Andrew Whitman

[Andrew Whitman @Andrew_Whit_]

NA VGC Masters Leaderboard is live!

Follow along during NAIC to see how the Worlds race is shaping up. There are two ways you can.

First up is a dashboard I created. Link in the second post.

[Andrew Whitman @Andrew_Whit_]

@NatusPKMN @MagicManChance Dusk would get the job done 😂

[Andrew Whitman @Andrew_Whit_]

I meant turn 1 of game 3!

[Andrew Whitman @Andrew_Whit_]

Just watching this set now for the first time. Did anyone catch that in game 3, Traylor’s Pagos hit a PHYSICAL tera starstorm in game 1 to knock out the opposing flutter?!

Without the moonblast spa drop, flutter would have likely survived the already -1 special starstorm!

[Play! Pokémon @playpokemon]

Welcome to VGC, big stall 🥸

Dr. Aaron Traylor adjusts in Game 3 by bringing Toxapex, slowly wearing their opponent's team down with Toxic and Infestation, taking the set!

#PokemonVGC

[Austin Le ♦️🔪/✂️✨/🍾⚡ @Lepotatochip]

The Ohio Omastars are your USPL Season 5 Champions!!

This was first season managing and I expected this year to be a rebuild year and we ended up winning it all! I'm so proud of our team and especially our 7 players in their USPL rookie season. Looking forward to next season!

[Andrew Whitman @Andrew_Whit_]

ZardY Floette Chomp Aero Gambit (Basc/Sneasler) is giving big 6 vibes with typing and inherent strength.

It won’t be that good and the meta won’t be as narrow.

But it just won the largest ever tournament and the Prague side event this weekend after strong VR results!

[Andrew Whitman @Andrew_Whit_]

I went 7-2 in Skraw with Meganium and Max Aura Kingambit TR!

[Andrew Whitman @Andrew_Whit_]

Mega Floette is a ridiculous mon. I still can’t believe it’s M-A legal. This made up spread

- is as fast as the fastest modest Kyogre
- is as bulky as glass Kyogre
- hits as hard as 116+ specs flutter with mb and gleam
- hits harder than LO Blood Moon with light of ruin

[Andrew Whitman @Andrew_Whit_]

I made it to Master Ball spamming spread moves. Scarf atales is absolutely the MVP.

These are 6 of the 8 mons in my box. I chose Pikachu, grabbed the free dnite, and high rolled atales as my first recruit.

Floette is tough. Zard Y tricky. Rotom-W and the IDBP guys annoying.

[Andrew Whitman @Andrew_Whit_]

M-A runs from today until June 17 after NAIC.

Is there about to be another first format Worlds??

[Andrew Whitman @Andrew_Whit_]

Another recruit with baffling defaults from Champions marketing. Trial recruitment seems like a pretty poor feature.

[Lewtwo @Lewchube]

actual question to VGC players is there a single good thing about this Arcanine set on the pokemon champions eshop page or are the devs smoking crack rocks like I suspect

[Andrew Whitman @Andrew_Whit_]

@SwampVGC @_yotam_ This matches my intuition. Regardless of the move accuracies, drift seems like a more active choice that anticipates your opp’s active tera usage. Draco is the default which feels more passive. Most people likely intuitively frame it this way and thus experience regret aversion.

[Andrew Whitman @Andrew_Whit_]

@SwampVGC @_yotam_ I think this is a common psychological sentiment. I’m curious your reason(s), but I have my own ideas why.

[Nimbasa City Post @NimbasaCityPost]

The race to qualify for the 2026 Pokémon World Championships is near the end and 🇺🇸 Austin Le (@Lepotatochip) is here to breakdown to current Path to Worlds for players in US and Canada. #PlayPokemon

🔗 https://t.co/qn1PVaZi55

[Andrew Whitman @Andrew_Whit_]

@Every1IsaGenius I can see that. I think a handful of factors can explain the drift overrepresentation. The psychological stuff like regret aversion is one of them. The key is all the angles matter when making a decision. There’s not a silver bullet unless you can literally read your opp’s mind.

[Andrew Whitman @Andrew_Whit_]

These pure endgames are always fun to think about.

On the one hand in a vacuum, mixed Nash equilibrium says to Draco 53% of the time and Drift 47% of the time. And for Ting-Lu to hold tera 53% and tera fairy 47%. Either player doing this locks in 53% win odds for Ting-Lu.
(1/x)

[yotam @_yotam_]

VGC players, please vote in this poll, for science!

It's a 1v1 tournament endgame -- your Miraidon vs. Ting-Lu. They have tera fairy available. They're in range of Draco Meteor/Electro Drift. You're in range of Earthquake. You must call their tera or you lose. What do you click?

[Andrew Whitman @Andrew_Whit_]

It feels like a so-called 50/50 in the end, and in the plethora of VGC skills, this pure endgame decision making can be rare.

But, I believe this micro-skill is something that can be trained and that it’s worthwhile to have a framework like this that informs your choice.
/fin

[Andrew Whitman @Andrew_Whit_]

But each of these games is unique when you’re in them!

Understanding the theoretical best plays, how the “average”opp is incentivized, and how your specific opponent is reading the situation and is conditioned should all be considered.
(9/x)