Pokémon’s latest tournament flatlines ahead of incoming format-defining Scarlet and Violet update
Since February, Paradox Pokémon have dominated the competitive scene at every major Regulation B tournament. With high base stats, these past and future mons have drastically shifted the meta after their VGC introduction.
No matter what’s thrown at them, Flutter Mane, Iron Bundle, Iron Hands, and Great Tusk continue to lead the pack throughout the current format.
This was also true of the Charlotte Regionals this weekend. Once again, the four major Paradox Pokémon were running around everywhere you looked. Nobody is surprised at this point. In fact, Justin Carris wins Scarlet fever And Violet The team had three of those four, leaving only Iron Hands. Meanwhile, his last opponent, Joseph Ugarte, rocked with the trusty Iron Bundle and Great Tusk.
Watching a lot of Mirror matches can get a little repetitive, but these are ultimately some of the best Pokemon in the format, and if you don’t run them you’d probably be at a disadvantage from the start. That being said, many players have still found success by making a less obvious pick or two in this finals tournament before the format moves to Regulation C, which will finally feature the terrifying Treasures of Ruin.
For example, Justin Carris brought Tyranitar with the sand — a much rarer weather option than sun or rain. Tyranitar was seen in scarlet and violet VGC partnered with Lycanroc, but Justin chose to use the Pseudo-Legendary alongside the likes of Talonflame, Iron Bundle, and Flutter Mane.
In addition, Tyranitar’s flying Tera-type allowed him to dodge ground-type attacks and resist fighting-type attacks that would otherwise destroy him.
On the other hand, Joseph Ugarte had Mimikyu with Curse, which is anything but normal. By using Curse, Mimikyu was able to effectively put Justin’s Tyranitar on a timer to help Joseph win game one of the finals.
World Champion Wolfe Glick also received an honorable mention for making the event’s top 16 bracket with a team he describes as “an abomination”. Featuring Tinkaton, Espathra, Gyarados, Ceruledge, and Sandy Shocks, this team had nothing meta about it other than Flutter Mane (of course). This was no doubt a fun team to end Regulation B as everyone is starting to look towards Regulation C.
That’s about to change with the four Treasures of Ruin making their VGC debut at next weekend’s Fort Wayne Regionals.
Flutter Mane and his Paradox friends must make way for Chien-Pao, Chi-Yu, Ting-Lu and Wo-Chien. The Legendary Quartet has metamorphic abilities that lower offensive and defensive stats on the field, so players will need to find a way to use these to their advantage along with Treasures of Ruin’s naturally high stats.
The hard-hitting offensive threats Chien-Pao and Chi-Yu appear to be the first favorites in Regulation C, but players could cook up something for Ting-Lu and Wo-Chien as well. Players better prepare to deal with all four.