Good morning everyone! My name is Stephen and I won 2019 Toronto VGC regionals in Masters. I promised a War Story, which can be found below, but I hope you don’t mind listening to me talk about the team a bit. It’s just standard Moon TornOgre, but I’d like to think that my version had some cool differences.

The Team

Paste

Kyogre @ Choice Scarf

Ability: Drizzle

EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

Modest Nature

IVs: 0 Atk

– Water Spout

– Origin Pulse

– Scald

– Thunder

Scarf Ogre is broken. That is all. Its presence denies the existence of certain sets and can outspeed and OHKO almost all of those threats in Rain, when Groudon is not present. Its hard counters are few, niche, and lose to the rest of my team in a BO3. I used a 4 HP spread which I do not regret, as it costs way too much attacking power to take hits (specifically, +2 Xern Moonblast). I used Modest at Toronto because I felt like it was going to be a Groudon-infested tournament, which it ended up being. Timid was very useful in Melbourne, where I played 3 TornOgre mirrors, but I think Modest is overall better simply for damage, especially the Scald/Origin Pulse roll on Incin.

252 SpA Kyogre Scald vs. 236 HP / 236+ SpD Incineroar in Rain: 182-216 (91 – 108%) — 43.8% chance to OHKO ;(

Incineroar (F) @ Figy Berry

Ability: Intimidate

Level: 50

EVs: 196 HP / 236 SpD / 68 Spe

Careful Nature

– Fake Out

– Flare Blitz

– Roar

– U-turn

+2 252 SpA Fairy Aura Xerneas Moonblast vs. 196 HP / 236+ SpD Incineroar: 169-199 (86.6 – 102%) — 18.8% chance to OHKO

+2 204 SpA Fairy Aura Xerneas Moonblast vs. 196 HP / 236+ SpD Incineroar: 163-193 (83.5 – 98.9%) — guaranteed 2HKO

The first not-so-standard set on the common team of six. I decided to count myself lucky on the HP and SpD EVs when facing a +2 Xerneas and put the rest in Speed to hit 89, especially because I will almost never be taking Fake Out chip from an opposing Incineroar. With this, I could outspeed Kartana in Tailwind and outspeed nearly every other Incineroar on the field. Something fun you could also do (which I did to win game 1 of top 8) is Roar out an opposing slower incineroar that is also using Roar. Being the first U-turn was usually ok, as Incin vs Incin U-turn mirrors rarely happened for me and I could always Rain Dance if I brought in Ogre before they brought in their Groudon. The extra Speed was so much more worth it.

Xerneas @ Power Herb

Ability: Fairy Aura

EVs: 60 HP / 4 Def / 148 SpA / 44 SpD / 252 Spe

Timid Nature

IVs: 0 Atk

– Moonblast

– Dazzling Gleam

– Geomancy

– Protect

148 SpA Fairy Aura Xerneas Moonblast vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Fairy Aura Xerneas: 102-121 (50.4 – 59.9%) — guaranteed 2HKO

252+ SpA Kyogre Water Spout (150 BP) vs. 60 HP / 44 SpD Xerneas in Rain: 171-202 (81.8 – 96.6%) — guaranteed 2HKO

252 SpA Tapu Koko Gigavolt Havoc (175 BP) vs. 60 HP / 44 SpD Xerneas in Electric Terrain: 177-208 (84.6 – 99.5%) — guaranteed 2HKO

252 SpA Lunala Menacing Moonraze Maelstrom vs. 60 HP / 44 SpD Xerneas: 172-204 (82.2 – 97.6%) — guaranteed 2HKO

I spent much of the season optimizing this Xerneas spread, and I think I managed to do it. This Xerneas can take a number of key Special Attacks that can let it set up in a turn 1 situation, which an opponent may not expect. The Tapu Koko calc is especially useful in the YvelDon matchup, as they love leading Koko and turn 1 Z-Moving. The offensive EVs also always allow me to OHKO 4 HP Xerneas with +2 Moonblast to seal endgames. This spread is a sort of “best of both worlds” offensively and defensively. I also believe that Timid is absolutely necessary in this format. Between the over-abundance of Lunala and Timid Sash Lele, being able to outspeed both is key. Also, having your Xerneas be able to beat other Xerneas is super useful and helpful in a number of matchups.

Kartana @ Assault Vest

Ability: Beast Boost

Level: 50

EVs: 4 HP / 12 Atk / 4 Def / 236 SpD / 252 Spe

Jolly Nature

– Leaf Blade

– Sacred Sword

– Smart Strike

– Knock Off

+2 252 SpA Fairy Aura Xerneas Moonblast vs. 4 HP / 236 SpD Assault Vest Kartana: 107-126 (79.2 – 93.3%) — guaranteed 2HKO

252+ SpA Kyogre Water Spout (150 BP) vs. 4 HP / 236 SpD Assault Vest Kartana in Rain: 87-103 (64.4 – 76.2%) — guaranteed 2HKO

252+ SpA Kyogre Water Spout (150 BP) vs. 4 HP / 236 SpD Assault Vest Kartana in Rain: 117-138 (86.6 – 102.2%) — 18.8% chance to OHKO (single target)

12 Atk Kartana Leaf Blade vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Kyogre: 188-224 (106.8 – 127.2%) — guaranteed OHKO

12 Atk Kartana Sacred Sword vs. 236 HP / 4 Def Incineroar: 124-148 (62 – 74%) — guaranteed 2HKO

12 Atk Kartana Knock Off vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Lunala: 184-220 (86.3 – 103.2%) — 12.5% chance to OHKO

Simple Kartana spread. The ability to 1v1 Kyogre and Xerneas is immensely useful in the mirror. Being able to do these tasks while also completely ignoring Amoonguss is incredible. Kartana is the simplest Pokémon on here: it damages the mons it’s there to damage, and can absolutely dominate games. It also greatly helps KO the supports in the Zygarde matchup, since they are nearly forced to being both Tapu Fini and Toxicroak, two Pokémon that cannot touch Kartana.

Tornadus @ Flyinium Z

Ability: Prankster

EVs: 220 HP / 4 Def / 28 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

Timid Nature

IVs: 0 Atk

– Tailwind

– Hurricane

– Rain Dance

– Taunt

+2 252 SpA Fairy Aura Xerneas Dazzling Gleam vs. 220 HP / 4 SpD Tornadus: 162-192 (89 – 105.4%) — 31.3% chance to OHKO

252+ SpA Kyogre Origin Pulse vs. 220 HP / 4 SpD Tornadus in Rain: 153-181 (84 – 99.4%) — guaranteed 2HKO

28 SpA Tornadus Supersonic Skystrike (185 BP) vs. 252 HP / 176+ SpD Amoonguss: 234-276 (105.8 – 124.8%) — guaranteed OHKO

Standard Tornadus, for the most part. This is actually Agati’s spread from Melbourne that I ripped, so go follow him and stuff. I thought that if I was going to be using Rain Dance, then I should be using a bulkier Tornadus. The logic with Rain Dance never came through, but the extra bulk was absolutely crucial in game 1 of top 4. Flyinium Z allows one to justify running less Special Attack because of the Z-Move and can act as a one-turn Mental Herb with Z-Tailwind.

Amoonguss @ Payapa Berry

Ability: Regenerator

Level: 50

EVs: 252 HP / 156 Def / 100 SpD

Relaxed Nature

IVs: 0 Atk / 4 Spe

– Clear Smog

– Grass Knot

– Spore

– Rage Powder

0 Atk Incineroar Flare Blitz vs. 252 HP / 156+ Def Amoonguss: 152-180 (68.7 – 81.4%) — guaranteed 2HKO

252 SpA Lunala Psyshock vs. 252 HP / 156+ Def Payapa Berry Amoonguss: 70-84 (31.6 – 38%) — 91.7% chance to 3HKO

252 SpA Lunala Psyshock vs. 252 HP / 156+ Def Amoonguss: 140-168 (63.3 – 76%) — guaranteed 2HKO

252 SpA Lunala Menacing Moonraze Maelstrom vs. 252 HP / 100 SpD Amoonguss: 189-223 (85.5 – 100.9%) — 6.3% chance to OHKO

252+ SpA Kyogre Water Spout (150 BP) vs. 252 HP / 100 SpD Amoonguss in Rain: 93-110 (42 – 49.7%) — guaranteed 3HKO

+2 252 SpA Fairy Aura Xerneas Moonblast vs. 252 HP / 100 SpD Amoonguss: 114-135 (51.5 – 61%) — guaranteed 2HKO

252 SpA Tapu Lele Psyshock vs. 252 HP / 156+ Def Payapa Berry Amoonguss in Psychic Terrain: 102-121 (46.1 – 54.7%) — 90.2% chance to 2HKO

252+ Atk Groudon Precipice Blades vs. 252 HP / 156+ Def Amoonguss: 93-109 (42 – 49.3%) — guaranteed 3HKO

-1 36 Atk Groudon Fire Punch vs. 252 HP / 156+ Def Amoonguss in Sun: 82-98 (37.1 – 44.3%) — guaranteed 3HKO

I love this Amoonguss. While that MMM roll almost came back to bite me at Greensboro, the Defense EVs were amazing. Tanking Flare Blitzes and Psyshocks with ease, then switching out and gaining much of the HP back was great. It still does what most Grass types do, which is tank Ogre Water Spout. Defense EVs allowed for the Yvel Don MU to be a bit more straightforward, as the Groudon could barely touch Amoonguss.

Pre-Tournament

I started my day waking up after not getting much sleep to get into my suit and give a speech for my public speaking class. After speaking for 5 minutes about color psychology and sitting through the rest of the classes’ speeches, I dashed back to my dorm to change into street clothes and meet George (SudokuMasta) at the train station. We got lunch, then coffee, and headed off to the airport. After he nearly lost his passport at the gate and I almost lost my earbuds, we boarded and flew. The person I was sitting next to was moved, so George and I got to sit next to each other. We landed and met Nate (Mechanics) at the airport after his late midterm, and were driven back to his house by his dad. The three of us got A&W drive-thru which was great. Shortly after we arrived at Nate’s house, Ashton (Linkyoshimario) and Jeremy (Serapis) arrived. The 5 of us and Nate’s brother, Luke, chilled and talked teams until James (Jamesspeed1), Jon (Wacka), and Mihrab (Mihrab) showed up. Once we assembled the power house, we played Ultimate and Melee and slept, luckily more peacefully than last year.

Saturday Morning

I woke up around 6:30, took a shower and ate some bread before heading to the venue in Nate’s car with George, Mihrab, and Wacka. We were running late, so Nate popped his highway cherry and took 3 highways to get us there on time. I was on the aux, and every time he got on a new highway I’d restart Rascal Flats’ Life is a Highway on full volume. We got to the venue and found parking with like 7 minutes to spare, and all of us got on the registration line right as it closed. I said my hellos to people I hadn’t seen in a while (most since Dallas or Melbourne). Special shoutouts to Yuree for making the trip from Italy and Nick Jorgenson who I hadn’t seen since last year’s Toronto Regionals. After a bit of time socializing, pairings were posted online and it was go time.

Round 1 vs. Preston Gadling (@hektikVGC) Finished: Dropped (2-3)

After checking pairings for R1, I was a little bit worried. Preston is a good player and had just cut his last regional in Dallas. As I sat down I was desperately trying to open the pokemon.com page that had his Dallas team, but funnily enough, we sat down next to James Baek who told Preston he was not going to have a good matchup. I was confused at what he meant by that, but I understood his point the second team preview appeared. It was that Volc Koko Don team, but without Amoonguss. Amoonguss makes my matchup a lot harder, but without it, my Xerneas can run free which is what happened. I thought I had game 1 locked up when I Fly Z’d his +2 Xerneas from around 35% and thought it would KO, but I was mistaken as I forgot that I switched to a bulky Tornadus. I was luckily able to hit a Hurricane in Sun as Tailwind expired the next turn to win game 1. Game 2 I revealed Roar turn 1 and won the game as he lost all of his offense. I wished Preston the best for the rest of his tournament and prepared myself for the day.

WW

Round 2 vs. Pedro Lima (@pedroazl) Finished: Dropped (3-3)

When I saw Pedro’s name on the pairing board I was a little confused as to why he was here, but I prepped myself mentally. I knew that he made Worlds last year and got a stipend to Brazil through the European system, but I knew of none of his other accomplishments, if he has any. I saw the six in team preview and knew the set was going to come down to information, especially game 1. I assumed Coba Berry on the Amoonguss and played a little wilder with my Tornadus than I should have, and lost once his Amoonguss revealed a pinch Berry to allow it to take a combination of attacks from my restricteds (a +2 Moonblast and a Water Spout from around 60%, if I remember correctly). Game 2 was similarly close, and I remember having to make a few hard calls in the endgame to win. Pedro played game 3 very well. I don’t remember much about the game except expecting a Tornadus Hurricane to KO Amoonguss from much higher than the range should be, another mistake on my end with calcs. Well, I lost and was sitting at 1-1. Pedro played it well, and all I could do was win out and hope he would be decent resistance in the event I finish 5-2. I took a lot of time to think about this loss. It was an extremely winnable set that I got outplayed in. After a bit of sulking and damage calcs, I prepared myself to run a similar gauntlet as I did at Madison 2018, where I went 1-1 after a heartbreaker against Ashton to cut at 6-1.

LWL

Round 3 vs Matt Tidd (@Tiddvicious) FInished: 26th (4-3)

Having to play an elimination match with Matt this early was upsetting. Matt and I are good friends and he is on my NPA team this year. I knew I was going to face off against something fun, and I got something interesting for sure. This set was actually the first time I had ever played against Necrozma in a tournament, despite having been to a bunch of locals and 6 majors before this. The other mons of note I saw in team preview were Mimikyu and Bruxish, which I assumed were there so he could guarantee Trick Room. I primarily used game 1 to scout information, and learned some key things such as that he was Sash Mimikyu, Scarf Bruxish, and Weakness Policy NDM. I lost the game early when on turn 1 he set up Safeguard, which made my gameplan of using Amoonguss in Trick Room to stop the NDM useless. Game 2 I changed up my lead to try to prevent TR. He went for Safeguard + Trick Room again, and I called it with a Leaf Blade to KO Bruxish + a Roar onto the Mimikyu. Turn 2, I called his double Trick Room with NDM + Mimikyu and U-turned into my Scarf Ogre to win the game. Game 3 we both lead the same, and I expected an After You + Trick Room, which I got, but responded with a U-turn into my Amoongus + Knock Off onto Mimikyu. This time, I had Amoonguss in Trick Room without Safeguard and the game was essentially over. Kartana began sweeping and Amoonguss was Sporing everything. By the time Trick Room was over, my full HP Scarf Ogre was able to come in and clean up.

LWW

Round 4 vs. Logan Mazur (@CharmazurVGC) FInished: 29th (4-3)

My third XernDon in four rounds, but this one was a little bit different. Logan having Tsareena + Stakataka over the usual Volcarona + Amoonguss changes the dynamic of the matchup in that my Scarf Ogre can be destroyed by a Trick Room mode, but there’s no Amoonguss to disrupt my restrictids directly. I knew Logan had qualified for Worlds the year before, so I expected an interesting set. He destroyed me game 1 after I tried to get creative with an early Xern set up, and he called my moves almost every turn and positioned his Stakataka and Groudon in Trick Room with terrain perfectly, to the point that my Amoonguss was useless and the other mons I had were taking too much damage to be effective once trick room went down. Game 2 I wanted to try to surprise the Stak with a Roar from my Incineroar, but it was nowhere to be seen. I was able to position my Amoonguss and Xerneas well enough to sweep. Game 3 was similar: no Stakataka in sight, so Ogre and Xerneas were able to sweep quickly. I was super scared of seeing a repeat Trick Room sweep of game 1 during games 2 and 3, but luckily that did not happen and I was able to escape another game 1 loss with a win.

LWW

Round 5 vs. Trista Medine (@ryuzaki_vgc) FInished: 27th (4-3)

This is a match that I will not forget for a long time. After scouting some information from my friends, I came to the realization of how terrible of a matchup this is for me. Knock Off Ludicolo + Scarf Ogre applies so much pressure to all of my Pokémon, and the Passho Ho-Oh + Sash Kartana in the back can clean up almost any combination of Pokémon that I may have left. I lose game 1 quickly as I brain farted and forgot that Knocking Off my Kartana meant that I would no longer have my Assault Vest and that I’d easily drop to a Water Spout. Game 2 she decides to lead Ho-Oh Kyogre instead, for some reason, into my repeat Tornadus Kartana. I am eventually able to position my low health boosted Xerneas and 27 hp Kyogre to beat her Ho-Oh and Kartana. If she had Protect on Kartana, she had a wincon by Protecting on the last turn of my Tailwind to ensure she outsped my Kyogre, but she attacked, and I didn’t get full para’d and double hit Origin Pulse to win. Game 3 I switch to Amoonguss Kartana to see if I can get any magic with Sleep turns against the incoming Kyogre + Ludicolo. I sleep the Ogre turn 1 as I lose my Kart to bring in Xern. I bait the switch to Kart and Knock Off into my Xern by Moonblasting + Grass Knotting the Kart to barely miss the KO. Next turn I call the double into my Xerneas and KO the Kartana with a Grass Knot. Ho-Oh comes in as I Moonblast the Ludicolo to get chip onto it, as I saw in game 2 that her AV Ludi dropped to a +2 Moonblast + Origin Pulse. I bring in Kyogre and instantly lose it to a Grass Knot + Brave Bird combination, but not before it crits the Ho-Oh with Origin Pulse and allows my Xerneas to finish off the Ludi with a Moonblast. In comes the Kyogre, having not taken a turn of Sleep. I Dazzle to KO the Ho-Oh and chip the Kyogre as it takes its first turn of Sleep. Next turn, the Ogre continues sleeping and I Moonblast to drop it to around 30%. My entire tournament would be decided on this next turn, and the game decided to bless me as the Kyogre took yet another turn of Sleep and my battered, Herbless Xerneas finished off the Kyogre to allow me to advance to 4-1. The number of times that I have been eliminated from Regionals to luck like this flashed through my head, and I knew this was something blessing me with an opportunity. I was overcome with emotion and shot up from my chair and motioned to my friends watching from the other tables. After winning that matchup, I knew that it was within me to win anything else the tournament threw at me. I had not been so excited over an individual round win in so long, and realized I’d been playing much better than I was earlier on. I buckled down and got ready for R6, which could guarantee me CP if I won it.

LWW

Round 6 vs. Nicholas Borghi Finished: 25th (4-3)

Xerneas Groudon Incineroar Tapu Koko Volcarona Amoonguss

The first of four teamkills I had with close friends of mine. 🙁 Nick was using the same Volcarona Xern Don team that I lost to earlier, so I went in expecting a close set, but in terms of matchup details not much changed. Game 1 I was able to find a turn in the midgame to eliminate his Amoonguss around its known Occa Berry, which allowed me to win with my Xerneas and Kyogre. Game 2 he makes a hard read turn 1 based on information of me having Protect Torn (which I don’t), and I am able to get up Geomancy super early and ride the momentum to 5-1. I wished Nick the best after the set and prepared for my win and in as there were only a few x-1s, so I did my best to gather as much information on them as I could.

WW

Round 7 vs. James Baek FInished: 10th (5-2)

I knew there was a really good chance that I would have to play Ashton or James for this win and in, and unfortunately, I got James. I was not too appalled though when I saw team preview, as it was a six mon mirror and I knew James’ Kyogre was holding the Normalium Z. James and I have differing opinions on the Z-Psych Up Ogre vs Scarf Ogre MU. I think it’s a clear advantage for Scarf and he thinks it’s a clear advantage for Normalium. We were about to find out who was right. Game 1 came down to a 50/50 of which of his restricteds would Protect in front of my low HP Kartana, and I called the Xerneas Protecting and KO’d the Kyogre as my Xerneas boosted up. Game 2 I Taunt his Tornadus turn 1 to try to win the game right there, but lost the speed tie and continued playing in a relatively even position. I was later able to position my Torn to win another speed tie to ensure my Xerneas set up a game-winning Geomancy, and this time I win the tie and move to 6-1. Having the game (especially a game 2 where I won game 1) come down to me needing to win one of two 50/50s is not bad, and I was happy with my play the last three rounds going 6-1 in games.

WW

Hey, cool, I made top 8! This was my first regional cut since Madison 2018 back in June, so I was super excited to be back a in top cut. Top 8 standings were posted, and man, this cut was stacked. 3 Worlds top cut players, 2 Regional champions, a Senior World champion, a Chinese dude with Ally Switch, and me. I saw I was playing Enosh in top 8, which was cool. We’d played twice before, with both sets going to him, but I was confident in my ability to win.

Saturday Night

To celebrate mine and Ashton’s cut, a bunch of us went out to a sushi place in Mississauga. Myself, Nate, George, Mihrab, and Quentin at one table and Ashton, Jeremy, Nick, and James at the other. The food was great, and we said our goodbyes to Nick who unfortunately had to leave. A few of us also hit up a Great Canadian Superstore afterward to get some international foods. Nate’s basement that night was a mix of people playing different Smash games, watching Jeremy play Hearthstone, and me in the corner getting bopped by Sachit in XL Ditto vs TornOgre games. I spent so much time that night learning and practicing the matchup I was going to play in top 8. Shoutouts to Sachit, James, and Emilio for all the prep. I had to learn all of my relevant Ditto calcs and figure out an optimal set of 4 to bring. I probably played over 80 games of this matchup and determined it was in my favor. We later realized it was a ridiculously favorable matchup after learning that, for some reason, his Amoonguss did not have Clear Smog. My preppers and I essentially decided that I should be able to consistently play my way to a win if he did not lead Ditto. If he lead Ditto, he would have to randomly guess my lead slot correctly, but it could snowball him to an easy win if I misplayed. I had to be careful, but whether I won or lost would be up to me.

Sunday Morning

Ashton, James, and I woke up and made our way to the venue. We went through the proper proceedings and the judges lead us over to the tables structured to seat our cut.

Top 8 vs. Enosh Shachar Finished: 6th (6-2)

To my luck, Enosh never lead Ditto and I was able to play my way to a quick 2-0. My Incineroar outspeeding his to Roar his out before I lost my Xerneas’ boosts was crucial to win game 1. I weakened and guaranteed slept all of his mons to the point that (funnily enough) Amoonguss and Incineroar were able to get 4 KOs. Game 2 I was able to sweep with Xerneas and Kartana easily once I got them into good positions. I got a brick! The set also meant a lot to me, as it was a mini-revenge for Enosh knocking me out of my first Regional cut in 2016 due to me forgetting to timer stall, for some reason. I also watched a famous James Evans pop off during my set, so I knew I was about to play him in top 4.

WW

Top 4 vs. James Evans Finished: 4th (6-3)

James winning top 8 made me so happy for three reasons: New Jersey was guaranteed finals, James had gotten his Masters brick, and Ally Switch was out of cut. James is a phenomenal player, but I have sort of been a demon for him since he’s moved up to Masters. We’d played 3 times that season up to that point: at x-1 at Philly Regionals, at an MSS, and top 4 at the post-Regional Dallas PC that had to be finished the Sunday morning because the hall closed on Saturday night. We were used to playing each other in high-pressure situations, but I had come out on top all three times. The matchup we were about to play could be very, very dependent on sets and leads, and we knew most of each others’ sets as well, which made things especially interesting. Game 1 I try to ward off an Amoonguss lead with Tornadus, but end up seeing Lunala Koko. I Taunt the Lunala after tanking a Specs Electroweb thanks to my bulk. The Taunt was huge, as it meant the Lunala couldn’t Wide Guard, and I was able to sweep with my boosted Xerneas. His Sash Toxicroak made the endgame a bit tricky, but I remember making a smart U-turn play in the midgame to break the Sash so I could clean up with +2 Dazzle once the Lunala was Taunted. Game 2 I hard called no Amoonguss lead as I lead Incin Xern into Koko Incin and swept with Xerneas. James and I exchanged pleasantries after the set, and I isolated myself to prep for finals.

WW

Finals vs. Alessio Yuri Boschetto Finished: 2nd (9-1)

Well, I made it. My first Regional finals in a little under 4 years. Last time I was in a Regional final I got trashed by a good friend of mine in a matchup that was in my favor, and hey, look, here I am again. I felt good about my matchups against both Underhill and Yuree, but I knew the XernDon matchup much better than the LunaDon matchup that I had never before played in a tournament. In addition to fighting for my own pride, I was also the last defender of North America, as Yuree was looking to win a North American major. The set was recorded, so there is not much for me to say about it. The self U-turn game 1 was a bit unnecessary, but I tried to hard call a double KO that I didn’t end up getting. Game 2 was quick as the turn 1 Sleep Powder miss was too devastating for him to recover from. I utilized the standard Incineroar + Tornadus lead to match VenuDon as making the right turn 1 call puts me in a great position.

WW

Right as I won game 2 on turn 2, Yuree got up out of his chair to hug me and congratulate me. I was overcome with joy for a brief moment. I’d finally gotten that big win at a major that I had been wanting since my entrance to Masters after Worlds 2015. Most of the house was actually in the car on the way to the venue. They left after they heard I made finals but made some wrong turns and didn’t get there until 10 minutes after finals ended. The people that were there and not playing the MSS (James, James, Zain, Alvin, Kylie) all congratulated Yuree and myself as we went to grab our prizes. Right after I got my box of stuff, the rest of the house arrived and nearly ran me over as they all hugged me and congratulated me. We waited for Ashton to be done with his MSS round and we took some pictures as I told some of my stories of the weekend. Afterwards we went to get lunch. We ended up at Harvey’s, because we were promised that the burgers would be a beautiful thing (they were not). We then went back to Nate’s until it was time for me to go to the airport. Everyone left at the house came to drop me off at the airport, which was nice. I said my goodbyes and waited at the gate for around 3 hours due to delays, but I honestly couldn’t have cared less. It had been a great weekend.

Shoutouts!

Antonio and Matthias for discussing MUs with me all weekend

NY/NJ for all of the support and for being the best region

Sachit, James, and Emilio for all of the practice on Saturday night when they probably had better things to do

Nick for calling me with inaudible screams

The non-NY/NJ natives at the venue that were so supportive! Special shoutouts to Alvin, Zain, JeanMarc, Yuree, Raghav, Nick, and Justin.

All the TornOgre GOATs, it’s an honor to be amongst y’all

#GazpachoGoat

Credit to guiltronprime for the featured image