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(Image credit: The Pokemon Company)
Pokemon has an enormous and thriving competitive scene, but even though many fans might think of the official Video Game Competition (VGC) as the pinnacle of high-level Pokemon gaming, the Pokemon Twitch Cup is arguably much more interesting.
If you were unfamiliar, the Pokemon Twitch Cup has been running since 2021 in Spain, with its third and most recent iteration taking place in December 2023. YouTuber pChal (Pokemon Challenges) has thrown its existence back into the spotlight, talking through what makes the tournament so unique.
The Pokemon Twitch Cup is actually split into two halves, the first being a Nuzlocke challenge which essentially serves to determine which Pokemon each competitor is able to use on their team in the tournament half of the cup. For those unfamiliar, Nuzlockes generally see players capture only the first Pokemon they find on each route and release any Pokemon that faint in battle, meaning that they have a more limited (and often constantly depleting) supply of friends to throw into battle. In the Twitch Cup, competitors are only allowed to use their surviving Pokemon which managed to make it through the Nuzlocke to go up against their real human foes.
Since Pokemon caught in this Nuzlocke boasted random moves and abilities, it meant that the tournament could see rise to some unexpected champions. In this case, with the winner of the whole event, YouTuber SoyFelipez360, his most iconic Pokemon was none other than an Unfezant – the usually underwhelming Normal/Flying-type regional bird of the Unova region.
His bird, named Sopita, had some tricks up her sleeve – the priority move Fake Out, which can go before opponents and cause them to flinch (miss their turn), and the ability Gale Wings, which also gives priority to Flying-type moves. Despite normally being considered pretty awful, the beloved bird was a huge asset throughout the challenge run, and continued to serve SoyFelipez360 well in the second half.
Moving onto the tournament itself, competitors fought in Double Battles, with two Pokemon on each side of the battlefield at each time, in a best-of-five format. In addition, players were able to choose a Pokemon from the other person’s team to ban each game.
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Even amongst a lineup of powerful Pokemon Snorlax, Garchomp, Gholdengo, Glaceon, and Dusknoir, SoyFelipez360’s beloved Unfezant was still somehow an absolute MVP. She’d learned the move Explosion – a powerful Normal-type attack that KOs the user when deployed, which the player certainly wouldn’t have wanted to use in the Nuzlocke half of the cup. This was able to tear through even the hardiest of opponents, and although she wasn’t the Pokemon that won him the final battle, her efforts played an enormous part in his victory, even if pChal still calls her a “trash bird.” We salute you, Sopita.
If you love Pokemon, be sure to check out our ranking of thebest Pokemon games.
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Planescape: Torment was a revolutionary RPG, but many of its devs had no experience with the D&D campaign it was based on: “What the f*ck is that?”
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Elder Scrolls modders have released a playable part of the ambitious Project Tamriel, which aims to recreate all of the beloved RPG’s regions in Morrowind
Elder Scrolls modders have released a playable part of the ambitious Project Tamriel, which aims to recreate all of the beloved RPG’s regions in Morrowind
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GAME REVIEWSMOVIE REVIEWSTV REVIEWS
1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1
Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
2
Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
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Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
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Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
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Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
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2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
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4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
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5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
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1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
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Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
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2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
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Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
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3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
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Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
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4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
4
Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”
5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”
5
Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”