The Early Dondozo gets the Tatsugiri!
Pokemon VGC 2025 Baltimore Regionals Preview
Welcome back to DevonCorpPress, my name is Ryan B Hebert and I have the pleasure to bring you a special metagame preview for Baltimore Regionals this upcoming weekend. When I started DevonCorpPress, ideally, these types of articles would be at the forefront of major events as much as possible. As many before me have learned, this type of writing and research takes time and energy over several days in order to craft a put-together piece worth reading. While I’ve seen reports in the past detailing “players to watch” I think that the 2024 VGC season was living proof of how almost any trainer can be a champion. For those of us deep in the scene, we know which names to follow to create thrilling storylines for the season, and that’s what makes Pokemon such an exciting game to follow. For those of you new to this community, I cannot wait for you to see the magic that is competitive Pokemon. I promise you that after watching a regional for the first time, you too will yearn to reach the great heights of players that have come before you. At the end of the day, it is the people that bring us back to the community, and to this game. With that being said, this piece will focus on the Pokemon in Regulation H and what you could expect to see at Baltimore Regionals this weekend.
Baltimore Regionals kick off an exciting VGC 2025 season and players will be vying for top placements against each other per the new changes to the new season. The goal for any Masters player in North America is to rank within the top 75 players. Ranking amongst these top 75 will require a vast amount of Championship Points, every battle and every match will truly matter even more than before. If you’re competing this weekend or at one of the many events following, best of luck, and prepare as much as you can for an extra competitive season.
Speaking of the events coming up, here’s a reminder of what’s to follow after Baltimore Regionals:
Let’s kick off this regional preview by looking back at the grassroots scene. While Limitless has had a plethora of early Regulation H events, I’m keeping my focus on larger-scale events with notable player counts for the most diversity in teams possible. Ideally, I’m looking into tournament pools with 50-100+ players for better team diversity when comparing teams and Pokemon usage stats. I highly encourage players preparing for events to use many different resources such as LabMaus, Pikalytics, StatCrusher, and Porydex. If you can, check to see the data dates and make sure you’re looking at relevant data that isn’t too old. In the VGC circuit, a week between events may just be enough time for a major metagame development to drastically change the chances of your team winning. Be mindful of event results and pay attention to which Pokemon continue to dominate the format.
Victory Road September Challenge Tour Results
The Victory Road September Challenge #1 is the most influential tournament before Baltimore Regionals this weekend. This event had up to 340 players participating, many of them most likely testing out their top team choices for upcoming regionals and special events. Usage stats on individual Pokemon are listed below, thanks to Victory Road for dropping this usage image for Day 1 and Day 2. Let’s note that the order of these Pokemon in the image is from highest to lowest in Day 1 usage percentages.
A Day 2 percentage tier list would look like this:
1. Gholdengo / 40%
2. Amoongus / 38%
3. Kingambit / 35%
4. Rillaboom / 31%
5. Incineroar / 25%
6. Archaludon / 21%
7. Primarina / 19%
8. Volcarona / 19%
9. Male Basculegion / 19%
Once again, take some time to review the top 20 Pokemon on this usage stats list because these Pokemon will certainly be present in Baltimore and at local VGC events in your area!
VR Teams to Watch
Next up, let’s take a look at these Top 8 teams. Taro Okada takes the 1st place spot with quite the creative Rain team. Not too many years ago, when VGC formats would last 6+ months, and even an entire season, I would create a theory called “The Team Cycle.” This team cycle would always start with Rain team strategies. The team cycle would not guarantee Rain teams winning the first big event, but historically, Rain would give any early format teams a run for their money. After a popular trial of Rain teams, the cycle would continue to Sun/Sand/Snow teams, and eventually, a Balance team or two would start presenting themselves. Before you know it, as the cycle progressed, the format would come back to Rain teams and keep cycling again over and over as players would try to reinvent different teams to push the metagame forward. With our shortened regulation schedules, this team cycle is a bit of an outdated idea with the lack of time given to players to push the format forward before the format changes again. However, I like to think back at this idea as a way to predict the next big teams in the metagame. Over the years, with changes to Dynamic Speed and the addition of Terrain Control, many teams now go far beyond the simplicities of weather. To be the best there ever is will require a clear understanding of what tools a trainer can use to achieve consistent victory.
Let’s take a closer look at the Top 8 teams of the VR September Challenge #1 to better understand what Pokemon are being used by the winners of this tournament.
Pelipper, Archaludon, and Amoongus form many of the popular Rain team cores in Regulation H.
Kingambit is one of the format’s top Steel-type Pokemon next to Gholdengo and Archaludon. Kingambit’s ability, Defiant, provides a fantastic counter to VGC’s Top Cat, Incineroar, by threatening a dominating Attack stat boost if Intimidated by Incineroar. In the Rain, Fire-type moves from Incineroar, Volcarona, and Torkoal are weakened giving greater longevity to the Steel-types like Kingambit.
Male Basculegion takes advantage of the Rain with Swift Swim, and for more niche teams, its other ability, Adaptability, changes Basculegion’s STAB boost to 2x instead of 1.5x. Combining the power of Adaptability in the Rain delivers explosive damage against even the most defensive of Pokemon.
Finally, the inclusion of Salamence onto Rain teams in the yet-to-be-developed Regulation H metagame is quite the choice to be further investigated. This Salamence provides another instance of Speed Control with Tailwind, Intimidate against some of the top physical Pokemon in the format including Unaware Dondozo, Ursaluna, Rillaboom, Maushold, Tyranitar, and finally, the use Life Orb Draco Meteor with Dragon-type STAB provides any trainer with a powerful delete button against many Pokemon in the Regulation H format.
If you’re curious about the Salamence set used, here’s the paste:
Salamence @ Life Orb Ability: Intimidate Level: 50 Tera Type: Steel - Draco Meteor - Air Slash - Tailwind - Protect
Now that we’re done praising Rain, a quick watch of Tub Takes on 9/9/24 would let you know that between Adi, Alex Underhill, and Nails, their expectations for a Rain team to win Baltimore are certainly not very high. They expanded upon their initial remarks stating that this could be a great team to make Day 2, but if you were looking to go further, be prepared for every opponent to be knowledgeable about Rain, and how to beat it.
While there is always going to be an immense focus on first place, let’s take a quick peek at the rest of the teams in this Top Cut as they will more than likely make an appearance in Baltimore, one way or another.
Gabriel Agati’s Dondozo Team is a callback to prior formats with a modern Regulation H spin! Count on Dondozo to make a splash in the Regulation H format, and if you don’t have an answer to the Commander Boosts on Dondozo, you may have a tough time in Baltimore. Dondozo is in a troubling spot with Unaware Clefable, Rillaboom, Haze Murkrow/Primarina, and Meowscarada as consistent counters to its strategy. Players will need to pilot their team wisely if they wish to use the big fish. While there are several notable counters, don’t let this fool you into thinking that Dondozo won’t be a viable strategy, Pokemon teams are made up of 6 Pokemon, and the other 4 are certainly going to try and answer some of the counters to Dondozo or have a win condition of their own.
Following up Agati’s Dondozo team is Fede Campo’s P2/Ursaluna team! Between the defensive pivoting of Porygon2, Incineroar, and Amoongus, Ursaluna wreaks havoc on opponents with Guts boosted Facade and Ground STAB. To clarify, Ursaluna’s ability, Guts, will boost its own Attack stat when afflicted by a status, including the Burn status. The Normal-type move Facade, is defined on Bulbapedia as, “Facade inflicts damage. Its base power doubles from 70 to 140 if the user is poisoned, paralyzed, or burned.” It’s safe to say Ursaluna is an absolute menace that was left behind in the legality pool of Regulation H alongside Gholdengo.
Amongst top-ranking players, usage stats across multiple resources such as StatCrusher, Pikalytics, and LabMaus will reveal a higher usage rate of Gholdengo in Day 2 appearances as well as higher ladder placements. Gholdengo will be a consistent staple in this format and players must be ready to face it or else pay the consequences.
Assault Vest Sand Stream Tyranitar upsets opposing Rain, Sun, and Hail weather teams, and with a well-placed Flying-Type Terastilization, Tera Blast blows away opposing Amoongus and Rillaboom while providing a defensive Tera against Body Press Archaludon, Close Combat Tauros-Paldea, and Close Combat Sneasler.
Another standout team in the top 8 involves what many are dubbing as “Clefable Balance.” The combination of a Fire/Water/Grass core with Unaware Clefable provides the perfect answer to opposing Dondozo teams as well as solid offensive/defensive type coverage for the rest of the metagame. Teams deemed as “Balanced” have the tools necessary to pilot skilled players to an easy Day 2 finish and beyond. Keep an eye on these types of teams as the format develops. By the end of September/Early October, a stabilized metagame should present itself alongside an agreed-upon “Balance” team core.
Finally, we had a Psyspam/Lilikoal Team sneak into Top 8 of this tournament. Very few players have the ability to pilot this team strategy as it involves an almost flawless turn-by-turn approach where no turn of Trick Room can be wasted in order to make the most of this strategy. Liligant-Hisui with Chlorophyll provides a faster option alongside Torkoal with moves such as After You, Sleep Powder, Solar Blade, and Close Combat. Psyspam leads include Armarouge/Hatterene and Indeedee-Female. Torkoal and/or Ursaluna are pivotal Pokemon to typically have in the 3rd and 4th slots as the battle progresses once Trick Room is active. Lilligant and Torkoal can be an effective Game 2 or Game 3 lead to throw off an opponent with After You/Eruption spam or safer positioning with Sleep Powder.
I recommend taking a look beyond the Top 8 of this 340-person tour as the sample size is relatable to that of a smaller-scale regional. A big thank you to Victory Road for their continued community support in hosting these amazing tournaments as well as providing post-tournament statistics for players to utilize afterward.
LabMaus/Limitless Teams to Watch
While the Top Cut for the Victory Road September Challenge is an impressive list of teams to take inspiration from to prepare for Baltimore Regionals, one of the community’s biggest resources, LabMaus, has an AMAZING “Top Teams” section on its website.
No surprises for readers after the Victory Road breakdown, Clefable Balance takes down 2 spots in the top 5 listed teams alongside Dondozo and Archaludon Rain with Maus/Ape. We also cannot forget the ever-so-challenging Psyspam/Sun teams as well. Note the Porygon2/Ursaluna teams on this list as well as Tyranitar sneaking into the bottom team with Garchomp!
Players should expect Weather teams and proper Speed Control to dominate the early Regulation H meta this weekend alongside Clefable Balance and Dondozo.
Click on this image to go to LabMaus's Top Teams Page!
These “Top Teams” pull from a more diluted pool of tournaments, rather than one single tournament, which could mean that some of these teams have been repeatedly tested and used by some of Limitless’ tournament warriors. Caution your initial beliefs in some of these “Top Teams” by referencing their Records alongside their Win Rate!
If you’re looking for some of these teams and their pastes, I recommend checking out the VGC Paste Regulation H Repository.
LabMaus also noted that players should keep an eye on these winning teams from the past 2 weeks from tournaments with 50 players or more! Check out the two images below!
Notable Pokemon from winning teams include Zoroark-Hisui, Gardevoir, Chandelure, Kommo-O, Arcanine-Hisui, Porygon-Z, Decidueye-Hisui, Toxicroak, Galarian Weezing, Gengar, Electrabuzz, Palafin, Sinascha, Greninja, Perrserker, and Flamigo!
Yes, there is a Reg G team in this image accidentally!
Pokemon to keep an eye on:
It sounds cheesy to start out this section like this but I think that EVEN with an open team sheet, it would be extremely beneficial for any player to familiarize themselves with most if not ALL legal Pokemon in the Regulation H format. If you’re curious to see if there’s an easy way to look at the top Pokemon in the format, their tera types, abilities, move usage percentages, and more, I want to recommend StatCrusher.com. This brand new resource works similarly to that of Pikalytics and LabMaus, however, the simple breakdown and in-depth percentage usage of everything for each Pokemon is presented clean and easy to use.
It should go without saying that the top 10 Pokemon, heck, even the top 20 Pokemon in usage right now are already on your radar. Some of these Pokemon listed below may make the top 20, but most of them are early meta outliers that players are continuing to experiment with! I’m here to hopefully bring to light why these Pokemon have specific case uses in Regulation H and what to expect from them!
With the present lack of relevant Fairy types, see yah later Fluttermane, Dragapult shoots back up to the top of the Dragon-type totem poll. Being one of the fastest Pokemon in the format, maxing out its Speed stat at 213, not too many Pokemon are able to catch up unless they’re holding a Choice Scarf or are supported by Tailwind. The most common set right now involves Choice Band, Tera Dragon, and Dragon Darts for impressive spread damage. With very few Fairy-types in the format, Dragapult will be guaranteed to put in work during each battle. Banded Outrage is no joke either, and if the field conditions aren’t ideal for Dragapult, Banded U-Turn allows Dragapult to safely swap into another Pokemon. Clear Body prevents stat drops from Pokemon with Intimidate, as well as blocking Parting Shot from Incineroar! It’s safe to say this Pokemon’s Attack Stat won’t be going anywhere. Dragapult sits in a niche spot in Regulation H as a big damage dealer, just as Dragon-types were meant to be. Dragapult does suffer against Kingambit, Clefable, and other Fairy-type Pokemon, so do your best to use the rest of your team to take full advantage of Dragapult’s power. Remember to be careful in front of opposing Archaludon, a few defense boosts from Archaludon’s Stamina and a defensive Tera will give Dragapult a tough time.
Common Pairings: Rillaboom, Primarina, Incineroar, Gholdengo, and Sneasler
Regulation H is not only lacking Fairy-types, but also good Ground-types as well. The likes of Landorus are no longer present, and while we still have access to Ursaluna, it is Garchomp’s Speed and Attack stats that make this Pokemon extremely alluring to use. Maxing out at 169 Speed allows Garchomp to deal massive Ground-type damage to Steel-types like Gholdengo, Archaludon, and Kingambit. However, Rillaboom gives Garchomp a run for its money with Grassy Surge weakening the power of Earthquake. Luckily for Garchomp, its ability, Rough Skin, dissuades opponents from using contact moves, or else they take 1/16 damage of its own maximum HP. Dragon Claw provides neutral STAB coverage against most Pokemon as well. With Clear Amulet, Garchomp doesn’t have to worry about Intimidate, or Icy Wind Speed drops. Steel-types may be some of the most popular Pokemon in the format, but not if Garchomp has something to do about it!
Common Pairings: Talonflame, Amoongus, Incineroar, and Murkrow
When a format doesn’t have Tapu Fini, Primarina is the next best thing. Sadly, the Tapu’s were not a fixture in any of the Scarlet/Violet DLC, and powerful new Fairy-type Pokemon such as Fluttermane and Enamorous are not legal for use in Regulation H. Hatterene is a fantastic Fairy-type, but it’s Speed is a little too slow to reliably hold a spot on a Balance team like Primarina can. With Liquid Voice, Primarina can spam Hyper Voice as it’s Water-type STAB move and use Moonblast as its powerful Fairy-type STAB. At first glance, Rillaboom, Gholdengo, and Archaludon can be troublesome counters on paper. However, Primarina’s bulk paired with proper teammates can prove troublesome for other Pokemon like Incineroar, Tyranitar, Volcarona, Dragapult, Murkrow, and most importantly, Dondozo. However, it’s not necessarily Primarina’s offensive coverage that helps against Dondozo, but rather the use of the move Haze paired with Primarina’s defensive typing. Haze resets the stat stages of all active Pokémon on the field to 0. Tatsugiri’s Commander boosts on Dondozo instantly vanish and Dondozo’s movepool which usually consists of a Water STAB, Body Press, Earthquake, or Order Up, proves very ineffective into opposing Primarina.
Common Pairings: Rillaboom, Gholdengo, Incineraor, Sneasler, Dragapult, and Talonflame
We’ve got a real lack of viable Fairy-types in Regulation H, however, Unaware Clefable proves to be one of the top threats into Dondozo. Unaware ignores the opponent’s stat changes such as stat boosts and reductions. Notably, you’ll find Clefable able to launch powerful Moonblasts into Dondozo doing 35%-40% per turn. Water Tera allows for a defensive option should your opponent try using a Steel-type move. This Pokemon can also be a great redirector for your team against Pokemon like Amoongus with Safety Goggles. Dragapult doesn’t stand a chance when using a Dragon-type move redirected into your Fairy-type! Helping Hand can be the perfect 1.5x damage boost for other Pokemon on your team to take advantage of. This Pokemon is not only a great supportive option but also holds its own against Dondozo. If your team doesn’t have an answer for Dondozo such as Haze, Clear Smog, or your own Unaware Pokemon, you may have a tough weekend ahead of you! Balance teams are currently the best fit for Clefable. We’ll have to wait for the conclusion of Baltimore Regionals to see if any players innovate their teams with the use of the Fairy Pokemon, Clefable, beyond its current usage.
Common Pairings: Rillaboom, Gholdengo, Volcarona, Kingambit, and Talonflame.
Ursaluna is not a low-usage Pokemon by any means, as of writing this, LabMaus has Ursaluna tracking at above 10% usage. Teams using Ursaluna typically revolve around Porygon2/Ursaluna Balance. It is of my opinion that leaving in Ursaluna and Gholdengo as legal to use Pokemon in Regulation H is a bit of a cheat code. This Pokemon, alongside its Bloodmoon variant, proves to be a top threat in the format under the right circumstances. This Pokemon is not at the top of the usage charts because it does require the right Speed Control to be piloted effectively. Indeedee-F and Clefairy may be able to redirect a big attack or two without Trick Room but to get the most out of Ursaluna, one needs to have Trick Room going with the Guts Burn Boost active to be the most threatening foe on the field. Intimidate from Incineroar may prove a tad annoying, but the damage boost from Guts will help offset the Intimidate Attack drop. Rillaboom with Grassy Glide priority in Grassy Terrain will also be annoying, but far from impossible to deal with. Tera Ghost on top of your own redirection or Intimidate user will help alleviate the damage from Rillaboom. If you’re looking for one of the best physical attackers in Trick Room with the Ground-type coverage you’ve been praying for, look no further than Ursaluna as your best answer.
Common Pairings: Indeedee-Female, Incineraor, Porygon2, and Amoongus.
How this Pokemon got through to Regulation H, I will never know. Instead of complaining about it though, let’s celebrate because Ursaluna Bloodmoon is one of the Top 5 used Pokemon in the format. Being one of the top Pokemon in the format right now, its ability, Mind’s Eye, enables the Pokémon with this Ability to hit Ghost-type Pokémon with damage-dealing Normal-type and Fighting-type moves. It also prevents other Pokémon from lowering the Pokémon's accuracy and ignores changes to the opponents' evasion. Safe to say, this Pokemon is not letting anything stop it from using its moves other than being knocked out before it can deal damage. Blood Moon is a powerful 140-base power Normal-type delete button for almost anything in the format that doesn’t resist the hit. Hyper Voice deals considerable spread damage as well, and let’s not forget that Ursaluna Bloodmoon is one of the best Ground-type Pokemon in the format with Earth Power, dealing fearful damage to Steel-type foes such as Gholdengo, Archaludon, and Kingambit. This Pokemon also has a variable Speed stat allowing it to run as a slower option in Trick Room, or as a Turbo-Bear with a max Speed variant in Tailwind allowing for devastating damage to even the fastest of Pokemon like Dragapult. As of now, most trainers are taking advantage of this Pokemon for its Speed and spread damage capabilities on Rain Teams, or teams with Priority Speed Control like Whimsicott or Murkrow. Bloodmoon Ursaluna and Farigiraf have been a common pairing on some of the faster teams in formats due to Farigiaf’s Armor Tail ability blocking priority Grassy Glide, or getting up a clutch Trick Room at just the right moment against a faster opponent.
Common Pairings: Whimsicott, Gholdengo, Typholosion-Hisui, Farigiraf, and Rillaboom.
I’m going to be honest, if it wasn’t for the most recent Victory Road September Challenge #1, Salamence would probably not be a consideration on this list. However, due to its 1st place finish from Japan’s own, Taro Okada, Salamence could be a niche pick for Rain teams this upcoming weekend. There’s no denying the power of Archaludon and Dragapult in Regulation H, but another Intimidate Pokemon with STAB Flying into Rillaboom and powerful Draco Meteors into most Pokemon in the format could be just what Rain teams are looking for. As another option to set speed control with Tailwind, Salamence provides the support and offensive potential to be a real game changer during this format. The lack of offensive Fairy-type and Ice-type Pokemon opens the door for Salamence, and if there happens to be either of those offensive threats, a defensive Steel Tera-type helps that problem almost immediately. At 100 Base Speed, Salamence maxes out at 167 Max Speed, just squeaking ahead of Hydreigon at 98 base speed, but just lower than Garchomp at 102 base speed. In comparison to other top non-Dragon-type Pokemon in the format, Salamence has a better overall base speed compared to many of the base 80, 85, and 90-speed tier Pokemon. Salamence’s ability to intimidate top Pokemon such as Rillaboom, Incineroar, Dondozo, Maushold, Basculegion, Tyranitar, and Sneasler makes Salamence a great partner Pokemon. We could see Salamence being run on Okada’s team in Baltimore this weekend, or another player could innovate their team to include Salamence in a way we haven’t seen yet. Historically, Salamence has been a menace in prior VGC formats, time will tell if it can find its niche amongst some of the top Dragon-types in the format.
Common Pairings: Pelipper, Archaludon, Rillaboom, Amoongus, and Kingambit
I’m combining my passages on Tauros Paldea into one since they are very close to being the same Pokemon with some notable differences. Starting off with the Blaze Breed, this Fighting/Fire-Type applies Intimidate pressure all the while waiting for a Defiant user to hit the field, hoping to use Mirror Herb in response. In most situations, one would want to avoid the Defiant ability trigger on Pokemon like Kingambit, however, with Mirror Herb, Defiant would trigger and then prock Mirror Herb to copy the stat increase. Being a Fighting Type, resistant to Kingambit’s Sucker Punch, Tauros is already in a threatening position, and with the additional boost from Mirror Herb, even more so! Raging Bull converts its typing to the specific breed of Tauros being used, in this case, it would be a Fire-type move. Raging Bull can also be used to get rid of Screens and Aurora Veil before inflicting damage. Will-O-Wisp is a fantastic nerf to the Attack Stats of Pokemon like Rillaboom, Dondozo, and Kingambit. For physical attackers without a Clear Amulet or the ability to block stat drops, beware!
I think that Tauros Paldea Blaze is a suitable Fighting/Fire type, however, it’s outclassed by Incineroar for most players looking for a solid Pokemon in their Fire/Water/Grass core. That being said, Tauros Paldea Aqua is a completely different story. Until we are given a Water-type Pokemon in the same usage ranks as Rillaboom and Incineroar, let’s chat about Tauros Paldea Aqua! Some of the same tactics used by Blaze breed are also utilized by the Mirror Herb on Aqua breed. Raging Bull on Aqua breed turns into a Water-type move and Aqua Jet on Tauros provides a crucial priority move for those last bits of health on your opponent’s Pokemon. Tauros Aqua paired alongside Rillaboom or Meowscarada can prove to be an effective answer to stopping Dondozo, as well as being a great fit into any team’s Fire/Water/Grass core over the likes of Primarina. The STAB Fighting-type coverage of Close Combat is fantastic for Pokemon like Incineraor, Ursaluna/Ursaluna Bloodmoon, Archaludon, Porygon2, Kingambit, Maushold, and Meowscarada.
Both Tauros Paldea breeds sit at 100 base Speed, maxing out at 167 Max Speed.
To give some reference to Speed tiers, Tauros Paldea will match Volcarona, Salamence, Palafin, and Charizard at base 100 Speed.
At Max Speed Tauros will outspeed Hydreigon (Base 98), Indeedee-M (Base 95), Typhlosion-Hisui (Base 95), Annihilape (Base 90), Archaludon (Base 85), Rillaboom (Base 85), and Gholdengo (Base 84).
Do not underestimate the power and positioning that these Pokemon can bring to the table. When facing down an opponent with Tauros, identify the breed of Tauros and ask yourself what role that Pokemon plays!
Common Pairings: Rillaboom, Volcarona, Kingambit, Ursaluna Bloodmoon and Clefable.
In a world full of Rillabooms, I want to be a Meowscarada! Consider this one of the more explosive answers to Dondozo with Banded Proten Flower Trick. With a Max Speed of 192, this Grass-type will usually be one of the fastest Pokemon on the field without an item or Tailwind to make it so. Flower Trick always Critically Hits your opponent, Dondozo’s Commander stat boosts do not matter! A powerful Banded Knock-Off will threaten any and all Ghost-types, and if you’re not favoring your initial positioning of Meowscarada, U-Turn out into a great defensive pivot. Unaware Clefable, Primarina with Haze, and Banded Meowscarada are some of the best answers into Dondozo. Meowscarada’s Knock Off is a scary STAB move against Gholdengo as well. Riffing off my opening line, Rillaboom is the premier offensive Grass-type in Regulation H. Rillaboom’s stat distribution into HP and Defense provides greater longevity at the cost of Speed. While it may be tempting to try and fit Meowscarada onto your team, do so with the mindset that Rillaboom is currently sitting in the Regulation H rankings in the top 2-3 most-used Pokemon. If you’re facing down this formidable foe, keep in mind Meowscarada’s speed and ability to break through defensive walls with Flower Trick!
Common Pairings: Ursaluna Bloodmoon, Primarina, Dondozo/Tatsugiri, Whimsicott, and Typhlosion-Hisui
Do my eyes deceive me, or is Zoroark-Hisui finally a meta-relevant threat? This elusive Illusion Fox Pokemon has been making Hyper Voice Specs Boosted waves by hiding its true identity as another Pokemon in your party. For those unfamiliar with Zoroark’s ability, Illusion, Bulbapedia states that “When a Trainer's Pokémon with Illusion enters battle, Illusion changes the appearance of the Pokémon to that of the last conscious, non-Egg Pokémon in its Trainer's party.” STAB Hyper Voice damage from Zoroark is no laughing matter and reminds me of Ursaluna Bloodmoon, however, Zoroark-Hisui doesn’t have Mind’s Eye to hit opposing Ghost-types. Although, due to its unique Ghost/Normal typing, Zoroark is immune to Normal-type, Ghost-type, and Fighting-type moves. The sheer amount of type immunities in one Pokemon can be explored and strategically exploited if positioned properly. A talented Zoroark-Hisui player will make use of their Zoroark in a way that always keeps their opponent on their toes, requiring an active notice in their playmaking, to not let a Choice Specs Boosted Hyper Voice tear through their team on the first turn of the game while disguised as another Pokemon. I wish you luck in guessing if your opponent brings Zoroark in Game 1, Game 2, or Game 3! Zoroark-Hisui has a base Speed of 110, while Armarouge has a base Speed of 75, and Indeedee-Female has a base Speed of 85. Keep this in mind when the opponent’s Pokemon mysteriously whip out a fast, hard-hitting Hyper Voice.
Common Pairings: Armarouge, Indeedee-Female, Ursaluna, Incineroar, and Rillaboom
Gengar finally gets to see the light of day as a potential niche pick in Regulation H. This Focus Sash reliant Pokemon delivers powerful Sludge Bombs into Rillaboom, devastating Shadow Balls into Gholdengo, and a stat-wiping Haze to Dondozo. At 178 Max Speed, much of the format will be begging to catch up to Gengar with very few Pokemon managing to outspeed it. Gengar is a glass cannon when a trainer wants it to be, but it can also be used supportively with a movepool made up of Haze, Encore, Disable, Taunt, Icy Wind, Thunder Wave, Will-O-Wisp, Hypnosis, Trick Room, and Perish Song. In Regulation H, Gengar has the movepool to hit some of the top Pokemon in the format for big damage, and due to its Ghost-typing, there’s no need to worry about Fake Out. Gengar seems to be fitting on Clefable Balance teams the most. Partner Pokemon like Volcarona and Rillaboom have the tools necessary to help Gengar put out big damage while being able to Fake Out or threaten direct counters like Kingambit’s Sucker Punch with a powerful Heat Wave or the occasional High Horsepower from Rillaboom. If you’re running into Gengar this weekend, it’ll most likely be in connection with the top team from LabMaus.
Common Pairings: Rillaboom, Incineroar, Clefable, Kingambit, and Tauros Paldea Aqua.
When Scrappy Kangaskhan left us, I never thought the next Pokemon to step up would be Scrappy Flamigo, and yet, here we are. With the ability to hit Ghost-types like Gholdengo, Dragapult, Annihilape, and Typhlosion-Hisui with Close Combat, Flamigo can deliver big damage without fear of type immunities. With Rillaboom, Gholdengo, Incineroar, Amoongus, and Archaludon at the top of the Regulation H usage charts, Flamigo looks like a no-brainer with the movepool to hit all of these Pokemon with super-effective moves. Wide Guard provides an extra leg up on the supportive side of things as well, stopping Psyspam, Typhlosion-Hisui, and even Zoroark-Hisui right in their tracks. At base 90 Speed, Flamigo is on the faster side of the middling Speed tier Pokemon. While Flamigo is a niche pick that can provide some amazing coverage, a single Intimidate from Pokemon like Incineroar or Salamence can be troublesome for Flamigo’s 115 base Attack stat. Flamigo doesn’t boast the best defenses with 82 HP/74 Defense/64 Special Defense, so Pokemon with powerful attacks will be able to put a sizeable dent into Flamigo if given the right opportunity. Finally, Tera Steel is a defensive Tera-type with 10-type resistances as well as 1-type immunity too, so it’s a safe bet to use if you’re looking for Flamigo to stick around a little longer in your battles.
Common Pairings: Amoongus, Dragonite, Incineroar, Porygon2, and Ursaluna
Regulation H has been the gift that keeps on giving for many of the Pokemon starters from previous games. Delphox’s niche in Regulation H resides with it’s use of the move Expanding Force. Not many viable Pokemon are given access to this powerful Psychic-type move with spread coverage in Psychic Terrain, and Delphox happens to have enough Speed (base 104) and Special Attack (base 114) to put in the work. Delphox’s unique Fire/Psychic-typing is only comparable to the likes of Armarouge, Victini, and Darmanitan Zen-Mode. Fire/Psychic-type coverage proves valuable against foes such as Gholdengo, Kingambit, Amoongus, Annihilape, Whimsicott, Sneasler and Rillaboom. Life Orb Expanding Force damage from Delphox can wipe the field in a single turn or two if left unchecked. Tera Fighting can be used defensively against powerful Dark-types like Kingambit and Incineroar, as well as offensively with a Fighting-type Tera Blast into the same foes for super effective damage. Delphox’s defenses are certainly not anything to gloat about with 75 HP/72 Defense/100 Special Defense, however, this Pokemon is not relying upon a maxed-out HP bar to do the most damage with Eruption, but rather, simply asks for terrain control to do the most damage possible. Psychic Terrain also provides protection from priority moves like Sucker Punch and Fake Out. While all seems hopeful for Delphox, Rillaboom with Grassy Surge is a direct counter to Delphox’s usage of Expanding Force. Rillaboom also happens to be one of the best if not the top Pokemon, next to Gholdengo, in Regulation H. Partner Pokemon such as Indeedee will be a staple alongside Delphox in order to secure Terrain Control during the battle. Whether that’s hard swapping Indeedee in and out of battle to reset the Terrain, or using Skill Swap Indeedee on a crucial turn in order to trigger Psychic Surge, the choice is yours. Stay vigilant this weekend and don’t fall victim to this fast Fire/Psychic-type Fox. Wide Guard from Pelipper and Terrain disruption from Rillaboom are helpful tools to overcome this powerful foe.
Common Pairings: Meowscarada, Indeedee-Female, Primarina, Whimsicott, and Archaludon.
It’s been a while since anyone could write about another Eruption Pokemon besides Torkoal, Groudon, and Entei. Typhlosion-Hisui hits the Regulation H streets with a fast and hard-hitting Eruption immune to Fake Out. Typhlosion being able to not worry about Fake Out means that other item choices can be utilized to do as much damage as possible. Choice Specs allows for an incredible boost to Special Attack at the cost of only being able to use the first move selected. Often paired alongside Sunny Day Whimsicott, Typholosion-Hisui’s Overheat has the potential to OHKO the most defensive of Pokemon with Tera Fire Choice Specs. Typhlosion can also deliver a powerful Shadow Ball if the weather during the battle is ever challenged by Pokemon like Pelipper or Tyranitar. Top usage Pokemon like Rillaboom, Gholdengo, Kingambit, and Amoongus are no match for this offensive threat without a defensive Tera-type. With proper Speed Control and ways of handling priority-based moves like Sucker Punch and Aqua Jet, Typhlosion can be the glass cannon of your dreams. Typhlosion-Hisui is a niche pick with okay defensive stats including 73 HP/78 Defense/85 Special Defense, so it can be used similarly to Torkoal, with proper Speed Control like Tailwind being a major factor in the successful usage of Eruption with the most offensive potential. Be on the lookout for an occasional Sun team in Baltimore this weekend!
Common Pairings: Whimsicott, Murkrow, Ursaluna Bloodmoon, Farigiraf, and Primarina
I’ve listed Ninetales-Alola last because it is truly a niche pick on this list. Weather wars between Torkoal, Murkrow Sunny Day, Whimsicott Sunny Day, Pelipper, and Tyranitar prove to be quite fearsome. With Ninetales-Alola being one of the fastest weather-setting Pokemon in the format, slower weather-setting Pokemon have the leg up on Ninetales if sent out onto the field at the same time at the beginning of a battle. However, let’s briefly look into why this Pokemon could sneak onto a team as a useful addition. If you’re able to make use of Snow, Aurora Veil halving damage for Physical and Special moves for 8 turns with Light Clay will provide a boost of longevity to your team that opponents could only wish for. Tera Ghost comes into play if your opponent is trying to use Fake Out on Turn 1, or if a super-effective attack may be coming to try and OHKO your Ninetales-Alola. There is certainly a lack of Ice-types and Ice-type move coverage in Regulation H, leaving Rillaboom, Dragon-types, and Flying-types unchecked. Blizzard hopes to level the playing field with super effective damage as well as the threat of potentially Freezing your opponent for an unknown amount of turns. Moonblast is also another great coverage move against popular Dragon-types, Dark-types, and Fighting-type Pokemon. Ninetales-Alola is on the faster end of the Speed spectrum for Regulation H, maxing out at 177 Max Speed, and with other support moves available like Icy Wind and Encore, Ninetales can be the perfect niche Pokemon to fit into your team! Let’s not forget that when in Snow, Ninetales’ Defense stat is also boosted by 1.5x too. Be on the lookout for this pick and make sure to have a way to disrupt the use of Aurora Veil by changing the weather, or using Taunt to block the usage of Status moves.
Common Pairings: Rillaboom, Gholdengo, Talonflame, Dondozo, and Primarina
Final thoughts:
Coming back to writing this type of piece has brought great joy and a great feeling of accomplishment. It has also brought me a greater understanding of the format, and hopefully, what is to come from some of the best players in Baltimore this weekend. Be sure to share your thoughts with us below and on social media, and if you play in Baltimore this weekend, come and share a team report with us after to tell folks all about your experience!
Thank you again for reading and best of luck competing this weekend.
Ryan B Hebert
Founder of DevonCorpPress