The 2014 Australian Pokémon Championships are nearly upon us and Aussie Poké-fans are about to do battle to win a spot at the World Championships to be held later this year in Washington D.C.!

Three-time Masters World Champion (2010, 2011, 2012) Ray Rizzo spoke to us and dropped some sweet hints on how to be a Pokémon Pro!

KZ: Yo Ray, what was it like winning your first championship in 2010?

Ray: I never would have expected to win a World Championship, let alone 3 in a row, but I really enjoyed the rules that year... especially using the Legendary Pokémon and a combination of the non-Legendary Pokémon.

KZ: Three World Championships is amazing, what's the secret to winning?

Ray: I think team building is really important; I like being creative and thinking outside the box to get a strategy that no one has really used but still has potential to be really good. Take last year for example - the winner from Italy used Mamoswine which isn't very common at all. I really think being creative is the way to go when building teams.

KZ: There are tons of Aussie players going for gold this year, got any advice for them?

Ray: I think it's best to have an open mind about a bunch of strategies. You don't want to restrict yourself to a single strategy - you want to try pretty much everything that you think might be cool or might work well. And you also want to try and battle against all the different regions of the world, as they'll often have different metagames and strategies that are popular compared to your own country.

KZ: Great advice! And lastly, what's your fave Pokémon?

Ray: Definitely Snorlax! He's powerful and also pretty cute when he's sleeping!

Pokemon fans, check out our Pokemon X & Y Cheats and how to Find Mega Stones in Pokemon X & Y too!