-I learned about VGC only about 14 months ago. Since then, I've found this is one of the best communities and in general, the entire Pokemon VGC community is awesome. Spending these 3-4 days together for a weekend is beyond amazing. :D
-For people saying that "this is easy" or "it all comes down to luck", come on. We have had back to back champions in each division. That is not luck. The people they had to play, the levels of strategy used (approach to the tournament, approach to the battle, approach to each turn...), everything...once you start to understand these things, it's not hard to understand how Wolfe and Cybertron won again.
-Having everyone be so helpful and open to just hanging out is also awesome. Most people get the impression that these conventions are just "nerd fests" or something. While Pokemon can be considered quite nerdy in general, the majority of people at the events are really not that antisocial, awkward, or whatever. Infact, it's more of the opposite- everyone's MORE social and wants to do more things.
-Regionals...what can I say. Getting a two round bye was extremely crucial for players this year. I honestly believe byes should be given based on attendance, and a small top cut should be done at regionals (top 8-16, depending on the attendance as well). HOWEVER that being said, winning a "weak" regional does not really mean anything in regards to overall skill. I can't even count the number of times I heard the casual "oh you won Madison, that was weak, you can't claim respect". No one's asking for personal respect, really, we're just asking that you can respect the fact that we can't travel across the nation every single time to play the "best" because of monetary reasons. Hence why I dragged as many as I could to Madison. #minirant
-While I did get top 8, I realize there is a very good reason why I lost. I simply got outplayed, outteamed, and flat out countered by a better player, and it was apparent in the match results. I lost to Sandman (Joe Pulkowski) and ended up not even standing much of a chance because of how well he played. He put me in a bad position from turn 1, and it drove me nuts. Congrats to him on being so strong, he more or less flew completely under the radar and it paid off.
-You want to be the best? Don't make excuses. Don't make compromises. "Oh, this game is all hax anyways" is not going to take you anywhere. Have fun, be smart, and try to make everything as optimal as possible. When something goes wrong, stand back and do some self-reflection. What could you have done to make it go better? If you're not sure, ask around. Get to know some good players. Understand what the best do. Today was a HUGE learning lesson for me in how to play very well- I'd like to give a shout out (or rather, an AWOOOO) Wolfe for opening my eyes to this about a week before nats- taking the road less traveled is actually usually the right way to go. HOWEVER do not misinterpret that phrase, as there are TONS of roads that are less traveled, meaning there is a slim chance your "less traveled road" is the optimal route. Having smarts and understanding helps you take the correct road, and the only way to do that? Read the first three mini-sentences of this bullet point.
-Just have fun at events. Really. Some people get too worked up, start crying, raging, throwing stuff around the convention center, blowing off their opponents' handshake, or just not talking at all. IT IS A SOCIAL EVENT. INTERACT WITH OTHERS. HAVE FUN. Enjoy your matches, joke around with your opponent, make it less stressful on both of you and just relax and both put on your best. Don't be that guy that flips a table when you lose a match, or the one that cries after you get crit through your Yache Berry (not mentioning anyone specific, but you get the idea). Be the one that laughs at the unfortunate amount of bad luck, and relax next turn knowing you really have nothing to lose. Take this attitude home after nats as well, as it is good to practice being a good opponent and a fun player to be around on the Pokemon Online servers and on the GBU, or wherever you practice.
Blah, that felt like a Zog rant, but it really is just what's been running through my mind today. It's been a really positive experience both gaming-wise and socially, and I can honestly say I enjoyed every moment in this weekend, whether it was the dangerously exciting drive down, the Brawl tournament Friday night, the matches Saturday, actually making top cut, the "drunk stories", the Caprinigs asking me to go do laundry, or the plushie hunting. Thanks to everyone again for being a fantastic community, I'm super excited for regionals again. :]