The Zheng Dynasty Continues!

I think so, but I'm still trying to have fun. I really want to go to Hawaii for the World Championships again because last year I didn't do as well as I wanted to representing the United States. That's where I have a lot to prove.

There are so many Pokémon to choose from in the current format. How have you been preparing for tomorrow for such a wide-open field?

It's interesting. There's been trend toward just loading up with the most powerful Pokémon. I've been practicing against all the combinations of these Pokémon I can think of to come up with what I think are the winning six.

So do you still expect to see a pretty wide variety of teams this year?

I think so. I know that in Europe you'd see the same eight or so Pokémon in all the finals. The thing about the American game is that we follow what Pokémon the Europeans use, as well as what the Japanese and Korean players are using. So I expect to see all kinds of different teams.

It seems that every year, weather and Trick Room teams are everywhere. Has anything in the game changed that?

Actually, last year the weather effects weren't as prevalent because you didn't have Tyranitar and Politoed to set off weather automatically. I remember my finals opponent used weather pretty well, though. And a Trick Room team won the National Championships in 2010. This year I actually expect to see a little more variety, but I still expect to see a lot of those strategies.

After attending Nationals for a while, and then winning it last year, people are probably starting to recognize you.

Definitely. I really appreciate that. I think it's nice that a lot of people recognize me, and I've had a chance to talk to a lot of them. I know a lot of friends from the online community, so it's cool to see them.

What are you doing before tomorrow's Championships begin?

Actually, my brother and I entered into the Pokémon TCG tournament. I used to play a lot of Pokémon TCG before I got into the video game. I've played both the entire year, and it's been a pretty fun mix.

What tournaments did you play to warm up for the National Championships?

I played in the New Jersey and Philadelphia Regionals. And I went to all kinds of Pokémon TCG competitions, too. So I have a pretty good feel for what I'll face. I think there's going to be quite a show tomorrow.