The Pokémon Youth Movement
30 June, 2012 in Play! Pokémon
In his first year of competitive play, six-year-old Kendahl Burk won a Junior Division Regional tournament. He gives us a peek at his winning strategy.
How have you done so far in the Video Game Championships?
I’m 3-1. Actually, I won the Oregon Regionals, which gave me a two-round bye, so today I’ve won one and lost one game so far. The game I lost was really close. The game I won I managed to use Protect at the right time when my opponent tried to use Fly.
Are you playing the same team that you played in Oregon?
No, I lost my game cartridge so I had to start over! It didn’t take that long, though. I beat the new game in two weeks!
What kind of strategy are you playing now?
It’s pretty hard to play. My strategy is to use a Sandstorm team. I like to start with Tyranitar and Excadrill unless my opponent has a good Fighting Pokémon. Those are the Pokémon that are hardest to fight.
Is there anything tricky about your team?
Yeah, I like to lead off with a Politoed to make it look I’m going to start making it Rain. The Politoed I have doesn’t even have Drizzle, so it doesn’t start to Rain. It’s just a decoy—my opponents don’t know what to do.
Is this your first big tournament?
Yeah, this is my first National Championships. The only other big tournament I played in was in Oregon. I’ve met some other players. It’s fun being around all these other Pokémon people. But sometimes there’s just too many people!
Who’s your favorite Pokémon?
Zoroark is my number one favorite, then Victini, then Reshiram!Return to the National Championships page for more stories from the 2012 Pokémon National Championships.