Knoxville, Melbourne, and Singapore Regional Results and Are Side Events Worth It?

Knoxville, Melbourne, and Singapore Regional Results and Are Side Events Worth It?

Curious about how others navigate their sobriety journey while still geeking out on their hobbies? This chatty instalment of *The Payoff with Pete* takes a fun detour into competitive Pokémon, showing how sober life can be full of passion, structure, and community. Instead of late nights drinking, the focus here is on early mornings at massive regional tournaments in Knoxville, Melbourne and Singapore.

Hosts Corey and Jared break down deck choices, shifting tournament numbers, and meta trends with the kind of obsessive energy many people recognise from their own addictive patterns – only this time it’s channelled into something healthy. As they joke, “It’s Chuck E. Cheese meets league,” when they talk about side events, prize walls and the thrill of collecting points for mats, plushies and booster boxes.

You’ll hear them rave about Roaring Moon finally cracking top cuts, Gardevoir taking a big win, and Lost Box variants giving the usual heavy-hitters a run for their money. They even compare top players to sports stars, calling Tord the “Patrick Mahomes of Pokémon” and dreaming about a worlds finals showdown.

The heart of the episode sits in the discussion of side events: calmer, more playful spaces where new and mid-level players can test their skills, enjoy quirky formats like pack battles, and still feel part of the big-show buzz without the pressure of the main event. For anyone in recovery, it quietly models how competition, structure and community can fill the space alcohol once occupied.

If you’re looking for proof that sobriety can include nerdy joy, friendly rivalry and weekends away that you actually remember, this one might spark a few ideas – what hobby could you throw yourself into instead of reaching for a drink?