Jason Krell
Washington Post
Phoenix, AZ, United States
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Past articles by Jason:
How does Riot Games balance ‘League of Legends?’ The answer is a bit meta.
Imagine a traditional sport just breaking the game once every six months. → Read More
Pokémon Sword and Shield ban shows the divide between competitive scenes
Dynamax, Pokémon Sword and Shield’s big new mechanic, has been banned by Smogon, an unofficial competitive community. But in the official competitive circuit, Dynamax is seen as a healthy addition to the game. It all comes down to format and differing attitudes on what matches should look like. → Read More
This Pokémon shouldn’t even be alive — but it might be a new competitive threat
Pokémon Sword and Shield’s fossil monsters may look like crimes against humanity, but at least one creature seems to be a competitive contender — Dracovish. Additionally, expert players discuss the best new Pokémon, moves, how Dynamax and Gigantamax will change competitive play, and more. → Read More
Pokémon player totals car in a crash, wins tournament anyway
Kyle Livinghouse’s plan was to drive to the Knoxville Regional Championships for a competitive Pokémon tournament, but his plans went astray after getting in an accident. Despite the crash, a lack of sleep, and even a fearsome rival, Livinghouse went on to win $1,000. → Read More
Three Ways Ultra Sun and Moon is Shaking Up Competitive Pokémon
Let’s talk about some of the biggest additions that will have a major impact on the way competitors approach tournaments. → Read More
What The Controversial Return of Mega Evolution Means For Competitive Pokémon
Earlier this month, The Pokémon Company International announced the rules for the next Video Game Championship Series format, bringing the controversial mega evolution and a much wider selection of Pokémon back into tournament play. With updated mega evolutions, Z-moves and a slew of competitive staples returning to the fold, 2018 will give players more room to innovate while also adding some… → Read More
Despite Skepticism, Eevee Wins First Major Competitive Pokémon Tournament
After a season of competitive Pokémon players claiming that no one would win a major tournament with Eevee, Jeremy Rodriguez has pulled it off at one of the last events of this format: the Daytona Regional Championships. → Read More
The 11-Year-Old Who’s Dominating Competitive Pokémon
Pokémon may be marketed toward younger fans, but the most well-known competitors are adults. This year, however, the most impressive performance belongs to Nicholas Kan, an 11-year-old from Australia who makes Ash Ketchum look bad. → Read More
Japan Wins One of the Closest Pokémon Championships In History
During this weekend’s Pokémon World Championships, Japan reasserted itself as the best region on the planet. Ryota Otsubo won the master’s division against Australia’s Sam Pandelis in a match where both sidewere full of twists on teams we’ve seen before this season. → Read More
Players Have Learned To Fear Raichu At This Year's Pokémon Championships
Day one of the Pokémon World Championships was a bloodbath where more than 100 of the world’s best players duked it out for a chance to compete with the season’s best competitors in the second phase of the tournament. And even though the Video Game Championship series is solo affair, one tightknit group of players rode the same wave to success built on the back of a team featuring Raichu’s new… → Read More
Official Pokémon Tournament Only Allowed Monsters With Many Weaknesses
Last weekend, the weak inherited the Pokémon world for an official online tournament. Much like last month’s Tiny Tournament, players could only use a subset of the game’s hundreds of options. The Weakness Cup’s restriction, as its name implies, only allowed players to use Pokémon with five or more weaknesses to the game’s various types. → Read More
One Player's Struggle to Bring Competitive Pokémon to the Middle East
Competitive Pokémon has four main zones in North America, Europe, Latin America and the Asian-Pacific region, with countries such as Japan and South Korea running their own system. While that covers most of the world, it does leave a large gap on the map in the Middle East. This system leaves some players, such as Khalid Abdulla, in a difficult position. → Read More
Snorlax Wins International Pokémon Tournament By Eating A Ton
Last weekend’s North American International Championships had two big surprises: not only did Australians sweep the tournament, a Snorlax dodged more than half a dozen chances to be paralyzed or flinched. And, in classic Snorlax fashion, it won a tournament by eating. → Read More
Nobody Thought Competitive Pokémon Player Would Win A 4 vs 1, But He Did
Competitive Pokémon players usually forfeit matches with seemingly unbeatable odds. But the first day of the North American Pokémon International Championships is a perfect lesson in why never giving up can pay off. → Read More
Only Tiny Pokémon Could Fight In This Official Tournament
The Pokémon Company offered players a chance to mix things up last weekend with an online competition where only shrimp-sized monsters could strut their stuff. → Read More
Recent Japanese Pokémon Tournament Full Of Monsters You Rarely See
This weekend’s Japanese National Championships proves that competitive Pokémon plays almost like an entirely different game in the franchise’s home country. While every Japanese top eight team had some common picks you might spot at other tournaments around the world, players made plenty of choices that are almost never seen anywhere else. → Read More
Competitive Pokémon Player Risks It All With Fragile Ultra Beast, Wins Tournament Anyway
Pheromosa, an Ultra Beast known for its fragility and power, normally seems like a risky pick for competitive Pokémon. But this weekend, Andrew Nowak won the Madison Regional Championships largely thanks to an uncommon Pheromosa moveset. → Read More
Normally, A Competitive Pokémon Match Between These Top Players Wouldn't Happen
There are many ways to play competitive Pokémon, and each format has its own group of top players. These groups usually don’t cross paths, but YouTubers created an online league to remedy that. Last weekend, two elite trainers from the singles community took on their “doubles” counterparts in a clash of the titans. → Read More
The ‘Worst’ Pokémon Sun and Moon Legendary Guardian Scores Big Competitive Win
Nick Navarre, a top competitive Pokémon player from the US, won last weekend’s Roanoke Regional Championships with a unique team that included what many consider the weakest Alolan Guardian: Tapu Bulu. → Read More
Pokémon Player Uses Explode On Veteran Competitor, Leaving Him Speechless
Pokémon Sun and Moon’s online Battle Spot ladder is full of wild teams. Since all games are best-of-one (unlike live tournaments, which are best-of-three), many players bring gimmicks to steal the win in unexpected ways. Even the best competitive player can be caught off guard, because they never know what to expect. → Read More