THERE’S a little something inside every Pokémon fan, which wishes to be the very best.
While it was easy enough to beat the Champion in our favourite games growing up, doing that in real life is much more difficult.
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To help people out on their own path down Victory Road, we stepped out onto the floor at EUIC and asked 37 professional Pokémon players their opinions on the game.
Between them, these players have won 42 Regional tournaments, 11 International tournaments, and we even spoke to four winners from Pokémon’s biggest tournament, The World Championships.
If anyone knows how to win, it’s these people. So read on to find out their words of wisdom.
Which has been the best format so far?
- Winner: Regulation A
- Runner Up: Regulation B & C
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While many players picked Regulations that they had the most success in, the first era of Scarlet and Violet was by far people’s favourite.
Regulations are the set of rules that players have to follow that determine which Pokémon are banned, and it changes every few months.
This was a very basic regulation with no legendaries, no paradox Pokémon, and no Pokémon from outside of Paldea.
Junior World Champion Brendan Zheng thinks we didn’t see enough of the first regulation. He says: “We didn’t get too many tournaments to play. That format could have really developed and we didn’t really get the chance to do that.”
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Current Toronto Regional champion Chuppa Cross IV says: “I think Regulation A [was the best]. I really wish we could have played it for longer.”
Which is the strongest archetype?
- Winner: Balance
- Runner Up: Hyper Offence
The most common team composition at the moment is Balance, in particular a form called Japan Balance.
This includes Pokémon like Raging Bolt, Incineroar, Rillaboom, Urshifu, Ogerpon, Chien Pao and Landorus, though there are several others that fit the archetype.
Reigning Gdansk Regional Champion Oliver Eskolin had further insight into what makes Balance strong. He says: “The strongest is Balance, with a twist of either Tailwind or Trick Room.”
Marcus Dion, who has places within the top 32 at 6 different regionals backs balance: “Balance is the type the strongest players are going to use, and the strongest players will win with it.”
Which is the best Pokémon to use?
- Winner: Raging Bolt
- Runner Up: Urshifu
While Elite Four member Karen told us that only foolish trainers care about how strong a Pokémon is, often the strongest Pokémon are the most fun to play with.
Raging Bolt is very versatile with the ability to tank a number of hits, and deal a lot of damage in return with Calm Mind.
It also has Thunderclap which gives it priority, meaning it is very strong despite how slow it is.
Gabriel Agati, who is a Regional champion and has placed 2nd at two separate Internationals says: “Raging Bolt is so strong. I hate playing against it, but it’s great into Urshifu.”
World Champion Eduardo Cuhna shares similar thoughts: “I love playing Gholdengo and I love Raging Bolt. Right now, setup Pokémon are just really fun to play with.”
There’s one Pokémon that World Champion Wolfe Glick believes in above all others: “Incineroar, baby!” he tells us with a cheeky grin.
Which is the most underrated Pokémon?
- Winner: Okidogi
- Runner Up: Archaludon & Ogerpon Cornerstone
Okidogi managed to make its way into top 8 but hasn’t seen much success over Generation 9 despite its powerful ability, and good coverage in the Fighting- and Poison-types.
Archaludon was another popular pick and it was in three teams in the top 16, while Ogerpon Cornerstone’s best placement was 25th on an Okidogi team.
Two time International champion Marco Silva thinks more people should use Okidogi. He says: “It has a really strong match up into the Fire, Water, Grass core, and Upper Hand is great to counter Incineroar.”
Milwaukee Regional Champion Donghun Youm says: “Okidogi is very underrated in this regulation. It has a lot of potential to do things you wouldn’t expect.”
Yuki Zaninovich, International top 16 player, thinks Archaludon is strong: “Electro Shot makes it very strong, and defensively it gets stronger when you hit it. I like that playstyle.”
Which is the most annoying Pokémon to face?
- Winner: Raging Bolt
- Runner Up: Urshifu
It turns out that the most fun Pokémon to use are the strongest and that’s also what makes them the most annoying to face off against.
People were particularly annoyed by the Calm Mind Raging Bolt, which can set up and then take KOs with Thunderclap before the opponent can move.
Former EUIC champion Paul Chua says: “Raging Bolt is just so good. It has great typing, and if you get a few Calm Minds up it’s so strong.”
Four time Regional top 8 player Luka Trejgut says: “Everyone is either playing Raging Bolt at the moment, or countering it. It has positive matchups into Tailwind, Trick Room and Balance.
“Once it gets two or three Calm Minds up it’s just so hard to break. You know the Calm Minds are coming, it’s just how can you stop that?”
Which is the best Ogerpon?
- Winner: Ogerpon Hearthflame
- Runner Up: Ogerpon Wellspring
Up until EUIC, Ogerpon Wellspring was the most popular form thanks to its resistance to special moves and the number of powerful Fire-types in the format.
However, the attack boost that Ogerpon Hearthflame offers has become more popular, thanks to its ability to take one-hit KOs.
Two times Worlds top 8 player Meaghan Rattle says: “I think Hearthflame is the best, not just for its offensive capability but also I think it’s the cutest.”
Worlds top 16 player Len Deuel says: “Ogerpon Wellspring fits on a lot of teams, but I don’t think it’s the best because it’s never the star of the team.
“There has been a rise of Ogerpon Hearthflame since the last regional and I think it’s the best right now.”
The only person who didn’t pick Hearthflame or Wellspring was two-time Regional Champion Jamie Boyt who said: “It’s Teal Mask. It’s the one I’ve done the best with so it must be the best.”
Which item, move or ability would you ban?
- Winner: Unseen Fist
- Runner Up: Clear Amulet, Cover Cloak, Prankster
Despite the huge number of items, moves and abilities in the game, Urshifu’s Unseen Fist was by far the least popular thanks to its ability to hit through Protect.
Clear Amulet, which blocks stat drops like Intimidate, Covert Cloak, which stops effects like flinching, and Prankster, which lets you go first with status moves, are all seen as extremely powerful as well.
International top 32 player, Jeremy Parson says: “Getting rid of Unseen Fist, I think would be the most balanced option.”
NAIC finalist Raghav Malaviya says: “Unseen Fist, absolutely. It’s not fair.”
Some people just wanted to make things more chaotic. Current North American points leader Riley Factura had another opinion: “Can I just ban crits?”
Worlds top 4 Aaron Zheng chose Thunder Wave after that now infamous semi-final match, while current Worlds runner-up Michael Kelsch told us: “I would ban Protect.”
Which restricted Pokémon will be the best?
- Winner: Calyrex Shadow Rider
- Runner Up: Calyrex Ice Rider
The last restricted format saw Calyrex Shadow Rider take home the crown, though there were a number of other legendaries that featured commonly in the top spots.
Zacian, Groudon, and Kyogre were all common picks but this time the format is different, without the Gigantamax mechanic and with some new powerful ‘mons to use like Terapagos, Koraidon, and Miraidon.
Joseph Ugarte, two time Portland Regional champion, can’t deny Calyrex’s strength. He says: “I am personally a Groudon fan, but objectively Calyrex Shadow is probably the best one.”
Two time International finalist Alberto Lara will also play Calyrex Shadow: “It was my pick for Series 12 [when legendaries were last legal] so that’s what I’m going to go with.”
Two time Regional champion Justin Tang says: “[Calyrex Shadow’s] Astral Barrage is just a funny move.”
The one outlier was the reigning North American International Champion Alex Gómez, who still believes in Lunala.
He tells us: “I pick Lunala. It has access to Wide Guard, it can beat Calyrex Shadow, so I think it’s really strong.”
Which Pokémon will win Worlds 2024?
- Winner: Incineroar
- Runner Up: Calyrex Shadow Rider
2022 was the last time Incineroar was available at Worlds and it was featured on 85 of the 112 players who made it into day two.
It is an incredibly safe bet to believe that it will take home worlds again and all four of our World champions also believe in the GOAT.
Reigning World Champion Shohei Kimura backs Incineroar to take the crown, though he also thinks Rillaboom will be strong, choices backed by Worlds top 4 player Markus Stadter.
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Four time Regional champion and two time Worlds top 4, James Baek, says: “It’s a new format so I don’t know about the restricted Pokémon yet, but it will be something paired with an Incineroar.”
Worlds Finalist Jeudy Azzarelli backs his play over his Pokémon saying: “Whichever one I’m using of course.”
If you want to read more about Pokémon, check out our interview with World Champion Wolfe Glick.
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