Ray Rizzo

Raymond Rizzo is a three-time Pokémon Video Game World Champion (2010, 2011, 2012).[2] He is regarded as one of the best players of competitive Pokémon of his time.[3]

Raymond Rizzo
Rizzo in 2010
Personal information
Nickname(s)Ray
Born1992 or 1993 (age 29–31)[1]
NationalityAmerican
Career information
GamePokémon
Career highlights and awards

His success can be partly attributed to his team building skills - one example of this is his use of a defensive, support-oriented Thundurus at a time when most players used Thundurus offensively, and this innovation subsequently dominated the Pokémon competitive scene for years after its first appearance at the 2011 World Championships.[4][5]

Personal life

Rizzo grew up in the Marlton section of Evesham Township, New Jersey[6] in the United States, He began playing Pokémon as a child. He attended Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, studying actuarial science. He passed three actuarial exams while at Drake. He resides in Tokyo, Japan.

Pokémon career

In 2010, Rizzo won his first Pokémon World Championship in Hawaii after defeating Japan's Yasuki Tochigi in the Senior Division finals.[7] He then won the 2011 World Championship[8] in San Diego, California after defeating Matteo Gini in the then-new Masters Division finals.[3] He next won the 2012 World Championship in Hawaii, defeating Wolfe Glick (who Rizzo regards highly) in the Masters Division finals, making Rizzo the first three-time Pokémon Video Game World Champion.[2] To commemorate this, the Pokémon Company released a shiny Metagross with the same moves, ability and nature as Rizzo's.[9]

Rizzo was defeated in the first round of elimination at the 2013 Pokémon World Championships.[10] In 2014, Rizzo was alleged to have cheated by using a hacked Aegislash at the 2014 US Pokémon National Championships.[11] He denied the accusations, but said that he would not be using the Pokémon in the future.[12] The allegedly hacked Pokémon would have conferred no advantage in the competition, only saving time by avoiding on-cartridge grinding, but would still have been a violation of tournament rules.[12]

In 2015, Rizzo was inducted into the Guinness World Records for his achievements.[13] However, he did not qualify for the 2015 Pokémon World Championships.[14]

Rizzo also has a YouTube channel where he discusses competitive Pokémon. As of May 2023, he has 24K subscribers and over three million channel views.[15]

References
  1. Martin, Liam (February 23, 2016). "11 Pokemon records that will probably never be beaten". Digital Spy. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
  2. "Introducing the 2012 Pokémon Video Game World Champions!". 2012 Pokémon World Championships. 12 August 2012. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
  3. "Nobody on the planet is as good at Pokemon as Ray Rizzo". Engadget. Retrieved 2022-10-28.
  4. Drake, Audrey (2012-06-20). "Tips from the Champ: Building a Competitive Pokémon Team". IGN. Retrieved 2022-10-28.
  5. "Pokémon VGC 2011 World Championships". Retrieved 2022-10-28.
  6. pokemon (15 August 2013). "Interview: 2012 VG Masters World Champion Ray Rizzo". YouTube. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
  7. "VGC World Championships Finals". 2010 Pokémon World Championships. 15 August 2010. Archived from the original on November 5, 2010. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
  8. GamesRadarCarolynGudmundson (2011-08-16). "Pokemon history made at Pokemon World Championships 2011". gamesradar. Retrieved 2022-10-28.
  9. ""News Alert: Level 45 Shiny Metagross Pokémon character will be distributed at the 2013 Pokémon Video Game National Championships" - The Pokémon Company International Official Press Site". pokemon.gamespress.com. Retrieved 2022-10-28.
  10. Bosman, Kyle (15 August 2013). "World Championships: To Be the Very Best". GameTrailers. Retrieved 17 August 2013.
  11. Martinez, Phillip (July 8, 2014). "Pokemon X And Y News: Did Ray Rizzo Cheat During National Championships 2014? Not Likely". iDigitalTimes. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
  12. Hernandez, Patricia (July 7, 2014). "Fans Are Pissed About Alleged Cheating In The Recent Pokémon Tournament". Retrieved September 3, 2015.
  13. Swatman, Rachel (March 9, 2016). "Pokémon: 10 incredible world records to celebrate the franchise's 20th anniversary". Guinness World Records.
  14. "Tournament Results". Pokemon. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
  15. "Ray Rizzo's YouTube Stats (Summary Profile) - Social Blade Stats". socialblade.com. Retrieved 2023-04-14.
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