The Pokemon World Championships took place this past weekend and the winning strategies were absolutely crazy. The tournament winners in the Video Game Championship (VGC) and the Trading Card Game (TCG) both used unexpected strategies to pull down thousands of dollars in prize money. Here's what went down.
While most players win through a combination of smart team building and well-executed strategy, this year’s champion won took advantage of a new format and won through a series of complicated Pokemon switches unlike anything we’ve seen before. Switching might not sound like a game-winning tactic, so let us explain.
For the 2016 season of the competitive Pokemon VGC, formerly restricted Legendary Pokemon like Mewtwo and Rayquaza were allowed on pro players’ teams. Primal Groudon, Primal Kyogre, and Rayquaza quickly rose up as the biggest threats because they have ultra-powerful abilities that drastically alter weather and therefore seriously mess with attack power and/or effectiveness. When one of these Pokemon enters the battlefield, their weather effect takes over, so players have to strategically switch into their Pokemon of choice so the weather always benefits their team and cancels out the opponent’s. Suffice it to say, matches this season involved a lot of switching.
Continue reading…
Continue reading...
While most players win through a combination of smart team building and well-executed strategy, this year’s champion won took advantage of a new format and won through a series of complicated Pokemon switches unlike anything we’ve seen before. Switching might not sound like a game-winning tactic, so let us explain.
For the 2016 season of the competitive Pokemon VGC, formerly restricted Legendary Pokemon like Mewtwo and Rayquaza were allowed on pro players’ teams. Primal Groudon, Primal Kyogre, and Rayquaza quickly rose up as the biggest threats because they have ultra-powerful abilities that drastically alter weather and therefore seriously mess with attack power and/or effectiveness. When one of these Pokemon enters the battlefield, their weather effect takes over, so players have to strategically switch into their Pokemon of choice so the weather always benefits their team and cancels out the opponent’s. Suffice it to say, matches this season involved a lot of switching.
Continue reading…
Continue reading...