Ray Rizzo

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Raymond Rizzo
Rizzo in 2010
Personal information
Nickname(s)Ray
Born1992 or 1993 (age 30–31)[1]
NationalityAmerican
Career information
GamePokémon
Career highlights and awards

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 all time.[3]

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[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

  1. ^ Martin, Liam (February 23, 2016). "11 Pokemon records that will probably never be beaten". Digital Spy. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Introducing the 2012 Pokémon Video Game World Champions!". 2012 Pokémon World Championships. 12 August 2012. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
  3. ^ a b "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. ^ a b 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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