By: Andrew Lister; January 9, 2024

Welcome to my brand new article series, Casual VGC. I’ll begin with a few caveats. I am not a full-time Pokémon player. I have never won any major VGC tournaments. Heck, I’ve only officially competed in two in-person tournaments–Milwaukee and Peoria in 2023. However, I have been playing Pokémon since Red and Blue came to North America while I was in high school, and I started dipping my toes into competitive Pokémon starting in Sword and Shield. One of my favorite ways to pass the time when not grading my students’ essays or podcasting is following official Pokémon events.

The most recent Pokémon VGC Regional took place in Portland, Oregon from January 5th-7th. Being the first official tournament under the new Regulation F ruleset, fans were curious which Mons would make a bigger splash than Magikarp. Some of the same strategies held over from the previous season, but the inclusion of the new Pokémon from the Indigo Disk shook up the meta like a Ground Terastalized Earthquake.

Here are some of the major takeaways and meta developments coming out of Portland.

Old Favorites Remain

To no one’s surprise, some of the core Pokémon from past regulations remained at the top of the usage list on both days of the competition. Of the Top 12 Pokémon used during Day 1, nine of them were available prior to the new DLC. Among them are some VGC faithful: Flutter Mane, Chien-Pao, Ogerpon, Urshifu, and Amoonguss. Pokémon like Flutter, Chien-Pao, and Urshi made it into at least half or more of the Top 8 teams.

With the inclusion of the new paradox versions of the Gen 2 legendaries Raikou, Entei, and Suicune, Flutter Mane’s fairy attacks became the perfect counter to these dual-type Dragons, more specifically Raging Bolt. As one of the speediest and most powerful Mons in Scarlet and Violet, Flutter Mane will more than likely remain at the top of the usage list going forward.

Similarly, Chien-Pao served as another counter to these new Dragon types, pressuring with Ice-type moves. A really cool strategy coming out of Portland involved using the new Stellar Tera Type. For those not familiar, the new Stellar Tera Type provides a one-time STAB boost for each different type of attack a Pokémon uses. This works best for Pokémon that often carry multiple moves for damage coverage. Chien-Pao’s normal set of Sacred Sword (Fighting), Ice Spinner/Icicle Crash (Ice), and Sucker Punch (Dark) allows it to power through the competition and even provide an option for a fourth damage type for coverage. Sure, he loses a defensive Tera like Ghost or Flying, but that isn’t as terrible of a loss as it usually runs Focus Sash.

Ogerpon continued to see major success, especially in its Wellspring Mask form. Water remains one of the most important types in the current meta, and Ogerpon serves as two parts of the Fire/Grass/Water core found on many teams. Not only is it resistant to powerful Grass-type moves and immune to Amoonguss’s Spore, but it is able to mitigate the damage from powerful Water-type moves like Urshifu’s Surging Strikes. Throw in the added utility of the move Follow Me on more defensively built versions, and you have one of the toughest Pokémon to deal with.

Brand New Threats

With over 230 new and returning Pokémon in the Indigo Disk DLC, the meta did see some significant shifts. As people tried to predict how these new Mons would impact team building, a few of these new choices took center stage. Most notable of these are the new paradox Pokémon Raging Bolt and a returning Entei.

Raging Bolt, a new Electric-Dragon dual type Pokémon, made it into three of the Top 8 teams, including the 2024 Portland Regional Champion Alex Underhill’s team. Raging Bolt is the first Electric Pokémon since Iron Hands to get some real traction in the Scarlet and Violet era. With an outstanding Special Attack and HP stat as well as pretty good defenses, Raging Bolt can take hits and dish them back out that much harder. His ability Protosynthesis can boost his Special Attack even further, and in turn his strong Electric and Dragon moves can help to clear the board. Oh, and he also now has access to a 70 BP priority Electric move. No wonder we’re seeing so many people use this goofy looking giraffe.

Unfortunately, Gouging Fire did not see the same level of play in Portland last weekend. However, his original form Entei did step in as a replacement for Arcanine and some Dragonite. Often paired with Chien-Pao, Normal Tera Entei threatens quick KOs with Extreme Speed, and it can burn and dispose of annoying Focus Sash Pokémon, such as Chien-Pao, with Sacred Fire. Add in Inner Focus, which prevents being faked out, and Entei slots nicely into a team’s Fire/Grass/Water core.

Did you think I was going to gloss over the most annoying change to the VGC meta? As was foretold in numerous memes and social media posts, Incineroar is back and even more annoying than before. As in Sword and Shield, he reduces the effectiveness of opposing teams with his Intimidate ability. He still has access to Flare Blitz, Fake Out, and Parting Shot; moreover, he now has access to a few new moves. Most importantly, he can now use Helping Hand and Knock Off.

Surprising Top 8 Teams’ Pokémon

Looking at the Top 8 teams from Portland, you’ll find some very interesting team combinations. In fact, some combinations from long-past regulations have returned alongside the past season and new Pokémon.

Chuppa Cross IV revived a very Series 1 combo with Dondozo and Tatsugiri. Utilizing the powerful moves Wave Crash, Earthquake, and Order Up, Cross’s Dondozo broke through the defenses of his opponents, especially boosted by his Tatsugiri in Commander mode. Even on its own, Tatsugiri was able to take down Pokémon weak to Dragon moves with Draco Meteor. On top of that, he also slotted in a Glimmora, who has been boosted with Meteor Beam, a STAB Rock move paired with Power Herb.

Anton Galkin’s third place team featured some cagey choices, including the Top 8’s only Regidrago. Some players have dominated with full-powered Dragon Energy, and Galkin was no different. His biggest surprise, however, was his Scream Tail, a Pokemon that has seen very little use outside of the Perish Trap team perfected by Wolfe Glick. Running the combination of Disable and Encore, Galkin was able to block his opponents’ progress and even sneak in a few key KOs with Dazzling Gleam.

My personal favorite of the Top 8 teams was piloted by Brandon Davis, who earned a fifth place finish utilizing a team with Hatterene, Indeedee, Torkoal, Urshifu Single Strike, Gallade, and Ursaluna. I would have to write an entire article to give this team justice. Do yourself a favor and watch his match with Collin Heier to get a taste of its unique genius.

Final Thoughts

Players have only scratched the surface of what Regulation F might hold for the competitive VGC community. I’m excited to see what new or returning Pokémon emerge to shake up the meta. Will the other new paradox Pokémon get their time in the (harsh) sunlight? Only time and the Charlotte Regional Championship can tell!

Check back for another Casual VGC article! I plan to update with a new article at least once a month!