The Brisbane Regional Championship & the Brisbane City Safari event have come and gone, and boy, what a weekend it was.
Brisbane Regional Championships
I arrived from Perth on Friday the 25th of September, only barely making it in time to collect my competitor badge due to a flight delay. With my team submitted and feeling confident in my skills and abilities from all the practice leading up to this event, I was excited to battle it out amongst some of Australia’s most talented PvPers.
Not only that, but the Brisbane Safari event was also on the same weekend. I obviously had to prioritise the main tournament on the Saturday, so I bought my ticket for Sunday. I was looking forward to experiencing it first-hand.
With not much sleep and many coffees later, game day had arrived. I was happy to see a lot of familiar faces and some new ones. Talking with some of the community beforehand was a great way of calming any nerves I had going into it. It reminded me that even just being there, despite whatever result I got, was fine because I was still surrounded by a great group of people. This made it so I could just enjoy myself, play to the best of my abilities and take it one game at a time.
My team was as follows:
With the brackets finalised and our pairings available, my first-round opponent was PokeAlpha1313. I was able to get a swift 2-0, which gave me a good momentum boost. I was able to use clever energy management to my advantage to get the win.
Round 2 is where things started to heat up, as I was paired up against AgentMagikarp. A very strong battler who has competed at the World Championships. I knew this battle was not going to be easy, and I had to lock in. AgentMagikarp has taken me down at previous Regionals, so I knew of his abilities and skills as a battler.
What worried me most about his team was that he had a Feraligatr, which I had not prepared for. I’m aware of how powerful that used to be, but did not expect people to be bringing it in the new meta.
With that being said, I had my trusty Thievul, Melmetal and Shadow Kanto Ninetales to help carry me through this problematic matchup. AgentMagikarp was able to take Game 1, meaning that if I lost the next game, I would already be in the losers’ bracket in Round 2 of the tournament, and I was not ready to go home early.
Thankfully, I was able to win the next two games to progress onto Round 3 of the tournament.
A very sweaty game so early in the tournament is always nerve-racking, but I was able to hold my own and get the victory to progress on. Although, I was not able to relax, as my next opponent would be RicFlareon, and this match would also be live-streamed.
Quick shout-out to the amazing crew who made this livestream possible. debbiepebble, PvPSteve, DrTrotter & TonyOfPride did a fantastic job casting the event and made the whole experience a whole lot better. The work that goes into putting these streams together doesn’t go unnoticed, and it’s great being able to share these tournament moments with everyone watching from home. A big thank you to everyone working behind the scenes, as well as the staff and judges who helped make the event run smoothly.
Game 1 was looking very promising for me. I was utilising my Kanto Ninetales well and was smart with my energy. However, in the last moment of the game, I unfortunately made a misplay which cost me a Game 1 win.
I attempted to build up to two Weather Balls on his Clodsire in the endgame to go for the back-to-back. At the time, I thought this was the safer play. However, I immediately realised it was the wrong decision, as he lived on one HP and made it to the Sludge Bomb. One Energy Ball would have taken him out.
A rough mistake, especially on stream. As upsetting as it is, it’s also a reminder that mistakes can happen, even at high-level gameplay. I accepted my mistake and swiftly moved on, trying not to let it phase me.
Game 2, I managed to come out with a lot of energy with my Thievul in order to win the mid and late game against his Fearow, Shadow Sableye and Jellicent. Clever decision-making allowed me to get the Game 2 win and move on to our final game.
Unfortunately, from the very start of this game, I was at a disadvantage, leading my Thievul into his Alolan Ninetales. As much as I tried to dance around him with energy, I was unable to take the win, meaning Ric moves on and I go to the losers’ bracket.
This one was tough, knowing that I could have won if I had pressed the right move in Game 1. However, a major part of competing at a Regional, and any sort of tournament, is having mental toughness. Acknowledging the fact that I made a mistake but not letting it affect the rest of my tournament run. I was still in it. I just had to regain my focus.
My next match in the losers’ bracket was up against BachZaojNayf, who I was able to get a swift 2-0 against and regain some momentum.
Onto the next round, which would yet again be against AgentMagikarp, who I had knocked into the losers’ bracket in Round 2. That Feraligatr that I was worried about kept coming, but with some nice team synergy, I was able to get a 2-0, advancing to the next battle, which would be livestreamed.
Oeu1a was my next opponent. A very strong player who flew in all the way from Japan to compete in this tournament. His team surprised me, as he brought a Serperior with Return, an interesting tactic I had not seen before.
Game 1, I utilised my Thievul and Galarian Corsola, as those two made for a strong core into his team, and I was able to outbulk and get myself into a comfortable position to win Game 1.
Game 2, I had led my Melmetal into his Return Serperior. In the moment, I was unaware of how the matchup would play out, as Serperior is extremely bulky. I was only able to win that matchup very narrowly, and went with the trusty Thievul/Corsola core to again set myself up for a good position to take the well-played Game 2.
Another 2-0 victory.
This win put me into the Top 4. Regardless of what happened after this, I was happy to make it to Top 4.
I didn’t get much of a chance to breathe, as my next match on stream would be up against Jumothy, an incredibly strong Aussie battler and good friend of mine.
I fought tooth and nail, but found myself not getting the matchups I would have liked. His Shadow Quagsire turned out to be too troublesome for me, as he was able to take the 2-0 win over me, ending my run.
Nevertheless, I was happy for him and incredibly proud of my run at the tournament.
4th place granted me the elusive medal, 300 Championship Points, $1,200, 2x TCG Booster Boxes and a Top 8 player mat.
My goal coming into this tournament was Top 8. I always tell myself that anything above that is a bonus. So, not only did I achieve my goal, I went even further. Consistency is key.
After I had been taken out, I could now finally relax and watch the last few games of the tournament. Zeetarb, Jumothy and RicFlareon were the remaining competitors.
Jumothy was able to take down Zeetarb in the losers’ bracket finals, meaning that the Grand Finals was against Jumothy and RicFlareon, two familiar names and titans amongst the Australian competitive PvP scene.
They battled it out to the best of their abilities, but there could only be one winner at the end of the day. RicFlareon was able to clutch a 3-2 victory to be crowned the 2026 Brisbane Regional Champion!
Unc still got it 🥳
The tournament was now concluded. It was time to receive our prizes and take pictures. Quite a good-looking lineup, if you ask me.
It was now time to relax and celebrate our achievements of the day. A large group of us all went out to dinner to discuss the day and debrief after all the battles we had to endure.
The community aspect has to be my favourite part of this game, as I’ve made really close friends with the Australian PvP community. They are all amazing people who are easy to get along with and very inclusive of everyone.
Cup Tournament
Sunday arrived, and I decided to participate in the Cup tournament they were having in the morning, which awarded Championship Points and Prize Wall tickets.
I ended up coming second in this tournament, losing to another fellow Perth battler, Zeetarb, who came 3rd at the Regional. I was awarded an extra 40 Championship Points, which all add up for future travel awards that I strive for.
An incredibly good weekend for me result-wise, and I was happy with my performance. It was now time for me to experience the City Safari happening in Brisbane City.
City Safari
A group of us walked together as we went around collecting stamps in the game, which awarded us the special costumed Eevee. As much as I tried, I never ended up getting my shiny Eevee. I guess there’s always next time. I still enjoyed exploring and catching rare Pokémon such as Mudbray and Hawlucha.
And thus concluded my trip to Brisbane. As short as this trip was, I personally believe that this was a 10/10 experience, not just for the tournament but the community aspect too.
My next adventure will be to the Latin America International Championships, held in Brazil in November. It will be an incredibly long journey, but I’m looking forward to experiencing it and doing my best at the tournament to try and represent Australia.
I look forward to updating you all on my journey as you follow along with me, as I give you a glimpse into the life of a travelling battler.
Until next time,
