17 Taran Birdee - Pokémon VGC Competitor & Perth Regional Champion 2023

#ChazingdraChats #6Pokémon1LifeStory

UK-based Pokémon Video Game Competitor Taran Birdee has been a force to be reckoned with especially since emerging from lockdown, with victory at the 2023 Perth Regional Championships and a slew of impressive results at the International level to his name - as well as all the Gold Symbols from Pokémon Emerald's Battle Frontier! Discover Taran's life story, from his undying competitive streak that got him where he is today, via taking the leap to attend live Pokémon tournaments and an encounter with a Shiny Wailmer... All this and, of course, the 6 Pokémon most special to him that he would choose for his Dream Team await you, with more besides - come hang out with Taran & me, and let us #MakeYourDayMerry!

Keep up with Taran's latest news on X @AuraRayquaza: https://x.com/AuraRayquaza

And my name's Charlie Merriman, a pleasure to meet you! I'm a host & commentator for the Pokémon Video Game Championships Series and a content creator. You can find me as @Chazingdra on YouTube, X, Instagram & TikTok - I stream Pokémon games, vlog events I cast, make comedy skits and loads more! Come join in the merriment!

https://www.youtube.com/@Chazingdra

https://twitter.com/Chazingdra

https://www.instagram.com/chazingdra/

https://www.tiktok.com/@chazingdra

And you can follow the podcast itself on X too @ChazingdraChats:

https://twitter.com/ChazingdraChats

If you enjoyed, do give the show a rating & review and drop a comment - it really helps! You can also watch the episode on YouTube (link above), where you can see pictures of the Pokémon that Taran is talking about as well as the plushies he has of each of his Dream Team members - come share in the smiles! Leave a comment over there too as I'd love to know your thoughts on what Taran's shared with us - and what your own Dream Team would be... Any feedback you have and any suggestions for guests, from competitive to casual Pokémon players and beyond, feel free to get in touch - chazingdra@gmail.com

Consider joining my Patreon to hear Taran's Rapidash Round: 15 minutes or so of bonus quickfire questions he hasn't prepared for... Who's a player Taran looks up to? Most underrated item in VGC in his opinion? These and more lie in store - let the good times roll on! https://www.patreon.com/Chazingdra

And why not join the friendly Merrifolk! Become a member of my Discord community Chazingdra's Chocolate Factory here - if you enjoy anything & everything the Pokémon video games have to offer then it's the place for you. It would be a pleasure to welcome you :) https://discord.com/invite/f2ssjED4ke

(N.B. Music for the show coming soon!)

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 Welcome!

01:45 'The game I never stopped playing'

07:09 Taran's 1st Dream Team Pokémon

10:54 The battle loss that led to a competitive deep dive

18:36 Taran's 2nd Dream Team Pokémon

22:17 Holding out for the right job

31:13 Taran's 3rd Dream Team Pokémon

32:59 Lockdown

37:13 Taran's 4th Dream Team Pokémon

40:52 Hitting the ground running for the 2022 season

47:21 Taran's 5th Dream Team Pokémon

51:01 Perth 2023 & NAIC 2024

1:04:50 Taran's 6th Dream Team Pokémon

1:06:59 Taran's Complete Dream Team & Partner Pokémon

1:08:37 If Taran were a Pokémon, what would he be?

1:11:09 Community questions for Taran

1:19:50 What's next for Taran?

1:22:49 What advice would Taran give his younger self?

1:23:49 Taran's Rapidash Round Teaser

1:24:26 Get involved & see you next time! Inc. reveal of next week's guest...

*Shiny Pokémon: Each Pokémon has a Shiny version, an incredibly rare differently-coloured variant that sparkles when encountered. They are not otherwise different from regular Pokémon, but of course they are highly prized.

*As mentioned in passing by Taran, the 2024-25 season will have a slightly different tournament structure, and everyone with the same number of match points as the player in 8th position will advance to a top-cut bracket - further information can be found on the Pokémon website: https://www.pokemon.com/uk/pokemon-news/2025-pokemon-championship-series-update#adjusting-swiss-tournament-format-and-top-cut  

*Incidentally, 'za' mentioned in the second life story segment is a slang shortening for 'pizza'!

Disclaimer: This podcast is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by The Pokémon Company or The Pokémon Company International.