Andrew Pace

An average geek with a minimal social life | Video Content Creator | Lv. 24 VGC Player🕹️

[Andrew Pace @VanikVGC]

Hello! My name is VanikVGC and I create Pokémon VGC content on both TikTok, X, and eventually YouTube! I am a growing VGC player training to compete in my first regional! Follow to find VGC resources, competitive builds, and more!

https://t.co/nkhkk5PgR3

[Andrew Pace @VanikVGC]

@ethancglenn Exactly. Not even a necessary statement at that. The acolyte is NOT Star Wars, and I refuse to acknowledge it as such.

[Andrew Pace @VanikVGC]

@ethancglenn I believe SV was a great step forward, but we still need a lot more effort put into these next gen games.

[Andrew Pace @VanikVGC]

@ethancglenn You bet he is!

[Andrew Pace @VanikVGC]

@ethancglenn Bro woke up and chose holy smoke🔥💯

[Andrew Pace @VanikVGC]

Trying to create content and improve your VGC skills while still in school is extremely rough😅

[Andrew Pace @VanikVGC]

I think the Articuno win was a one off. While the team was incredibly creative and skillfully piloted, I doubt we’ll see Articuno make even top 16 again.

[Andrew Pace @VanikVGC]

@ethancglenn Then you might be half wrong😂👀

[Andrew Pace @VanikVGC]

So, after viewing the Pokémon direct, I can confidently say that the majority of my predictions were wrong😂 not entirely disappointed though, especially if they execute PLZA properly.

[Andrew Pace @VanikVGC]

Just uploaded a TikTok with my Pokémon Presents predictions! Go check it out!

https://t.co/zxbOMWHHzp

[Andrew Pace @VanikVGC]

Happy Pokémon Day!

[Andrew Pace @VanikVGC]

Just uploaded a TikTok with my Pokémon Presents predictions! Go check it out!

https://t.co/zxbOMWHHzp

[Andrew Pace @VanikVGC]

Might do a video on my Pokémon Presents predictions, idk…

[Andrew Pace @VanikVGC]

Might do a video on my Pokémon Presents predictions, idk…

[Andrew Pace @VanikVGC]

@larvitarnation Keep it coming brother!💪

[Andrew Pace @VanikVGC]

I genuinely don’t understand why people think PLA is the best Pokémon game on the switch. Popular opinion aside, the numbers and statistics tell a different story. It introduced many much-needed changes to the series, but still fell short of greatness.

[Brady Smith - VGC Corner @vgccorner]

Hyper Offense vs Balance, which should I play?
In this write-up, I will go over the differences between Hyper Offense and Balance. Here are the parts this write-up will cover:
- Teambuilding differences
- Playing philosophy
- Pros and cons of both
- Which is right for me?

Hopefully, by the end of this, you will have a clear understanding of how each style of play works.

Teambuilding differences:
When building, usually good builders will construct a team that feels cohesive. This all boils down to one thing: synergy.

In Pokemon, there are many ways to have synergy. For the sake of staying on topic, the two pieces of synergy I really want to focus on in this write-up are the following: defensive and offensive.

Defensive synergy: A proper defensive team respects the type-chart. A well-constructed defensive team has 1-2 switch-ins for each of Pokemon types. As an example in the current regulation, maybe your team has both a Gholdengo and Amoonguss to resist Fairy. This allows you to build a Pokemon that can be weak to Fairy. Maybe this Gholdengo Amoonguss core could do with an Urshifu-Rapid Strike. The Gholdengo and Amoonguss defensively cover for Urshifu's weakness to fairy, and Urshifu covers for the shared weakness to Fire. This thought process could carry on until you have a full team of 6. As for offensive synergy, it's a bit different.

Offensive synergy: Offense synergy comes from overwhelming the opponent with options. You would first start with two Pokemon that work very well together and can cover for each other's weaknesses. This thought process is very similar to building defensively, the key difference is we are not only looking at typings. We are looking at breaking opponents down. Let's say we started with Urshifu Single Strike. Maybe a good partner for him would be Gholdengo. This is because we can create a board where we can overwhelm the opponent with offense. Make It Rain + Close Combat/Wicked Blow pressure can KO just about anything in the game. There are only two problems that come to mind: 1. Speed, 2. Specific bulky Pokemon (like Iron Hands and Raging Bolt). From here, I would solve these issues one by one. Perhaps I'd start with a Tornadus to solve the speed issue, then a Lando-I to solve the problem with those very specific bulky Pokemon. The point is I am thinking of how I can enable my core offensive strategy and work around it.

Okay, now what do these have to do with Hyper Offense and Balance?
One of the biggest common misconceptions my students would have when they came to me is that "balance means defensive". I can not tell you how wrong this is. A truly balanced team has both offensive and defensive options. It's about combining offensive and defensive synergy to have the most options possible. I've always seen balance as the most skill-intensive archetype to pilot. It requires players to understand both defensive and offensive synergy to properly construct and pilot a balance team.

As for Hyper Offense, it hones up more on the offensive synergy. Hyper Offense sacrifices the defensive synergy and replaces it with more offense. Hyper-offensive players do not typically hard switch. Their main game plan is to go blow for blow. They trade you 1-2 mons each turn with the game being positioning. They aim to lead the most annoying combination of Pokemon and go for trades to enable their back to sweep. Hyper offensive players do not care if they lose their opening Pokemon if it means their back can inherit a board where they can overwhelm the opponent. Their team is designed to lose their lead and clean up with the back.

Playing Philosophy:
Balance players typically look for the middle-ground option in every matchup. If the opponent has a Flutter Mane, make sure you bring your Flutter Mane check. If the opponent has an Urshifu, make sure you don't lead too weak into Urshifu, etc. They will typically avoid hard-calling until it is absolutely necessary. You can not middle-ground every matchup, for some matchups you need to go for hard-reads. This is what separates some of the best balance players from an average one. Back in 2018, I had a flight with the 2022 Pokemon World Champion, Eduardo Cunha. He taught me that for everything he did in Pokemon (teambuilding, team preview, playing), he followed the rule of 2. I was intrigued but also thought he was crazy because I did not understand what he meant. The rule of 2 is a simple concept where if you can have 2 checks for every Pokemon in the metagame, you would theoretically have a perfectly balanced team. If we have 2 checks into Flutter Mane, it can enable us to lock in with those 2, and an additional 2 Pokemon that lose to Flutter Mane. This means that we can have a 50/50 matchup vs the opponent, meaning we can rely on our difference as a player to close the gap. Balance players seek an even matchup so they can out-position the opponent. Positioning is balance players' bread and butter.

As for Hyper Offense, it's a bit different. Hyper Offense players live by the code of trades. They aim to always go blow for blow. Sometimes they can win a game without losing a single Pokemon, but this will only happen when the matchup is very positive for the HO player, or the opponent does not know how to keep up. They will always aim to trade 1:1 in threats. They aim to get value trades. Maybe they have a Flutter Mane in the back and all they need to do is KO your Amoonguss in the early game to sweep with a Tera Fairy Dazzling Gleam. They will look to make positive trades to enable their back Pokemon to sweep. This is their whole game. A Hyper Offense player does not care if they lose a Pokemon because the full team is constructed of sweepers. Losing a Pokemon means you get a free switch into a sweeper. Their game plan is to just bring the sweeper on the board on the right turn where it can push an advantage. As a Hyper Offense player, reads are your strongest tool. Despite what most people think, Hyper Offense is not all reads. Their reads are just much more potent. If you make a crazy read while piloting balance, you may have won the turn. If you call a turn on Hyper Offense properly, it can be game-deciding. As a Hyper Offense player, you are not forcing reads all the time, but you must know when you need to force reads, and you need to be comfortable winning them. Reps are the most important thing a HO player can do. The more times you immerse yourself in a specific situation, the more times you'll feel comfortable playing in it. This means you can nail those game-deciding reads properly.

Pros of Balance:
- High skill ceiling
- Rewards good fundamentals
- Teaches how to play
- (Usually) no auto-loss matchups
- Great at beating less-skilled players
Cons of Balance:
- Games can sometimes take a while
- Very hard to master
- Hard to build a properly balanced team
- Susceptible to bad RNG

Pros of Hyper Offense:
- Rewards reads
- Rewards position awareness
- Arguably the best archetype in OTS
- Easy to pick up with a little bit of help
- Not as susceptible to bad RNG
Cons of Hyper Offense:
- Need to nail the leads/back
- Sometimes relies on 90% accuracy moves
- Can be very stressful to pilot

Which is right for me?
Tbh this depends on what you are looking for. If you're looking for a style of play that will teach you the fundamentals of Pokemon VGC that rewards positioning, I'd say balance is the way to go. If you can identify how to overwhelm the opponent and are comfortable playing mind-games, Hyper Offense is for you.

Bonus:
Balance Sample:
https://t.co/EiXwI6sfIV
Hyper Offense Sample:
https://t.co/SPqJEnPAYw

[Victory Road VGC @VGCVictoryRoad]

Congratulations to 🇺🇸 Wolfe Glick (@WolfeyGlick), your 2024 Charlotte Regional Champion, his 8th Regional title overall! 🇺🇸🏆

Wolfe's previous achievements:
▶️ 2019 NAIC Champion
▶️ 2016 World Champion
▶️ 2-time US National Champion
▶️ 7-time Regional Champion

[Victory Road VGC @VGCVictoryRoad]

Join us for the VR Winter Challenge! Our first online tournament of the year 🚀🌐

🗓️ 13-14 Jan, 14:00 UTC
🎮 VGC Regulation Set F
🎟️ $10 USD
🏆 Prizes based on attendance

🔁 RT for a chance of a free entry!

📖 Info: https://t.co/zS9lxMNdtf
👉 Sign-ups: https://t.co/mt0HKAR0Ex

[Victory Road VGC @VGCVictoryRoad]

⚠️ VGC REGULATION SET F ⚠️

The list of eligible Pokémon in Reg. Set F has been announced!

🗓️ 4 Jan–30 Apr 2024
✅ All Pokémon in the Blueberry Pokédex are now ELIGIBLE, except Terapagos
✅ HOME-exclusive Pokémon are also ELIGIBLE
🚫 Banlist includes only Restricteds & Mythicals