A video series that was never meant to see the light of day, but we’re glad it did. Up until the Dallas Regional Championships back in January, Wolfe Glick had not uploaded VGC content to his YouTube channel in months. A strange phenomenon considering Glick’s background and claim to fame was rooted in his history in Pokemon VGC.

After months of Draft League and Multi Battle League content, an update video came out right after the conclusion of the 2019 Dallas Regional Championships. In this video, Glick explained that he had nearly 30 videos stocked up that detailed almost every portion of his serious preparation for Dallas, and that this video series was not meant to be uploaded to YouTube. He explains in the opening minutes of his first episode that he hasn’t been pleased with his recent tournament results and wants to take a step back and reflect on his preparation process. The serious focus on tournament preparation and the hesitance in making these videos public, gives the impression that they are mainly beneficial to only Glick himself.

But we’re here today to argue the complete opposite. Videos like these have the potential to be of amazing help to both new players and veterans alike. It’s a series like this that could not only help veteran players producing the content, but also a potentially vast audience of players looking for guidance on how to up their game.

A Brief Overview

So how do these videos work? Well, it’s pretty much Glick just talking to himself as he plays ladder games on Pokemon Showdown! with a few instances of teambuilding/changes and damage calculations here and there. Think of it as a watered down live Showdown! laddering session. Remember, these videos, according to Glick, were not originally meant to be uploaded. Meaning, Glick isn’t going to go out of his way to be energetic and entertaining (though his personality does well to make him appear this way most of the time).

The first episode gives the feel of a video diary or a live feed at Glick as he prepares for a tournament. In the opening minutes of the first episode, Glick makes it clear that this is going to be something different, not only for a potential viewer, but for himself as well. Basically, don’t expect a fun laddering session with wacky teams and jokes. This is serious.

While the entertainment value for these kinds of videos seems pretty low from the get go, there’s a lot to be interested in. We as viewers get to basically dive into the mind of one of the greatest Pokemon VGC players of all time and see his thought process and practice routine before he attends major events. If you’re a player looking to improve at the game, this is stuff you’d want to be paying attention to.

Immediate and Potential Long-term Effects

(Image from Jamie Boyt’s YouTube Channel)

There’s no doubt that this type of content has a ton of potential, but let’s focus on the immediate effect it’s having in the community. Jamie Boyt, one of the best players over in Europe, recently uploaded a thirty-six minute-long video of him analyzing his past successful teams in an effort to try and understand his play style. Boyt directly references Glick’s series in his own video, and explains that he intends to do more videos like this since he himself has been having a similar problem with his recent tournament results. Boyt’s series is also valuable when considering different formats or approaches to these kinds of videos. Even though it’s still someone narrating over Pokemon Showdown!, there are a ton of different ways to alter this format.

So how about for the future? For starters this type of content is perfect for those looking to get better at VGC. If more top players and content creators decide to produce content like this over the traditional guides and laddering videos that populate Pokemon VGC YouTube today, then newer players or players looking to improve could gain valuable insight into what actually goes into preparing for a major tournament.

Experienced players and veterans can benefit from this strategy too. The fact that this content has originated from some of the best in the game makes a pretty big statement as to how helpful recording tournament prep can actually be. Surely there are a ton of other top players out there looking to better their game, and what better way to do that than taking a new approach to their preparation.

There is so much potential for videos like this simply due to the fact that it can benefit players of any skill or experience level. Not only can newer players improve by gaining better insight into Pokemon VGC as a whole, but more experienced players and content creators can adopt this strategy in order to elevate their game even further. VGC players as a whole have the ability to hone their skills even further, and that’s why Glick’s video series deserves your attention. Jamie Boyt makes this even more clear when he stresses multiple times throughout his video: everyone has room to improve.

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Images from Pokemon Showdown!, Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, Ken Sugimori and The Pokemon Company International

Featured Image from WolfeyVGC on YouTube