Started by: Max
Hello Hat Lovers!

Today we look back on the VGC 2016 format before Sun & Moon are released and we move on to the new format.

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Hey there Hat Lovers,

Heading into Spring Regionals, we’ve got what I think has become a more balanced metagame, albeit with a format that is still very punishing against slight misplays. The rise of Dual Primals with Bronzong has been a huge boon to the format’s balance, as this team has a great matchup against Big 6. As a result, Big 6 players are finally being forced to reconsider their team composition and figure out if there’s a way to modify their “goodstuffs” archetype to help deal with these new threats. Of course there are other teams that are popular right now, including some up-and-coming archetypes.

Today’s article is going to be an overview of the team archetypes popular today, and a glimpse into those teams that aren’t yet as well-developed.

Teams to watch for

Big 6

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Hey there Hat Lovers!

Be sure to tune in to the official Nugget Bridge stream this weekend to catch Mark commentating the Seattle Regional Championships.* He’ll be commentating on both Saturday and Sunday, and will be joined by Gabby Snyder (JTK) from www.teammagma.net on Sunday to commentate the Top Cut.

You’ll also be able to find the entire VGC with Hats crew at Seattle this weekend. Just look for anyone wearing a VGC with Hats hat, sporting our new logo; naturally a Togekiss. The schedule for this weekend will be:

Stream Schedule

Saturday – Catch Mark starting at ~11:00 am PDT / ~2:00pm EDT

Sunday – Catch Mark and Gabby for the Top Cut (TBA)

VGC with Hats authors attending

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Hey there Hat Lovers,

Today’s article will be a discussion of one kind of “misplay.” Probably the most common, easiest mistake to make is to go for a hard read and have it backfire on you. These misplays are often called things like “overextending” or “missed predictions.” But at the end of the day, what’s often happened is that someone has gone against the safest path to victory in favour of a more rocky one.

Sometimes, that’s what you need to do, absolutely! Not all paths to victory are going to be laid down for you. But if you’re too eager to sail off course, you’re going to hit stormy seas. Playing safe is almost always a more guaranteed path to victory. To play safe, you need to select moves that allow you to come out on par or on top at the end of every turn. Indeed, to win, you need to select the best moves to use every turn. In most instances, selecting safe moves will get you there, but I don’t deny that a hard read may be necessary from time to time.

For the record, I’m going to define “hard read” as an umbrella term here. That means there are different kinds of hard reads you can make, but they’re all still hard read scenarios. Meanwhile, I’ll define a “coin flip decision” as a subset of hard reads. Keep this in mind as you read through!

So what is a hard read?

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