Australian Pokemon VGC Nationals 2014

Melbourne Town Hall, 13th of July, 2014
All photos were taken with my 3DS so no guarantees for quality!

On a cold winter's morning, I cycle to the station only for the cold to cause my bike's lock to seize and delay me long enough to just miss my train. Good thing I arrived extra early.

Though it was my 3rd official Pokemon Tournament, it is the first I had fully prepared and planned for. Despite accidently introducing my 3DS to a bucket of water a week earlier, I'd obtained a new unit, put together a team and managed to do some slight play testing to see how it would preform. (Though it wasn't until the train ride into town that I'd finished EV training.) Very special thanks to TheUnawareThing for letting me borrow his Tyrannitarite. c:

Upon arrivial, I'd walked past the building at first - believing it to be another theatre as there was a total lack of queue or signage - but then I investigated the side entrance and discovered a queue that went right around the block and around the corner! Later we'd hear that our attendance figures almost broke the record set by the US nationals, somewhat fitting when you consider just how many more people attended the Melbourne regionals than expected.

As close as I would ever get to the trophies. |D

2 hours later I was finally in, my battle box was locked and I was chatting with the people I'd queued with. Oh, and I was in my Sycamore Cosplay~. Speaking of which, there was also a Cosplay competition that day, however what they didn't tell us was that the selection would be throughout the day, based on the staff's recommendations. :/ Had we only known beforehand, I would've put more effort into being in character etc. Ah well. My condolences to Pseudinymous, whose Cynthia cosplay actually was pretty neat!

Selfie with Cynthia.

Anywho, Registraion began at 8am, closed at 10am and finished at 12:15pm. From there it would be much longer before they had their equipment running (seems like they didn't pracise setting it up. :/) and then Jamie (the 'face' of Nintendo of Australia, reknown for his somewhat-hilarious naievety when it comes to Pokemon Battle commentary (who was clearly trying and failing to channel Reggie F-A)) at last announced we'd be having Best-of-one matches, in Swiss-style rounds. (And then much later Round 1's commencement).

But first, let's look at the team I'd brought that day. :3

Baroque / Noivern / F / Infiltrator / White Herb
252 Sp.A / 4 Sp.D / 252 Spd / Gentle
Taunt / Draco Meteor / Super Fang / Protect
Probably my most Naieve choice in teammate, especially given the setup and my inexperience in looking for what it was designed to counter. Baroque was actually from my main playthrough of Y and has a perfect Speed IV so I thought I could get away with using her here. Online she'd prooven somewhat effective, getting in a few taunts, forcing switches and scoring several KOs with 2 full powered Draco Meteors. Alas, I hadn't realised the full extent of the Australian Metagame until halfway through the tourney and how woefully unsuited to it she was. Then again, the one match she might've come in usefull for was one of the ones I didn't bring her along for, but I'll get to that later.

Xion / Klefki / F / Prankster / Light Clay
252 HP / 112 Def / 144 Sp.D / Calm
Thunder Wave / Light Screen / Reflect / Dazzling Gleam
With the day the way it was, I found myself indebted to her Dual Screens, where I could set them up. The prevelance of Rotom and Garchomp ment I couldn't get in as many Thunder Waves as I would've liked, but Dazzling Gleam still hit for a suprising amount of spread damage. Later on in the rounds, I found myself missing burn support and wondering if I should've chosen another move over Thunder Wave.

Iwaoropnelep / Zapdos / - / Pressure / Safety Goggles
252 HP / 100 Sp.A / 156 Spd / Modest
Thunderbolt / Ancient Power / Roost / Substitute
(Ee-wa-ore-oh-pen-el-ep)
Unluckily, I wasn't able to roll a Zapdos with Hidden Power Ice, though it's HP, Speed and Defence IVs were all perfect. Despite being a partial Sandstorm team (thus the goggles) I had no ground-types and thus no proper motive to run Discharge over Thunderbolt. (Of course, it's only now I realise I had moves like Protect and Light Screen which might've let me get away with it.) Zapdos were pretty rare in the tourney, but in the matches I did use it as long as it survived the first turn it worked well. Substitute was where HP Ice would've been and originally I'd tried other support moves in that slot (Light Screen, Sandstom, Confide..) until I realised I could use the Sub/Roost combo. The Speed EV was mainly to outpace a Timid unscarfed Smeargle. Oh the irony..

Jehanna / Tyranitar / F / Sand Stream / Tyranitarite
252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Sp.D / Careful
Stealth Rock / Dragon Dance / Payback / Stone Edge
Hrm.. it's only now I realised I trained her in Special Defence instead of Defence as I'd planned. I recognise that I didn't finish EV training her until the train ride in, though I don't know how I wrote "Sp.D (res)" instead of "Def" in my notes. (When making notes I tend to use Res (Resistance) over Sp.D (Special Defence) to avoid confusing it with Spd (Speed).) I might've won a few of the closer matches had I that Defence investment.. oh well.

Anyway, I really wanted to utilise both Weather and Entry Hazards. In all my research I didn't encounter another Tyranitar that used Stealth Rock which ended up being all the motiviation I needed to go with it. Uheheh. On the other hand, I don't think anyone actually expected Stealth Rock so I was able to catch more than a few people off guard, especially Talonflame and the odd Charizard. On reflection, I think I would've been better served if I'd replaced Noivern with something that could Taunt and Stealth Rock as Jehanna really missed the setup turn to get a Dragon Dance in there. When she did though she fought well (and even without), though I kept being caught out by the fact that Payback makes contact with the target.

Lt. Keeper / Aegislash / M / Stance Change / Leftovers
252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Sp.D / Brave
Shadow Sneak / Sacred Sword / King's Shield / Swords Dance
At +2 Attack (or even +1 after Intimidate), Aegislash was a lethal ally and probably the team's star player. Most people expect a protective move when Pokemon are known to use them, which allowed me a free turn to set up Swords Dance before using King's Shield to ward off damage and possibly lower the foe's attack. Though bar far the most popular Pokemon of the tournament (maybe second to Mega Kangaskahn) I never encountered a similiar setup twice. Using Aegislash really is like fencing: You need to take your turns attacking and defending, predicting your opponent's next move whilst not making it too obvious what your next manouver is.

Armstrong / Azumarill / M / Huge Power / Wave Incense
168 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def / 84 Spd
Aqua Jet / Play Rough / Waterfall / Superpower
Again a pretty common cliche. I can't remember where I got the EV spread from, but I remember liking their logic and deciding to run with it. I chose Azumarill for type coverage both defensively and offensively. I often ended up chosing between this and Zapdos for a team position and Zapdos was usually the winner. Offensively this is a powerhouse, however I don't think I supported it well enough (especially since the screens were wearing off by the time it was in combat) for it to last. Perhaps Rotom-W would've been the better cliche? Especially since it can WoW Garchomp, other Rotom and things that can't be Paralysed..
^{'Sprites' courtesy of here.}

Round 1:
My opponent was a self-proclaimed St Louis native who liked to brag about their previous experience in tournaments overseas, claiming to even have once won a US nationals. I was nonchalant about the whole affair, though having never won a match in a compeditive, live tournament before my nerves were getting to me.

Thankfully things went much smoother than expected, once I'd set up my screens and stealth rock he couldn't get a solid foothold, only managing to KO my Tyranitar, though after it and Klefki had pretty much put a stop to any backup his Greninja might've had.

Round 2:
Here's where things began to be interesting, unlike my first opponent who went for Tyranitar off the bat, they went for Klefki. My notes were more of a running summary of the match, though I believe he ended up KOing my last Pokemon then loosing his Talonflame to recoil (after SR damage). I ended up loosing 3-4, but it was a well-fought match that I throughly enjoyed.'

An Awesome dude in an Awesome Hat. Didn't get to face him though.

Round 3:
This was where it finally sunk in that I really needed to work on using my Noivern. Though I believe I lost 2-4 (my notes for that match are incomplete), having only Draco Meteor as it's only solid attacking move I ended up miscalculating and using Super Fang (off all things) on his Ferrothorn that was on already low health. What I didn't realise was that it was on 2HP, not 1; though his Garchomp was. I know there was a reason I didn't attack it first, but I can't for the life of me remember what that was. Or why I didn't use DM on Ferrothorn, even if I'd already used the White Herb for Garchomp. That match really made me second guess my inclusion of Noivern and I regretably didn't use it again.

Round 4:
Finally another win to make my record 2 apiece. They lead with Noivern and Ferrothorn, the former with Frisk. Despite a few tense moments (and only geting a Light Screen up before loosing Klefki to Leech Seed) it came down to my Zapdos vs their Sylveon. Add a couple of Thunderbolts and a Substitute to block a Dazzling Gleam and the victory was mine.

It wasn't until after the match that I realised why my opponent looked so familiar: He was cosplaying the X/Y Rich Kid!

After that match we had a 20minute 'lunch' break (It was at least 2:30pm) and then I met up with the Cynthia cosplayer again, seeking a photo with them. Of course it wasn't until after we'd tried to exchange details that I realised it was the same person I'd met at the Black and White tourney several years back! G'day Psydynemous!

Round 5:
"When you need me the most, I will not be there. For you have forsaken me, I shall forsake you." The moment I saw Smeargle in team preview, Dark Void alarm bells should've gone off immideately. When it outsped my Zapdos, I should've clued into it's Choice Scarf. But no. Turn one I was put to sleep, then it's partner Azumaril was free to Belly Drum and then do away with the rest of my team. At one point I switched to Aegislash and I was tied between using King's Shield to try and lower it's attack or Shadow Sneak and hope for a critical to put it out of it's misery, since I couldn't SS the Normal-type Smeargle as much as I would've loved to. I also didn't use my own Azumarill and the prioty Aqua Jet was also missed.

Needless to say I was not a happy trainer by the match's conclusion. King's Shield did lower the Azumarill's attack and it did switch to a Rotom-W, but the RNG never let Dark Void miss, nor did it let my team wake up. 0-4 and I honestly hope that trainer didn't make it anywhere near the top 32. >8U

Round 6:
Seeing another Tyranitar in the preview, I decided to not go with mine: Stealth Rock wouldn't have contributed much and his team would already be prepared for Sandstorm. And so it was! I lead with Klefki and Zapdos, to his Mega Aggon and Nidoking. After Zapdos' Substiute took a critical Rock Slide, it fell as did Azumarill the following turn. Once my Aegislash took the stage, the tide rapidly turned in my favour: An 'unexpected' Sacred Sword OHKOd his Tyranitar and between him and Klefki short work was made of his remaining team.

Ash and Xatu. I quite liked her sleeves.

Round 7:
Another win, I lead with Klefki and Azumarill to their Salamence and Aerodactyl. After their tailwind and interesting use of Sky Drop I lost my Klefki, replacing it with Aegislash. I then switched again to Zapdos which took an otherwise lethal Fire Blast, and then proceeded to 2HKO said Salamence with Ancient Power (though the boost from the first one was appreciated. :3) From there Azumarill fell and Aegislah returned, taking an intimidate then reversing that with Swords Dance, taking out the rest of the opposition.

Round 8:
And then my winning streak was broken. How I forgot to consider the consequences of someone using Brick Break when I'm using Dual Screens is beyond me, but I did. Their Meowstick-M outsped Klefki and thus prevented Thunder Wave. From there their Mega Kangaskahn wrought havok, OHKOing my Aegislash with a +2 Sucker Punch x Parental Bond. They did swtich their partner a bit and whilst I did deal some damage and got to see their whole team, I couldn't get a word in. 0-4

A clever and tricky Mega Sableye.

Round 9:
Of all the matches of the day, this would by far be my favourite. Tyranitar and Klefki versus Garchomp and Azuremarill. I set up Stealth Rock and Reflect before they were both taken out by the opposing Garchomp and Azuremarill. Out came Aegislash and Zapdos, the latter immidately dealing with Azuremail thanks to a well placed Thunderbolt. Mega Charizard Y came out next and whilst I'd lost my Stone Edge, he'd taken 50% damge from SR and didn't last a Thunderbolt and Shadow Sneak.

Then the opponent's drew their Aegislash and made short work of my Zapdos with Flash Cannon.

Aegislash verus Aegislash, theirs fresh and ready to go, mine on critical health after tanking more than a few hits and a Heat Wave.

Mine / Theirs
Commentary:
King's Shield / Shadow Sneak
At this point I realised my best hope for success would be an OHKO with Shadow Sneak. But to get the OHKO, they needed to be in Sword Forme, except King's Shield has increased Priority so that wouldn't work. Instead I'd need to raise my stats even further, to take it out after he'd just used King's Shield.
Swords Dance / King's Shield
My guess was that he'd anticipate an attack after my K'sS so I needed to Synchonise our K'sS so that we'd be 'vunerable' at the same time. Then just attack with priority and hope for the OHKO.
Swords Dance / Shadow Sneak
Synchonising offensive/defensive timing. Thanks to the Attack drop from K'sS and being in Shield Forme, I was back in critical health but alive.
King's Shield / King's Shield
The penultimate turn. Thankfully we both use K'sS. It clicks that my K'sS activates first, causing his to fail. It doesn't click that because his fails he can use it next turn.
Shadow Sneak -> OHKO.
Thankfully he doesn't realise it either or plans on using a different move. Either way we never find out the answer as my +4 Shadow Sneak OHKO's his Shielding Aegislash.

An incredibly cute Torchic! They were also a finalist for the Cosply competition.

And with that, the final match of the Swiss Pairings was complete. The time was around 9pm. After airing the second episode of the XY Anime, the final standings were posted:
Division: Masters
Rank: 132nd
Wins: 5
Losses: 4
Drawn: 0
Opponent's Win %: 47.97
Opponent's Opponent's Win %: 50.85

So yeah, top (Onehundredand)thirty-two! By then it was getting late and I knew I had a bike ride home from the station in the cold, so I decided not to stay for the finale.

Cheren and Bianca, and N. Bianca ended up as one of the finalists for the Cosplay Tourney

Except for one last match that is...

Round X: (vs Champion Cynthia!)
By the time we'd reached round 7, Pseudo and I were basically match for match, both on 4-3. I then lost R8, she won and then we both won again, putting her at 71st (I think) overall with the extra victory. Since we'd decided not to battle each other in case we were paired and hadn't faced each other, we had one last match together. (And since it was a friendly, I finally got to show off my nicknames!)

I didn't take notes, though I do remember catching her off guard with Jehanna's Stealth Rock. By the time her Charizard-Y was sent out, Jehanna had fainted, though not without Stealth Rock saying G'day. Iwaoropnelep switched in to take a hit ment for Lt. Keeper (I think) but then was OHKO'd by both Azumarill and Garchomp... or was it Charizard Y? Anyway, once again it came down to Aegislash and after getting in a Swords Dance I won the match 4-3.

Afterwards I had little reason to stay any further (I couldn't stand any more of Jamie's commentary and mispronounciations) and made my way home, eventually reaching the station, had 'fun' trying to unlock my bike (the chain's lock was still siezing up) and finally reaching home a little after half-past ten.

So yeah, that's about it. Now, on to resume writing and artsy things. :3
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