Player Profile: ThankSwalot

For the first time in Pokkén Tournament history, the 2018 Pokémon World Championships saw a non-Japanese player crowned as the Pokkén Tournament DX champion.

Despite the other three Top 4 spots being taken up by Japanese pros TARUTARO, haruyuki and subutan, 17 year old Jacob "ThankSwalot" Waller was able to become the first ever North American World Champion for Pokkén Tournament. Defeating the likes of Twixxie, Wingtide, Mikukey_HIKARI and more, ThankSwalot showed everyone that he is quite possibly the best Pokkén Tournament DX player in the world.

ThankSwalot is a fan favorite for his exciting character and playstyle. Thanks to the intense battle that he and TARUTARO put up, the Pokkén Grand Finals has gained over 650,000 views on the official Pokémon YouTube channel.

With all of this in mind, it only seems right that the first Player Profile on Pokkén Arena is featuring your 2018 Pokkén Tournament DX World Champion, ThankSwalot!

This series of posts aims to introduce readers to top Pokkén Tournament DX players, Following this post, we'll be posting an interview with ThankSwalot this Sunday!

During the interview, we'll be asking ThankSwalot questions asked by the community over the next 24 hours. To ask a question, you can either leave a comment on this post or ask on Twitter by tagging @PokkenArena and including the hashtag #AskSwalot. Then, check back this Sunday to get ThankSwalot's answer!

(I'd also like to give a huge thanks to Jetsplit for helping me out with this idea, along with the cooperation of the community in future projects like this one!)

ThankSwalot defeats Japanese legend TARUTARO to become the 2018 Pokkén Tournament World Champion!

The Pokémon Company

Player Information

Gamertag: ThankSwalot

Name: Jacob Waller

Birth Date: December 4, 2000 (age 17)

Location: Oak Forest, Illinois

Main Character:

Other Characters: :Empoleon:

Sponsor: None

DX Mid-Season 1 Ranking: 5th

Other Competitive Titles: Pokémon VGC

Tournament Placings

Tournament	Date	Placement
2018 Pokkén Tournament World Championships	August 25, 2018	1st
2018 Pokémon North America International Championships	July 7-8, 2018	1st
DreamHack Austin 2018	June 2, 2018	7th
Combo Breaker 2018	May 26, 2018	1st
NorCal Regionals 2018	April 1, 2018	1st
Final Round 2018	March 18, 2018	2nd
Winter Brawl XII	February 18-19, 2018	2nd
Frosty Faustings X	January 20, 2018	5th
NEC 18	December 17, 2017	2nd
Final Boss	October 28-29, 2017	7th

Gameplay

Links

Remember, you can ask ThankSwalot questions either by leaving a comment on this post or by tagging @PokkenArena on Twitter and including the hashtag #AskSwalot. ThankSwalot will be answering your questions in his Player Interview, which will be published this Sunday, September 9!