The Pokémon Company has revealed new details regarding the 2025 Pokémon Championship Series. Read on below to learn more:
Pokémon Video Game Championships (VGC) experts weigh in on the biggest storylines and Pokémon teams expected out of London, England.
The second International Championships event of the 2025 Pokémon Championship Series is right around the corner, and if you haven’t tuned in since the 2025 Pokémon Latin America International Championships (LAIC), things are going to look a lot different. The Europe International Championships (EUIC) in London, England, will feature Regulation Set G, a ruleset that permits the use of one restricted Legendary Pokémon.
The last international tournament to feature this ruleset was the 2024 Pokémon World Championships (Worlds), where Ice Rider Calyrex and Miraidon dominated the field. Will one of these Pokémon take it all? Or will an unexpected pick surprise everyone at EUIC?
We’ve gathered three amazing experts for an exciting roundtable to talk us through what the metagame has in store for fans at EUIC this year: Joe Ugarte, Lou Akcoş-Cromie, and Aaron Traylor, joined by Chris Shepperd from Pokemon.com. From intriguing Pokémon to top players to surprise strategies, the group has it covered. Read on so you’ll be ready to watch all three days of action, from February 21 to February 23, on Twitch.tv/Pokemon.
Shepperd: Hey, everyone! Thanks again for coming together for another VGC roundtable. This should be a pretty interesting one. What’s old is new again, and it’s the same but different.
Traylor: Thanks for having us, Chris! It’s another beautiful day to wake up and play a whole lot of Regulation Set G.
Shepperd: It’s your time to shine, my friend.
Akcoş-Cromie: Very excited to be back on the roundtable—and also excited to see Regulation Set G roll around again.
Ugarte: Excited to talk Regulation Set G! The format has already had some interesting adaptations.
Traylor: I think it’s very interesting to be returning to this format five months after Worlds. Worlds was already unique from a teambuilding perspective because of the two-month gap between it and the North America International Championships (NAIC).
So having a second shot at the format is a really interesting situation to be in.
Shepperd: Yeah, that’s the story of the tournament, isn’t it? It’s the first major event since Worlds to use it.
Before we talk about Pokémon and strategies, I want to know what it was like to go back to a very well-known format.
Ugarte: There have been two Regional Championships, Birmingham and San Antonio, which gives us an early peek into what EUIC could be like.
Akcoş-Cromie: Yes, Worlds was such a unique situation and was the top stage to display amazing Pokémon strategies and teams. It gives players such a wonderful starting point when teambuilding for these regulations again.
Shepperd: Was it easy to get back into that moment? Were there challenges?
Traylor: Like riding a bike, Chris. My beautiful electric bike.
Shepperd: We’ll get to your Electric Terrain in a bit, Aaron.
Akcoş-Cromie: I think people immediately look to the restricted Pokémon and see what was performing well—Miraidon, Kyogre, Zamazenta, Ice Rider Calyrex and Shadow Rider Calyrex, etc.—and it makes for a good teambuilding starting point.
Ugarte: To be honest, returning to a format is always interesting. I would say this format feels the same but kind of different. You skip a lot of the early-format vibes where people are trying to figure out the best tools, so innovations to certain archetypes are harder to find and yet easier at the same time. It’s kind of weird.
Some archetypes have more room to develop than others the second time around.
Akcoş-Cromie: You also get to see a range from different regions, like what Europe is cooking up compared to North America. Ideas have been allowed to develop and open the door to new creativity.
Shepperd: To your earlier point, Lou, did team development pick up basically where Worlds left off? Or had the community already moved past what we saw there?
Ugarte: I think there were some differences. Groudon and Koraidon had more usage than the first time around.
Akcoş-Cromie: Yes, I noticed that. People trying to bring more sunshine in these winter months!
Traylor: I think everyone hit the ground running, to be honest, and started working on new ideas or things that they consider underappreciated at Worlds.
For me, personally, it’s been really interesting getting back into the format. I ran the same exact six Pokémon as the person who won the World Championships, with a tweak here and there. It’s kind of surreal getting to play the format again, but now everyone’s got an eye on the team that I used. It’s an insanely uphill battle.
Akcoş-Cromie: Also, the Worlds-winning team is so tempting to just pick up and use, but also it will be heavily countered due to its widespread influence.
Traylor: Well, it’s also a different calculus between Regionals and the World Championships, I think. If you aren’t entirely sure that Groudon is the best Pokémon in the format to win you the World Championships—even though it can miss Precipice Blades—you aren’t locking it in for the World Championships, full stop. But the pressure is a bit lower for Regionals, and players have different decision-making profiles.
Akcoş-Cromie: That’s a good point. Players can use Regionals as more of a testing ground, but at Worlds, you don’t want to bring a team you aren’t fully confident in.
Ugarte: I also think Regionals, Internationals, and Worlds all kind of have unique metagames due to the variety of the players who are there. So, I’m not surprised Worlds looked a bit different from our other events so far.
Shepperd: OK, so let’s get into it. What was popular at Worlds that has quickly been downgraded ahead of EUIC?
Traylor: Shadow Rider Calyrex with Nasty Plot set up has suffered both at the very top level of Worlds and at Regionals in North America and Europe. But I don’t believe in the drop at all. That archetype is favored by some very elite players, and I’m not taking my eye off it for a minute.
Akcoş-Cromie: I feel at Worlds, we saw a lot of Miraidon and Ice Rider Calyrex really dominating, with the latter teams having flexibility for both fast and slow modes. I think we are seeing more people jump on this Ice Rider Calyrex hybrid train, utilizing it as more than just a Trick Room Pokémon.
Traylor: Cornerstone Mask Ogerpon saw some nice usage at Worlds, and now it’s a little less popular.
Ugarte: In Europe, Shadow Rider Calyrex didn’t convert to make it into the Top 8 at Birmingham, which I thought was very surprising. In the USA, Miraidon had no Top 8 placements in San Antonio despite winning in Europe, while Shadow Rider Calyrex did place Top 4. Shadow Rider Calyrex didn’t make Top 8 in the Rio de Janeiro Regionals, so it arguably has had the most underwhelming return so far. In Rio de Janeiro, Miraidon and Ice Rider Calyrex were everywhere.
Traylor: That includes the more offensive version as well.
Shepperd: Could we continue to see meta splits between EU and NA at EUIC? It’s the right place for it.
Akcoş-Cromie: I would anticipate this. For Worlds, we even saw regions collaborate together on different cores and archetypes, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see this teamwork transpire at EUIC too, especially with how they’ve seen both the metas and can prepare for the international stage accordingly.
Ugarte: I definitely think there are meta splits between the regions for sure. You can tell that different regions are favoring different archetypes more than others. But that’s where the EUIC meta will likely look a lot different. With such a high player count and players from all over the world, so many unique teams and approaches will clash.
Shepperd: To your point, Aaron, is there an overall trend to these shifts? Are players shifting to a more offensive setup?
Akcoş-Cromie: In the single restricted Pokémon meta, people generally have been doubting Shadow Rider Calyrex. It’s being countered strongly with Wide Guard users (notably due to the rise of Terapagos and Tera Starstorm) and Dark-type Pokémon. And as mentioned, the Nasty Plot variants are tricky to set up with the hyper-offensive meta in places. The meta definitely has not gone stale at this point; so many team varieties and styles at the moment make for an engaging tournament.
Ugarte: I’d say teams have generally been more offensive this go-around. I think that’s a pretty fair claim to make, considering how most teams have opted for more offensive structures. There are exceptions, though, a big one being the Kyogre balance composition used by Oliver Eskolin.
Traylor: I think players are slightly adjusting the tools that they surround their restricted Pokémon with, to be able to deal with specific threats now that the metagame is much more centralized.
Cornerstone Mask Ogerpon was an easy win early on simply because of its Sturdy Ability and Speed stat. But now people know a lot more about the format, and they can use the super-bulky Hearthflame Mask Ogerpon, which was used not only in August by the 2024 World Champion, Luca Ceribelli, but also by both finalists of the San Antonio Regional Championships.
Akcoş-Cromie: There’s always a lot of shifting about which is the favorite form of Ogerpon—at different points in time, there’s always been one being played more than the others. Cornerstone Mask Ogerpon is sadly not as consistent as the others.
Shepperd: Joe, you mentioned Kyogre, a Pokémon that has notably gained ground (water?) in the metagame recently.
Traylor: Kyogre has kind of eaten Terapagos’s lunch as the bulky Calm Mind Pokémon of choice.
Ugarte: It’s very strong right now, especially due to how it matches up into Ice Rider Calyrex and Shadow Rider Calyrex. At the moment, it seems like the strongest balance archetype.
Traylor: I’m not sure what makes Kyogre better than Terapagos, besides rain preserving Amoonguss and Rillaboom.
Ugarte: I think enabling Choice Scarf Rapid Strike Style Urshifu to do more damage with Surging Strikes is a big bonus.
Akcoş-Cromie: Kyogre has always been able to hold its own due to its bulk and weather control. Seeing it do well in Birmingham—supporting Grass types and boosting Urshifu’s damage—has been impressive.
Traylor: I guess your lack of dependence on Terastallizing improves flexibility too.
Akcoş-Cromie: But I’m glad you mention Terapagos, because I think it’s a little superstar and needs more recognition!
Ugarte: I think the main reason Terapagos has been struggling is because of Zamazenta threatening it a lot, as well. Body Press from Zamazenta is something Terapagos players definitely don’t appreciate.
Akcoş-Cromie: Yes, the fact that you don’t need to set up Kyogre as much helps it. It can deal devastating damage with a full-health Water Spout or Origin Pulse (when it hits!), whereas Terapagos really does need Calm Mind to get its momentum going.
Shepperd: Has that kept Zamazenta’s usage up, then?
Ugarte: I think Zamazenta has other great qualities, along with its Body Press just doing lots of damage in general. Strong Fighting-type coverage is very valuable in this format, and the fact that it works so perfectly next to Chien-Pao is a huge plus, since its damage output becomes pretty crazy.
Akcoş-Cromie: There was only one Zamazenta in the Top 16 of San Antonio, I believe, so it’s not like the meta is flooded. It’s just a challenging matchup for Terapagos to navigate. But the rise of Groudon could potentially add more challenge to Zamazenta.
Traylor: Zamazenta was criminally underplayed at Worlds and saw little success, aside from Michael Kelsch placing 4th with it.
One major metagame development was Tomoyuki Yoshimura’s Zamazenta/Chien-Pao/Amoonguss team, which he used to win a large online tournament. This team then gained widespread usage within a week; it’s been the single largest metagame development after Worlds, in my opinion. I ended up playing against this team for three out of my 11 rounds at the San Antonio Regionals.
Ugarte: A lot of Pokémon get severely damaged by Body Press Zamazenta next to Chien-Pao’s Sword of Ruin.
Shepperd: I was just about to ask about Groudon. It’s gotten a popularity bump recently too, hasn’t it?
Ugarte: Groudon has definitely become more popular than the first time around, but I think that’s due to a better structure for it being figured out than previous attempts to use it.
Akcoş-Cromie: Yes, and I’m honestly surprised. Without its Primal Reversion form, it just doesn’t have the same offensive pressure. Terastallizing helps it out defensively to a certain extent, but you have Pokémon like Landorus for effective Ground-type coverage (and resistance, being a Flying type). And if you want Trick Room, Ursaluna is right there!
Traylor: Groudon has gotten a popularity bump in part thanks to our own Joseph Ugarte, who used it alongside Jumpluff to play in a large online tournament and place Top 8. Other players took inspiration from that run, such as Flavio Del Pidio, who got Top 8 in Birmingham, as well as Chuppa Cross IV and Carson Confer, who respectively got Top 16 and Top 8 in San Antonio.
Akcoş-Cromie: I think Groudon players are maybe Groudon fans…and I do appreciate seeing players try to make such an iconic Pokémon do well in a meta without Primal Reversion. And like you’ve said, the synergy of sun with Jumpluff and Protosynthesis boosts can be so advantageous. I have just missed too many Precipice Blades to be a believer!
Shepperd: Nothing wrong with playing the Pokémon you like (and this is why my Slowbro team gets crushed in company tournaments).
Akcoş-Cromie: Favorites can be champions! Like Gastrodon…
Shepperd: How are people playing around some of Groudon’s accuracy issues?
Ugarte: Even though Groudon has larger accuracy issues—typically due to the nature of the team having so much pressure—you can afford some misses and hedging of your bets. Another thing that helps is that Trainers have adapted Groudon to run other, more-accurate Ground-type moves alongside Precipice Blades instead of a setup move, such as High Horsepower or Stomping Tantrum.
Ugarte: Since Groudon also opens up Hearthflame Mask Ogerpon and Raging Bolt to do more damage, you aren’t as reliant on only Groudon to output damage.
Traylor: In my first practice match against a Groudon player before Regionals, my opponent tried to use High Horsepower to knock out my Hearthflame Mask Ogerpon because of its higher accuracy than Precipice Blades. Then that missed too…
Akcoş-Cromie: That’s heartbreaking! Poor Groudon needs some glasses.
Shepperd: So players have simply stopped using less-accurate attacks, Joe?
Ugarte: Not necessarily. Playing Groudon always requires you to use inaccurate moves, but having the option of more stable moves allows you to safely lock off endgames Precipice Blades would otherwise risk.
Ugarte: And of course, if you miss every Precipice Blades in the early game, you would probably have a rough time, so it still matters.
Traylor: I wish more friends with Gravity were usable!
It’s interesting that we’re viewing Groudon in such a negative light but not Kyogre—it has to hit Origin Pulse too.
Akcoş-Cromie: It does. But I think having other Water-type coverage with Water Spout means we forgive it more.
Shepperd: Aaron, let’s go back to Tomoyuki Yoshimura’s team. It’s interesting to me that there’s still space to come up with a somewhat new core at this stage in the metagame.
Akcoş-Cromie: Honestly, the Japanese teams are always so inspiring.
Ugarte: Tomoyuki’s Zamazenta team was definitely a different structure than the previous ones, but it takes a lot of inspiration from the Japanese Zamazenta cores with Chi-Yu and Flutter Mane.
Traylor: I agree, Chris! And who knows what else is out there.
Ugarte: I think they are always able to find new or different concepts that open the meta in new ways.
Akcoş-Cromie: Yuta making the Finals at Worlds with an Iron Valiant was such a surprise at the time, but now I see it cropping up more and more.
Traylor: The Zamazenta team is interesting because it has some very solid options but doesn’t provide itself with too much Speed control outside of Booster Energy Flutter Mane, Choice Scarf Chi-Yu, and the natural Speed of Zamazenta and Chien-Pao.
If we’re going to chat rogue picks, I think that Regulation Set G is actually really interesting for lesser-used Pokémon.
Shepperd: Let’s chat rogue picks!
Traylor: It’s easy to look at teams and say, “Oh man, all of the Pokémon are the same all of the time.” But I think that should just make it that much more impressive when someone uses a Pokémon that no one else does.
Akcoş-Cromie: The synergy with the Treasures of Ruin Pokémon is also something to note! Chi-Yu and Chien-Pao provide so much additional pressure with their respective Abilities that I wouldn’t be surprised to see them consistently on top teams.
Traylor: Yes, for sure! And Ting-Lu also got some airtime thanks to Dawei Si.
Pokémon really need to do something special to shine in Regulation Set G, and finding those roles is no small achievement.
Shepperd: Fans who are going to watch the stream are probably already pretty familiar with the restricted Pokémon we’ve discussed. Who else should they keep an eye out for, and why?
Ugarte: I think Galarian Weezing is the first one I need to call out. The archetype is seriously a pain to deal with because of how it shuts down all Abilities but conveniently allows Shadow Rider Calyrex to keep its Ability and be really annoying.
Akcoş-Cromie: I want to talk about Galarian Weezing / Dondozo! Justin Knox (I believe?) brought this team to Worlds, and people are picking it up! Across all divisions, too. In the Junior Division at San Antonio, there was a mirror of this archetype in the Finals.
Ugarte: It’s arguably the best off-meta archetype right now because of how good it is at enabling a late-game Dondozo sweep.
Traylor: It’s certainly very strong and makes some restricted Pokémon like Zamazenta really scramble to even be in the game.
Akcoş-Cromie: Dondozo stays on the field for ages…and it hangs around in the meta too! There’s always some Dondozo core team floating around.
Ugarte: I also want to highlight Ditto. We have seen a renaissance of Ditto development, especially when messing around with different items like Safety Goggles and Focus Sash. It’s really crafted itself an interesting place in the metagame.
Shepperd: Ditto! Now we’re getting somewhere.
Akcoş-Cromie: Yes! I love Ditto. I think in a single restricted format, being able to position Ditto to give you another restricted can be really impressive. Even sometimes just copying a Speed-control Pokémon to balance that out can be very helpful.
Ugarte: I think it’s a very high-skill Pokémon to use and has so many great applications.
Traylor: I think Ditto is great! My issue with it is when I copy my opponent’s Pokémon and it isn’t trained how I expect it to be.
Ugarte: Yeah, I think the unique Pokémon in restricted formats are always a fun time and make games more entertaining. My personal favorite is Ditto. I find all games with Ditto so fascinating. There are so many different applications; you can even use Ditto to copy support Pokémon like Whimsicott and steal Tailwind for yourself.
Akcoş-Cromie: Ditto has had success in past restricted formats too for this reason. And I think in well-thought-through plans, it can excel. Sometimes, though, it can be difficult to position.
Speaking of Normal types, Smeargle is also making some appearances!
Shepperd: By the way, everyone, thanks for pivoting to the non-restricted portion of the conversation.
Akcoş-Cromie: We got you, Chris!
Ugarte: Smeargle is a great enabler of the Hard Trick Room Ice Rider Calyrex teams, especially with Decorate to boost them even more.
Akcoş-Cromie: Not in the high placements, admittedly, but it is out there—and its complete lack of predictability can be very disruptive. And it’s something players will potentially have to prepare for in the Swiss rounds.
Traylor: Umbreon also made its way into the limelight in San Antonio, where Andrew Figueras used it alongside Koraidon.
Akcoş-Cromie: Yes! Umbreon is a Worlds runner-up after all, right?
Traylor: Yep, in 2019!
Shepperd: These Pokémon have always been disruptive, but they’re also really fun to play, aren’t they?
Shepperd: How is Smeargle being used currently?
Traylor: Mostly to set up Ice Rider Calyrex or Shadow Rider Calyrex. It’s bulky, and the Grass Tera Type helps it survive Urshifu’s Surging Strikes.
Ugarte: It typically uses Fake Out to help set up Trick Room, then is trained to go before Ice Rider Calyrex in Trick Room so it can use Decorate and give it a +2 boost to its Attack and Sp. Atk stats. The Attack boost is the only one that really matters, though.
And for Shadow Rider Calyrex, it typically just leans into a more supportive Follow Me, Fake Out, and Spore role, using Wide Guard to also become harder for the opponent to deal with.
Akcoş-Cromie: Decorate is really useful too, to give a Weakness Policy boost to partner Pokémon such as Ice Rider Calyrex. It also goes through Protect, so you can Protect your partner and Decorate it for the ultimate setup!
Ugarte: I think other cool Pokémon in this format are Iron Leaves and Iron Crown.
Traylor: Yep, that’s one direction of exploration for Miraidon teams especially, though other teams also use them from time to time.
Ugarte: The Miraidon teams making adaptations to the teams utilizing the future Paradox Pokémon feels very fitting thematically, too.
Traylor: I call the non–Iron Hands Quark Drive Pokémon the “funky bunch.” They have such a wide variety of options. They’re truly interesting.
Ugarte: I think the Iron Crown set that’s been used a lot by Riley Factura is very interesting to me. It utilizes Ground-type Tera Blast to have pressure in mirror matches against other Miraidon.
Akcoş-Cromie: Yes, I think Miraidon bringing the Electric Terrain has really released the true power of some of these Paradox Pokémon. Iron Hands saw a successful return with the Assault Vest for both Speed support and a Quark Drive boost!
Traylor: Iron Leaves must be pretty annoying for Kyogre teams and Rillaboom/Amoonguss support packages.
Akcoş-Cromie: We do see the Ground Tera Type rising up. I’ve seen it on Pelipper a bunch to counter Electric-type Pokémon.
Shepperd: Are these Pokémon dark horses (heh) that could make a major impact? Do they have a chance to go deep in the tournament?
Traylor: I think it’s really hard to say, Chris.
Ugarte: I wouldn’t say it’s necessarily a dark horse, but Roaring Moon has impressed me a lot lately. It’s not the most hidden meta adaptation, but this Paradox Pokémon seems a lot stronger than I originally thought.
Traylor: These Pokémon all add depth, but whether any of them have the consistency to make it all the way is really hard to see in advance. Otherwise, they would be “more played” Pokémon instead of “less played”!
Ugarte: Roaring Moon has been on three-fourths of the finalist teams in Europe and USA.
Akcoş-Cromie: I wonder if we see some more hard Trick Room archetypes emerge. The issue is that a lot of Trainers throw Amoonguss on a team as the “Trick Room counter,” but with Safety Goggles and the Grass Tera Type, there are ways to counter it. And since Trainers can’t counter for everything, people might overlook hard Trick Room.
Traylor: Hard Trick Room is always lurking. Torkoal is ready to ruin someone’s day at a moment’s notice (probably mine).
Ugarte: I think Psychic spam in general has some good potential too, with Shadow Rider Calyrex.
Akcoş-Cromie: Torkoal was something I was thinking about as a sleeper pick. Yes, everyone leans on Rillaboom to override Electric Terrain, but Indeedee is also a very effective counter here.
Shepperd: Hard Trick Room was popular in Regulation Set H, wasn’t it? Was it the LAIC roundtable where that came up a lot?
Ugarte: Hard Trick Room was definitely something to respect in Regulation Set H. It isn’t as common now as it was back then, but it’s a great “fishing” archetype.
Akcoş-Cromie: There’s also a rise in priority moves—we see more Sucker Punch and Extreme Speed dotted around. Having a defensive option like Psychic Terrain in play could be helpful.
Ugarte: You’re typically hoping to pull teams that don’t have the proper tools to respond. I think Dawn Wings Necrozma is a very underrated Pokémon on hard Trick Room that I’m surprised hasn’t been explored more.
Akcoş-Cromie: I will just never forget when Ashton Cox brought Lilligant and Torkoal to LAIC and won. Everybody underestimated that core, so I’m always aware that it could happen again with another archetype that gets overlooked.
He’s generally very talented for using off-meta picks, but I think people underestimated this core as a best-of-one or a gimmick. And in the hands of an excellent player, it excelled in a meta underprepared for it.
Ugarte: I think there’s always some value to the surprise factor at any major tournament, if the team is good.
Traylor: Dawn Wings Necrozma is very strong for the same reason that a lot of Lunala teams are strong. These teams play very similarly to how Hatterene teams played in Regulation Sets A–F.
Akcoş-Cromie: We’ve also seen some Eternatus in Europe; I wonder if EUIC will see more of it.
Traylor: Shadow Rider Calyrex / Female Indeedee is interesting because there SHOULD be a really strong Expanding Force synergy that dominates the metagame, but it’s been less played—especially recently.
Ugarte: I think Eternatus is a bit of a sleeper pick that probably could do with more exploration.
Traylor: Eternatus is very scary as a rogue pick.
Ugarte: The thing is, there haven’t really been any top players trying it much.
Shepperd: What is Eternatus’s deal? Why could it sneak in?
Ugarte: It has a huge range of coverage, and Poison- and Dragon-type moves hit a lot of Pokémon in the metagame.
Traylor: It’s fast and powerful with some pretty strong defensive stats and unique typing, it gets Meteor Beam to boost its own Sp. Atk stat, and its Dynamax Cannon has zero drawback.
Shepperd: What has kept it from finding success already?
Ugarte: Honestly, I think it’s really just a lack of time investment—and having to figure out how to navigate a format with a faster Dragon type like Miraidon. It’s tricky to build around.
Traylor: I think it needs much more delicate teambuilding to let it shine, which isn’t the easiest endeavor, and it also runs a risk of failing. Players tend to take paths of lesser resistance. In order to think outside the box, you need to know what the box is first.
Akcoş-Cromie: I don’t think it’s found its synergy among a team of six. By itself there’s a lot of impressive coverage and bulk, but I find Miraidon to be more reliable. Sadly, it casts a large Dragon-type shadow.
Ugarte: I think that’s why Groudon wasn’t successful until the second time around.
Akcoş-Cromie: I wonder if it might have more success in a double restricted format.
Shepperd: It must be even more tempting to just iterate on teams than to (relatively) start over.
Traylor: Right, Chris. “What can I do to make this good idea better?” is a more appealing exploration to take than “Is this idea even good to begin with?”
Ugarte: Absolutely. Iterating on teams that exist is much easier than starting from scratch and requires a lot of teambuilding knowledge.
Shepperd: Although it does pay off with teams like Tomoyuki’s (if you do it right)?
Akcoş-Cromie: You definitely see people start to experiment. I think at Worlds, it was not explored or reliable enough for people to pick it, but now with more time and events, it can be tested and developed more.
Shepperd: At the same time, EUIC is a hugely pivotal event midway through the season. How does that affect team selection?
Ugarte: Well, I would argue Tomoyuki’s team might fall into the realm of innovating on a good idea / good restricted pick, whereas maybe the Groudon uptick would be a greater case of a team becoming good once someone takes a chance on it. So, I think team selection is kind of interesting because the meta will be VERY all over the place in my opinion. You have the largest amount of players a major has ever seen, I believe, which means there will be a ton of variance.
Shepperd: We’ve covered a lot of ground discussing Pokémon. Let’s pivot to talking about all the excellent players making the trip to London.
Traylor: I believe this is the first time in a while that all three of us will be in attendance!
Shepperd: I can’t make it this year, so you’d better send me a group photo.
Akcoş-Cromie: We can photoshop you in, Chris.
Ugarte: I’m very excited to be in London again!
Akcoş-Cromie: I’m beyond ecstatic! EUIC is my favorite event of the whole calendar, and we get it even earlier this year!
Traylor: The exclusive items in the Pokémon Center Pop-Up Store are SO cool this year. This isn’t even a sponsored plug. I just really like Psyduck.
Akcoş-Cromie: I expect to see you fully kitted out, Aaron.
Ugarte: I think Psyduck has good vibes.
Shepperd: I imagine that with a larger field and more team variance, it’s the veterans who you expect to rise to the top—players who have the experience to deal with adversity.
Akcoş-Cromie: I’m more than prepared to eat my words, but I think veterans will take this one. However, Tim Edwards was EUIC runner-up last year, and he was a newcomer.
Traylor: As for players, World Champion Luca Ceribelli will probably make moves to try to add an International Championship to his list of accolades.
Ugarte: I mean, I think you can’t talk about International Championships without talking about Marco Silva. He’s already at three Internationals wins, and I know his eyes are set on adding EUIC and NAIC to the trophy collection.
Traylor: Let’s get the easy ones out of the way.
- Marco Silva is at the peak of his career so far.
- Wolfe Glick is somehow also near the peak of his career so far.
- It’s unclear whether Michael Kelsch is at the peak of his career so far, because we haven’t even seen his stellar results let up yet.
- Shohei Kimura will probably make the flight from Japan, and he is insane.
Shepperd: Italy represent?
Ugarte: I think by far Italy has had the strongest showing of all European regions in modern VGC.
Patrick Connors was also able to win NAIC as a newcomer!
Akcoş-Cromie: For Europe, I am right behind team Italy. Marco Silva has won OCIC once and LAIC twice, so he’s going for the gauntlet and wants EUIC. Luca won Worlds in this format, William Bassolino won Birmingham Regionals after a grind to get his first big win. Italy’s players are looking STRONG.
Ugarte: I think it’s becoming more and more likely as the player pool increases that newcomers or less-established players will win these big tournaments. That being said, there are so many incredible players that are obviously consistent.
Shepperd: Interesting, Joe! That goes against at least my conventional wisdom.
Ugarte: The reason why I think as the game grows more there will be more new players at the top is that your schedule, your matchups, and the variance within the tournament changes a lot. When the pool is smaller, it’s easier to cover for more players/teams.
Traylor: There is also a strong contingent of Japanese players coming over beyond Shohei Kimura. The aforementioned Tomoyuki Yoshimura will also be coming—I don’t know when the last time he came to a Championship Point–earning region event was. Worlds 2023 Top 16 finisher Yosuke Takayanagi will also be in attendance.
Ugarte: I think it’s always so cool when Japanese players show up to the Internationals to compete.
Traylor: Getting an automatic invitation to Worlds for finishing in the Top 4 must be SO big for Japanese players who are stressed out about best-of-one qualification. If you think that you’re good enough to take the title, you buy that flight—no questions asked.
Akcoş-Cromie: One thing about Wolfe I have to credit is his balanced approach to events. He has taken breaks from events and then returned and claimed victory, and he recently won Toronto and is now refocusing again before EUIC. I will be keeping an eye on his focus and performance.
Shepperd: Yeah, Wolfe seems to know how to prepare not just strategically but also mentally and emotionally for these big events.
Akcoş-Cromie: I’m also always backing Victor Medina from Europe—he’s had a string of second-place finishes recently, and I would love to see him take the gold.
Shepperd: Besides Wolfe, who from North America should we be watching? Lou, tell me about Aaron and Joe.
Akcoş-Cromie: So, Aaron and Joe are two players I would definitely recommend! Joe has really championed the sun and Jumpluff team and has so many consistent top finishes but is so close to getting the big finish in the Internationals stage! Aaron Traylor is probably the Trainer I think of from NA when I think of Miraidon, and if anyone can (following San Antonio) return Miraidon to its former glory, it’s Dr. Aaron Traylor!
Shepperd: OK, that’s out of the way. Who are the NA players who really have a chance?
(I KID.)
Akcoş-Cromie: (Joe and Aaron leave the chat.)
Ugarte: Sorry, Joe can’t come to the phone right now.
Shepperd: *laughs*
Traylor: Shiliang Tang and Justin Tang just pulled off the tournament of a lifetime, playing the same team in Regional Finals. I’ve always wanted to do that with a friend.
Ugarte: Yeah, I think it’s the first time we have seen that happen in six years, the last being done by Ashton and Jeremy in the Memphis(?) Regional Finals.
I think a really interesting player to look out for is Justin Tang, honestly. After the win, I’m sure he’s feeling motivated and wanting to work really hard to win.
Traylor: I wonder if Paul Chua will be making the flight to take his title back.
Ugarte: I do believe he is!
Traylor: Junxi Zhu is another excellent player to look out for, currently third in the NA Championship Points standings.
Shepperd: With the little time we have left, I’d like to hear what fans should be watching for over the long tournament. I’m curious what early indicators could happen that set the tone for the whole weekend.
Ugarte: I think there are a lot of great storylines going into EUIC, but I would definitely keep an eye on the players who have already been very successful throughout the season and have shown great success. I’d personally have my eye on Marco Silva and Justin Tang.
Traylor: I think a BIG sign for the story of the tournament is to look out for those Day 1 restricted usage stats and the difference between them and Day 2.
Akcoş-Cromie: Focusing on Latin America, I also would love to see Gabriel Agati run back EUIC. A second-place finish for him two years ago showed his caliber. He also pioneered the Alolan Ninetales team at the beginning of the season, which was picked up globally. It’s a different regulation set now, of course, but if he calls a good meta team, it could be spectacular.
Traylor: Great shoutout, Lou. Juan Salerno also just won the Rio de Janeiro Regional Championships with a super-strong Ice Rider Calyrex team.
Ugarte: Yeah, you always need to respect the players from Latin America!
I also need to throw in the restricted Pokémon I think is winning… I think Miraidon will take it home.
Traylor: MIRAIDON!
Ugarte: I also think we will see a Groudon in the Top 8 at minimum.
Traylor: Oh no, Rillaboom switched in and turned off Electric Terrain.
Shepperd: Miraidon has been on some Champions’ teams as of late. Lou, who’s your restricted Pokémon of choice?
Akcoş-Cromie: Ditto will win on a technicality—if it turns into a winning restricted Pokémon, I’m also covered!
Traylor: I think Joe and I are perhaps biased as Miraidon guys from Worlds. I think outside of Miraidon, Kyogre and Koraidon are well positioned.
Akcoş-Cromie: I’m secretly rooting for Terapagos, though! I just think it has so much potential, even if it’s difficult to get set up right. If the stars align for it, the tournament run could be magnificent.
Ugarte: I’m also interested to see someone develop and find a good way to leverage Shadow Rider Calyrex.
Traylor: What do you think is in Shadow Rider Calyrex’s way right now? I think the Follow Me / Nasty Plot balance versions are just as strong as ever.
Shepperd: Koraidon and Shadow Rider Calyrex haven’t really gone anywhere, have they. They’re still in the mix.
They’re around for sure, and Trainers need to prepare for them.
Ugarte: I think it’s the uptick of Dark-type Pokémon everywhere: Chi-Yu, Chien-Pao, Incineroar, Roaring Moon, Iron Jugulis, Ting-Lu, etc.
Akcoş-Cromie: I want to know which Urshifu form will come out on top for this reason! I reckon we will see a rise in Single Strike Style usage. Maybe not hitting the Rapid Strike Style numbers, but a rise nonetheless.
Shepperd: All right, we’re about to wrap! Any parting shots before we go?
Akcoş-Cromie: I also think all three age divisions will have very different metagames, and I’m super excited to see how those matches play out in the Finals on Championship Sunday.
Traylor: I’m really looking forward to the tournament. My hot take is that North America will take this one home.
Ugarte: I’ll second that.
Akcoş-Cromie: Worlds was only Part 1 of this regulation set’s story, and it set a good scene, but EUIC will really showcase the potential of the meta now that Trainers have had more time, experience, and trials to test these cores! And I counter Aaron and say the trophy is staying in the EU! It’s only been over the pond once, and once was enough.
Shepperd: This conversation has been amazing. For a format that has been around a while, it’s still delivering a surprising number of innovations.
Traylor: I think it’s amazing to see how much life and depth this single restricted format has. Everyone could have just played teams from Worlds, but there’s so much more. It’s like looking at pond water under a microscope and seeing that there’s actually a lot of stuff in there.
Ugarte: Thanks for having us on, Chris! It’s been fun talking about this format. Keep an eye out for the unique trends of teams between different regions! I always think that’s the most interesting part about the International Championships.
Shepperd: Good luck to everyone in London! I wish I could join, but I’ll be watching the matches on Twitch along with all the other fans. I’ll be looking for that group photo after the event, too.
Ugarte: We will make sure to get it! Thanks again for having us on! EUIC is gonna be an amazing event.
Akcoş-Cromie: Thanks for having us, Chris! Let’s keep an eye on the top tables for Aaron and Joe!
Traylor: Good luck to everyone at EUIC!
Joseph Ugarte
Joseph Ugarte is a full time VGC competitor and content creator. Competing since 2017, he has had three Top 4 placements in Internationals, two Worlds Top Cuts, and two Regionals wins, along with lots of other strong Regional finishes. He loves being involved in the community efforts to grow and expand the game further!
Lou Akcoş-Cromie
Lou Akcoş-Cromie has been an official Play! Pokémon commentator since 2017 and has been honored to cast multiple International and World Championships in her career so far. As the #1 East Sea Gastrodon fan, she is always excited to see her favorite Pokémon do well, but is also intrigued by off-meta picks that catch her by surprise! Outside of Pokémon, you can most likely find Lou surrounded by cats or teaching English and Debate in the school classroom.
Aaron Traylor
Aaron Traylor has been competing in the VGC since 2011. He placed in the Top 8 and the Top 16 at the World Championships in 2016 and 2019, respectively. He believes that the friendship between Trainers and their Pokémon is ultimately what leads to success in battle. Outside of Pokémon, he is a graduate student studying computer science and cognitive science.
Source: Pokemon.com
Source: Pokemon
