Team identity: Mega Salamence + Curse Snorlax — a team built entirely without restricted legendaries in a format where most of the field was preparing for Xerneas. Paul Ruiz identified that the meta was over-preparing for a specific threat and built to punish that preparation.

Primary game plan: Curse Snorlax was the win condition against bulky teams. Mega Salamence provided Intimidate support and cleaned up after Snorlax softened the opposition. Tapu Koko's Electric Terrain enabled fast offensive pressure. The team had both a slow setup mode (Snorlax) and a fast offensive mode (Kartana + Tapu Koko).

Speed control: No dedicated speed control move. The team relied on Choice Scarf Kartana for speed advantage, priority from Incineroar's Fake Out, and Curse Snorlax's natural bulk to function in any speed tier. Tapu Koko naturally outspeed most of the unboosted metagame.

Offensive core: Mega Salamence + Kartana formed a physical offense duo that covered each other's checks well. Kartana drew in Fire-types that Salamence could Earthquake. Salamence's Intimidate helped Kartana survive physical hits.

Defensive core: Incineroar + Gastrodon provided Intimidate cycling and Water immunity respectively. Gastrodon's Storm Drain redirected Water moves away from Incineroar and Snorlax. Snorlax itself was the defensive anchor.

Historical impact: Paul Ruiz became the first Latin American World Champion in VGC history. His victory proved that format knowledge and team selection could overcome raw power — a lesson that still resonates in modern VGC.

Key innovation: Running a non-restricted team in what became the final non-restricted format. Paul's team had zero legendaries beyond the Tapu, while much of the field was preparing for Xerneas + Groudon. He identified that the meta was so centralized around countering restricted mons that a well-built 'standard' team could punish those preparations.