Hello, everyone! I am Sebastián Lobos, also known as SebaVGC. In case you don’t know me, I am a Chilean player. I am 16 years old and started playing halfway 2020, playing online tournaments during the pandemic.
My biggest achievements are:
- Desafío Latam Finals Top 8
- Member of the Chilean team at the 2021 World Cup
- Desafío Latam 2 Fight Cup Champion
- Desafío Latam 2 Finals Top 4
- VR February S12 Challenge Top 16
Now that I have finished my introduction, let’s talk about all the features of this Top 16 team at the VR February S12 Challenge.
Teambuilding process
The first thing I thought about to create my team were the Restricteds, I guess that’s what every player does. I looked for a duo which could help each other, and I thought about some of them, but I went for Zacian + Shadow Rider Calyrex, since I’ve already used them before and they have given me good results. Moreover, I felt that Max Phantasm + Behemoth Blade can destroy almost every core, so that was my starting point.
The next step was obviously looking for good partners for these 2 and Incineroar came to my mind. This Pokémon is really good for controlling your position and it rewards you for a good play with Intimidate and Fake Out. It also helps you with mirror matches. Thinking about mirrors, Defiant Thundurus came to my mind so I could have a tool against opponents’ Incineroar that can be very annoying to my Restricteds, and boost them with Max Airstream, Max Knuckle or Max Darkness.
This was the base, but I noticed that some Kyogre cores were really annoying, even with Thundurus, so I decided to add Rillaboom to force it to swap, Protect or Dynamax.
I talked about the team with Juan Manuel Santizo (Teka) because I had no idea about how to complete the team. He told me to add Blastoise but it didn’t convince me at first sight and I added a redirection user. I thought about Indeedee but I didn’t want a double field so I went for Togekiss.
After some testing, I realized that the redirect was not that important and that I needed another Dynamax. I decided which Pokémon to add based on what I had used in Series 11, so I chose Blastoise as the last Pokémon. It ended up being the perfect addition due to the leftover damage of its G-Max Move, since it helped both Calyrex and Zacian to take KOs at late game.
When I finished the team, I used it a lot on the Pokémon Showdown ladder, where I reached Top 50. A day before the tournament, I tested with Luciano Laroze (LuziVGC) and I felt I was ready for the tour.
The Team
Get the team’s paste here!
Calyrex-Shadow @ Focus Sash
Ability: As One (Spectrier)
Level: 50
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
– Astral Barrage
– Psyshock
– Protect
– Will-O-Wisp
It is a standard Shadow Rider Calyrex set, it doesn’t need a lot of explanation or damage calcs. Focus Sash is the best item for Calyrex in my opinion, since it helps Blastoise’s leftover damage by stalling some turns with Protect plus the Focus Sash activation turn.
I chose Astral Barrage since it is its main move; Psyshock so I could take advantage of Max Phantasm lowering enemies’ physical Defense; Will-o-Wisp to threaten some Pokémon like Thundurus, Zacian or Groudon; and Protect, which is a must.
Zacian-Crowned @ Rusted Sword
Ability: Intrepid Sword
Level: 50
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 132 HP / 76 Atk / 4 Def / 76 SpD / 220 Spe
Adamant Nature
– Behemoth Blade
– Sacred Sword
– Substitute
– Protect
Zacian doesn’t need any explanation either, it is the best Pokémon in the format. This EV spread is from Rafa Busutil (Pokeraf). I had already used it before so I decided to go for it since the damages from this series are quite similar to the previous one. The Speed spread is to outspeed Venusaur under Sun after a Max Airstream.
I went for Sacred Sword instead of Close Combat because it was more useful against Ferrothorn, Solgaleo or Kartana in the late game. Substitute is a very good move to punish passive leads or predict a Protect turn.
76+ Atk Zacian-Crowned Behemoth Blade vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Zacian-Crowned: 93-109 (55.3 – 64.8%) — guaranteed 2HKO
+1 76+ Atk Zacian-Crowned Behemoth Blade vs. 132 HP / 28 Def Gigantamaxed Venusaur-Gmax: 348-410 (101.1 – 119.1%) — guaranteed OHKO
+1 76+ Atk Zacian-Crowned Behemoth Blade vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Dynamax Calyrex-Ice: 436-516 (105.3 – 124.6%) — guaranteed OHKO
+1 76+ Atk Zacian-Crowned Behemoth Blade vs. 76 HP / 36 Def Thundurus: 97-115 (59.1 – 70.1%) — guaranteed 2HKO
+1 76+ Atk Zacian-Crowned Behemoth Blade vs. 212 HP / 0 Def Groudon: 117-138 (57.9 – 68.3%) — guaranteed 2HKO
+1 76+ Atk Zacian-Crowned Sacred Sword vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Solgaleo: 88-104 (36 – 42.6%) — guaranteed 3HKO
+1 76+ Atk Zacian-Crowned Sacred Sword vs. 212 HP / 252+ Def Ferrothorn: 112-134 (63.6 – 76.1%) — guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
(Neutral Atk) 76+ Atk Zacian-Crowned Sacred Sword vs. 252 HP / 156+ Def Incineroar: 104-124 (51.4 – 61.3%) — guaranteed 2HKO
(Neutral Atk) 76+ Atk Zacian-Crowned Behemoth Blade vs. 4 HP / 4 Def Dynamax Kyurem-White: 448-532 (111.4 – 132.3%) — guaranteed OHKO
56+ Atk Groudon Precipice Blades vs. 132 HP / 4 Def Zacian-Crowned: 156-186 (84.7 – 101%) — 6.3% chance to OHKO
252 SpA Mystic Water Kyogre Water Spout (150 BP) vs. 132 HP / 76 SpD Zacian-Crowned in Rain: 160-189 (86.9 – 102.7%) — 18.8% chance to OHKO
252 SpA Venusaur-Gmax Max Flare vs. 132 HP / 76 SpD Zacian-Crowned in Sun: 154-182 (83.6 – 98.9%) — guaranteed 2HKO
-1 252+ Atk Life Orb Calyrex-Ice Max Quake vs. 132 HP / 4 Def Zacian-Crowned: 148-177 (80.4 – 96.1%) — guaranteed 2HKO
-1 252+ Atk Landorus-Therian Max Quake vs. 132 HP / 4 Def Zacian-Crowned: 156-186 (84.7 – 101%) — 6.3% chance to OHKO
Incineroar (M) @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Intimidate
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 124 Def / 76 SpD / 52 Spe
Impish Nature
– Fake Out
– Taunt
– Parting Shot
– Flare Blitz
Incineroar is probably the best Pokémon in the whole history of VGC since it’s very versatile. It’s on the team to have a good defensive response against a lot of Pokémon. The Sitrus Berry helps it resist a lot and to tank two hits that it would not usually resist, which allows you to have more control on the battle.
Fake Out is mandatory and Taunt is for preventing Trick Room or another annoying move such as Yawn or Spore. Parting Shot has a lot of uses, like annoying opponents’ Pokémon, repositioning yourself, predicting switch-ins… Flare Blitz is just to have a damaging move; although it doesn’t have that much Attack investment, it’s a move that will hurt a lot some Pokémon like Zacian or Venusaur.
252+ Atk Zacian-Crowned Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 124+ Def Incineroar: 160-190 (79.2 – 94%) — guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Zacian-Crowned Sacred Sword vs. 252 HP / 124+ Def Incineroar: 122-144 (60.3 – 71.2%) — guaranteed 2HKO
(Neutral Atk) 252+ Atk Groudon Precipice Blades vs. 252 HP / 124+ Def Incineroar: 162-192 (80.1 – 95%) — guaranteed 2HKO
-1 252+ Atk Groudon Max Quake vs. 252 HP / 124+ Def Incineroar: 170-204 (84.1 – 100.9%) — 6.3% chance to OHKO
252+ Atk Solgaleo Max Quake vs. 252 HP / 124+ Def Incineroar: 146-174 (72.2 – 86.1%) — guaranteed 2HKO
252+ SpA Life Orb Venusaur-Gmax Max Quake vs. 252 HP / 76 SpD Incineroar: 177-211 (87.6 – 104.4%) — 25% chance to OHKO
252+ SpA Life Orb Zapdos Max Airstream vs. 252 HP / 76 SpD Incineroar: 165-196 (81.6 – 97%) — guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Coalossal-Gmax G-Max Volcalith vs. 252 HP / 76 SpD Incineroar: 174-206 (86.1 – 101.9%) — 12.5% chance to OHKO
+1 252 Atk Life Orb Thundurus Max Airstream vs. 252 HP / 124+ Def Incineroar: 173-204 (85.6 – 100.9%) — 6.3% chance to OHKO
252 Atk Urshifu-Rapid-Strike Surging Strikes (3 hits) vs. 252 HP / 124+ Def Incineroar on a critical hit: 180-216 (89.1 – 106.9%) — approx. 18.8% chance to OHKO
Blastoise-Gmax @ Wacan Berry
Ability: Torrent
Level: 50
EVs: 244 HP / 4 Def / 204 SpA / 52 SpD / 4 Spe
Modest Nature
– Hydro Cannon
– Blizzard
– Protect
– Fake Out
As I said before, Blastoise was the perfect addition to this team thanks to its G-Max Move, which has one of the best secondary effects. Maybe it’s not the best offensive Pokémon, but it doesn’t need that damage since it’s bulky enough, and you have enough offensive power with Calyrex and Zacian. The Wacan Berry allows you to tank some threats like Zapdos and Regieleki.
Hydro Cannon is its strongest STAB move, Blizzard is there so I can deal as much damage as possible and the next moves have some good reasoning behind them. Protect, although not being an usual move on it, was a must if I wanted to predict moves and keep it alive as much as possible, in addition to help me repositioning, something that other Blastoise can’t do. I chose Fake Out due to the mindgames this move provokes.
204+ SpA Blastoise-Gmax G-Max Cannonade vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Zacian-Crowned: 90-106 (45.2 – 53.2%) — guaranteed 2HKO after Cannonade damage
204+ SpA Blastoise-Gmax G-Max Cannonade vs. 252 HP / 124 SpD Incineroar: 194-230 (96 – 113.8%) — 75% chance to OHKO
204+ SpA Blastoise-Gmax G-Max Cannonade vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Dynamax Landorus-Therian: 246-290 (74.5 – 87.8%) — guaranteed 2HKO after Cannonade damage
204+ SpA Blastoise-Gmax Max Hailstorm vs. 252 HP / 52 SpD Groudon: 130-154 (62.8 – 74.3%) — guaranteed 2HKO
204+ SpA Blastoise-Gmax G-Max Cannonade vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Dynamax Charizard in Sun: 114-134 (37.2 – 43.7%) — guaranteed 2HKO after Solar Power damage and Cannonade damage
+1 252 Atk Zacian-Crowned Behemoth Blade vs. 244 HP / 4 Def Gigantamaxed Blastoise-Gmax: 156-184 (42.1 – 49.7%) — guaranteed 3HKO
252+ Atk Miracle Seed Rillaboom Grassy Glide vs. 244 HP / 4 Def Gigantamaxed Blastoise-Gmax in Grassy Terrain: 198-234 (53.5 – 63.2%) — guaranteed 2HKO after Grassy Terrain recovery
252+ Atk Miracle Seed Rillaboom Wood Hammer vs. 244 HP / 4 Def Gigantamaxed Blastoise-Gmax in Grassy Terrain: 338-398 (91.3 – 107.5%) — 43.8% chance to OHKO
252+ SpA Life Orb Transistor Regieleki Max Lightning vs. 244 HP / 52 SpD Wacan Berry Gigantamaxed Blastoise-Gmax: 195-230 (52.7 – 62.1%) — guaranteed 2HKO
252 Atk Life Orb Thundurus Max Lightning vs. 244 HP / 4 Def Wacan Berry Gigantamaxed Blastoise-Gmax: 133-156 (35.9 – 42.1%)
Rillaboom-Gmax @ Miracle Seed
Ability: Grassy Surge
Level: 50
EVs: 132 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def / 68 SpD / 52 Spe
Adamant Nature
– Fake Out
– Grassy Glide
– Wood Hammer
– Protect
I just am in love with Rillaboom. It came here to support the team on the back most times. It’s good to pressure Kyogre and other Water types like Rapid Strike Style Urshifu, Blastoise, Seismitoad or Gastrodon. I trained it with 252 Attack EVs so I could do as much damage as possible with the Miracle Seed. The Speed makes it outspeed 100 base Speed Pokémon at +1.
Coming into the moves, Fake Out and Grassy Glide are mandatory. I chose Wood Hammer to punish switch-ins since almost every Pokémon will suffer against a move with such a high base power. Protect doesn’t have a big reasoning behind it, but I believe that U-turn would have been a better choice to predict switches and repositioning… but that came to my mind while I played the tournament. In any case, that’s up to anyone and I don’t regret running Protect.
252+ Atk Miracle Seed Rillaboom Grassy Glide vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Kyogre in Grassy Terrain: 218-258 (123.8 – 146.5%) — guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Miracle Seed Rillaboom Wood Hammer vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Dynamax Kyogre in Grassy Terrain: 372-440 (105.6 – 125%) — guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Miracle Seed Rillaboom Wood Hammer vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Groudon in Grassy Terrain: 254-302 (122.7 – 145.8%) — guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Miracle Seed Rillaboom Grassy Glide vs. 4 HP / 4 Def Regieleki in Grassy Terrain: 169-199 (108.3 – 127.5%) — guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Miracle Seed Rillaboom Wood Hammer vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Zacian-Crowned in Grassy Terrain: 75-89 (37.6 – 44.7%) — guaranteed 3HKO after Grassy Terrain recovery
+1 252 Atk Zacian-Crowned Behemoth Blade vs. 132 HP / 4 Def Rillaboom: 169-201 (88 – 104.6%) — 31.3% chance to OHKO
252+ SpA Mystic Water Kyogre Max Geyser vs. 132 HP / 68 SpD Rillaboom in Rain: 170-201 (88.5 – 104.6%) — 31.3% chance to OHKO
252+ SpA Kyogre Ice Beam vs. 132 HP / 68 SpD Rillaboom: 152-180 (79.1 – 93.7%) — guaranteed 2HKO after Grassy Terrain recovery
252+ SpA Blastoise-Gmax Max Hailstorm vs. 132 HP / 68 SpD Rillaboom: 160-190 (83.3 – 98.9%) — guaranteed 2HKO after hail damage and Grassy Terrain recovery
252+ SpA Life Orb Calyrex-Shadow Astral Barrage vs. 132 HP / 68 SpD Rillaboom: 157-187 (81.7 – 97.3%) — guaranteed 2HKO after Grassy Terrain recovery
Thundurus (M) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Defiant
Level: 50
EVs: 84 HP / 164 Atk / 4 Def / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
– Fly
– Wild Charge
– Brick Break
– Crunch
Thundurus is the main Dynamax of the team due to its Max Moves being extremely useful to have both Attack and Speed control. Its presence on the team also makes rivals think twice when using a Pokémon with Intimidate. The Assault Vest helps it tank Special Attack Pokémon such as Kyogre.
Fly and Wild Charge are its STAB moves, they are mandatory. I’m running Brick Break instead of Superpower because I don’t like its secondary effect (and I don’t think it’s that important to KO an Incineroar with this Pokémon), and it also helps fighting against Grimmsnarl’s screens. I chose Crunch over Foul Play or Lash Out because I think it’s a more consistent move, since the power of the other two depends on external factors. Also, Max Darkness will make enemies’ Special Defense to fall down, which allows Calyrex to destroy everyone. It’s not a Pokémon that will KO a lot, but will help the whole team.
164 Atk Thundurus Max Lightning vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Kyogre: 210-248 (119.3 – 140.9%) — guaranteed OHKO
164 Atk Thundurus Max Airstream vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Rillaboom: 210-248 (101.4 – 119.8%) — guaranteed OHKO
164 Atk Thundurus Crunch vs. 28 HP / 4 Def Calyrex-Shadow: 188-224 (105 – 125.1%) — guaranteed OHKO
+1 252+ Atk Zacian-Crowned Behemoth Blade vs. 84 HP / 4 Def Dynamax Thundurus: 226-266 (68.4 – 80.6%) — guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Groudon Max Rockfall vs. 84 HP / 4 Def Dynamax Thundurus: 238-282 (72.1 – 85.4%) — guaranteed 2HKO
252+ SpA Life Orb Transistor Regieleki Helping Hand Max Lightning vs. 84 HP / 4 SpD Assault Vest Dynamax Thundurus: 253-300 (76.6 – 90.9%) — guaranteed 2HKO
252+ SpA Mystic Water Kyogre Water Spout (150 BP) vs. 84 HP / 4 SpD Assault Vest Dynamax Thundurus in Rain: 168-198 (50.9 – 60%) — guaranteed 2HKO
252+ SpA Mystic Water Kyogre Max Geyser vs. 84 HP / 4 SpD Assault Vest Dynamax Thundurus in Rain: 225-265 (68.1 – 80.3%) — guaranteed 2HKO
Common leads
| Pokémon |
|---|
|
 |
|
|
|
Tournament run
Swiss rounds
| Round | Result | Opponent | Opponent’s team | Paste |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R1 | LWW |  André Marqués (Andre) |   |  |
When I saw my rival and their team I thought it was a lost game since it was a match-up I hadn’t practiced a lot.
In G1 I led with Calyrex + Thundurus and they led with Thundurus + Palkia. The game had a good start for me but Palkia did a lot of damage and I brought Incineroar in the back, so I lost.
In G2 I led with Calyrex + Rillaboom to threaten them more since I noticed both Zacian and Rillaboom can counter Palkia pretty well. I won by predicting and Dynamaxing Calyrex.
I repeated it in G3 but they led with Urshifu instead of Thundurus. They made a good play by Protecting their Urshifu, but they went for a Max Geyser on Rillaboom. The game went on until I had Incineroar and Zacian left against Thundurus and Zacian. A good Taunt gave me the match, but it was a close game.
| Round | Result | Opponent | Opponent’s team | Paste |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R2 | LL |  Jourdan Bul-lalayao (Professor Ragna) |    | |
I had practiced this match-up but Wash Rotom was a surprise.
In G1 I led with Incineroar + Zacian and they led with Rotom + Yveltal. I went for Parting Shot instead of Fake Out fearing a Dynamax, which didn’t come, and they hit both my Pokémon. I got my Incineroar KO’ed and I knew I had already lost.
In G2 I led with Thundurus + Zacian and they led with Incineroar + Zacian. I thought about switching Thundurus for Incineroar, but I didn’t and that made me lose since they Dynamaxed Incineroar and KO’d my Zacian. Anyways, this round made me considerate trusting my gut for the rest of the tour.
| Round | Result | Opponent | Opponent’s team | Paste |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R3 | WW | Blake Silver (Blake) |  | |
When I saw the team I remembered that I had tested this match-up and I knew exactly what to do. I led both games with Calyrex + Thundurus with Zacian and Rillaboom in the back. I countered their Tailwinds with Thundurus and a boosted Calyrex. Zacian and Rillaboom controled the late game.
| Round | Result | Opponent | Opponent’s team | Paste |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R4 | WLW |  Hideki Tahara (シッコクのT) |    | |
I was very afraid when I saw this team. I don’t remember a lot of this set, but I know that a good use of Blastoise and Rillaboom gave me the set. This was a full-mindplays set that any of us could have won.
| Round | Result | Opponent | Opponent’s team | Paste |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R5 | WLW | Juan J. Rodríguez (Shiritu) | | |
This match-up was quite similar to the Round 1 one, so I knew how to play it. The games were quite similar but the lack of an Incineroar in my rival’s team was beneficial for me, although their Thundurus had Protect and that was a huge problem because it was a surprise that I didn’t expect. If I had fought this team in Round 1 I would most likely had lost.
| Round | Result | Opponent | Opponent’s team | Paste |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R6 | LWW |  Nikhil Reddy (ニキル) |  | |
My rival’s team was quite standard so I knew how to play against it,
with Calyrex + Blastoise and Zacian and Incineroar in the back.
In G1 I had a good positioning, I had my 4 Pokémon against Incineroar and Dynamax Groudon. I thought I was about to win, but Dynamax Groudon was too much and they took the game.
In G2 I followed the same plan in a more offensive way, which gave me the win.
They led G3 with Charizard + Groudon and I went with Calyrex + Zacian. A good read in turn 1 saw them switch Charizard for Gastrodon while I double-targeted their Dynamax Groudon and KO’ed it, so that gave me the game.
| Round | Result | Opponent | Opponent’s team | Paste |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R7 | WLW | Meghan Hyman (PinkSylvie) |  | |
I had tested this match-up, so I knew how hard it was to play against it.
In G1 I led with Blastoise + Zacian and she led with Urshifu + Yveltal. I went for a Fake Out to Urshifu + Behemoth Blade to Yveltal, which fainted because of a crit. I won that game thanks to that crit but I think I would have won even without that.
I lost G2 because she made good reads and played very well.
I won G3 thanks to Dynamax Calyrex, although I almost lost due to a good predict.
| Round | Result | Opponent | Opponent’s team | Paste |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R8 | LWL |  Ren Chengfu (小夫) | | |
I tried to play in an offensive way predicting their plays.
I lost G1 because they played really well.
I was doing good at G2 but I don’t remember how I won.
At G3 my internet connection got lost so it was a lose for me. I was angry, but those are things that can happen to everyone.
| Round | Result | Opponent | Opponent’s team | Paste |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R9 | WW | Masahide Tamaki (ソード) |  | |
Against this team I used the same strategy as in Round 4, I only had to be careful about their Ditto so that it would not transform into Zacian. Blastoise was the true MVP, KO’ing everyone but Kyogre, but I had Rillaboom and Zacian for it, so that’s how I made it to the Top Cut!
Top cut
| Round | Result | Opponent | Opponent’s team | Paste |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top 32 | WLW |  Roberto Martínez (Von Feuer) |   | |
I was very nervous here, but that didn’t affect my plays. I used the same strategy in the three games, leading with Blastoise + Calyrex. Blastoise was very useful since they always led with Charizard + Whimsicott. I won thanks to both G-Max Canonnade and Max Hailstorm.
| Round | Result | Opponent | Opponent’s team | Paste |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top 16 | WLL | Joseph Ugarte (JoeUX9) | | |
Zacian + Blastoise was my way to go for the first game. It helped me defeat his Dynamax in turn 1 while taking a bit of damage. He tried to predict a switch from Zacian to Incineroar but I decided to attack, which gave me the win.
In G2 I led with Calyrex + Zacian and he led with Grimmsnarl + Zacian; he read my switch to Incineroar and a Thunder Wave on Calyrex was very annoying, so I had no chance.
I tried to repeat this strategy in G3 and it was a good choice. He played very well and I think I could have won, but his Zapdos survived with low HP, which helped him in the rotations, and eventually giving him the win.
Conclusion
This team has a really strong composition and I feel like it will reach higher heights in the times to come. There was stuff to change but I think I did it really well. It’s time to keep practicing and improving, I’m going for more!
If you made it till the end of the report, I’m very grateful with you for reading it. I’m also thankful to all the people that supported and helped me. GGs to all my rivals. Here’s the rental of the team, feel free to try it.
Don’t hestitate to give it a try!
