Competition wrapped up this weekend at the Pokémon VGC Collinsville Regional tournament, and fans were not disappointed. Around 300 Trainers showed up for their chance at walking away with $3,000 cash, and Championship Points towards entrance to the World Championship. While many Trainers competed, only one proved he had what it took to be a champion. Alex Underhill marveled the crowd as he battled his way to his first major VGC victory.
Image courtesy of @LexiconVGC
Alex combined offensive pressure from Gyarados and Arcanine, with Celesteela’s stalling ability. To top it off, Alex’s centerpiece was his Togedemaru, a little steel mouse capable of unnerving foes with its shocking tactics. Throughout the entirety of the tournament, Alex impressed the crowd with the expert use of his Togedemaru. Whether it was faking out opposing Tapu Koko, or Encoring Kartana into repetitive sword dancing. Alex was nothing short of fun to watch.
Image courtesy of Game Freak
Togedemaru may have Zing Zapped his way into the fan’s hearts with his shocking display, but there was another interesting trend occurring. Teams running Tapu Lele and Drifblim were on full display in Collinsville this weekend. In fact, four of the top ten teams ran the combo. If this sounds familiar, it should be. This is because Tapu Lele and Drifblim are the pair Shoma used to claim victory in the recent ONOG Pokémon Invitational.
Watching the impact Shoma’s play had on many of the Trainers was an interesting thing to see. Even the second place finisher, Justin Berns, was using Tapu Fini and Drifblim. However, the disruption caused by Togedemaru’s antics just proved too much to overcome. After three full rounds, Justin found himself yielding victory to Alex when the final match came down to Snorlax versus Celesteela.
Image courtesy of Australia.com
The next major Pokémon VGC event will be the International Championship in Melbourne Australia. This will be the second in a series of four tournaments in the brand new International Championship Series. With a massive Championship point payout and open admittance to all Trainers worldwide, International Championship Series tournaments promise to bring a large crowd of talented Pokémon Trainers.
Scheduled to begin March 10th, the tournament will run until March 12th. Make sure to keep an eye out for new strategies. Will Porygon2 still be a staple? Could Togedemaru be a surprise VIP? Maybe Evoboost Eevee will take the cake. If nothing else, the VGC 2017 season certainly has been dynamic. See you in Melbourne!
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