Tacoma Tinks vs. Kenmore Air

Things are heating up in the PDL as gym leaders across the league have settled in to their new teams after a couple weeks of battles. Trainers Daniel and Drew of the respective Kenmore Air and Tacoma Tinks found themselves in similar situations coming into their week 3 matchup. Finding himself in an unfamiliar situation, Pilot Dan came into week 3 with two losses and hoped to get the wind back under his wings as he faced off with Drew, a newcomer to the league. Drews first couple of weeks in the PDL have had mixed results and with both a win and a loss under his belt. Both of these teams were hungry for a victory, both with something to prove to their teams and the rest of the league.

Despite the unfamiliar territory, Daniel found himself riding on the gusts of victory again this week as he soared past the Tinks in an 3-0 sweep. Whimsicott Lite (Volcarona) had the team in a backpack as it carried the team with its balance of offence, defense and support that Drew was unable to answer. After the match Daniel had this to say about the match and his opponent:

“My team building worked well this week. I had mostly good switch ins but needed to clean up those small imperfections before the playoffs. I've known Drew for a long time. He is a strategist, so once he figures out the basics of this league he will be a top threat. I am glad I got to play him this week and hope to not have to face him in the playoffs when he has learned even more.”

With a solid win under their belt, the Air move to 1-2 and look to face Alex in week 4, a former rival looking to reignite their competitive bond. 

Even with a rock solid plan from Drew, the Tacoma Tinks cracked under the pressure and fell to the same record as the Air ending week 3 at 1-2. Ursaluna and Dragonite were unable to break through Dan’s tanky team  making it that much harder for Drew to wrap any games up. But while the match may not have gone his way, Daniel knows that he may have given the Tinks and their gym leader Drew the push they need to become a truly terrifying force in this league. While the match just says 3-0, by game 3 Drew was finding the weaknesses in the Air’s defense and was forcing Pilot Dan to use his previous PDL experiences to find a plan on the fly for victory. With no comments after the match, Drew and the Tacoma Tinks prepare to face Avery of the Ballard Bulbasaur and hope to get back on track.

Venersborg Venusaur vs. Federal Way Pharos

In a league as close as the PDL, each week friends are forced to become enemies. The Federal way Pharos hosted their close friend and training partners the Venersborg Venusaur. These teams have seemingly flipped position in our rankings with the Venusaur surprising everyone by jumping to a 2-0 record and claiming the top ranked position. The Pharos on the other hand have gone from a competitive squad in each of the past three seasons to sitting at the bottom of the rankings with fellow veteran trainer, Pilot Daniel. 

Maybe the closest match of the week, this one did not disappoint. BillytheMid controlled the pace of play well in the first two games, utilizing his cast of support pokemon and attackers to great effect. That wouldn’t stop Michael from battling until the last second. Game three flipped, leaving Michael standing with two pokemon when it was all said and done. Coming back from 2-0 is difficult, so props to the Pharo squad for keeping their feet moving and staying alive. Unfortunately for the Pharo fans out there, it looked like Michael ran out of energy. BillytheMid’s Whimsicott took a bow as it sent the final nail, a sneaky shadow ball, straight into Annihilape’s coffin. 

With a 3-1 victory William now has the most wins he has ever had in a season and is in great position to keep the record going. The top ranked trainer will need to keep the momentum going as they travel to take on the Mercer Island Mudkip next week.

Infielder Michael dropped the ball this week. It's hard to keep your eyes up and feet moving when you have been worn down by such a difficult schedule. They will need to win out the rest of the way if they want to avoid the wildcard round of the playoffs. Michael had some tough thoughts about his team this week, using phrases like “garbonzon beans” and “losers only”.

Corvallis Knights vs. Longview Ludicolo

Former champion Grant and the Corvallis Knights suited up for battle this week against Bebs of the Longview Ludicolo. The Knights looked to keep their two week win streak alive as they battled to keep their top spot in the league for a chance at another title. Bebs of the Ludicolo was hoping to get his rhythm back this week after a loss last week putting him at 1-1. 

The Knights stood strong as they were able to find their way back from a round one loss to win the game 3-1. Again, Clefairy and Hisuian Goodra provide the perfect mix of defense and offense to overwhelm their opponents, helping their team by doing most of the work and securing another victory. Truly, a man with his eyes only on the prize, Grant had no comments after the match as he stepped into week 4 3-0 and ready to face Darian of the Longview Lickilicky

Unfortunately for the Ludicolo, their rhythm was lost again this week as they fall to 1-2. Salazzle, One of Bebs’ prized Pokémon, was able to soften the blows for Bebs’ team while it put pressure on Clefairy, but it just wasn't enough to get the job done. With dangers of securing a spot in the play-in tournament, the Ludicolo know they need to lock in for their next few matchups including his week 4 opponent,  Jason of the Longview Luxray. Both teams are hungry for a win and should make for a great match in another Longview Showdown 

Mercer Island Mudkip vs. Ballard Bulbasaur

The most talked about match of the week was self promoted by Rival Avery and Trainer Max. Sinnoh Sports cut their marketing budget for this match in anticipation of the free marketing that is the Rivalry between these Gyms. Fans didn’t need promotional commercials to remember The Mudkip and Bulbasaur were battling it out this week.

A big controversy regarding the eligibility of Tera Captains jumped up in the lead up to this match. Trainer Max has been an outspoken critic of Tera Captains and made his beliefs known in official league communication. Sadly for him, it was a Tera Captain that dominated this match. Bellibolt, a front runner for the league’s new “steal of the draft” award, took full advantage of its’ Tera Typing dealing tons of damage and not fainting in either of the games it touched the field. Mix that with a set of utility pokemon and Rival Avery’s team looked unstoppable in this 3-0 victory.

“Max looked like a Don-bozo out there tonight. I bet he still thinks Florges is a grass type. I can’t imagine trash talking Tera Captains and then losing to one this bad. The Mudkip need to take that broom and try to clean up their Garbage Patch. Tinks, your next!”

Predictably, we did not hear anything from the Mercer Island team after losing a match this badly. With a 2-1 record they are still in the hunt for a top position in the league but losses like this can demoralize trainers. We hope they can put this one behind them before they face the top ranked Venusaur in week 4.

Traffic Instigators vs. Kirkland Koffing

Kirkland Koffings Smasher Schmidt came barreling into week 3 after a huge upset victory last week over former champion Daniel and was looking to keep that momentum going as he faced Luke Simon, a brand new trainer to the PDL and gym leader of the Bellevue Traffic Instigators. The Koffing were looking to continue their trip up the PDL standings sitting at 1-1 in the standings while the Traffic were planning to get their instigation on track as they had fallen to 0-2. With hopes of dodging the play-in tournament, both gyms faced off in their week 3 matchup.

Seeming like they've found their groove, the Koffing were able to smoke out the Instigators in a 3-0 sweep. Dynamic duo Celia Mae (Hatterene) and Linkedin (Indeedee) stuck to their bread and butter as expanding force devastated the opposing pokemon. While claiming his victory, Schmidt reminisced over his second season in the league as the Investigators have a similar idea to his previous team and praised the new trainer for his innovation and research on the team noting that he seems close to cracking the secret formula. Moving to 2-1, the Kirkland gym has made their goal clear when asked about his thoughts on his battle against reigning champion Kenneth of the Bothel Beartic.

"I brought down one former champion already this season, what's another to add to the tally? Wednesday @ 2pm. Class is in session."

Luke Simon’s trials as a new trainer may not have shown themselves on the standings as the Bellevue Traffic Instigators fall to 0-3 in his first few weeks of his PDL journey but they have given themselves a team and a half to pilot for a new trainer and have been doing well despite the losses. As mentioned before, Smasher Schmidt knows the trials and tribulations of running a team composition with Slacking but saw that Luke Simon’s teamplay was coming along much further than anticipated. No comments were given after his match, but other trainers know better than to brush this team off as they have been getting closer and closer to marking their first win in the W column. Luke Simon and the Traffic hope to get it done next week against former champion Mike and the Federal Way Pharos.

Longview Lickilicky vs. Longview Luxray

The city of Longview is home to three Pokemon Gyms this season, all of which are 1-1 after the first two weeks. This match pits two of the hometown rivals against one another, only one can walk away as the leader in Longview.

The first game was back and forth with Livewire Jason getting the upper hand thanks to a good use of the sunny weather. A lucky first turn wake up shortened the Luxray’s lead, with a final matchup between the Luxray’s Skeledirge and the Lickilicky’s Primarina. While normally this is a type mismatch in the favor of Primarina thanks to the sun weakening water attacks and boosting fire attacks it is an almost even matchup. Skeledirge out sped Primarina using Torch Song to deal damage and power up its’ special attack. Primarina responded with a water based hyper voice dealing a good chunk of damage. Both Pokemon were on their last legs and it looked like Jason had the win secured, when by mistake or poor planning, Skeledirge used will-o-wisp, not KOing and giving Primarina the ability to secure the game.

After a very close first game, the Lickilicky dominated the rest of the match. Darian showed signs of weakness but was able to clean up his play and ultimately showed how strong his team can be. Now 2-1 the Longview Lickilicky are set in the middle of the rankings. Next week they face off against the Corvallis Knights and will need to show no weakness if they hope to win.

Livewire Jason might be entering his emo phase after losing back to back weeks after getting their first ever win in week 1. They will face their other hometown rival, The Longview Ludicolo, next week. A win in that match would be the jolt the Gym needs to jump in the rankings.

Grants Pass Grotle vs. Bothell Beartic

These two founding league members have taken very different paths to get to season 2.1.The Beartic have battled in every season they were eligible for, not living up to their expectations season after season until winning the championship in season 1.4. The defending champs hosted the Grants Pass Grotle. Alex and the Grotle have gone through a rebrand during their 4 3 seasons away from the league. Starving for their first win, Trainer Alex has pulled out all of the stops, acquiring a monster of a team in the draft.

Games one and two were double-shocks. Champion Kenneth dominated these games only losing Sneasler in both. What really shocked the fans was Hiker’s Alex ability to adjust and perform well in game 3. As any veteran trainer knows, it is hard to adapt and keep battling at a high level after getting stomped in back to back games. Hiker Alex kept his footing and put up a great fight in game three using a fantastic mix of trick room and instruct. Unfortunately for the Grotle, Champion Kenneth had a plan for this, fake-out cycling with his three fake-out users and priority grassy glide to keep the pressure on. 

This 3-0 victory keeps the defending champions tied for first place and undefeated as we hit the halfway point in the season. Champion Kenneth will be tested again next week when they face off against the Kirkland Koffing who are not far behind in the rankings.

The Grotle are in a similar place as a year ago, winless. Their first victory will be hard to come by in the next few weeks as they face off against back to back to back founding Gyms starting this week. The Beartic this week are followed by the Kenmore Air and the Ballard Bulbasaur. Two out of those three matches are against former champions..