Finalist at the Biggest VGC Tournament of All Time!
My name’s Tim Edwards and I finished 2nd / 975 players at the Europe International Championships!
Before getting into my team and run, let’s start off with a little about me and my background: Wolfey and Cybertron’s YouTube channels got me into VGC, which I started following in late Sword and Shield. Last season, I played in my first Regional - Hartford. Heading into my first full season, my main goal was qualifying for Worlds. I looked toward players such as Justin Tang and Sempra, wishing to burst onto the scene as they did.
At the beginning of Regulation F, I was struggling. I had been running Ursaluna-Bloodmoon for quite some time now and was overdue for a change. I knew I wanted to play more of a balanced team that gave me tools to outplay and reposition out of bad spots. Eventually, I came across Guillermo Castilla’s Dortmund team, which became my starting point to build off of:
I played in 3 Midseason Showdowns with this team and Top Cut 2 of them. It felt good and there were just 2 weeks left before leaving for London.
When watching Vancouver Regionals, I had a strong gut feeling that Raghav Malaviya’s team was worth testing out, despite the small amount of prep time remaining:
Finally, EUIC was here and I locked in the final version of my team. I had a couple of opportunities to practice with it at 1 MSS and the 3rd Global Challenge:
Try out my team for yourself!
https://pokepast.es/431486452dd027a5
Team ID: T4LC2D
Notes about the team:
2 Modes:
Calm Mind Raging Bolt set up + Double Fake Out
Icy Wind Flutter Mane offense + Ogerpon / Urshifu
Individual Pokémon:
Raging Bolt - Leftovers put me at an advantage against Booster Energy variants.
Rillaboom - Standard monkey. Walks to the beat of his drums.
Incineroar - Since I already had Fire STAB on the team, I opted for Will-O-Wisp instead.
This was helpful counterplay to difficult physical matchups like Dragonite.
Ogerpon-Hearthflame - I was tempted to run the Swords Dance + Grassy Glide set, but was very worried about not having Ground coverage on the team after dropping Landorus-Incarnate.
Stomping Tantrum gave me the option to hit Raging Bolt and Incineroar for super effective damage, who would otherwise wall Ogerpon.
Urshifu-Rapid Strike - Focus Sash was not a common Item at the time, but it allowed me to invest all EVs into Attack and Speed (since I had Icy Wind Speed control, I decided on Adamant Nature). Since I was guaranteed to take at least 1 hit, I also felt comfortable running an offensive Tera.
Flutter Mane - Max Speed gave me the advantage in the Icy Wind Flutter mirror, one of the most popular archetypes heading into EUIC. It also outspeeds Adamant Urshifu and Modest Landorus-Incarnate in Tailwind. Having Taunt on Flutter Mane was the difference maker in the Raging Bolt mirror, which I played against 6 / 18 rounds over the weekend.
Most of the remaining EVs went into Defense to give good rolls into attacks such as:
156+ Atk Urshifu-Rapid Strike Surging Strikes (3 hits) vs. 20 HP / 236 Def Flutter Mane on a critical hit: 117-138 (87.9 - 103.7%) -- approx. 12.5% chance to OHKO.
252+ Atk Sword of Ruin Chien-Pao Icicle Crash vs. 20 HP / 236 Def Flutter Mane: 115-136 (86.4 - 102.2%) -- 18.8% chance to OHKO
Tournament Report
Prior to EUIC, I was at 338 / 500 CP. At the time, I would’ve been content getting 100 CP from finishing Top 128. I believe having this realistic expectation put less pressure on me, helping aid my mental strength.
Day 1:
Round 1 - rainer arana
It was time. All of my hard work led to this moment…anddd before I knew it, my opponent got their Kingambit to +6 in Game 1 through Swords Dance and Defiant boosts. My Incineroar burned it with Will-O-Wisp, but it didn’t matter.
Not exactly how you want to start.
Game 2, I adjusted by positioning my Urshifu better against their Gambit.
Game 3, my Ogerpon was able to 1v3 their Lando-I, Wellspring and Rilla to barely get the Win.
Round 1 score, 2-1
Round 2 - Sergio Zea Alcaraz
My first of many Bolt mirrors. Game 1 went to timer; my Tera Fairy Raging Bolt vs. well, their Tera Fairy Raging Bolt.
Not a fun way to lose.
It wasn’t all bad, though. This turned out to be my last game loss until Round 8!
Game 2, I adjusted my strategy. Raging Bolt mirrors typically start off the same - both players cycling Fake Outs, while setting up a few Calm Minds. My thought process was to swap into Flutter Mane when I expected my opponent to start attacking with Dragon Pulse. Then, I would be able to KO all of their Bolt’s partners. They wouldn’t be able to touch my Tera Fairy Raging Bolt or Flutter Mane with Dragon Pulse.
This worked exceptionally well and continued to in further matchups against this team throughout the run.
Round 2 score: 2-1
Round 3 - Leonardo Chinchilla
I had to take down my formerly beloved Bloodmoon 🙁
Round 3 score: 2-0
Round 4 - Mavis Meyers
My opponent walked up to the table with an Illumise plushie. Little did I expect them to actually be running it on their team!
Taunt Flutter Mane made it so Illumise could only use 1 status move before becoming a dead slot. Urshifu also took advantage of the Rain they set up to take out one resource after another with Fake Out support.
Round 4 score: 2-0
Round 5 - Giovanni Favara
Raging Bolt mirror #2
Round 5 score: 2-0
Rounds 6 - Taran Birdee and 7 - Francesco Luigi Pardini
In each of these sets, I played against the core of Tornadus / Gholdengo / Urshifu.
Round 6 Game 1, I won with my Raging Bolt mode.
Game 2, I felt I could afford to make an aggressive decision, being up a game. I called my opponent to not bring Tornadus, since it matches up poorly into Bolt, and also because they didn’t bring it in Game 1. So, I led with Flutter Mane and Ogerpon and gained an insurmountable lead taking a couple early game KOs with Tera Hearthflame.
Round 7, the matchup was slightly different and harder because their Gholdengo was Tera Fairy with Dazzling Gleam, which pressured my Raging Bolt before and after Tera. Admittedly, I got lucky to win this set as my -1 Incineroar got a critical hit into their Gholdengo with Knock Off in a crucial moment of Game 2. With bittersweet feelings of empathy for my opponent, I extended my undefeated streak to Day 2!
Round 6 score: 2-0
Round 7 score: 2-0
Round 8 - Maurice Uteg
Although I was happy with what I had just accomplished, I knew I had a great opportunity to get an advantage in the standings over the final 2 rounds. Day 2 essentially started for me right away. I won a very close set against James Evans’ version of Gouging Fire.
Round 8 score: 2-1
Round 9 - Víctor Medina
It was a cool feeling to see I would be ending Day 1 at Table 1. My opponent was Victor Medina, a player who I have a lot of respect for. I won Game 1 and got way ahead in Game 2. Victor proceeded to call turn-after-turn correctly to fight their way back into and win the game, showing why they’re one of the best players in the world. Game 3, they adjusted their game plan by leading Landorus-Incarnate to put immediate pressure on my Raging Bolt. This worked for them and I dropped my first set of the day, finishing Day 1 with a record of 8-1.
Although this exceeded my expectations, as I headed back to my hotel, I couldn’t help but feel as if I let one slip away.
Round 9 score: 1-2
Day 2:
Round 10 - Teemu Mankinen
This was my 1st ever stream match!
In case I wasn’t already nervous enough, reading my opponent’s very unique team sheet definitely added to that! Along with the many other reasons why Urshifu is broken, being able to crit through their Grimmsnarl’s Screens made this matchup salvageable.
Round 10 score: 2-0
Round 11 - Davide Fazio
You really didn’t read my team report just to hear me talk exclusively about Bolt mirrors…?!
Round 11 score: 2-1
Round 12 - Víctor Medina
I got the rematch against Victor Medina that I so desperately wanted. A chance to redeem my only loss of the tournament so far.
Game 1, Victor sticks with the same game plan that won them Game 3 of Day 1.
They make hard reads targeting slots correctly and predicting switch-ins.
Game 2, I fell far behind, but made an aggressive play using Thunderclap on Chien Pao for the KO with Raging Bolt. Then, I completed the double KO with Ogerpon, finishing off their Bolt with Stomping Tantrum to barely force a Game 3.
Now 5 total games in against Victor, I led Raging Bolt into every single one, which I guessed he was going to expect again. So, I risked it and aggressively led Flutter Mane and Ogerpon to pressure immediate KOs. I got the reads right and took the set.
It was at this moment that I realized this run had the potential to be something truly special.
Round 12 score: 2-1
Round 13 - Sam Danneker
This was my only time facing a fellow American player all weekend!
Their team had interesting fast modes with Teal Mask getting the Speed boost upon Tera, Booster Speed Iron Bundle and Choice Scarf G-Zapdos. They also clearly disliked Incineroar with 2 Defiant Pokémon and 1 with Clear Amulet + Thermal Exchange.
Preserving Flutter Mane was key in sealing up this round, as I eventually learned it was even faster than their Booster Bundle.
After winning this set, I knew that I only needed to win 1 of the next 2 to guarantee Top Cut.
Round 13 score: 2-0
Round 14 - Nils Dunlop
Little did I know at the time that this was a preview of Grand Finals!
This set wasn’t even close.
Let’s come back to analyzing this matchup soon.
Round 14 score: 0-2
Round 15 - Diego Gutierrez
I had been in win and in to Day 2 situations before, but never to Top Cut.
I was very nervous.
Game 1, I led Incineroar as they led Okidogi, which got the Guard Dog boost. They correctly call my Incin to Tera Ghost and attack with Knock Off, getting the critical hit and OHKO. Shortly after, my Rillaboom also got crit and KOd.
I felt myself tilting at the worst time.
Game 2, I barely found a way to force a winner-take-all Game 3.
Game 3, my opponent led Landorus + Okidogi into my Rilla + Urshifu. What I learned at this point in the BO3 is that my opponent was playing a read-heavy game. I predicted they would expect Fake Out + Surging Strikes into Lando-I. Instead, I used Tera Water Surging Strikes + Wood Hammer into Okidogi (covering for Tera Water). They switched out Lando as the double up KOs Okidogi and I’m immediately up 4-3. Turn 2, they had Lando + Wellspring on the field.
Doubling down on how I identified their playstyle, I clicked Surging Strikes into Lando predicting them to not use Follow Me. I’m right again and now up 4-2. My opponent forfeits.
I’m so happy in this moment and also for my opponent because they still made Top 8.
Round 15 score: 2-1
Top 8 - Davide Cauteruccio
The matchup I was most worried about heading into EUIC was Dondozo + Ting Lu.
Not necessarily due to that duo, but because that team composition also runs double Dragons (Dragonite + Gouging Fire), which my Fire / Water / Grass / Fire + Grass core struggles to damage. I didn’t win this matchup often in practice, including getting eliminated by it in 2 MSS’s in March. I had dodged it the entire way up until this point, but I thought my run was over.
The set didn’t begin ideally, as Incineroar missed 3 Will-O-Wisps into Dragonite between Games 1 and 2. On theme, I overcame adversity again to force a tie breaking G3. This one went to timer. We each had 2 Mons left, but I won with higher HP %.
I was so pumped up after this one!
I beat my toughest matchup.
I locked a trophy, which meant a lot to me.
I was just 1 win away from the unthinkable - making Day 3.
Top 8 score: 2-1
Top 4 - Alex Gómez Berna
My 2nd streamed match @ 9:42:30
As mentioned earlier, Leftovers Raging Bolt is favorable against Booster Energy Bolts.
You always win the endgame as long as you inflict any unrecoverable damage to theirs, such as Will-O-Wisp.
Unlike my other Bolt mirrors, bringing Flutter Mane was tricky in this one. My opponent, defending NAIC Champion - Alex Gomez, had Gholdengo, which could punish Bolt if I committed Tera Fairy. I needed damage into it, so I brought Ogerpon instead.
My favorite moment of the tournament was when Ogie (as my girlfriend calls her) survived Aqua Jet + boosted Thunderclap in Game 2 to retaliate with a game winning double KO.
I sat there looking to the ceiling thinking I couldn't believe what just happened.
Top 4 score: 2-0
Finals - Nils Dunlop
Nils was the only player I couldn’t beat through 17 rounds and 2 days of competition. Even though I got cooked in Round 14, I was glad that I had the chance to learn from the first time we played.
My gameplan heading into the rematch was to lead Incineroar (Knock Off had high value into almost their entire team) and Flutter Mane (Taunt shut down a few Mons and Icy Wind controlled a couple others). If I could get Urshifu and Ogerpon into a strong offensive board state, I could snowball the game. I was afraid of my opponent’s Scarf Urshi reverse sweeping my team, so one of the games I brought Rillaboom. Raging Bolt didn’t feel like the best bring due to Ursaluna, Amoonguss and especially Substitute Flutter.
I didn’t play well at all. There are definitely turns that I wish I could get back, such as Game 2 Turn 2. One play that could’ve been better than mine was Tera Fire Ivy Cudgel + Taunt Incineroar. This would’ve covered for Parting Shot and a swap into Amoonguss.
Nils played masterfully. They rightfully deserved the win and I’m very happy for them!
Shoutouts:
Nicole - For being the most loving & supportive partner of my passions
Federico Camporesi - For being an exceptional coach since the start of the season and making the biggest impact on my growth as a player
Dakota Kelly - For always being by my side since becoming my first friend in the community and providing your valuable insight to this report after running the same team with me
Joseph Kwan - For pushing and supporting me to become the best version of myself ever since we met. You were both a great friend and agent this weekend
Richard Wan - For being the best late night practice buddy! We missed you in London, but I felt the love from back home
Arbin Tumaneng - That’s my TO! Thanks to you, I met so many awesome people (including you) and got to practice against some of the best players in North America (also including you)
Joseph Ugarte - For helpful advice during last minute preparation for my Top 8 match
Joshua Lorcy, Enosh Shachar, Nick Navarre, and Yotam Cohen for helping prepare for Finals, despite me not pulling it off.
My other friends, family and everyone who was rooting for me - your kindness truly touched my heart and I couldn’t possibly be more grateful
Closing Thoughts
Coming so close to winning the whole thing still stings to this day, but this tour was a dream come true and it means the world to me. I achieved my goal of making it to World’s and unfathomably made a life changing amount of prize money along the way by playing a children’s video game. These memories will last a lifetime. The competitive drive inside of me already misses the big stage and I’ll be grinding harder than ever to work my way back to it.
“Job’s not finished!”
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