on T31
T2: Rhydon vs. Venusaur: I have to make a decision what takes the Sleep Powder. I decide to keep my Rhydon because I already know about Jolteon and I believed SingToss Chansey to be the most expendable, since I can get my own sleep (or threaten it) with my Exeggutor easily against Venusaur
T4: Exeggutor vs. Venusaur: Psychic is an easy click because Jolteon Sleep Sac is very likely since I have shown Rhydon
T6: Rhydon vs. Jolteon: Rock Slide because I don't want to paralyze Exeggutor to prevent it from blocking sleep
T11: Starmie vs. Jolteon: I feel a switch is obvious and I feel confident enough to make a read. T-Wave is the pussy-play though. Either Blizzard there or play safe. T-Wave was a bit of a midground to not give away the turn completely if he does stay in
T13: Starmie vs. Snorlax: I cannot let Starmie fight Snorlax. it is too important for Tauros, switch to ReflectLax
T15: He explodes his Lax on mine. I take it. I believe it is favourable for me even though at this point I still did not really have a read on his last
T17-18: Some more pussy-plays. I was expecting his switches the way they happened but did not want to risk anything which puts me in a bit of an awkward position for T19
T19: Starmie vs. Jolteon: Look at T11. Same thing. A real Tauros predict is T-Wave
T26: Tauros vs. Zapdos: I feel okay whether or not he stays in but he outplays me there, luckily I do not get punished as Blizzard hits on T31
Starmie
Ability: No Ability
- Recover
- Thunder Wave
- Psychic
- Blizzard
Rhydon
Ability: No Ability
- Earthquake
- Body Slam
- Substitute
- Rock Slide
Exeggutor
Ability: No Ability
- Sleep Powder
- Psychic
- Explosion
- Stun Spore
Chansey (F)
Ability: No Ability
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
- Soft-Boiled
- Thunder Wave
- Seismic Toss
- Sing
Snorlax
Ability: No Ability
- Body Slam
- Rest
- Reflect
- Hyper Beam
Tauros (M)
Ability: No Ability
- Body Slam
- Hyper Beam
- Blizzard
- Earthquake
Ability: No Ability
- Recover
- Thunder Wave
- Psychic
- Blizzard
Rhydon
Ability: No Ability
- Earthquake
- Body Slam
- Substitute
- Rock Slide
Exeggutor
Ability: No Ability
- Sleep Powder
- Psychic
- Explosion
- Stun Spore
Chansey (F)
Ability: No Ability
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
- Soft-Boiled
- Thunder Wave
- Seismic Toss
- Sing
Snorlax
Ability: No Ability
- Body Slam
- Rest
- Reflect
- Hyper Beam
Tauros (M)
Ability: No Ability
- Body Slam
- Hyper Beam
- Blizzard
- Earthquake
Game 2
VS T2: Jynx vs. Starmie: I believe a double switch to another sleeper is difficult for him (but possible). Still I decide to go Chansey, ideally on a T-Wave, blocking sleep
T20: Cloyster vs. Victreebel: Now it becomes interesting. He has a Victreebel against my Team with Cloyster, Rhydon and SurfBolt Starmie. I have to get Jynx in on it without eating Sleep Powder. For now I decide to scout his move and make the safe Chansey switch as he Razor Leafs
T22: Chansey vs. Snorlax: Nice move from him to double to Victreebel on my Cloyster.
T23: Cloyster vs. Victreebel: I go Jynx because I feel there is not a Sleep Powder coming as he did not use it the first time and I already showed my tendency to go Chansey the first time. I am correct and he reveals Swords Dance
T24: Jynx vs. Victreebel: I don't know if I can play around Hyper Beam effectively (he can predict me). I decide to just take the damage with Blizzard (hope for no miss and possibly a crit or freeze) in exchange for Jynx' life
T30: Chansey vs. Victreebel: I try to get Tauros in for free by going Cloyster. It works on T32
T39: Tauros vs. Tauros: Cloyster is worthless and I sacrifice it to go into Starmie. If this was PsyBlizz instead of SurfBolt I like my position. My opponent does not know the set though
T41: Starmie vs. Tauros: I Surf because I think it is possible for him so save Tauros and sacrifice Victreebel. T-Wave would not help in that case. I have no clue that his last is Dragonite. I believed at the time it might be a Rhydon since his team is pretty weak to Zapdos otherwise. In hindsight it makes sense for him to stay in. He needs Starmie paralyzed for Dragonite (or so he thinks)
T43: Starmie vs. Victreebel: Probably Chansey was my move. I decide for T-Wave because I wanted my Rhydon to outspeed Vic. At this point. because he fought Starmie with Tauros, I did not belive into a Rhydon last. I was thinking Articuno or something like that now and I did not want to lose my Chansey to Victreebel because it could still use Sing on Starmie later.
T44: Rhydon vs. Victreebel: I thought about Rock Slide there, hitting his "Articuno" on the switch but was afraid to miss
T46: My Tauros is EQ Rest and I lose because of it
T20: Cloyster vs. Victreebel: Now it becomes interesting. He has a Victreebel against my Team with Cloyster, Rhydon and SurfBolt Starmie. I have to get Jynx in on it without eating Sleep Powder. For now I decide to scout his move and make the safe Chansey switch as he Razor Leafs
T22: Chansey vs. Snorlax: Nice move from him to double to Victreebel on my Cloyster.
T23: Cloyster vs. Victreebel: I go Jynx because I feel there is not a Sleep Powder coming as he did not use it the first time and I already showed my tendency to go Chansey the first time. I am correct and he reveals Swords Dance
T24: Jynx vs. Victreebel: I don't know if I can play around Hyper Beam effectively (he can predict me). I decide to just take the damage with Blizzard (hope for no miss and possibly a crit or freeze) in exchange for Jynx' life
T30: Chansey vs. Victreebel: I try to get Tauros in for free by going Cloyster. It works on T32
T39: Tauros vs. Tauros: Cloyster is worthless and I sacrifice it to go into Starmie. If this was PsyBlizz instead of SurfBolt I like my position. My opponent does not know the set though
T41: Starmie vs. Tauros: I Surf because I think it is possible for him so save Tauros and sacrifice Victreebel. T-Wave would not help in that case. I have no clue that his last is Dragonite. I believed at the time it might be a Rhydon since his team is pretty weak to Zapdos otherwise. In hindsight it makes sense for him to stay in. He needs Starmie paralyzed for Dragonite (or so he thinks)
T43: Starmie vs. Victreebel: Probably Chansey was my move. I decide for T-Wave because I wanted my Rhydon to outspeed Vic. At this point. because he fought Starmie with Tauros, I did not belive into a Rhydon last. I was thinking Articuno or something like that now and I did not want to lose my Chansey to Victreebel because it could still use Sing on Starmie later.
T44: Rhydon vs. Victreebel: I thought about Rock Slide there, hitting his "Articuno" on the switch but was afraid to miss
T46: My Tauros is EQ Rest and I lose because of it
Jynx (F)
Ability: No Ability
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
- Lovely Kiss
- Psychic
- Blizzard
- Rest
Cloyster
Ability: No Ability
- Clamp
- Blizzard
- Explosion
- Rest
Starmie
Ability: No Ability
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
- Recover
- Thunder Wave
- Surf
- Thunderbolt
Chansey (F)
Ability: No Ability
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
- Soft-Boiled
- Thunder Wave
- Ice Beam
- Sing
Rhydon
Ability: No Ability
- Earthquake
- Body Slam
- Substitute
- Rock Slide
Tauros (M)
Ability: No Ability
- Body Slam
- Hyper Beam
- Earthquake
- Rest
Ability: No Ability
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
- Lovely Kiss
- Psychic
- Blizzard
- Rest
Cloyster
Ability: No Ability
- Clamp
- Blizzard
- Explosion
- Rest
Starmie
Ability: No Ability
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
- Recover
- Thunder Wave
- Surf
- Thunderbolt
Chansey (F)
Ability: No Ability
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
- Soft-Boiled
- Thunder Wave
- Ice Beam
- Sing
Rhydon
Ability: No Ability
- Earthquake
- Body Slam
- Substitute
- Rock Slide
Tauros (M)
Ability: No Ability
- Body Slam
- Hyper Beam
- Earthquake
- Rest
Game 3
VS T1: Alakazam vs. Zapdos: I Seismic Toss predicting an Exeggutor Switch. I want to keep it unparalyzed to be able to click Sleep Powder with my own Exeggutor
T5: Exeggutor vs. Exeggutor: Unfortunately the plan does not work as he wins the speed tie and I fail to predict his Explosion. I am in a bad position now
T6: Exeggutor vs. Tauros: I think Exeggutor was his only sleeper so I sacrifice Alakazam instead of Exeggutor
T8: Snorlax vs. Tauros: I played too fast at this point, not thinking through my moves. I had a good clue on his team at that point. I figured it would be Chanseyless (probably with Alakazam and Starmie or Cloyster). I went Snorlax because I thought I would not need it for a potential Chansey. Trading Snorlax for Tauros does not help me much, though and he is probably happy about that trade. I should have gone Starmie here and then doubled to Snorlax in my opinion, forcing him to fight my Lax with something else and get more value out of my own Lax since I need to make up ground
T10: Zapdos vs. Alakazam: I need to start getting T-Waves in and am forced to fight Alakazam wth Zapdos
T12: Zapdos vs. Alakazam: I think he makes a mistake by not recovering his Alakazam. I still play off of his non-Recover on that turn and take advantage of it by bringing in Starmie, keeping Alakazam low
T14: Starmie vs. Starmie: I think my opponent can afford to use Thunderbolt if he has it but T-Wave is obviously an option. I decide to risk Zapdos, hoping for a T-Wave and get it
T15: Zapdos vs. Starmie: Zapdos survives a Blizzard and gets huge damage on Starmie, allowing me to force a speedtie to threaten a KO on Starmie with my PsyBlizz Starmie
T17: Starmie vs. Starmie: He does not want to risk the tie and sacrifces Alakazam
T18: Starmie vs. Zapdos: I need to hope for some Starmie odds here. I need to freeze Zapdos or survive the Thundebrolt (the odds are not in my favour) and get one critical hit with two tries. I do get the latter. At this point the game is in my favour and I avoid the freeze on T 23 to win
T5: Exeggutor vs. Exeggutor: Unfortunately the plan does not work as he wins the speed tie and I fail to predict his Explosion. I am in a bad position now
T6: Exeggutor vs. Tauros: I think Exeggutor was his only sleeper so I sacrifice Alakazam instead of Exeggutor
T8: Snorlax vs. Tauros: I played too fast at this point, not thinking through my moves. I had a good clue on his team at that point. I figured it would be Chanseyless (probably with Alakazam and Starmie or Cloyster). I went Snorlax because I thought I would not need it for a potential Chansey. Trading Snorlax for Tauros does not help me much, though and he is probably happy about that trade. I should have gone Starmie here and then doubled to Snorlax in my opinion, forcing him to fight my Lax with something else and get more value out of my own Lax since I need to make up ground
T10: Zapdos vs. Alakazam: I need to start getting T-Waves in and am forced to fight Alakazam wth Zapdos
T12: Zapdos vs. Alakazam: I think he makes a mistake by not recovering his Alakazam. I still play off of his non-Recover on that turn and take advantage of it by bringing in Starmie, keeping Alakazam low
T14: Starmie vs. Starmie: I think my opponent can afford to use Thunderbolt if he has it but T-Wave is obviously an option. I decide to risk Zapdos, hoping for a T-Wave and get it
T15: Zapdos vs. Starmie: Zapdos survives a Blizzard and gets huge damage on Starmie, allowing me to force a speedtie to threaten a KO on Starmie with my PsyBlizz Starmie
T17: Starmie vs. Starmie: He does not want to risk the tie and sacrifces Alakazam
T18: Starmie vs. Zapdos: I need to hope for some Starmie odds here. I need to freeze Zapdos or survive the Thundebrolt (the odds are not in my favour) and get one critical hit with two tries. I do get the latter. At this point the game is in my favour and I avoid the freeze on T 23 to win
Alakazam
Ability: No Ability
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
- Recover
- Thunder Wave
- Psychic
- Seismic Toss
Zapdos
Ability: No Ability
- Thunderbolt
- Drill Peck
- Thunder Wave
- Agility
Exeggutor
Ability: No Ability
- Sleep Powder
- Psychic
- Explosion
- Hyper Beam
Starmie
Ability: No Ability
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
- Recover
- Thunder Wave
- Psychic
- Blizzard
Snorlax
Ability: No Ability
- Body Slam
- Rest
- Reflect
- Self-Destruct
Tauros (M)
Ability: No Ability
- Body Slam
- Hyper Beam
- Blizzard
- Earthquake
Ability: No Ability
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
- Recover
- Thunder Wave
- Psychic
- Seismic Toss
Zapdos
Ability: No Ability
- Thunderbolt
- Drill Peck
- Thunder Wave
- Agility
Exeggutor
Ability: No Ability
- Sleep Powder
- Psychic
- Explosion
- Hyper Beam
Starmie
Ability: No Ability
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
- Recover
- Thunder Wave
- Psychic
- Blizzard
Snorlax
Ability: No Ability
- Body Slam
- Rest
- Reflect
- Self-Destruct
Tauros (M)
Ability: No Ability
- Body Slam
- Hyper Beam
- Blizzard
- Earthquake
I manage to come out on top in a good set of games. Especially g2 and g3 were really close. I was overall satisfied with how I played g1 and g2. I think it could have been a 2-0 if my Tauros had the "normal" moveset. I would like to say that I learned my lesson from it immediately but I ended up bringing EQ Rest Tauros in the following two rounds as well (even though I don't think it mattered in those games) before finally adapting in the later weeks. In g3 I got the early game wrong and clicked too quickly after that. I almost got punished for it but managed to get some plays right to force my luck for the win.
ROUND 2 VS OAKDEON
In the context of trying to go on a deeper run in the tournament, week 2 was the one that felt the most important for me, because it's the first win that lets you skip a round. It was definitely the week that I put the most effort in prepping the games.
I am not that deeply involved in the RBY community these days. So I did not know too much about my next opponent, oakdeon, to be completely honest. I was warned, however, as he took out ABR in the round prior.
In my preperation I looked into his past games and noticed some tendencies I tried to exploit. Firstly, he had an unusually high (non-lead-)Starmie and Rhydon usage and fittingly favoured Jynx as a lead, which also lead to relatively low (for today's standards) Exeggutor usage. I also noticed that his Starmies (and Chanseys) were comparatively seldom carrying Thunderbolt. It felt like an ample opportunity to use a Slowbro, also diversifying my profile and keeping future opponents on their toes. As I very rarely bring Slowbro, I did not have a team ready that I felt comfortable with that had Slowbro. I do not especially like a classic ZamEggBro Team or the Laxless BroDon builds. So I decided to build a fresh one. I ended up taking MieEggDon and swapped Tauros of all things for Slowbro and modifying some movesets that I felt fitted the team as well as the opponent better. For g2 I used a Jynx-lead team as I noticed his tendency to switch leads between games from Jynx to Zam. It's the same team from g2 of Round 1 but I changed up the sets. I also had a Gengar-lead Team prepared for g3 as he really loves leading Jynx, but luckily I did not need it anymore.
Game 1
VS T5: Chansey vs. Chansey: I decide to use a Sing-less Chansey and trade paralysis with his Chansey which I presume does not carry Thunderbolt. As I have Slowbro, I want this paralyzed and rather be able to threaten sleep on more dangerous targets later in the game
T15: Snorlax vs. Snorlax: He decides to blow up his Lax on mine. At this point I thought my prep paid off as I anticipated his team to be JynxMieDon (presumably with T-Bolt-less Starmie). So Slowbro is looking good. I am fine with the trade
T17: Chansey vs. Rhydon: I try to get an Ice Beam in on Rhydon because Rhydon is a threat to Slowbro and also because I think there is a chance he does not want to use EQ an my (unreavealed) Egg
T22: Chansey vs. Rhydon: Nice move on his end to Rock Slide there, especially as I showed my willingness to stay in on him before. This puts pressure on Exeggutor
T34: Rhydon vs. Starmie: I want to paralyze Starmie for Slowbro so I decide to fish here, predicting his recover
T35: Rhydon vs. Starmie: Now he reads me and makes a nice Rhydon switch. This Rhydon put up a lot of pressure in this game. One disadvantage of not having a Tauros to reverse the pressure situation on Rhydon that I have to face with my team
T40: Chansey vs. Starmie: Assung my Last is Tauros he can play wrecklessly now with his Rhydon because keeping my Chansey low for his Rhydon gives him an edge in the endgame. With Slowbro last, however, his Rhydon is more important. Taking it out there would have been great
T42: Exeggutor vs. Rhydon: I did not manage to take out Rhydon with other Pokemon. And now that my pieces fall, I have to decide to overcome it with Slowbro itself (which makes clicking T-Wave with it much less free and introduces some mind games). I Explode Exeggutor predicting some switch (Starmie or Chansey) and catch his Chansey
T43: Slowbro vs. Starmie: The surprise is reavealed. I know he will go Starmie predicting my Tauros and thinking the victory is near. Slowbro ruins his day. Luckily I am able to trade twave with Starmie now and set up the endgame with Slowbro. I have to avoid FP on some crucial turns and do so, which lets me win the game
T48: Slowbro vs. Tauros: Maybe it looks weird to let Slowbro go down and risk Rhydon vs. Starmie later but I think getting crit by Tauros on Rest is worse
T15: Snorlax vs. Snorlax: He decides to blow up his Lax on mine. At this point I thought my prep paid off as I anticipated his team to be JynxMieDon (presumably with T-Bolt-less Starmie). So Slowbro is looking good. I am fine with the trade
T17: Chansey vs. Rhydon: I try to get an Ice Beam in on Rhydon because Rhydon is a threat to Slowbro and also because I think there is a chance he does not want to use EQ an my (unreavealed) Egg
T22: Chansey vs. Rhydon: Nice move on his end to Rock Slide there, especially as I showed my willingness to stay in on him before. This puts pressure on Exeggutor
T34: Rhydon vs. Starmie: I want to paralyze Starmie for Slowbro so I decide to fish here, predicting his recover
T35: Rhydon vs. Starmie: Now he reads me and makes a nice Rhydon switch. This Rhydon put up a lot of pressure in this game. One disadvantage of not having a Tauros to reverse the pressure situation on Rhydon that I have to face with my team
T40: Chansey vs. Starmie: Assung my Last is Tauros he can play wrecklessly now with his Rhydon because keeping my Chansey low for his Rhydon gives him an edge in the endgame. With Slowbro last, however, his Rhydon is more important. Taking it out there would have been great
T42: Exeggutor vs. Rhydon: I did not manage to take out Rhydon with other Pokemon. And now that my pieces fall, I have to decide to overcome it with Slowbro itself (which makes clicking T-Wave with it much less free and introduces some mind games). I Explode Exeggutor predicting some switch (Starmie or Chansey) and catch his Chansey
T43: Slowbro vs. Starmie: The surprise is reavealed. I know he will go Starmie predicting my Tauros and thinking the victory is near. Slowbro ruins his day. Luckily I am able to trade twave with Starmie now and set up the endgame with Slowbro. I have to avoid FP on some crucial turns and do so, which lets me win the game
T48: Slowbro vs. Tauros: Maybe it looks weird to let Slowbro go down and risk Rhydon vs. Starmie later but I think getting crit by Tauros on Rest is worse
Starmie
Ability: No Ability
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
- Recover
- Thunder Wave
- Psychic
- Blizzard
Rhydon
Ability: No Ability
- Earthquake
- Substitute
- Body Slam
- Rock Slide
Exeggutor
Ability: No Ability
- Sleep Powder
- Psychic
- Explosion
- Stun Spore
Chansey (F)
Ability: No Ability
- Soft-Boiled
- Thunder Wave
- Ice Beam
- Thunderbolt
Snorlax
Ability: No Ability
- Body Slam
- Rest
- Reflect
- Ice Beam
Slowbro
Ability: No Ability
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
- Amnesia
- Thunder Wave
- Rest
- Surf
Ability: No Ability
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
- Recover
- Thunder Wave
- Psychic
- Blizzard
Rhydon
Ability: No Ability
- Earthquake
- Substitute
- Body Slam
- Rock Slide
Exeggutor
Ability: No Ability
- Sleep Powder
- Psychic
- Explosion
- Stun Spore
Chansey (F)
Ability: No Ability
- Soft-Boiled
- Thunder Wave
- Ice Beam
- Thunderbolt
Snorlax
Ability: No Ability
- Body Slam
- Rest
- Reflect
- Ice Beam
Slowbro
Ability: No Ability
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
- Amnesia
- Thunder Wave
- Rest
- Surf
Game 2
VS T1: Jynx vs. Jynx: To be honest, I was going a bit all-in on him not running Jynx-lead twice in a row. Jynx was my only sleeper in this game as I liked to have boltbeam Chansey against him. Just winning the 50/50 here was big. I would have had to play without sleep otherwise, which would have been managable but without a doubt more difficult
T7: Chansey vs. Starmie: I decide to hold off on commiting to T-Wave initially, as I do not have Snorlax and am lacking information on his Chansey-moveset. So I try to get a freeze for now
T16: Tauros vs. Snorlax: EQ is a Counter Scout there. From that health on Snorlax it is not much worse than Bodyslam
T20: Starmie vs. Tauros: We have a bit of a mindgame on our hands. On one side, I do not want to click T-Wave as sleep just opened up again for me. On the other hand my Starmie is paralyzed and it is feasable for him to try breaking through with Tauros. I decide to play it safe and click T-Wave. He gives me the PAR on Tauros which I gladly take
T34: Starmie vs. Starmie: I predict him to double but am afraid to make the real play for the KO (like I did a couple of times in R1 g1). It means I still have to give up the Self-Destruct (even if I catch it with Rhydon the following turn)
T43: Exeggutor vs. Chansey: My opponent is quite behind at this point. He tries to hit my Chansey with a last-ditch-effort Explosion but I don't let him hit it and go Jynx. Now he cannot break my Chansey anymore and I win the game
T7: Chansey vs. Starmie: I decide to hold off on commiting to T-Wave initially, as I do not have Snorlax and am lacking information on his Chansey-moveset. So I try to get a freeze for now
T16: Tauros vs. Snorlax: EQ is a Counter Scout there. From that health on Snorlax it is not much worse than Bodyslam
T20: Starmie vs. Tauros: We have a bit of a mindgame on our hands. On one side, I do not want to click T-Wave as sleep just opened up again for me. On the other hand my Starmie is paralyzed and it is feasable for him to try breaking through with Tauros. I decide to play it safe and click T-Wave. He gives me the PAR on Tauros which I gladly take
T34: Starmie vs. Starmie: I predict him to double but am afraid to make the real play for the KO (like I did a couple of times in R1 g1). It means I still have to give up the Self-Destruct (even if I catch it with Rhydon the following turn)
T43: Exeggutor vs. Chansey: My opponent is quite behind at this point. He tries to hit my Chansey with a last-ditch-effort Explosion but I don't let him hit it and go Jynx. Now he cannot break my Chansey anymore and I win the game
Jynx (F)
Ability: No Ability
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
- Lovely Kiss
- Psychic
- Blizzard
- Rest
Cloyster
Ability: No Ability
- Clamp
- Blizzard
- Explosion
- Rest
Starmie
Ability: No Ability
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
- Recover
- Thunder Wave
- Blizzard
- Thunderbolt
Chansey (F)
Ability: No Ability
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
- Soft-Boiled
- Thunder Wave
- Ice Beam
- Thunderbolt
Rhydon
Ability: No Ability
- Earthquake
- Body Slam
- Substitute
- Rest
Tauros (M)
Ability: No Ability
- Body Slam
- Hyper Beam
- Earthquake
- Rest
Ability: No Ability
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
- Lovely Kiss
- Psychic
- Blizzard
- Rest
Cloyster
Ability: No Ability
- Clamp
- Blizzard
- Explosion
- Rest
Starmie
Ability: No Ability
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
- Recover
- Thunder Wave
- Blizzard
- Thunderbolt
Chansey (F)
Ability: No Ability
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
- Soft-Boiled
- Thunder Wave
- Ice Beam
- Thunderbolt
Rhydon
Ability: No Ability
- Earthquake
- Body Slam
- Substitute
- Rest
Tauros (M)
Ability: No Ability
- Body Slam
- Hyper Beam
- Earthquake
- Rest
My preperation for these games really paid off. Slowbro won g1 when it did not look good had I had a Tauros in its place. g2 I won the Jynx ditto and even though I did not get the freeze over the course of the game, paralyzing his Tauros paved the way to victory. I was delighted that I had jumped that hurdle, now had a week off and would continue to be in the winners bracket.
ROUND 4 VS CHUVA DE PERERECA
My opponent for Round 4 turned out to be chuva de perereca . At this point in the winners bracket there's only killers left to begin with but I thought chuva was a tough draw. When you think about the tournament and look at its participants you automatically assess the strenght of the other competitors and imagine who you think will be top contenders for the title. In my opinion chuva was definitely one of them and if I had to rank RBY OU players right now, he would be second place behind Serpi (clearly best player).
So I knew I had my work cut out for me. Still, unlike in round 2, I did not prep specifically for him. I thought it was pointless because he plays so much that the work I would have had to put into it would not have been proportional to the return. I chose a different apporach, as I looked at what I had brought so far in the tournament and noticed that is was 4 Rhydons in 5 games. Because of that, I figured he would not use Zapdos against me and I decided to bring some teams that I think are generally strong into Zapdosless but weak into Zapdos. Naturally I thought about MieEggCloy, which gets eaten alive by Zapdos but is pretty strong if it does not show up, so I locked that in for g1. Since Slowbro had done me good in the previous round, I decided to bring it back, this time with a set that had Reflect>T-Wave (which should backfire). For g3 I wanted to do something special and I tried my hands on a new Venusaur-Team that I theorized. It's probably not good but I felt it's extra strong into Rhydon Teams (even running Golem as the Ground type, which is very atypical for me) and I felt like there was a high chance those would show up.
Game 1
VS T1: Starmie vs. Alakazam: I use Blizzard on Alakazam because I don't want to catch a Chansey switch with T-Wave
T7-8: Starmie vs. Exeggutor: He gets the mindgames right after sleep lands and I get lucky dodging the stun spore with my own Exeggutor
T17: Chansey vs. Exeggutor: I know his Exeggutor moveset now and know my Chansey has no Explosion to fear, so I tried getting it in without getting paralyzed which happens. Ice beam damage for a 56.25% chance to get paralyzed is a good trade and I actually get a critical hit whithout even getting paralyzed, which puts me in a good position
T27: Chansey vs. Starmie: He manages to escape with his Starmie against T-Bolt Chansey and I get him on the switch with T-Wave. I managed to spread paralysis and damage very nicely and am at this point aware that I am facing a Chanseyless team
T41: Tauros vs. Tauros: I am very far ahead and think I can afford losing the Tauros ditto. Conversely, he is so far behind that he kinda has to make plays. So I think there is a good chance he did not click Hyper Beam. We'll never know, I won the speed tie
T75: Chansey vs. Starmie: He reveals Rhydon and at this point (with my last being Cloyster) there's no way he wins the game
T7-8: Starmie vs. Exeggutor: He gets the mindgames right after sleep lands and I get lucky dodging the stun spore with my own Exeggutor
T17: Chansey vs. Exeggutor: I know his Exeggutor moveset now and know my Chansey has no Explosion to fear, so I tried getting it in without getting paralyzed which happens. Ice beam damage for a 56.25% chance to get paralyzed is a good trade and I actually get a critical hit whithout even getting paralyzed, which puts me in a good position
T27: Chansey vs. Starmie: He manages to escape with his Starmie against T-Bolt Chansey and I get him on the switch with T-Wave. I managed to spread paralysis and damage very nicely and am at this point aware that I am facing a Chanseyless team
T41: Tauros vs. Tauros: I am very far ahead and think I can afford losing the Tauros ditto. Conversely, he is so far behind that he kinda has to make plays. So I think there is a good chance he did not click Hyper Beam. We'll never know, I won the speed tie
T75: Chansey vs. Starmie: He reveals Rhydon and at this point (with my last being Cloyster) there's no way he wins the game
Starmie
Ability: No Ability
- Recover
- Thunder Wave
- Psychic
- Blizzard
Cloyster
Ability: No Ability
- Clamp
- Blizzard
- Explosion
- Rest
Exeggutor
Ability: No Ability
- Sleep Powder
- Psychic
- Explosion
- Stun Spore
Chansey (F)
Ability: No Ability
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
- Soft-Boiled
- Thunder Wave
- Ice Beam
- Thunderbolt
Snorlax
Ability: No Ability
- Body Slam
- Rest
- Reflect
- Earthquake
Tauros (M)
Ability: No Ability
- Body Slam
- Hyper Beam
- Blizzard
- Thunderbolt
Ability: No Ability
- Recover
- Thunder Wave
- Psychic
- Blizzard
Cloyster
Ability: No Ability
- Clamp
- Blizzard
- Explosion
- Rest
Exeggutor
Ability: No Ability
- Sleep Powder
- Psychic
- Explosion
- Stun Spore
Chansey (F)
Ability: No Ability
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
- Soft-Boiled
- Thunder Wave
- Ice Beam
- Thunderbolt
Snorlax
Ability: No Ability
- Body Slam
- Rest
- Reflect
- Earthquake
Tauros (M)
Ability: No Ability
- Body Slam
- Hyper Beam
- Blizzard
- Thunderbolt
Game 2
VS T4-6: Exeggutor vs. Alakazam: Again he wins all the mindgames after sleep lands and we end up with my Tauros staring down his Starmie
T7: Tauros vs. Starmie: Of course, I know that Exeggutor can come in here but it's just risky to predict it here and get my Tauros paralyzed. He uses this nicely and gets Exeggutor in on my Chansey
T13: Tauros vs. Snorlax: I am fine with trading Tauros for Snorlax as Snorlax Self-Destruct is still a threat to Slowbro. I get lucky though, as I do not scout Counter and he gets me with it but the Slamroll is low and I survive
T14: Tauros vs. Snorlax: I get lucky a second turn in a row as I thought he'd let his Lax go and click Hyper Beam as he goes Starmie and gets it killed by a critical hit. Sometimes this just happens and it's what you risk by going Starmie there. Now I am in a good position
T15: Tauros vs. Tauros: I decide to switch into Snorlax. In hindsight I think it was a mistake but there were many factors I considered that lead to my decision: I want to save Tauros because it presumably outspeeds all remaining members of his Team and can get a big hit off on Exeggutor which is blocking my path with Slowbro (especially since sleep is still open for him). On the other hand, my Snorlax is Ice Beam which is mainly for hitting his Snorlax. Since that is already low, I thought I would not need Lax anymore. Also I was very tunnel visioned at this point on him running a Chanseyless Team again, making Lax even less needed. Additionally he does not know my moveset and if I am Self-Destruct, him losing Tauros in exchange for Lax is not a good trade for him in my opinion. So there was the possibility of getting free Bodyslams on his switches, trying to dance around Self-Destruct. Of course, none of that happened and I just lose Snorlax in exchange for 2 Bodyslams on Tauros. Bad trade for me and I have given away part my lead
T19: Starmie vs. Tauros: I go Starmie on Tauros and still feel good about my position because I am still completely fixated on him not having a Chansey and I remember being surprised when it came in easily on Blizzard. For some reason I did not even consider that a possibility at the time
T26: Exeggutor vs. Alakazam: I get outplayed the turns prior for being to passive and find myself pressured by his Exeggutor and also his Alakazam threatening to wake up. I decide to explode hoping for him to continue his agressive switching and aiming at Exeggutor but it fails miserably. Now I squandered the lead that KOing Starmie gifted me completely. But I have to point out that my opponent also played this section very well
T27: Tauros vs. Chansey: Hyper Beam as his Chansey KOes my Tauros is what I am aiming for, keeping Chansey low. The plan is to revenge with Chansey afterwards, let it take the sleep from Exeggutor and after force him to trade Exeggutor for Starmie (or at least get a T-Wave off) and sweep the game with ReflectBro. It is not straight forward because there is still a Self-Destruct Snorlax out of Starmie KO range but it is a very possible way
T29: Tauros vs. Chansey: As he fully paralyzes on T27 and then recovers on T28, my plan does not work out and I know he's not going to let me KO Chansey, so I predict Exeggutor to come in. No crit or para for me though
T30: Tauros vs. Exeggutor: I contemplated going for damage which might have been better (with the chance to KO with a crit) but I go Starmie as he reaveals Mega Drain. Bad news for me and my win condition, which is Slowbro
T31: Starmie vs. Exeggutor: I fail to predict his Chansey and lose momentum. From now on I cannot be agressive anymore and decide to stall
T42: Starmie vs. Chansey: He decides to click T-Wave on my Starmie as I get in Chansey. Now I unexpectedly have a sleepblocker. His Snorlax is dangerous but I think this gave me a chance
T77: Chansey vs. Chansey: I make another questionable move. His Chansey does not have the PP advantage on mine, still I want to get an edge on his Chansey in the stallwar and get my Starmie paralyzed, trying to sneak it in. My Chansey could have fought this out, at least so long my Soft-Boiled PP were high enough
T81: Starmie vs. Snorlax: Next questionable move by me. I go Tauros, hoping he'd Self-Destruct. But probably staying with Starmie was the move. Tauros was still a win condition. Now it's looking really bad for me because Slowbro can never sweep as long as Exeggutor can hit it with Sleep Powder and Mega Drain
T92: Chansey vs. Chansey: My opponent used Counter or T-Wave like 10 turns in a row only to use Seismic Toss on the very turn I want to sneak in Starmie to recover it. Things turn from bad to worse
T94: Starmie vs. Tauros: I have to reaveal Slowbro and get some shots to put his Chansey in danger but he escapes in time
T101: Slowbro vs. Exeggutor: Now my opponent makes a mistake. He clicks Mega Drain predicting me to not stay in with Bro. At this point I am kind of desperate and just go for the sleep miss on this turn (possibly to catch an Explosion on the following turn). It could have been dangerous for him had my Slowbro had T-Wave but he got the crit, nullifying the damage done
T107: Chansey vs. Snorlax: Another questionable play by my opponent. I think he had no need to go for Self-Destruct there. Could have easily chosen a more patient route
T108: Chansey vs. Tauros: He gets the critical hit immediately and the game finally ends with my loss
T7: Tauros vs. Starmie: Of course, I know that Exeggutor can come in here but it's just risky to predict it here and get my Tauros paralyzed. He uses this nicely and gets Exeggutor in on my Chansey
T13: Tauros vs. Snorlax: I am fine with trading Tauros for Snorlax as Snorlax Self-Destruct is still a threat to Slowbro. I get lucky though, as I do not scout Counter and he gets me with it but the Slamroll is low and I survive
T14: Tauros vs. Snorlax: I get lucky a second turn in a row as I thought he'd let his Lax go and click Hyper Beam as he goes Starmie and gets it killed by a critical hit. Sometimes this just happens and it's what you risk by going Starmie there. Now I am in a good position
T15: Tauros vs. Tauros: I decide to switch into Snorlax. In hindsight I think it was a mistake but there were many factors I considered that lead to my decision: I want to save Tauros because it presumably outspeeds all remaining members of his Team and can get a big hit off on Exeggutor which is blocking my path with Slowbro (especially since sleep is still open for him). On the other hand, my Snorlax is Ice Beam which is mainly for hitting his Snorlax. Since that is already low, I thought I would not need Lax anymore. Also I was very tunnel visioned at this point on him running a Chanseyless Team again, making Lax even less needed. Additionally he does not know my moveset and if I am Self-Destruct, him losing Tauros in exchange for Lax is not a good trade for him in my opinion. So there was the possibility of getting free Bodyslams on his switches, trying to dance around Self-Destruct. Of course, none of that happened and I just lose Snorlax in exchange for 2 Bodyslams on Tauros. Bad trade for me and I have given away part my lead
T19: Starmie vs. Tauros: I go Starmie on Tauros and still feel good about my position because I am still completely fixated on him not having a Chansey and I remember being surprised when it came in easily on Blizzard. For some reason I did not even consider that a possibility at the time
T26: Exeggutor vs. Alakazam: I get outplayed the turns prior for being to passive and find myself pressured by his Exeggutor and also his Alakazam threatening to wake up. I decide to explode hoping for him to continue his agressive switching and aiming at Exeggutor but it fails miserably. Now I squandered the lead that KOing Starmie gifted me completely. But I have to point out that my opponent also played this section very well
T27: Tauros vs. Chansey: Hyper Beam as his Chansey KOes my Tauros is what I am aiming for, keeping Chansey low. The plan is to revenge with Chansey afterwards, let it take the sleep from Exeggutor and after force him to trade Exeggutor for Starmie (or at least get a T-Wave off) and sweep the game with ReflectBro. It is not straight forward because there is still a Self-Destruct Snorlax out of Starmie KO range but it is a very possible way
T29: Tauros vs. Chansey: As he fully paralyzes on T27 and then recovers on T28, my plan does not work out and I know he's not going to let me KO Chansey, so I predict Exeggutor to come in. No crit or para for me though
T30: Tauros vs. Exeggutor: I contemplated going for damage which might have been better (with the chance to KO with a crit) but I go Starmie as he reaveals Mega Drain. Bad news for me and my win condition, which is Slowbro
T31: Starmie vs. Exeggutor: I fail to predict his Chansey and lose momentum. From now on I cannot be agressive anymore and decide to stall
T42: Starmie vs. Chansey: He decides to click T-Wave on my Starmie as I get in Chansey. Now I unexpectedly have a sleepblocker. His Snorlax is dangerous but I think this gave me a chance
T77: Chansey vs. Chansey: I make another questionable move. His Chansey does not have the PP advantage on mine, still I want to get an edge on his Chansey in the stallwar and get my Starmie paralyzed, trying to sneak it in. My Chansey could have fought this out, at least so long my Soft-Boiled PP were high enough
T81: Starmie vs. Snorlax: Next questionable move by me. I go Tauros, hoping he'd Self-Destruct. But probably staying with Starmie was the move. Tauros was still a win condition. Now it's looking really bad for me because Slowbro can never sweep as long as Exeggutor can hit it with Sleep Powder and Mega Drain
T92: Chansey vs. Chansey: My opponent used Counter or T-Wave like 10 turns in a row only to use Seismic Toss on the very turn I want to sneak in Starmie to recover it. Things turn from bad to worse
T94: Starmie vs. Tauros: I have to reaveal Slowbro and get some shots to put his Chansey in danger but he escapes in time
T101: Slowbro vs. Exeggutor: Now my opponent makes a mistake. He clicks Mega Drain predicting me to not stay in with Bro. At this point I am kind of desperate and just go for the sleep miss on this turn (possibly to catch an Explosion on the following turn). It could have been dangerous for him had my Slowbro had T-Wave but he got the crit, nullifying the damage done
T107: Chansey vs. Snorlax: Another questionable play by my opponent. I think he had no need to go for Self-Destruct there. Could have easily chosen a more patient route
T108: Chansey vs. Tauros: He gets the critical hit immediately and the game finally ends with my loss
Exeggutor
Ability: No Ability
- Sleep Powder
- Psychic
- Explosion
- Stun Spore
Slowbro
Ability: No Ability
- Amnesia
- Reflect
- Rest
- Surf
Starmie
Ability: No Ability
- Recover
- Thunder Wave
- Blizzard
- Thunderbolt
Chansey (F)
Ability: No Ability
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
- Soft-Boiled
- Thunder Wave
- Seismic Toss
- Reflect
Snorlax
Ability: No Ability
- Body Slam
- Rest
- Reflect
- Ice Beam
Tauros (M)
Ability: No Ability
- Body Slam
- Hyper Beam
- Blizzard
- Earthquake
Ability: No Ability
- Sleep Powder
- Psychic
- Explosion
- Stun Spore
Slowbro
Ability: No Ability
- Amnesia
- Reflect
- Rest
- Surf
Starmie
Ability: No Ability
- Recover
- Thunder Wave
- Blizzard
- Thunderbolt
Chansey (F)
Ability: No Ability
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
- Soft-Boiled
- Thunder Wave
- Seismic Toss
- Reflect
Snorlax
Ability: No Ability
- Body Slam
- Rest
- Reflect
- Ice Beam
Tauros (M)
Ability: No Ability
- Body Slam
- Hyper Beam
- Blizzard
- Earthquake
Game 3
VS T1: Alakazam vs. Chansey: He surprises me with a Chansey lead. I do not want Alakazam take the sleep since I don't have many options of sponging Special hits anyway and with Alakazam asleep I'm too limited (as we have seen in g1 when his Alakazam on a Chanseyless Team got slept). I decide to sacrifice Golem
T2: Golem vs. Chansey: Sing is an inaccurate move. My Golem gets to use Explosion. I thought if he risks Sing, his Chansey goes down on a miss. Also Exeggutor was a move on his part and exploding on that is what I like with this team. Chansey goes down because Sing is an inaccurate move
T3: Venusaur vs. Exeggutor: I predict him to go into Exeggutor and bring in Venusaur to get the faster sleep
T6: Cloyster vs. Starmie: I outplay him on that turn, staying in with Cloyster on Starmie and using Blizzard on a predicted switch to either Exeggutor (predicting me to switch) or Rhydon (predicting an Explosion). The latter happens but Rhydon survives
T7: I clicked my move very fast. It was clear he'd switch back to Starmie which would be KOed by Explosion at this range. So I clicked it without thinking too much about it. Now I outplayed him again but I still have to face the sleep from Exeggutor now but I have a plan...
T9: Alakazam vs. Exeggutor: This time, finally, I was the one getting the mindgame right after sleep landed (after he got me in the previous two games). I make a ballsy move and go Tauros on Exeggutor as he went Snorlax to pressure Alakazam. I love to see that matchup since, if I can weaken Snorlax, my Starmie is looking fantastic
T12: Tauros vs. Snorlax: I go Venusaur on either Rest or Self-Destruct. Venusaur survives which gives me a free switch to Starmie afterwards which ultimately wins the me the game
T2: Golem vs. Chansey: Sing is an inaccurate move. My Golem gets to use Explosion. I thought if he risks Sing, his Chansey goes down on a miss. Also Exeggutor was a move on his part and exploding on that is what I like with this team. Chansey goes down because Sing is an inaccurate move
T3: Venusaur vs. Exeggutor: I predict him to go into Exeggutor and bring in Venusaur to get the faster sleep
T6: Cloyster vs. Starmie: I outplay him on that turn, staying in with Cloyster on Starmie and using Blizzard on a predicted switch to either Exeggutor (predicting me to switch) or Rhydon (predicting an Explosion). The latter happens but Rhydon survives
T7: I clicked my move very fast. It was clear he'd switch back to Starmie which would be KOed by Explosion at this range. So I clicked it without thinking too much about it. Now I outplayed him again but I still have to face the sleep from Exeggutor now but I have a plan...
T9: Alakazam vs. Exeggutor: This time, finally, I was the one getting the mindgame right after sleep landed (after he got me in the previous two games). I make a ballsy move and go Tauros on Exeggutor as he went Snorlax to pressure Alakazam. I love to see that matchup since, if I can weaken Snorlax, my Starmie is looking fantastic
T12: Tauros vs. Snorlax: I go Venusaur on either Rest or Self-Destruct. Venusaur survives which gives me a free switch to Starmie afterwards which ultimately wins the me the game
Alakazam
Ability: No Ability
- Recover
- Thunder Wave
- Psychic
- Seismic Toss
Golem
Ability: No Ability
- Explosion
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Body Slam
Starmie
Ability: No Ability
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
- Recover
- Thunder Wave
- Psychic
- Blizzard
Venusaur
Ability: No Ability
- Sleep Powder
- Razor Leaf
- Swords Dance
- Hyper Beam
Cloyster
Ability: No Ability
- Clamp
- Blizzard
- Explosion
- Rest
Tauros (M)
Ability: No Ability
- Body Slam
- Hyper Beam
- Earthquake
- Rest
Ability: No Ability
- Recover
- Thunder Wave
- Psychic
- Seismic Toss
Golem
Ability: No Ability
- Explosion
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Body Slam
Starmie
Ability: No Ability
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
- Recover
- Thunder Wave
- Psychic
- Blizzard
Venusaur
Ability: No Ability
- Sleep Powder
- Razor Leaf
- Swords Dance
- Hyper Beam
Cloyster
Ability: No Ability
- Clamp
- Blizzard
- Explosion
- Rest
Tauros (M)
Ability: No Ability
- Body Slam
- Hyper Beam
- Earthquake
- Rest
I beat one of the strongest competitors in the tournament, so I was very happy. I was happy that my overall plan worked (I brought Zapdos-weak Teams and he never brought a Zapdos). I think g1 showed the weakness of his Team. I am not a fan of ZamMieEggDon exactly because of that weakness to BoltBeam Chansey. Surely RNG helped but it got devestating for him really quickly because the team lacks the necessary resistence. I think g2 was the worst game of my tournament so far and I am not happy with how I played it. The game decided to give me a lead and this is when you have to strike. I let my opponent take it away from me which is not what I expect of myself. g3 was a very volatile game because of the teamchoice I made. Aided by Sing's unreliability and some ballsy moves I got the win with my favourite Pokemon.
ROUND 6 VS BEE OR SOMETHING
Going into the next round, I got paired with BeeOrSomething . From my perspective a newer player but I knew from his introduction that he had made a name for himself in several RBY Tournaments in the last year. Also we met 2 times already in 2025 prior to this, once in RBYWC where I won and once in Global Championship where he won. He struck me as a player who likes to play agressively and his teamchoices reflected that. I had a feeling of what level to expect from him. I was alarmed for sure since he came off of wins against good players like Sceptross and my fellow Germans Larry and Serpi.
Still, I was full of confidence from the run I was on and from our previous encounters I took away that he was good but that I could definitely beat him if I play to my capabilities. Additionally, bo5 was starting and it also meant that if I won I would be guaranteed top 3. I just went into this battle with the mindset that I would not let anyone take this away from me. I did not have much time for preperation but it is less important in bo5 anyway. I like bringing a team with a different lead in situations like this, just to keep my opponent (and potential future opponents who like to scout me) guessing what is coming. So I prepped a different Jynx-lead team with Zapdos this time for g1, an Alakazam-lead team with BackJynx because I like the idea and wanted to bring that all tournament anyway. For g3 it was trusted MieEggDon. I had a Zapdos-lead team for g4 and a Gengar-lead team for g5 ready but did not need to reveal them.
Game 1
VS T19: Snorlax vs. Snorlax: First interesting turn. His Snorlax gets a critical hit on mine and it outspeeds me due to my Snorlax having been paralyzed by his Chansey on T8. I did not want to risk losing Snorlax to Hyper Beam here so I try to absorb it with Exeggutor for a lack of better option. This was a bit hasty by me. There was a argument to be made for just risking him having Hyper Beam (and also clicking it) because switching out (EQ-)Snorlax at 21% means it will be very difficult to get any more value out of it later in the battle. Anyway, we end up with Exeggutor on Exeggutor but both of us have already landed sleep
T20: Exeggutor vs. Exeggutor: I fear a Stun Spore coming my way. Even though I have Stun Spore myself I decide to go out into Jynx scaring him out with Blizzard as he boldly clicks Psychic (I think eating a Stun Spore from me in exchange for a Psychic is not worth it for him).
T21: Jynx vs. Exeggutor: I just decide to click the Blizzard as he stays in to Psychic (probably predicting a Snorlax-Double on my part?). A crucial mistake from him, as I turn out to get the OHKO with a critical hit, especially given his teams relative reliance on Exeggutor to handle opposing Exeggutor
T23: Tauros vs. Snorlax: He revenge kills my Jynx with Snorlax. I have a decision to make what to send it. Nothing I have will prevent Snorlax from clicking Self-Destruct if he has it. It is an awkward situation because if I start dancing around boom and go for Snorlax or Chansey as he just attacks, I lose a lot of of ground. I decide to take the mathematical approach: Just go Tauros and click Bodyslam hoping for the crit. I don't get it and he reaveals Hyper Beam.
T24: Tauros vs. Tauros: It does not look good for me at this point because I now think that he has a Rhydon in the back against my Zapdos and I still need to break his Chansey somehow. I cannot afford to lose Tauros here, that is certain, so I sacrifice low-health Snorlax and bring in Exeggutor. The plan to break Chansey is now to try breaking it with special drops and FPs which I set up that way.
T30: Tauros vs. Chansey: Chansey escapes my Exeggutor and I cannot lose HP on it since I need it for Tauros still. So I have to use Tauros agressively (introducing Zapdos here only helps me if I win a lot of mindgames in a row plus it reveals his advantageous position even clearer to him). The Bodyslam does not crit but I get the FP which leaves Chansey low. Now my Exeggutor all of a sudden looks really threatening and I manage to win the game because it avoids FPs and Tauros does not choke against Rhydon
T20: Exeggutor vs. Exeggutor: I fear a Stun Spore coming my way. Even though I have Stun Spore myself I decide to go out into Jynx scaring him out with Blizzard as he boldly clicks Psychic (I think eating a Stun Spore from me in exchange for a Psychic is not worth it for him).
T21: Jynx vs. Exeggutor: I just decide to click the Blizzard as he stays in to Psychic (probably predicting a Snorlax-Double on my part?). A crucial mistake from him, as I turn out to get the OHKO with a critical hit, especially given his teams relative reliance on Exeggutor to handle opposing Exeggutor
T23: Tauros vs. Snorlax: He revenge kills my Jynx with Snorlax. I have a decision to make what to send it. Nothing I have will prevent Snorlax from clicking Self-Destruct if he has it. It is an awkward situation because if I start dancing around boom and go for Snorlax or Chansey as he just attacks, I lose a lot of of ground. I decide to take the mathematical approach: Just go Tauros and click Bodyslam hoping for the crit. I don't get it and he reaveals Hyper Beam.
T24: Tauros vs. Tauros: It does not look good for me at this point because I now think that he has a Rhydon in the back against my Zapdos and I still need to break his Chansey somehow. I cannot afford to lose Tauros here, that is certain, so I sacrifice low-health Snorlax and bring in Exeggutor. The plan to break Chansey is now to try breaking it with special drops and FPs which I set up that way.
T30: Tauros vs. Chansey: Chansey escapes my Exeggutor and I cannot lose HP on it since I need it for Tauros still. So I have to use Tauros agressively (introducing Zapdos here only helps me if I win a lot of mindgames in a row plus it reveals his advantageous position even clearer to him). The Bodyslam does not crit but I get the FP which leaves Chansey low. Now my Exeggutor all of a sudden looks really threatening and I manage to win the game because it avoids FPs and Tauros does not choke against Rhydon
Jynx (F)
Ability: No Ability
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
- Lovely Kiss
- Psychic
- Blizzard
- Rest
Zapdos
Ability: No Ability
- Thunderbolt
- Drill Peck
- Thunder Wave
- Agility
Exeggutor
Ability: No Ability
- Sleep Powder
- Psychic
- Explosion
- Stun Spore
Chansey (F)
Ability: No Ability
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
- Soft-Boiled
- Thunder Wave
- Blizzard
- Seismic Toss
Snorlax
Ability: No Ability
- Body Slam
- Rest
- Reflect
- Earthquake
Tauros (M)
Ability: No Ability
- Body Slam
- Hyper Beam
- Blizzard
- Earthquake
Ability: No Ability
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
- Lovely Kiss
- Psychic
- Blizzard
- Rest
Zapdos
Ability: No Ability
- Thunderbolt
- Drill Peck
- Thunder Wave
- Agility
Exeggutor
Ability: No Ability
- Sleep Powder
- Psychic
- Explosion
- Stun Spore
Chansey (F)
Ability: No Ability
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
- Soft-Boiled
- Thunder Wave
- Blizzard
- Seismic Toss
Snorlax
Ability: No Ability
- Body Slam
- Rest
- Reflect
- Earthquake
Tauros (M)
Ability: No Ability
- Body Slam
- Hyper Beam
- Blizzard
- Earthquake
Game 2
VS T1: Alakazam vs. Starmie: I switch to Jynx because it can sleep Starmie. It also covers a switch to a sleeper which does not happen
T7: Chansey vs. Chansey: I get my Chansey slept without paralyzing his Chansey. Not a good start for me as Jynx has also taken some damage
T10: Snorlax vs. Tauros: Luckily I have a Counter-Snorlax here to bail me out and do some massive damage to Tauros while still remaining healthy enough to get value later
T13: Tauros vs. Snorlax: On the turn prior, instead of taking the chance with Tauros on Tauros or switching to Snorlax, he decided to sacrifice sleeping Starmie, probably expecting me to run a team with Jynx and Sing Chansey as the only sleepers. In any case, now it actually comes in handy that I did not get to paralyze Chansey at the start because sleep is open for me. And even though it does not feel great to switch Exeggutor in on Bodyslam, I feel I cannot get it in safer. So I eat a critical hit on the way in but get to sleep his Exeggutor
T23: Exeggutor vs. Chansey: After a bit of dancing around, I crucially catch his Chansey with Explosion. Alakazam looks threatening now
T24: Snorlax vs. Rhydon: I still didn't know his last and feel Snorlax is the safest bet as I carry Self-Destruct. Rhydon is not what I want to see on that turn and my Snorlax goes down to a crit without being able to get a hit in
T25: Tauros vs. Rhydon: A lot of little, impactful decisions in this game. I could have sent in Alakazam and hoped to dodge a para from Bodyslam plus getting the 2HKO on Rhydon (with rolls/crits/drops). In any case, Alakazam vs. Rhydon is not comfortable for either of us. My opponent's Snorlax' moveset is important here and I don't know if it is the same as last game. I decide to send in Tauros. I know he will sacrifice Exeggutor and bring in Snorlax after. But I think I have some chaces to outplay him with that approach and Tauros crits can create a situation where Alakazam can sweep
T27-28: Tauros vs. Snorlax: I try to bait a Self-Destruct but he does not seem to have it. If that's true I can bring in Tauros after and damage Snorlax further, likely resulting in the Alakazam vs. Rhydon 1v1 in the end. If he decides to kill with Rhydon, it gives me significant wake-odds with Chansey
T33: Tauros vs. Rhydon: Unfortunately Chansey does not wake in time and I now have to face a Rhydon with a Sub up. Still if his Snorlax really does not carry Self-Destruct the situation does not change much for me. It would be Alakazam vs. Snorlax (with no chance to naturally 2HKO for me, though. Tauros does what it does and gets a critical hit. As it also wins the speedtie vs his Tauros I walk away with the victory with Alakazam
T7: Chansey vs. Chansey: I get my Chansey slept without paralyzing his Chansey. Not a good start for me as Jynx has also taken some damage
T10: Snorlax vs. Tauros: Luckily I have a Counter-Snorlax here to bail me out and do some massive damage to Tauros while still remaining healthy enough to get value later
T13: Tauros vs. Snorlax: On the turn prior, instead of taking the chance with Tauros on Tauros or switching to Snorlax, he decided to sacrifice sleeping Starmie, probably expecting me to run a team with Jynx and Sing Chansey as the only sleepers. In any case, now it actually comes in handy that I did not get to paralyze Chansey at the start because sleep is open for me. And even though it does not feel great to switch Exeggutor in on Bodyslam, I feel I cannot get it in safer. So I eat a critical hit on the way in but get to sleep his Exeggutor
T23: Exeggutor vs. Chansey: After a bit of dancing around, I crucially catch his Chansey with Explosion. Alakazam looks threatening now
T24: Snorlax vs. Rhydon: I still didn't know his last and feel Snorlax is the safest bet as I carry Self-Destruct. Rhydon is not what I want to see on that turn and my Snorlax goes down to a crit without being able to get a hit in
T25: Tauros vs. Rhydon: A lot of little, impactful decisions in this game. I could have sent in Alakazam and hoped to dodge a para from Bodyslam plus getting the 2HKO on Rhydon (with rolls/crits/drops). In any case, Alakazam vs. Rhydon is not comfortable for either of us. My opponent's Snorlax' moveset is important here and I don't know if it is the same as last game. I decide to send in Tauros. I know he will sacrifice Exeggutor and bring in Snorlax after. But I think I have some chaces to outplay him with that approach and Tauros crits can create a situation where Alakazam can sweep
T27-28: Tauros vs. Snorlax: I try to bait a Self-Destruct but he does not seem to have it. If that's true I can bring in Tauros after and damage Snorlax further, likely resulting in the Alakazam vs. Rhydon 1v1 in the end. If he decides to kill with Rhydon, it gives me significant wake-odds with Chansey
T33: Tauros vs. Rhydon: Unfortunately Chansey does not wake in time and I now have to face a Rhydon with a Sub up. Still if his Snorlax really does not carry Self-Destruct the situation does not change much for me. It would be Alakazam vs. Snorlax (with no chance to naturally 2HKO for me, though. Tauros does what it does and gets a critical hit. As it also wins the speedtie vs his Tauros I walk away with the victory with Alakazam
Alakazam
Ability: No Ability
- Recover
- Thunder Wave
- Psychic
- Seismic Toss
Jynx (F)
Ability: No Ability
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
- Lovely Kiss
- Psychic
- Blizzard
- Rest
Exeggutor
Ability: No Ability
- Sleep Powder
- Psychic
- Explosion
- Stun Spore
Chansey (F)
Ability: No Ability
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
- Soft-Boiled
- Thunder Wave
- Ice Beam
- Thunderbolt
Snorlax
Ability: No Ability
- Body Slam
- Hyper Beam
- Counter
- Self-Destruct
Tauros (M)
Ability: No Ability
- Body Slam
- Hyper Beam
- Blizzard
- Earthquake
Ability: No Ability
- Recover
- Thunder Wave
- Psychic
- Seismic Toss
Jynx (F)
Ability: No Ability
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
- Lovely Kiss
- Psychic
- Blizzard
- Rest
Exeggutor
Ability: No Ability
- Sleep Powder
- Psychic
- Explosion
- Stun Spore
Chansey (F)
Ability: No Ability
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
- Soft-Boiled
- Thunder Wave
- Ice Beam
- Thunderbolt
Snorlax
Ability: No Ability
- Body Slam
- Hyper Beam
- Counter
- Self-Destruct
Tauros (M)
Ability: No Ability
- Body Slam
- Hyper Beam
- Blizzard
- Earthquake
Game 3
VS T7: Chansey vs. Chansey: This time my Chansey gets to sleep his. Even though I get paralyzed, I am happy with the start: Chansey asleep and Jynx too with 0 turns burned
T10: Snorlax vs. Snorlax: This time it's my Snorlax that crits his and forces his Rest. This allows me to pressure with Exeggutor. Unfortunately I did not predict his Rest correctly which would have been even better
T25: Chansey vs. Snorlax: Nice move on his part. I try to predict Rest or Self-Destruct as he uses EQ on my Rhydon-switch, damaging it heavily with a critical hit
T37: Snorlax vs. Starmie: I try to break Starmie with Hyper Beam Snorlax and break through it with a critical hit. He reveals Zapdos on the following turn and I get the win
T10: Snorlax vs. Snorlax: This time it's my Snorlax that crits his and forces his Rest. This allows me to pressure with Exeggutor. Unfortunately I did not predict his Rest correctly which would have been even better
T25: Chansey vs. Snorlax: Nice move on his part. I try to predict Rest or Self-Destruct as he uses EQ on my Rhydon-switch, damaging it heavily with a critical hit
T37: Snorlax vs. Starmie: I try to break Starmie with Hyper Beam Snorlax and break through it with a critical hit. He reveals Zapdos on the following turn and I get the win
Starmie
Ability: No Ability
- Recover
- Thunder Wave
- Psychic
- Blizzard
Rhydon
Ability: No Ability
- Earthquake
- Body Slam
- Substitute
- Rock Slide
Exeggutor
Ability: No Ability
- Sleep Powder
- Psychic
- Explosion
- Stun Spore
Chansey (F)
Ability: No Ability
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
- Soft-Boiled
- Thunder Wave
- Seismic Toss
- Sing
Snorlax
Ability: No Ability
- Body Slam
- Rest
- Reflect
- Hyper Beam
Tauros (M)
Ability: No Ability
- Body Slam
- Hyper Beam
- Blizzard
- Earthquake
Ability: No Ability
- Recover
- Thunder Wave
- Psychic
- Blizzard
Rhydon
Ability: No Ability
- Earthquake
- Body Slam
- Substitute
- Rock Slide
Exeggutor
Ability: No Ability
- Sleep Powder
- Psychic
- Explosion
- Stun Spore
Chansey (F)
Ability: No Ability
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
- Soft-Boiled
- Thunder Wave
- Seismic Toss
- Sing
Snorlax
Ability: No Ability
- Body Slam
- Rest
- Reflect
- Hyper Beam
Tauros (M)
Ability: No Ability
- Body Slam
- Hyper Beam
- Blizzard
- Earthquake
I win the set 3-0 but it was closer than the result implies. g1 I had to overcome the Zapdos vs. Rhydon matchup and an early Snorlax crit against me. But managed to do so with a bit of luck of my own. g2 was close and in the end I had fast Pokemon to always give me odds for the win but it involved a Tauros speed tie in the endgame which, while not being solely decisive, obviously helped. g3 I was the one with the Rhydon against his Zapdos. Anyway, I got to top 3 against an opponent who beat good players along the way and my confidence grows from every victory.
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