January 31, 2025 • 30 mins
In this Pokemon interview, we are joined by BeccaBaddest, a Pokemon Trainer and competitive battler in Pokemon VGC.
BeccaBaddest shares her Pokemon journey starting by watching TikTok videos of people opening Pokemon card packs. This sparked her interest to begin collecting and searching her area for Pokemon card packs to open and complete her collection. She eventually dives into how she transitioned from being a collector into giving competitive Pokemon TCG a try.
Eventually, BeccaBaddest shares insight into her transition from Pokemon TCG to Pokemon VGC. She shares her motivation behind the change and compares the two competitive scenes, giving reasons behind why Pokemon VGC was a better fit for her preference.
Sources
Opening Song: "Forget You" by Alex_MakeMusic from Pixabay
Connect with BeccaBaddest: Linktree
Connect with David Hernandez: Linktree
E-mail Me: asthepokeballturnspodcast@gmail.com
Join Our Discord Community!
https://discord.gg/AqAbD7FbRt
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
BeccaBaddest (00:00):
I'm Becca Baddest and this is my Pokemon story.
David Hernandez (00:43):
Welcome to, as the Pokeball turns, where we
interview people about theirexperience with Pokemon.
My name is David Hernandez.
I'm joined by Becca Baddis, aPokemon TCG player and Pokemon
VGC competitor.
Becca, welcome to the podcast.
BeccaBaddest (00:58):
Hello, David, and hello, audience.
Thank you so much for having meon the show.
I'm super excited to be here.
David Hernandez (01:04):
Absolutely.
And I love people who kind ofdive into Pokemon more recently,
which people are going to kindof find out because.
You bring a new, freshperspective for compared to us
people who've been in, maybefrom day one, I want to ask
like, what got you started intoPokemon?
What was it about Pokemonexplicitly that one made you
dive into this franchise?
BeccaBaddest (01:21):
Yeah, so, if anything, I consider myself kind
of a COVID baby when it comes toPokémon.
I found the hobby throughTikTok.
I remember kind of justscrolling on the app and it was
during the time that the 25thanniversary was approaching and
they started to do the firstpartner packs.
(01:43):
They were like jumbo Pokemoncards and it came with two
special packs.
I think there was every monththey released a different
partner pack leading up to the25th anniversary and it was also
the time where they started tohave the Pokemon promo codes in
McDonald's.
So, those were two videos thatkind of like stuck out to me.
And my mom has always been acollector.
(02:04):
I've always seen her collectmany things growing up.
And I thought to myself, hmm,you know, not much is going on.
Maybe I should try to pick up ahobby, something that I can kind
of focus on and keep medistracted from what's going on
on the outside.
And then we took a trip toMcDonald's.
We took a trip to severalMcDonald's actually, because I
(02:24):
think the first one we went todidn't have any more packs.
But the one that we did go tothey told us one happy meal each
I didn't realize the hectic messI was getting myself into during
COVID because it was like superdifficult to get Pokemon cards
during this time but I thinkthat just kind of made me so
much more eager and Excited toget into the hobby because now I
(02:46):
was like on the hunt for Pokemoncards
David Hernandez (02:49):
Wow.
So it was like that exclusivitythat you perceived, especially,
you know, during the COVIDtimes, Pokemon cards were more
difficult to find that kind ofmade you engage and want to get
into the trading card game.
BeccaBaddest (02:58):
Yeah, exactly.
It's, it was literally like Iwas hunting for Pokemon.
And there was a couple ofdifferent sets out at the time.
I think it was like DarknessAblaze, Vivid Voltage, Battle
Styles.
Which is so funny thinking back,like Battle Styles was kind of
like the reject set.
No one really cared for it.
Yeah, I remember those boosterboxes once upon a time for like
(03:19):
70 bucks and that's like sounheard of but It didn't matter
to me.
Like whatever I saw in the storeI was super excited to just grab
it and then do like a littlepack opening on tik tok.
That's kind of how my creativecontent Started was I was doing
like pack openings for whateverI found in stores
David Hernandez (03:39):
and it's awesome.
How you also got connectedthrough Tik TOK and it's, you
know, one of the more newerplatforms.
How important was it to kind ofsee that Pokemon content on that
platform for you to get engagedwith this franchise?
BeccaBaddest (03:51):
Yeah, so I had no idea what I was getting myself
into.
I didn't know the extent ofPokemon cards, I guess, in
general.
And I remember we would go tothe flea market.
There's a local flea market byus, like, every Saturday.
And I saw one of the vendors, hewas selling Pokemon cards.
And I think, like, He had somebulk too and bulk was probably
(04:14):
like the first experience I hadwhere it was like Understanding
that there are different pokemoncards And different sets like my
first tiktok video is me showinglike three different magic carp
cards And saying hey, could youguys like help me out?
what is the difference betweenthese three magic carps?
Like I don't understand what'sgoing on So as much as tiktok
(04:36):
was a creative outlet for me itwas also like a resource And I
was really happy that thereplies were not, you know, rude
and mean.
People were literally explainingto me like, oh, just look at the
symbol on the bottom of the cardand it tells you which set it's
in.
And then I had so many bulkcards from different sets and I
thought, you know, gung hojumping into the hobby.
(04:57):
I'm going to master seteverything.
Little did I know that was goingto be thousands of cards.
So I dropped that idea realquick and then I kind of just.
Shifted towards collecting myfavorite cards from each set and
then I shifted more so to likecollecting cards of my favorite
Pokemon
David Hernandez (05:16):
It's interesting because I
experienced the same thing evenas a longtime Pokemon fan.
So, I'm more familiar with the,classic sets.
The ones that first came out,the base set, the jungle, and
the fossil.
So, I know how to read those.
But when it came to modern, Ihad no idea, like, what was the
difference.
How do you keep track of whichone is which set?
And somebody had to sit down andexplain it to me, and I found it
(05:38):
so confusing.
But it's great that, same withme, I had a positive experience
to where they didn't mindteaching you.
They didn't mind that you didn'tknow.
Which is rather refreshing,because sometimes people expect
you to be like, How do you notknow this?
I'm like, I don't know, dude.
I ain't collected Pokemon cardsbefore.
BeccaBaddest (05:52):
Yeah, exactly, exactly.
And I think also during thattime, it was just like, a very
nostalgic time period foreverybody.
You know, everybody's locked upinside and they might be going
through boxes trying toentertain themselves and then
they might have found their oldPokemon binder and been like,
Ugh, remember when?
And then it kind of just resparks that fire that people had
(06:14):
in them.
David Hernandez (06:15):
You said you collect cards of your favorite
Pokemon.
What is your favorite Pokemon?
BeccaBaddest (06:19):
So, I wanna say it's a hard tie between
Canto9tales and Casform.
Casform, I know, is gonna get melike a slight side eye.
I know there's a big Poketuberthat loves Casform as well.
But, in one of the sets, it waschilling rain.
There was the artwork forCastform.
(06:39):
He was just like a littleknitted ball and I was like, oh
my god He's so adorable and i'ma sucker.
I'm a sucker for adorablepokemon So that's why Castform
has been one of my favorites andtrying to pick a favorite form
Uh, I think the rain is so cute.
I really
David Hernandez (06:56):
That's a good one.
Yeah And, uh, you said Ninetaleswas your other one.
I'm get You said Kantospecifically.
What about Kanto and Ninetalescompared to the other one that
you like about it?
BeccaBaddest (07:05):
I think generally When it comes to my favorites, I
think I gravitate more towardslike fire Pokemon when I played
the TCG I really liked theCharizard deck when I played BTC
I really loved using Arcanine.
Arcanine was on my first BTCteam that I used when I went to
compete So I feel like I kind ofjust gravitate more towards fire
types.
The Alolan Ninetales has grownon me though Especially like I
(07:28):
said, just playing, BGCcompetitively.
You just kind of like see whatfits better on teams and stuff
like that.
But I have love for bothNinetales forms.
David Hernandez (07:37):
Now you mentioned how, you know, you
started doing the VGC side, Iguess at some point you got into
the games.
What was your first Pokemongame?
BeccaBaddest (07:44):
So, when I was collecting, someone I went to
high school with also wascollecting and we kind of bonded
over that.
And then he had asked me oneday, have you ever, tried to
play the card game?
And I was like, uh, no, I, Ididn't.
So, I learned how to play thegame.
I learned how to play the TCG.
And the first deck that I everplayed was Flying Pikachu and
Arceus.
(08:05):
And it was fun.
It was, it was cool, but it wasa little stressful at the same
time.
When you compare TCG to VGC, Ifeel like VGC is a lot harder to
learn.
There's a lot more informationthat you should know off the top
of your head.
As opposed to TCG, the cards areright there.
You can read a card if you don'tknow what it does.
(08:26):
So it was a lot easier to kindof learn.
but it was more stressful toplay.
In tournaments for TCG you haveto do a best of three in 50
minutes and depending on thedeck you play, depending on how
your opponent plays, how fast orslow they play, you might not be
able to finish in those 50minutes.
So it was just a little bitstressful and I knew that I
didn't want to leave thecompetitive scene.
(08:49):
I've been like an athlete mywhole life so the competitive
nature in me was just like findsomething else to do and that's
how I kind of segued into BGCyou.
And I had my Switch, I got myOLED as soon as it dropped, but
I, I didn't really play it.
So I have Sword, and I playedit, For about an hour, and then
(09:11):
I got bored, I guess you couldsay, and then I stopped playing.
David Hernandez (09:14):
Right.
BeccaBaddest (09:15):
And then when I said that I wanted to switch to
VGC, It was, I think it was atHartford Regional, when I did
like really really bad playingin CCG, and I was like, You know
what?
I'm not gonna give up Pokemon.
I'm gonna play VGC, and I thinkthat weekend in Hartford, I
bought My Scarlet copy at theGameStop over there and I was
playing in the venue day twobecause I didn't make day two So
(09:35):
I remember playing and then myfriend who had recently just
tried to play VGC for fun waslike, oh, yeah So, you know all
about the tear up mechanic.
I was like what?
What does that mean?
So, I grinded out the videogame, grinded out playing Violet
for a month to, you know, unlockand catch all the Pokemon that I
thought I would need for thetournament and then there I was
(09:57):
in Ohio, just a little sittingduck for any of my opponents,
but I ended up doing prettywell.
I think I was pretty good.
I won four games and I lostfive.
So they said at an NAIC that's apretty good record to have but I
would say Violet is the firstPokemon game that I've played in
its entirety and that I beat andit holds a very very special
(10:19):
place in my heart.
I am not ready to let it go.
I know everybody's excited butI'm not ready to let go of
Scarlet and Violet.
David Hernandez (10:25):
I was wondering, so, You know, as an
athlete, and I don't know whatsport you play, for me, I played
basketball.
And, you know, I always wantedto be a big man growing up.
I wanted to be, like, a centeror a power forward.
And then, uh, coach got to meand was like, Dave, you 5'9 you
can't be a center.
So But what I mean by that is,when you have that competitive
nature, it's hard to kind ofsay, like, I can't do this.
Because you kind of want to pushthrough it.
(10:46):
But it takes some wisdom torealize I can do this though.
And I think, can I see thatsimilarity when you decide TCG
may not be for me, but BGCthat's more my jam.
Do you feel like that way?
BeccaBaddest (10:55):
Yeah, I, I totally get you, like, I'm 5'4 however,
I defied the odds and I was amiddle blocker in volleyball.
Yeah, I got, I got hops, so,it's all, it's all about timing
when it
David Hernandez (11:08):
She's ready to she's ready to dunk on you, man.
Wow.
Yeah.
BeccaBaddest (11:13):
I think when it comes to being competitive in
Pokemon, like I said, it was alot easier to learn the TCG.
My first TCG tournament wasKnoxville and I actually did
really well.
I won 5 games, I tied 2, and Ilost 2.
So back then, I think it was 19points to make Day 2, and I had
(11:35):
18.
So at my first TCG tournament, Ialmost made Day 2.
I was just one point behind.
one point shy.
And I think that's kind of whatgot me was like, I just got here
and I'm already so good.
And then when I went toHartford, I like shit the bed.
So it was, it was funny, but itreally goes to show just like
(11:56):
any other school.
It's all about the time that youput into it, right?
I put in a lot of time before Iwent to Knoxville.
I practiced, you know, I playedmu v max and I played the
version that had fusion strikeenergy And a lot of people were
on the different version at thetime.
They were playing double turbo Iwas like, no, no, no, at least
it's sparkle.
At least it's sparkle.
(12:17):
but I didn't, I didn't wannaleave it like you said, but with
VGC, it's a lot.
It's information overload,right?
I am 26 years late to the game.
I didn't play fire red or any ofthat stuff as a kid.
I don't know anything about thetar type chart.
I have to learn all this as Igo.
So it's a lot of information andeven though I don't have.
(12:40):
the records that I would like.
It's taken like some maturity torealize, you know, I'm playing
against some people who've beenplaying since they were five,
you know, and I have years andyears of catching up to do.
so trying to take this in, instrides and in baby steps and
accepting that I'm not going tobe the world champion of 2025 or
(13:04):
2026 likely because I have somuch to catch up on and I think
that's kind of what'scontributing to the journey in a
positive way for me.
It's allowing me to take thesmall wins, whether it's one win
here at a tournament or a couplewins on the ranked ladder during
stream just really taking in theexperience for what it is and
(13:26):
Understanding that you know, I'ma working adult too I don't have
as much free time as I wouldlike to invest in the game But
I'm still able to enjoy it whileI can and learn all that I can
while I'm here
David Hernandez (14:26):
On that note, because you mentioned, you gave
some insight to just like thechallenges that come with it.
A, you're a content creator,you're creating content on the
side.
B, you have the full time job.
This isn't your full time gig,just trying to be competitive.
What is it?
I guess the behind the scenes ofthe prep work that goes into
preparing for Pokemon BGC.
I can
BeccaBaddest (14:45):
Yeah, so I The first thing, I mean the first
thing you need, right, is ateam.
You have to decide your sixPokemon that you're bringing to
an event and It takes a lot oftrial and error, I think.
You know, there's different playstyles.
There's people who like teamsthat require some setup.
There's people who like hyperoffensive teams.
(15:05):
For some reason, I'm one ofthose people.
I just love to see stuff goboom, right?
David Hernandez (15:09):
the fire.
Yeah,
BeccaBaddest (15:10):
Yeah, I love when stuff goes boom.
And then you have your slowerplayers who like to, you know,
manipulate the speed and go fortrick room.
So I think that finding yourplaystyle is the first step.
That's the pregame.
That's the warm up.
And then picking your team.
And then you have to kinda like,refine your team constantly.
(15:32):
Like, before we got on here Iwas watching a little bit of
Wolf's World documentary wherehe was talking about the process
of building his world's team.
Seeing someone who this is theirfull time job and how much time
and effort he puts into histeam, it gives you perspective
at the same time where it'slike, okay, you know what?
I can't beat myself up for notbeing great at this game because
(15:55):
there are some people whodedicate hours.
and hours to team building andpracticing on showdown or on the
ranked ladder.
Bouncing ideas off with otherpeople in the, in the scene and
figuring out, you know, throughtrial and error, what's good and
what's not.
So really just kind of keepingyourself grounded in that
(16:15):
perspective and just sayinglike, you know, maybe I could be
a breakout star, but that's kindof like a, not in a one in a
million, maybe like one in acouple thousand.
Cause you know, Events only havelike a couple thousand people
but Just kind of understandingand accepting, you know what it
is for me.
Um, So a lot of times I don't goto too many events each year.
(16:37):
I might go to like one or twodepending and When I have a date
in mind, like let's say whenit's January, let's say I wanted
to compete in June at NAIC, Ihave these months to prepare and
try to figure out, okay, whichrestricted, which legendary
Pokemon do I kind of vibe with?
Okay, what's my play stylearound this specific Pokemon?
(16:59):
And then I kind of go fromthere.
You kind of just kind of try tobuild upon the team as you work
through the kinks here andthere.
David Hernandez (17:07):
And you know, during this whole time, you're
learning about the type charge,you're trying to be competitive
in VGC.
You're still creating content.
Did you start transitioning yourcontent from the TCG into the
VGC?
Like you started showing videosabout that as well.
BeccaBaddest (17:18):
Yes, that's exactly what happened.
So, as my journey as a Pokemontrainer evolved, so did my
content.
So, originally I was doing packopenings, and then I started to
show some of the decks that Iwas playing, and Do kind of like
deck profiles and then when Imoved into bgc Then I kind of
did like pokemon profiles likepokedex entries and talking
(17:41):
about specific pokemon Iremember I did a video on hisui
and arcanine at the time when hewas introduced into the format I
think he had won like fourregionals back to back so I
really like that I am kind oflearning and I can share the
process of me learning withother people who are probably
just getting into the game.
(18:03):
And I think that's kind of whatmy YouTube channel is centered
around.
It's like me and other newtrainers getting into the game
and us kind of learning ittogether.
It is a little bit challengingthough because I'm not someone
who really enjoys talking onsomething that I don't have
knowledge on.
So it's a bit Frustratingsometimes when I have an idea
for a video, but I can't explainit the best that I would like to
(18:27):
because I just don't have theknowledge, right?
So some videos might take longerthan others to edit, some games
when I'm playing on stream thatI could have won I didn't
because I didn't know whetherit's a speed tier or a specific
matchup, everything that I'mgoing through I'm kind of going
through for the first time andmy audience is kind of going
through it the first time withme.
(18:47):
So I think that is somethingthat makes everything that I'm
doing a little bit unique.
And another thing, you know, wementioned the community being
so, like, welcoming andencouraging.
That's something that has alsomotivated me, you know, going to
events and hearing people say,Oh, I saw your video on BGC
resources.
Like, that was so helpful.
Like, thank you.
I can find all these things inone place.
(19:09):
And yeah, yeah, it's, it's, it'ssuper rewarding to see and feel
what you're putting so mucheffort into, whether it's your
full time job or not.
Seeing the effort that you putin make a difference to someone
else, you know, hearing peoplesay, Oh, I got into VGC because
of you.
I was watching your stream.
Like that means a lot to me.
(19:29):
That means more to me than thesatisfaction that I get from my
full time job, Just just findingthe little joy here and there
and then just having thosepeople come up to me at events
It means so much to me
David Hernandez (19:41):
You know, in a way you're almost like a Ash
Ketchum in a sense to where whenyou think about, let me think
about it, like you get youraudience to kind of engage into
you as a person that, Hey, Idon't know everything.
I just started playing Pokemonand this is kind of my story and
it allows your audience to kindof engage and see you kind of
grow through the growing pains,because it's always about the
journey, right?
(20:01):
Any good story, it's thejourney.
It's never the finaldestination.
BeccaBaddest (20:04):
Yeah, absolutely
David Hernandez (20:05):
they get to kind of ride along with that.
road that you take to whereyou're learning like, Oh, I
don't know if it's this or that.
It's almost like a living blogin a sense.
BeccaBaddest (20:13):
Yeah, pretty much You're gonna make that comment
go to my head.
I'm like, yeah, you know, I'm, Iwas told I'm like Ash Ketchum,
you know.
David Hernandez (20:22):
You're the one after third, you're gonna be,
uh, Uh, not, I think it's Likodown at the end, I can't
remember her name.
BeccaBaddest (20:27):
Yeah, yeah, Liko.
David Hernandez (20:29):
We talked about the Pokemon community, and you
said, you know, they're sowelcome, they've been so
encouraging, and you got toattend live events.
What was it like for you toattend your first live event,
and be around a whole bunch ofPokemon fans?
Was it odd?
Did you feel kind of at home?
BeccaBaddest (20:42):
Yeah, so, thinking back to Knoxville, that being my
first event, I was super, supernervous.
I had no idea what to expectbecause I had played with my
best friend, you know, wepracticed.
Remember, sometimes we'd go toApplebee's and just like play at
the table, and then I'd go to mylocal card shop and play a
little bit there.
And, you know, it's familiarfaces, so you feel a little bit
(21:04):
more comfortable.
And I remember my first round,I'm pretty sure it was a mirror
match.
I think we were both there.
And I didn't lose, we tied.
So that was already, like, I wasoff to a good start, I didn't
lose yet.
And, um, I was super happy.
I think I didn't lose a gameuntil about, like, round 3 or 4.
(21:25):
So, I, I had a pretty goodstart, and every round I was
pretty much shaking.
I was shaking and praying.
David Hernandez (21:32):
Mm hmm.
Ha ha ha ha
BeccaBaddest (21:33):
I was shaking.
Drawing card.
Oh god, please be the card Ineed.
Oh my god.
It's the card I need.
So It was it was very intense,but it was a really cool
experience And a lot of mylocals had gone to that event as
well.
So I had some familiar faces AndI had connected with one of my
(21:53):
friends that, you know, youtweet out and someone's like,
Oh, I'm also playing that deckand then you kind of connect
that way.
I met her for the first time at,Knoxville and we've been really
good friends ever since.
it's funny, I always say that Imade better friends playing
Pokemon than I did in like highschool and college.
David Hernandez (22:09):
I can see that because I think Pokemon's more
of a, you know, in high schooland college, you're kind of
forced together in a way, butPokemon, y'all intentionally
make this choice.
Like, we intentionally engage inbeing addicted to opening packs
or playing Pokemon, so we're alladdicted together in a
BeccaBaddest (22:22):
Yeah, for sure.
David Hernandez (22:24):
you also got to attend NAIC, and that was your
first VGC event.
How was that experience?
Like, what was it like to kindof go there and play VGC
instead?
BeccaBaddest (22:33):
Yeah, so, surprisingly, I was a little
less nervous playing BGC than Iwas TCG.
Just because, like, there's notthat element of, like, time, I
think.
I don't have to worry about myopponent kind of, like, watching
my hands and, like, rushing meand saying I'm playing too slow
or anything like that.
Because in BGC, the, clock isbuilt into the game.
I was a lot more relaxed.
(22:54):
Um, I had one of my friends atthe time, he coached me a little
bit, you know, told me about,strategies in the game, trying
to understand a little bit moreof what I was getting myself
into.
And so I felt a lot more at easeplaying.
I didn't feel any pressureplaying BGC, you know, rounds
are done either in five minutesor maybe 20 minutes.
(23:17):
So I'm really grateful toeveryone who I've come in
contact with, whether we'restill friends or not, just all
the advice and tips that they'vegiven me, people who have taken
me under their wing and gave mebest of three sets when they
didn't have to, you know,everybody's here because we want
to play the game that we love.
David Hernandez (23:36):
Absolutely.
And, you know, you get to kindof connect that way and just be
able to kind of share yourstrategies, is what you said.
And that's how y'all kind ofgrow as trainers.
That's how you become, maybeeventually you become Wolf
Glick, you never know.
You put yourself out there andyou find people who are just
like you.
BeccaBaddest (23:49):
Yeah, exactly.
David Hernandez (23:51):
The last thing I want to touch on is you got a
chance to go to Japan forworlds, not as competitor, but I
believe as a spectator.
BeccaBaddest (23:58):
Yes, yes.
David Hernandez (24:00):
How did that happen?
If you just give insight, likewhat was the story behind that?
BeccaBaddest (24:04):
Yes, so, I think that Pokemon first reached out
to me when I was playing TCG.
And I think they reached out tome shortly after Knoxville,
after I, you know, posted myrecord and how excited I was.
And at the time they had giftedme some product.
So I think it was theintroduction of the Scarlet and
(24:25):
Violet era in TCG, yes.
So I was gifted a booster box.
of Scarlet and Violet, they gaveme an ETV, they gave me a really
cute poster with the startersand that's how, like, the
connection first started.
And the person that I was incontact with, I think they had
asked if I was going to Worldsand I said that yes, I did plan
to, I wanted to go as aspectator and then they offered
(24:46):
me a media badge.
So I was able to attend worldsas a content creator and that
was a really cool uniqueexperience I think that was
probably the start of kind oflike their pre creator program
whether it was like the yearbefore that or so I think that's
when they really started to kindof invest in like creators it's
(25:07):
so funny going to an event as aNatural competitor and going as
a spectator.
I was like, ah, man, I'm kind ofbored
David Hernandez (25:17):
Yeah, how so?
I was
BeccaBaddest (25:18):
Yeah, yeah, so You know, it's nine rounds day one
and it's an exclusive event,right?
everybody there is there becausethey're they're a world class
competitor So it's smaller inthat sense, but there were a lot
of spectators there as wellwhether you got a spectator pass
from a Competitor or you were,in the juniors and seniors and
(25:38):
you were a parent chaperone.
So there was a lot of downtimeAnd it was super crowded and the
side events that they usuallyhave were just impossible to get
into.
So I didn't even really get todo any side events.
A lot of it was kind of justsitting around and watching
stream and, you know, trying tofigure out content ideas here
and there.
(25:58):
I don't know that I wouldnecessarily do it again.
I do really hope to co stream aWorlds one day.
it looks like a really coolexperience, you know You're able
to have the stream up whileyou're live on twitch and you're
kind of just watching the roundsprogress with your audience.
So that's something that Ireally would like to do I think
(26:19):
it's a bit more engaging for me,it'll be more engaging for my
audience as opposed to them justseeing a vlog of me, you know,
walk around the city and stufflike that, we're there, we're
kind of like, commentating thegames together, you know,
bouncing ideas in real time,like, oh man, that was an
awesome play, I think that I'dhave But that's not to take away
(26:40):
from the experience.
I am super grateful to Pokemonthat they invited me to go as a
media person, and it was areally cool experience.
I got to see some players thatI've never seen before, whether
they were from, you know,different parts of the world, or
just different states from mine,and it was good to meet some of
them for the first time.
I remember, I think that's whereI met Andrew Mahone and I, I, I
(27:01):
went up to him.
I was like, Hi.
He was like, Becca.
I was like, Oh my God, you knowwho I am.
That's crazy.
Yes.
That's it.
As I was like, Oh my God, youknow me.
So that was, that was really,really cool.
And that interaction alone madethe two weeks, like I was elated
for the rest of my trip.
I was like, he knows who I am.
He knows my name.
So I was really happy to go andget that experience.
(27:24):
That was my first time in Japan.
That was my first time in Asia.
went to a lot of Pokemoncenters.
spent a lot of
David Hernandez (27:29):
got a, lot of stuff.
Yeah, I'm sure
BeccaBaddest (27:31):
a ton of stuff, and uh, the World Store was so,
so cool.
I think that Pokemon Center isprobably like, cause you know,
they do kind of like a pop upPokemon Center at Worlds, and
that
David Hernandez (27:41):
yes.
Yeah
BeccaBaddest (27:42):
man, that was so so awesome.
I did like a little vlog of thestore We got to go in as
creators, I think a day beforeeveryone else so we got to You
know see all the inventory andsee everything and just seeing
all the sitting cuties of likefive six generations was cool I
would not trade that experiencethat I have for anything in this
world I always say that my Fivefavorite memories of my life all
(28:07):
involve pokemon
David Hernandez (28:10):
it started take over your life really
BeccaBaddest (28:12):
Yeah, in the best way possible.
David Hernandez (28:15):
Was gonna say it would be difficult especially
as competitor I know whenever Iwould try to do a referee for
basketball games.
I always wanted to be on thecourt I never wanted to watch it
and especially cuz you know,you're very into competitive
Pokemon I'm sure you probablyimagine yourself on that stage
too, right?
BeccaBaddest (28:29):
For sure, for sure.
I think it was, uh, the promothat they did after that.
They had, like, little girls,little brown girls playing with
their Switch and their Pokemon,like, little trailer for Worlds.
I was like, ah, they'reforeshadowing! That's gonna be
me one day!
David Hernandez (28:43):
Ha ha ha ha ha
BeccaBaddest (28:45):
And it's, it's, you know, like, you just said
it.
The best as a competitor, it'shard to sit on the sidelines and
that's really what it was, youknow It was a beautiful
experience.
It was so cool to be in japan Itwas so cool to be to see jumbo
pikachu and all that stuff Butit was also like man i'd really
like to compete in this one dayI
David Hernandez (29:07):
someday.
BeccaBaddest (29:08):
hope so
David Hernandez (29:09):
Well, Becca, thank you for coming on.
As the pokeball turns.
I want to leave it with thisfinal question.
If somebody was going to comebattle you six on six and you
had to bring a fire team, whichsix fire Pokemon would you
choose?
BeccaBaddest (29:23):
I am so glad you asked Hahaha, I would probably
bring a crydon Entei, Hisui andI guess I have to bring
Ninetales, right?
I have to bring Ninetales.
David Hernandez (29:38):
I mean, it's one of your
BeccaBaddest (29:39):
Yeah, I'd have to bring Ninetales.
I'd bring Charizard, And Youknow what?
I'll bring SunnyCastform.
ha
David Hernandez (29:47):
Hey, both your favorites coming on it.
Let's go.
BeccaBaddest (29:50):
They're gonna carry! Watch! MVPs!
David Hernandez (29:52):
Absolutely.
Becca, thank you for coming onthe podcast before you go.
If people want to check out yourcontent, if they want to connect
with you, where can they go byall means, please plug away.
BeccaBaddest (30:01):
Yes.
Again, thank you so, so much forhaving me.
I am Becca Battist on allplatforms.
You can find me on YouTube,Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok
I'm Becca Baddest and this is my Pokemon story.
David Hernandez (00:43):
Welcome to, as the Pokeball turns, where we
interview people about theirexperience with Pokemon.
My name is David Hernandez.
I'm joined by Becca Baddis, aPokemon TCG player and Pokemon
VGC competitor.
Becca, welcome to the podcast.
BeccaBaddest (00:58):
Hello, David, and hello, audience.
Thank you so much for having meon the show.
I'm super excited to be here.
David Hernandez (01:04):
Absolutely.
And I love people who kind ofdive into Pokemon more recently,
which people are going to kindof find out because.
You bring a new, freshperspective for compared to us
people who've been in, maybefrom day one, I want to ask
like, what got you started intoPokemon?
What was it about Pokemonexplicitly that one made you
dive into this franchise?
BeccaBaddest (01:21):
Yeah, so, if anything, I consider myself kind
of a COVID baby when it comes toPokémon.
I found the hobby throughTikTok.
I remember kind of justscrolling on the app and it was
during the time that the 25thanniversary was approaching and
they started to do the firstpartner packs.
(01:43):
They were like jumbo Pokemoncards and it came with two
special packs.
I think there was every monththey released a different
partner pack leading up to the25th anniversary and it was also
the time where they started tohave the Pokemon promo codes in
McDonald's.
So, those were two videos thatkind of like stuck out to me.
And my mom has always been acollector.
(02:04):
I've always seen her collectmany things growing up.
And I thought to myself, hmm,you know, not much is going on.
Maybe I should try to pick up ahobby, something that I can kind
of focus on and keep medistracted from what's going on
on the outside.
And then we took a trip toMcDonald's.
We took a trip to severalMcDonald's actually, because I
(02:24):
think the first one we went todidn't have any more packs.
But the one that we did go tothey told us one happy meal each
I didn't realize the hectic messI was getting myself into during
COVID because it was like superdifficult to get Pokemon cards
during this time but I thinkthat just kind of made me so
much more eager and Excited toget into the hobby because now I
(02:46):
was like on the hunt for Pokemoncards
David Hernandez (02:49):
Wow.
So it was like that exclusivitythat you perceived, especially,
you know, during the COVIDtimes, Pokemon cards were more
difficult to find that kind ofmade you engage and want to get
into the trading card game.
BeccaBaddest (02:58):
Yeah, exactly.
It's, it was literally like Iwas hunting for Pokemon.
And there was a couple ofdifferent sets out at the time.
I think it was like DarknessAblaze, Vivid Voltage, Battle
Styles.
Which is so funny thinking back,like Battle Styles was kind of
like the reject set.
No one really cared for it.
Yeah, I remember those boosterboxes once upon a time for like
(03:19):
70 bucks and that's like sounheard of but It didn't matter
to me.
Like whatever I saw in the storeI was super excited to just grab
it and then do like a littlepack opening on tik tok.
That's kind of how my creativecontent Started was I was doing
like pack openings for whateverI found in stores
David Hernandez (03:39):
and it's awesome.
How you also got connectedthrough Tik TOK and it's, you
know, one of the more newerplatforms.
How important was it to kind ofsee that Pokemon content on that
platform for you to get engagedwith this franchise?
BeccaBaddest (03:51):
Yeah, so I had no idea what I was getting myself
into.
I didn't know the extent ofPokemon cards, I guess, in
general.
And I remember we would go tothe flea market.
There's a local flea market byus, like, every Saturday.
And I saw one of the vendors, hewas selling Pokemon cards.
And I think, like, He had somebulk too and bulk was probably
(04:14):
like the first experience I hadwhere it was like Understanding
that there are different pokemoncards And different sets like my
first tiktok video is me showinglike three different magic carp
cards And saying hey, could youguys like help me out?
what is the difference betweenthese three magic carps?
Like I don't understand what'sgoing on So as much as tiktok
(04:36):
was a creative outlet for me itwas also like a resource And I
was really happy that thereplies were not, you know, rude
and mean.
People were literally explainingto me like, oh, just look at the
symbol on the bottom of the cardand it tells you which set it's
in.
And then I had so many bulkcards from different sets and I
thought, you know, gung hojumping into the hobby.
(04:57):
I'm going to master seteverything.
Little did I know that was goingto be thousands of cards.
So I dropped that idea realquick and then I kind of just.
Shifted towards collecting myfavorite cards from each set and
then I shifted more so to likecollecting cards of my favorite
Pokemon
David Hernandez (05:16):
It's interesting because I
experienced the same thing evenas a longtime Pokemon fan.
So, I'm more familiar with the,classic sets.
The ones that first came out,the base set, the jungle, and
the fossil.
So, I know how to read those.
But when it came to modern, Ihad no idea, like, what was the
difference.
How do you keep track of whichone is which set?
And somebody had to sit down andexplain it to me, and I found it
(05:38):
so confusing.
But it's great that, same withme, I had a positive experience
to where they didn't mindteaching you.
They didn't mind that you didn'tknow.
Which is rather refreshing,because sometimes people expect
you to be like, How do you notknow this?
I'm like, I don't know, dude.
I ain't collected Pokemon cardsbefore.
BeccaBaddest (05:52):
Yeah, exactly, exactly.
And I think also during thattime, it was just like, a very
nostalgic time period foreverybody.
You know, everybody's locked upinside and they might be going
through boxes trying toentertain themselves and then
they might have found their oldPokemon binder and been like,
Ugh, remember when?
And then it kind of just resparks that fire that people had
(06:14):
in them.
David Hernandez (06:15):
You said you collect cards of your favorite
Pokemon.
What is your favorite Pokemon?
BeccaBaddest (06:19):
So, I wanna say it's a hard tie between
Canto9tales and Casform.
Casform, I know, is gonna get melike a slight side eye.
I know there's a big Poketuberthat loves Casform as well.
But, in one of the sets, it waschilling rain.
There was the artwork forCastform.
(06:39):
He was just like a littleknitted ball and I was like, oh
my god He's so adorable and i'ma sucker.
I'm a sucker for adorablepokemon So that's why Castform
has been one of my favorites andtrying to pick a favorite form
Uh, I think the rain is so cute.
I really
David Hernandez (06:56):
That's a good one.
Yeah And, uh, you said Ninetaleswas your other one.
I'm get You said Kantospecifically.
What about Kanto and Ninetalescompared to the other one that
you like about it?
BeccaBaddest (07:05):
I think generally When it comes to my favorites, I
think I gravitate more towardslike fire Pokemon when I played
the TCG I really liked theCharizard deck when I played BTC
I really loved using Arcanine.
Arcanine was on my first BTCteam that I used when I went to
compete So I feel like I kind ofjust gravitate more towards fire
types.
The Alolan Ninetales has grownon me though Especially like I
(07:28):
said, just playing, BGCcompetitively.
You just kind of like see whatfits better on teams and stuff
like that.
But I have love for bothNinetales forms.
David Hernandez (07:37):
Now you mentioned how, you know, you
started doing the VGC side, Iguess at some point you got into
the games.
What was your first Pokemongame?
BeccaBaddest (07:44):
So, when I was collecting, someone I went to
high school with also wascollecting and we kind of bonded
over that.
And then he had asked me oneday, have you ever, tried to
play the card game?
And I was like, uh, no, I, Ididn't.
So, I learned how to play thegame.
I learned how to play the TCG.
And the first deck that I everplayed was Flying Pikachu and
Arceus.
(08:05):
And it was fun.
It was, it was cool, but it wasa little stressful at the same
time.
When you compare TCG to VGC, Ifeel like VGC is a lot harder to
learn.
There's a lot more informationthat you should know off the top
of your head.
As opposed to TCG, the cards areright there.
You can read a card if you don'tknow what it does.
(08:26):
So it was a lot easier to kindof learn.
but it was more stressful toplay.
In tournaments for TCG you haveto do a best of three in 50
minutes and depending on thedeck you play, depending on how
your opponent plays, how fast orslow they play, you might not be
able to finish in those 50minutes.
So it was just a little bitstressful and I knew that I
didn't want to leave thecompetitive scene.
(08:49):
I've been like an athlete mywhole life so the competitive
nature in me was just like findsomething else to do and that's
how I kind of segued into BGCyou.
And I had my Switch, I got myOLED as soon as it dropped, but
I, I didn't really play it.
So I have Sword, and I playedit, For about an hour, and then
(09:11):
I got bored, I guess you couldsay, and then I stopped playing.
David Hernandez (09:14):
Right.
BeccaBaddest (09:15):
And then when I said that I wanted to switch to
VGC, It was, I think it was atHartford Regional, when I did
like really really bad playingin CCG, and I was like, You know
what?
I'm not gonna give up Pokemon.
I'm gonna play VGC, and I thinkthat weekend in Hartford, I
bought My Scarlet copy at theGameStop over there and I was
playing in the venue day twobecause I didn't make day two So
(09:35):
I remember playing and then myfriend who had recently just
tried to play VGC for fun waslike, oh, yeah So, you know all
about the tear up mechanic.
I was like what?
What does that mean?
So, I grinded out the videogame, grinded out playing Violet
for a month to, you know, unlockand catch all the Pokemon that I
thought I would need for thetournament and then there I was
(09:57):
in Ohio, just a little sittingduck for any of my opponents,
but I ended up doing prettywell.
I think I was pretty good.
I won four games and I lostfive.
So they said at an NAIC that's apretty good record to have but I
would say Violet is the firstPokemon game that I've played in
its entirety and that I beat andit holds a very very special
(10:19):
place in my heart.
I am not ready to let it go.
I know everybody's excited butI'm not ready to let go of
Scarlet and Violet.
David Hernandez (10:25):
I was wondering, so, You know, as an
athlete, and I don't know whatsport you play, for me, I played
basketball.
And, you know, I always wantedto be a big man growing up.
I wanted to be, like, a centeror a power forward.
And then, uh, coach got to meand was like, Dave, you 5'9 you
can't be a center.
So But what I mean by that is,when you have that competitive
nature, it's hard to kind ofsay, like, I can't do this.
Because you kind of want to pushthrough it.
(10:46):
But it takes some wisdom torealize I can do this though.
And I think, can I see thatsimilarity when you decide TCG
may not be for me, but BGCthat's more my jam.
Do you feel like that way?
BeccaBaddest (10:55):
Yeah, I, I totally get you, like, I'm 5'4 however,
I defied the odds and I was amiddle blocker in volleyball.
Yeah, I got, I got hops, so,it's all, it's all about timing
when it
David Hernandez (11:08):
She's ready to she's ready to dunk on you, man.
Wow.
Yeah.
BeccaBaddest (11:13):
I think when it comes to being competitive in
Pokemon, like I said, it was alot easier to learn the TCG.
My first TCG tournament wasKnoxville and I actually did
really well.
I won 5 games, I tied 2, and Ilost 2.
So back then, I think it was 19points to make Day 2, and I had
(11:35):
18.
So at my first TCG tournament, Ialmost made Day 2.
I was just one point behind.
one point shy.
And I think that's kind of whatgot me was like, I just got here
and I'm already so good.
And then when I went toHartford, I like shit the bed.
So it was, it was funny, but itreally goes to show just like
(11:56):
any other school.
It's all about the time that youput into it, right?
I put in a lot of time before Iwent to Knoxville.
I practiced, you know, I playedmu v max and I played the
version that had fusion strikeenergy And a lot of people were
on the different version at thetime.
They were playing double turbo Iwas like, no, no, no, at least
it's sparkle.
At least it's sparkle.
(12:17):
but I didn't, I didn't wannaleave it like you said, but with
VGC, it's a lot.
It's information overload,right?
I am 26 years late to the game.
I didn't play fire red or any ofthat stuff as a kid.
I don't know anything about thetar type chart.
I have to learn all this as Igo.
So it's a lot of information andeven though I don't have.
(12:40):
the records that I would like.
It's taken like some maturity torealize, you know, I'm playing
against some people who've beenplaying since they were five,
you know, and I have years andyears of catching up to do.
so trying to take this in, instrides and in baby steps and
accepting that I'm not going tobe the world champion of 2025 or
(13:04):
2026 likely because I have somuch to catch up on and I think
that's kind of what'scontributing to the journey in a
positive way for me.
It's allowing me to take thesmall wins, whether it's one win
here at a tournament or a couplewins on the ranked ladder during
stream just really taking in theexperience for what it is and
(13:26):
Understanding that you know, I'ma working adult too I don't have
as much free time as I wouldlike to invest in the game But
I'm still able to enjoy it whileI can and learn all that I can
while I'm here
David Hernandez (14:26):
On that note, because you mentioned, you gave
some insight to just like thechallenges that come with it.
A, you're a content creator,you're creating content on the
side.
B, you have the full time job.
This isn't your full time gig,just trying to be competitive.
What is it?
I guess the behind the scenes ofthe prep work that goes into
preparing for Pokemon BGC.
I can
BeccaBaddest (14:45):
Yeah, so I The first thing, I mean the first
thing you need, right, is ateam.
You have to decide your sixPokemon that you're bringing to
an event and It takes a lot oftrial and error, I think.
You know, there's different playstyles.
There's people who like teamsthat require some setup.
There's people who like hyperoffensive teams.
(15:05):
For some reason, I'm one ofthose people.
I just love to see stuff goboom, right?
David Hernandez (15:09):
the fire.
Yeah,
BeccaBaddest (15:10):
Yeah, I love when stuff goes boom.
And then you have your slowerplayers who like to, you know,
manipulate the speed and go fortrick room.
So I think that finding yourplaystyle is the first step.
That's the pregame.
That's the warm up.
And then picking your team.
And then you have to kinda like,refine your team constantly.
(15:32):
Like, before we got on here Iwas watching a little bit of
Wolf's World documentary wherehe was talking about the process
of building his world's team.
Seeing someone who this is theirfull time job and how much time
and effort he puts into histeam, it gives you perspective
at the same time where it'slike, okay, you know what?
I can't beat myself up for notbeing great at this game because
(15:55):
there are some people whodedicate hours.
and hours to team building andpracticing on showdown or on the
ranked ladder.
Bouncing ideas off with otherpeople in the, in the scene and
figuring out, you know, throughtrial and error, what's good and
what's not.
So really just kind of keepingyourself grounded in that
(16:15):
perspective and just sayinglike, you know, maybe I could be
a breakout star, but that's kindof like a, not in a one in a
million, maybe like one in acouple thousand.
Cause you know, Events only havelike a couple thousand people
but Just kind of understandingand accepting, you know what it
is for me.
Um, So a lot of times I don't goto too many events each year.
(16:37):
I might go to like one or twodepending and When I have a date
in mind, like let's say whenit's January, let's say I wanted
to compete in June at NAIC, Ihave these months to prepare and
try to figure out, okay, whichrestricted, which legendary
Pokemon do I kind of vibe with?
Okay, what's my play stylearound this specific Pokemon?
(16:59):
And then I kind of go fromthere.
You kind of just kind of try tobuild upon the team as you work
through the kinks here andthere.
David Hernandez (17:07):
And you know, during this whole time, you're
learning about the type charge,you're trying to be competitive
in VGC.
You're still creating content.
Did you start transitioning yourcontent from the TCG into the
VGC?
Like you started showing videosabout that as well.
BeccaBaddest (17:18):
Yes, that's exactly what happened.
So, as my journey as a Pokemontrainer evolved, so did my
content.
So, originally I was doing packopenings, and then I started to
show some of the decks that Iwas playing, and Do kind of like
deck profiles and then when Imoved into bgc Then I kind of
did like pokemon profiles likepokedex entries and talking
(17:41):
about specific pokemon Iremember I did a video on hisui
and arcanine at the time when hewas introduced into the format I
think he had won like fourregionals back to back so I
really like that I am kind oflearning and I can share the
process of me learning withother people who are probably
just getting into the game.
(18:03):
And I think that's kind of whatmy YouTube channel is centered
around.
It's like me and other newtrainers getting into the game
and us kind of learning ittogether.
It is a little bit challengingthough because I'm not someone
who really enjoys talking onsomething that I don't have
knowledge on.
So it's a bit Frustratingsometimes when I have an idea
for a video, but I can't explainit the best that I would like to
(18:27):
because I just don't have theknowledge, right?
So some videos might take longerthan others to edit, some games
when I'm playing on stream thatI could have won I didn't
because I didn't know whetherit's a speed tier or a specific
matchup, everything that I'mgoing through I'm kind of going
through for the first time andmy audience is kind of going
through it the first time withme.
(18:47):
So I think that is somethingthat makes everything that I'm
doing a little bit unique.
And another thing, you know, wementioned the community being
so, like, welcoming andencouraging.
That's something that has alsomotivated me, you know, going to
events and hearing people say,Oh, I saw your video on BGC
resources.
Like, that was so helpful.
Like, thank you.
I can find all these things inone place.
(19:09):
And yeah, yeah, it's, it's, it'ssuper rewarding to see and feel
what you're putting so mucheffort into, whether it's your
full time job or not.
Seeing the effort that you putin make a difference to someone
else, you know, hearing peoplesay, Oh, I got into VGC because
of you.
I was watching your stream.
Like that means a lot to me.
(19:29):
That means more to me than thesatisfaction that I get from my
full time job, Just just findingthe little joy here and there
and then just having thosepeople come up to me at events
It means so much to me
David Hernandez (19:41):
You know, in a way you're almost like a Ash
Ketchum in a sense to where whenyou think about, let me think
about it, like you get youraudience to kind of engage into
you as a person that, Hey, Idon't know everything.
I just started playing Pokemonand this is kind of my story and
it allows your audience to kindof engage and see you kind of
grow through the growing pains,because it's always about the
journey, right?
(20:01):
Any good story, it's thejourney.
It's never the finaldestination.
BeccaBaddest (20:04):
Yeah, absolutely
David Hernandez (20:05):
they get to kind of ride along with that.
road that you take to whereyou're learning like, Oh, I
don't know if it's this or that.
It's almost like a living blogin a sense.
BeccaBaddest (20:13):
Yeah, pretty much You're gonna make that comment
go to my head.
I'm like, yeah, you know, I'm, Iwas told I'm like Ash Ketchum,
you know.
David Hernandez (20:22):
You're the one after third, you're gonna be,
uh, Uh, not, I think it's Likodown at the end, I can't
remember her name.
BeccaBaddest (20:27):
Yeah, yeah, Liko.
David Hernandez (20:29):
We talked about the Pokemon community, and you
said, you know, they're sowelcome, they've been so
encouraging, and you got toattend live events.
What was it like for you toattend your first live event,
and be around a whole bunch ofPokemon fans?
Was it odd?
Did you feel kind of at home?
BeccaBaddest (20:42):
Yeah, so, thinking back to Knoxville, that being my
first event, I was super, supernervous.
I had no idea what to expectbecause I had played with my
best friend, you know, wepracticed.
Remember, sometimes we'd go toApplebee's and just like play at
the table, and then I'd go to mylocal card shop and play a
little bit there.
And, you know, it's familiarfaces, so you feel a little bit
(21:04):
more comfortable.
And I remember my first round,I'm pretty sure it was a mirror
match.
I think we were both there.
And I didn't lose, we tied.
So that was already, like, I wasoff to a good start, I didn't
lose yet.
And, um, I was super happy.
I think I didn't lose a gameuntil about, like, round 3 or 4.
(21:25):
So, I, I had a pretty goodstart, and every round I was
pretty much shaking.
I was shaking and praying.
David Hernandez (21:32):
Mm hmm.
Ha ha ha ha
BeccaBaddest (21:33):
I was shaking.
Drawing card.
Oh god, please be the card Ineed.
Oh my god.
It's the card I need.
So It was it was very intense,but it was a really cool
experience And a lot of mylocals had gone to that event as
well.
So I had some familiar faces AndI had connected with one of my
(21:53):
friends that, you know, youtweet out and someone's like,
Oh, I'm also playing that deckand then you kind of connect
that way.
I met her for the first time at,Knoxville and we've been really
good friends ever since.
it's funny, I always say that Imade better friends playing
Pokemon than I did in like highschool and college.
David Hernandez (22:09):
I can see that because I think Pokemon's more
of a, you know, in high schooland college, you're kind of
forced together in a way, butPokemon, y'all intentionally
make this choice.
Like, we intentionally engage inbeing addicted to opening packs
or playing Pokemon, so we're alladdicted together in a
BeccaBaddest (22:22):
Yeah, for sure.
David Hernandez (22:24):
you also got to attend NAIC, and that was your
first VGC event.
How was that experience?
Like, what was it like to kindof go there and play VGC
instead?
BeccaBaddest (22:33):
Yeah, so, surprisingly, I was a little
less nervous playing BGC than Iwas TCG.
Just because, like, there's notthat element of, like, time, I
think.
I don't have to worry about myopponent kind of, like, watching
my hands and, like, rushing meand saying I'm playing too slow
or anything like that.
Because in BGC, the, clock isbuilt into the game.
I was a lot more relaxed.
(22:54):
Um, I had one of my friends atthe time, he coached me a little
bit, you know, told me about,strategies in the game, trying
to understand a little bit moreof what I was getting myself
into.
And so I felt a lot more at easeplaying.
I didn't feel any pressureplaying BGC, you know, rounds
are done either in five minutesor maybe 20 minutes.
(23:17):
So I'm really grateful toeveryone who I've come in
contact with, whether we'restill friends or not, just all
the advice and tips that they'vegiven me, people who have taken
me under their wing and gave mebest of three sets when they
didn't have to, you know,everybody's here because we want
to play the game that we love.
David Hernandez (23:36):
Absolutely.
And, you know, you get to kindof connect that way and just be
able to kind of share yourstrategies, is what you said.
And that's how y'all kind ofgrow as trainers.
That's how you become, maybeeventually you become Wolf
Glick, you never know.
You put yourself out there andyou find people who are just
like you.
BeccaBaddest (23:49):
Yeah, exactly.
David Hernandez (23:51):
The last thing I want to touch on is you got a
chance to go to Japan forworlds, not as competitor, but I
believe as a spectator.
BeccaBaddest (23:58):
Yes, yes.
David Hernandez (24:00):
How did that happen?
If you just give insight, likewhat was the story behind that?
BeccaBaddest (24:04):
Yes, so, I think that Pokemon first reached out
to me when I was playing TCG.
And I think they reached out tome shortly after Knoxville,
after I, you know, posted myrecord and how excited I was.
And at the time they had giftedme some product.
So I think it was theintroduction of the Scarlet and
(24:25):
Violet era in TCG, yes.
So I was gifted a booster box.
of Scarlet and Violet, they gaveme an ETV, they gave me a really
cute poster with the startersand that's how, like, the
connection first started.
And the person that I was incontact with, I think they had
asked if I was going to Worldsand I said that yes, I did plan
to, I wanted to go as aspectator and then they offered
(24:46):
me a media badge.
So I was able to attend worldsas a content creator and that
was a really cool uniqueexperience I think that was
probably the start of kind oflike their pre creator program
whether it was like the yearbefore that or so I think that's
when they really started to kindof invest in like creators it's
(25:07):
so funny going to an event as aNatural competitor and going as
a spectator.
I was like, ah, man, I'm kind ofbored
David Hernandez (25:17):
Yeah, how so?
I was
BeccaBaddest (25:18):
Yeah, yeah, so You know, it's nine rounds day one
and it's an exclusive event,right?
everybody there is there becausethey're they're a world class
competitor So it's smaller inthat sense, but there were a lot
of spectators there as wellwhether you got a spectator pass
from a Competitor or you were,in the juniors and seniors and
(25:38):
you were a parent chaperone.
So there was a lot of downtimeAnd it was super crowded and the
side events that they usuallyhave were just impossible to get
into.
So I didn't even really get todo any side events.
A lot of it was kind of justsitting around and watching
stream and, you know, trying tofigure out content ideas here
and there.
(25:58):
I don't know that I wouldnecessarily do it again.
I do really hope to co stream aWorlds one day.
it looks like a really coolexperience, you know You're able
to have the stream up whileyou're live on twitch and you're
kind of just watching the roundsprogress with your audience.
So that's something that Ireally would like to do I think
(26:19):
it's a bit more engaging for me,it'll be more engaging for my
audience as opposed to them justseeing a vlog of me, you know,
walk around the city and stufflike that, we're there, we're
kind of like, commentating thegames together, you know,
bouncing ideas in real time,like, oh man, that was an
awesome play, I think that I'dhave But that's not to take away
(26:40):
from the experience.
I am super grateful to Pokemonthat they invited me to go as a
media person, and it was areally cool experience.
I got to see some players thatI've never seen before, whether
they were from, you know,different parts of the world, or
just different states from mine,and it was good to meet some of
them for the first time.
I remember, I think that's whereI met Andrew Mahone and I, I, I
(27:01):
went up to him.
I was like, Hi.
He was like, Becca.
I was like, Oh my God, you knowwho I am.
That's crazy.
Yes.
That's it.
As I was like, Oh my God, youknow me.
So that was, that was really,really cool.
And that interaction alone madethe two weeks, like I was elated
for the rest of my trip.
I was like, he knows who I am.
He knows my name.
So I was really happy to go andget that experience.
(27:24):
That was my first time in Japan.
That was my first time in Asia.
went to a lot of Pokemoncenters.
spent a lot of
David Hernandez (27:29):
got a, lot of stuff.
Yeah, I'm sure
BeccaBaddest (27:31):
a ton of stuff, and uh, the World Store was so,
so cool.
I think that Pokemon Center isprobably like, cause you know,
they do kind of like a pop upPokemon Center at Worlds, and
that
David Hernandez (27:41):
yes.
Yeah
BeccaBaddest (27:42):
man, that was so so awesome.
I did like a little vlog of thestore We got to go in as
creators, I think a day beforeeveryone else so we got to You
know see all the inventory andsee everything and just seeing
all the sitting cuties of likefive six generations was cool I
would not trade that experiencethat I have for anything in this
world I always say that my Fivefavorite memories of my life all
(28:07):
involve pokemon
David Hernandez (28:10):
it started take over your life really
BeccaBaddest (28:12):
Yeah, in the best way possible.
David Hernandez (28:15):
Was gonna say it would be difficult especially
as competitor I know whenever Iwould try to do a referee for
basketball games.
I always wanted to be on thecourt I never wanted to watch it
and especially cuz you know,you're very into competitive
Pokemon I'm sure you probablyimagine yourself on that stage
too, right?
BeccaBaddest (28:29):
For sure, for sure.
I think it was, uh, the promothat they did after that.
They had, like, little girls,little brown girls playing with
their Switch and their Pokemon,like, little trailer for Worlds.
I was like, ah, they'reforeshadowing! That's gonna be
me one day!
David Hernandez (28:43):
Ha ha ha ha ha
BeccaBaddest (28:45):
And it's, it's, you know, like, you just said
it.
The best as a competitor, it'shard to sit on the sidelines and
that's really what it was, youknow It was a beautiful
experience.
It was so cool to be in japan Itwas so cool to be to see jumbo
pikachu and all that stuff Butit was also like man i'd really
like to compete in this one dayI
David Hernandez (29:07):
someday.
BeccaBaddest (29:08):
hope so
David Hernandez (29:09):
Well, Becca, thank you for coming on.
As the pokeball turns.
I want to leave it with thisfinal question.
If somebody was going to comebattle you six on six and you
had to bring a fire team, whichsix fire Pokemon would you
choose?
BeccaBaddest (29:23):
I am so glad you asked Hahaha, I would probably
bring a crydon Entei, Hisui andI guess I have to bring
Ninetales, right?
I have to bring Ninetales.
David Hernandez (29:38):
I mean, it's one of your
BeccaBaddest (29:39):
Yeah, I'd have to bring Ninetales.
I'd bring Charizard, And Youknow what?
I'll bring SunnyCastform.
ha
David Hernandez (29:47):
Hey, both your favorites coming on it.
Let's go.
BeccaBaddest (29:50):
They're gonna carry! Watch! MVPs!
David Hernandez (29:52):
Absolutely.
Becca, thank you for coming onthe podcast before you go.
If people want to check out yourcontent, if they want to connect
with you, where can they go byall means, please plug away.
BeccaBaddest (30:01):
Yes.
Again, thank you so, so much forhaving me.
I am Becca Battist on allplatforms.
You can find me on YouTube,Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok
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