Andrew Hedrick vs preston rutledge: Match Breakdown

The Andrew Hedrick vs preston rutledge semifinal was a Dragapult mirror match at the 2026 Los Angeles Regional Championship. Andrew Hedrick entered the round as a highly decorated player, while Preston Rutledge was pursuing a deep tournament run and a place in the final.

The match rewarded flexible sequencing more than explosive opening turns. Both players had access to Dragapult’s spread-damage plan, but their lists used different supporting packages. Andrew’s build included Crushing Hammer, Unfair Stamp, Dunsparce, and a Hammer-focused disruption plan. Preston relied heavily on Duskull and Dusknoir to shift damage counters and create favorable prize turns.

The Limitless Labs Andrew Hedrick tournament record lists Andrew in first place at the Los Angeles Regional Championship with a 14-0-3 final record. Its match listing also records a win over Preston Rutledge in Round 16.

Video Highlights:

• Both competitors brought Dragapult variants to the semifinal.
• Preston’s first game was complicated by both Duskull being in the Prize cards.
• Andrew repeatedly disrupted Preston’s energy with Crushing Hammer.
• Damage-counter placement limited Preston’s comeback routes.
• Andrew closed the match 2–0 and moved into the final.

Game one began with difficult Prize cards for Preston. Both copies of Duskull were unavailable, removing two of the most important damage-management resources in the Dragapult mirror. Without easy access to Dusknoir, Preston had to find alternative ways to move damage and build a functional attacking board.

Andrew also experienced awkward draws. His Dragapult board developed quickly, but Fire Energy was difficult to find across multiple turns. The difference was that Andrew continued building future attackers while using Item pressure and board positioning to prevent Preston from comfortably stabilizing.

Preston opened with Mankey Dory in the Active position and had to balance retreating against preserving energy for Adrena-Brain. That tension became increasingly important. Attaching energy to retreat could improve the current board while weakening the next attack. Leaving Mankey Dory Active preserved resources but allowed Andrew to dictate the pace.

Andrew’s use of Recon Directive and Dunsparce helped him maintain access to additional cards. He also delayed placing some Dreepy onto the Bench, reducing the amount of information available to Preston during the opening turns. This was a small sequencing choice, but it made Preston’s responses less straightforward.

The major turning point arrived when Andrew flipped heads on Crushing Hammer to remove Preston’s Fire Energy. Andrew then used Crispin to establish the Fire Energy needed for Phantom Dive. Once Dragapult was attacking and Mankey Dory was ready to move damage counters, the board became increasingly difficult for Preston to recover.

Andrew’s Phantom Dive did more than damage the Active Pokémon. Its Bench damage created multiple future knockout targets while forcing Preston to spend energy on retreating or attacking. Unfair Stamp further reduced Preston’s ability to assemble a clean response.

Preston eventually conceded after Andrew’s board had several charged Dragapult attackers, a functioning damage-moving Pokémon, and multiple ways to finish the remaining prizes. The first game demonstrated how a player can win a mirror despite missing important energy early by maintaining board quality and denying the opponent’s development.

Game two gave Preston a more playable setup. Duskull was available, and the early board included the evolution pieces needed to threaten Dusknoir. However, Andrew went first and established a strong foundation with Dreepy, Budew, and access to his draw and search engines.

Preston’s early retreat from Duskull into Dreepy consumed a Night Stretcher. That decision improved the immediate Active position but reduced the number of recovery options available later. In a long Dragapult mirror, every recovery card must be evaluated as both a current resource and a future out.

Preston found Rare Candy and Dragapult through a large draw sequence, allowing him to remain in the game. The recovery was important because Andrew had already established disruption and was threatening to remove energy before Preston could attack consistently.

Andrew’s damage placement was especially effective. Rather than taking the flashiest possible knockout, he spread damage across targets that could later be finished by Phantom Dive. He also considered how Preston’s own damage-moving effects could change the board. This created a layered plan: deal enough damage to establish future knockouts while limiting the value of Preston’s counter movement.

At one point, Preston used energy to keep a damaged Pokémon from immediately losing the game. That attachment helped avoid a larger prize swing, but it also left fewer resources available for powering Dragapult. Andrew’s pressure forced Preston to choose between:

• Retreating a damaged Pokémon.
• Attaching to a future Dragapult.
• Preserving energy for Mankey Dory.
• Finding Judge or another disruption option.
• Protecting a vulnerable Bench target.

Andrew also used Boss’s Orders to bring vulnerable targets into range. Meowth and Fezandipity became important liabilities because they could draw prizes without requiring Andrew to break through a fully powered Dragapult. By dividing damage between the Active and Bench, Andrew created several possible endgame routes.

Preston’s board briefly threatened a comeback after finding Rare Candy and Dragapult. However, the recovery required multiple cards and did not fully solve the energy problem. Andrew continued to use Hammer effects, including a successful flip against Neo Upper Energy, and maintained enough board control to prevent a clean return to the Prize race.

The semifinal offers a useful study of how to approach a Dragapult mirror when both players can spread damage and use evolution-based support. The central question is not simply who attacks first. It is who can maintain more useful resources after the first two Phantom Dive turns.

1. Track every energy type

Andrew’s early turns showed why energy tracking matters. Fire Energy was scarce, and both players had to know which copies were in the deck, the hand, the discard pile, or the Prize cards. Searching carelessly can leave a deck unable to meet the attack cost at the critical moment.

2. Build more than one attacker

Andrew’s strongest board state included multiple Drakloak or Dragapult options. This prevented a single knockout from ending his attack chain. Even when Fire Energy was missing, placing Psychic Energy on future attackers preserved flexibility.

A common mistake in the mirror is powering only the Active Pokémon. That can produce an impressive current turn but leaves the board fragile after a knockout. A better approach is to distribute development across two or three attackers when the opponent cannot immediately punish the Bench.

3. Treat Dusknoir as a timing tool

Preston’s list used Duskull and Dusknoir to manipulate damage counters. These cards were not simply extra attackers; they changed the prize map. A well-timed Dusknoir could turn a safe Bench into a knockout target or remove a low-HP support Pokémon before it generated more value.

When Dusknoir is unavailable, the player should avoid pretending that the normal damage plan still exists. Game one showed how Prize cards can force an alternate approach.

4. Use disruption after creating a board advantage

Unfair Stamp was most threatening once Andrew had established a superior field. Disruption is more valuable when the opponent must draw several specific cards, such as energy, Rare Candy, Dragapult, and a retreat option.

5. Avoid flashy endgame lines too early

Andrew repeatedly evaluated whether to use Boss’s Orders, Adrena-Brain, Phantom Dive, or additional setup. The correct line was often the one that preserved future options rather than the one that immediately looked most dramatic.

Andrew Hedrick’s result at the 2026 Los Angeles Regional Championship was listed as first place with a 14-0-3 record. The tournament drew 1,849 players, and the published match table records Andrew’s win over Preston Rutledge in Round 16 before the later final-stage rounds.

The match also carried wider competitive significance. The broadcast noted that the season was approaching another major championship period, making high placements important for players pursuing qualification. Preston’s deep run represented a meaningful opportunity, while Andrew was attempting to add another regional title to an already decorated competitive record.

For readers reviewing the match, the most useful takeaway is not a single card choice. It is the way Andrew combined several modest advantages:

• He built multiple Dragapult attackers.
• He tracked energy carefully despite poor early access to Fire Energy.
• He used Crushing Hammer to interrupt key attachments.
• He placed Phantom Dive damage with later turns in mind.
• He protected his final prize routes instead of forcing an early knockout.

The Limitless Labs event page is the best reference for the published standings and match information. For the full broadcast analysis, use the embedded Pokémon TCG Top Four coverage above.