Dachsbun!

For the longest time, my favorite Pokémon was Umbreon. However as of Scarlet and Violet, a certain dog has captured my heart... it's Dachsbun! Generation 9 is also the first generation that I have taken Pokémon seriously enough to travel to in-person tournaments. Though I have not gotten to go to as many as I like, I have brought the bread dog to all of them, determined to make it work!

I was convinced that the obvious strategy of having a Lava Plume partner and spamming Body Press was not the optimal strategy. Instead I opted for a utility set with Howl and partner it with big physical attackers. And you know what, it kind of worked! The battle below from the online Global Challenge II in 2023 shows one of my best performances (that I recorded) with this strategy.

I brought "Howlbun" to Fort Wayne in 2023 where I went 5-4 and placed 177 out of 568; and again to Sacramento the following season where I went 3-6 and placed 332 out of 432.

"Howlbun" was fun while it lasted, but I have since seen the light and have been going with the tried and true Lava Plume/Body Press strategy. I've been wary of accepting this strategy because of the existence of Flutter Mane (and now Calyrex Ghost Rider), but it's still a fun strategy to pull off! Here is a match I had for an online Grand Grassroot Circuit tournament I participated in 2024.

I'm hoping some day I will have the opportunity to make it to another VGC tournament again. And who knows, maybe I will figure out a way to be good enough to get a match streamed to the viewers at home 😉