The Road to Melbourne
Melbourne Regionals. Another city, another shot at proving myself.
I made the journey from Perth on the 23rd of May, and this time felt different. Weeks of practice, scrims, and deep diving into the meta left me more prepared than ever. I understood the matchups, and I understood my team. I was out for blood.
Before the Storm
Before the bracket was revealed and the chaos kicked in, there was time to catch up with familiar faces from across the country and beyond. These moments before a tournament are genuinely underrated. There’s something about sharing a laugh and a conversation with people who understand exactly what you’re about to put yourself through that just settles the nerves. A reminder that at the end of the day, we’re all here because of our shared enjoyment of this game and the competitive spirit it brings out in us.
Then the bracket dropped, and it was time to get to work.
GO Time
Round 1 came against serdna136, a newer face to the competitive scene. A clean 2-0 to open the day. Good way to settle in and find my rhythm.
Round 2 was where things started heating up. My opponent was Terraking, a player who consistently reaches Legend rank in the GO Battle League and finished 13th at the 2023 Oceania International Championships. To add another layer of pressure, this match was scheduled on the livestream.
Game 1 was tense. I made a nice Shadow Ball catch with my Lickilicky in the early game, but Terraking answered back with a catch of his own that nearly cost me the game. I held on and scraped through.
Game 2 started rough with a bad lead, my Stunfisk staring down his Quagsire, never a fun sight. But my trusty Lickilicky did what it does, forcing switch alignment and opening the door for me to take it 2-0 on stream.
Momentum was building.
First Roadblock
That momentum met a wall in the form of DabideGgst, an incredibly strong player from Japan with serious credentials, including an elo of over 3,500 in the GO Battle League. A few team read errors on my end cost me the games and dropped me into the losers’ bracket earlier than I would have liked.
But I wasn’t done. Not even close. All I had to do was shake it off, reset mentally, and keep going.
A Familiar Face
My next opponent did nothing to calm those nerves. It was YACOBERVITCH, an OG in the PvP community and a very good friend of mine. My heart sank the moment I saw the name. I knew exactly how good he was.
Game 1 came down to the wire. Yaco found his win condition and predicted the catch I had to make, but in the crucial moment, he was unable to get his Hydro Cannon off with his Feraligatr, whether from the game state or a one-turn lag. I farmed down his remaining Pokémon and took Game 1.
Game 2 was another nail-biter, but perhaps the previous game had rattled him slightly. I was able to take it, advancing to the next round.
Yaco, if you’re reading this. ❤️ you, brother.
Finding the Flow
The next two matches were against GlisteningViper and YoshiJoshii. Clean 2-0 victories in both, built on solid energy management and well-timed team reads. My confidence was growing with every round. I was locked in.
Then came Zeetarb.
A local from Perth, a 2025 World Championships competitor, and someone who consistently places at the top of Australian Regionals. This one was also on stream. A battle of the Perthians.
Game 1 opened with a rough lead, my Shadow Forretress with Bug Bite into his Jellicent. Not ideal. But some smart shield decisions and calculated risk-taking allowed me to overcome the disadvantage and sweep the rest of his team with Stunfisk.
Game 2 was more even, Shadow Forretress into his Stunfisk, a matchup that’s far more manageable when you’re running Bug Bite over Volt Switch. My fast move pressure accumulated, Stunfisk took over, and I closed it out 2-0.
Perth representing. 💪
The Match of the Tournament
I still wasn’t able to breathe, because up next on stream was chooooooooose, a player who has reached number one on the global GO Battle League leaderboards. This match would determine who made the Top 4.
I had to perform out of my mind.
Game 1. My Togekiss opened against his Shadow Annihilape. He quickly swapped to Wigglytuff, which I chipped and dipped into my Stunfisk. After winning that matchup, his Annihilape came in and farmed down my Stunfisk. I then pulled off what we call a peekaboo manoeuvre, knowing he had Ice Punch energy on his Annihilape, I brought in my Togekiss and immediately swapped to Feraligatr to absorb the hit and negate his energy.
His final Pokémon was a Galarian Moltres. I baited with a Hydro Cannon that grabbed his first shield, then with Feraligatr on 1hp, I landed a clutch Ice Beam to force his second shield. With a two-shield advantage, Togekiss versus a loaded Galarian Moltres and a weakened Annihilape, I stayed patient, dodged his catch attempt, farmed down the Annihilape, and closed the game out with two Aura Spheres. Game 1 was mine.
Game 2. He ran the same team back. I had a feeling he might open with Aegislash, so I led Stunfisk. Wrong read, it was Shadow Annihilape again. But Stunfisk is tanky enough to eat an Ice Punch and get to two moves, which is exactly what happened.
I hard-pivoted into Togekiss, a risky call that would have been game-ending if he had Aegislash in the back. He came in with Wigglytuff instead, and I grabbed his second shield. Now it was all down to my Feraligatr versus Wigglytuff and whatever he had in the back, not a great spot given how heavily resisted Shadow Claw is.
My only path was to farm as much energy as I possibly could, shield the Swift, and throw the Hydro Cannon. His last Pokémon? Galarian Moltres again. Yet again, I showed a great amount of patience. I waited, he went for the catch, I punished it, farmed down the Annihilape, and finished with an Ice Beam and a Hydro Cannon on his Moltres to take the win.
2-0. Top 4.
End Game
My next opponent was g0ne1001, a close friend and the reigning Brisbane Regional Champion. On stream again, of course.
Game 1, I took the win with some careful energy management. Game 2 was as close as it gets. It came down to a Feraligatr mirror at the end. My Gatr was sitting at half health with energy. His was full health but energy dry, and I was up a shield. Two Hydros and a Shadow Claw left him on one HP. He got the game-winning Hydro Cannon off, and just like that, it was 1-1.
Game 3, his Pangoro proved to be too much for my team to handle and with that, he was able to defeat me.
I was feeling bittersweet in the moment, but not for long. I was genuinely happy for him, and looking at the bigger picture, finishing 4th at a major Regional after clawing back from a round 3 losers’ bracket drop is something to be proud of. The stream showcased some of my best play. Smart decisions, composure under pressure, big moment clutches. I was happy with everything I put out there.
The Grand Final
With my run over, I settled in to watch the remaining three battle it out.
g0ne1001 faced pokemonemaker in the semis, a name that will be familiar to anyone who has read my previous articles, given how many times he has ended my tournament runs. pokemonemaker took it 3-0, setting up a grand final against DabideGgst, the very player who had knocked me into the losers’ bracket in Round 3.
Dabide came in from the winner’s side, meaning pokemonemaker needed a bracket reset and then another Best of 3 to claim the title. It wasn’t to be. DabideGgst put on a dominant display, taking the grand final 3-0 and being crowned the 2026 Melbourne Regional Champion. Well played to him.
Results & What It Means
For my 4th-place finish, I was awarded:
- $1,000 USD
- 4th Place Medal
- 2 TCG Booster Boxes
- 300 Championship Points
Those Championship Points move me from 6th to 3rd on the Oceania Leaderboard, and with that comes a very real shot at a stipend award for the World Championships in San Francisco. What makes that even more special is that San Francisco will mark my 5th consecutive World Championships, placing me in a very small group of trainers across the entire world to have competed in every single Pokémon GO World Championship since the game joined the programme. That milestone alone means a lot to me.
Celebrating the Day
When the prizes were handed out and the dust had settled, a big group of us made our way to Munich Brauhaus, a German restaurant and bar. Schnitzels, cold beers, and hours of shared stories from the day. Exactly the kind of ending a long tournament deserves. The Australian competitive scene continues to be one of the best communities I’ve ever been a part of.
One More Day
The following day, back at the convention centre, there was a Cup tournament with Championship Points on the line. I entered and made it all the way to the grand final before falling to fortwah, a longtime friend and fellow 2025 World Championship competitor. 2nd at the Cup, 4th at the Regional. A weekend I’ll look back on with nothing but pride.
A Moment of Appreciation
Before I look ahead, I want to take a moment to acknowledge some people who made this weekend what it was.
PvPsteve, debbiepebble, DrTrotter, FishOnAHeater, and everyone involved in the production of the stream. You guys do an incredible job of bringing these moments to life and giving the community something to rally around. And to the staff and judges who gave up their time to make the event run smoothly, none of this would be possible without you. The experience was truly unforgettable, and that is a credit to every single one of you.
Thank you. 🙏
If you’d like to watch the rebroadcast of this event, feel free to do so here.
What’s Next?
This weekend proved to me that my skills are sharp, and I belong amongst the best. The goal is clear. The World Championships in San Francisco. I plan on showing up, competing at the highest level, and making those who support and look up to me proud.
Until next time, trainers.
