The Pokémon North America International Championship (NAIC) is underway and day-one usage stats show a very diverse Scarlet and Violet meta—something Wolfe Glick predicted months ago.
Play! Pokémon has released the top most-used Pokémon for day one of NAIC, and there’s a lot to unpack on the VGC side. Looking at the top non-restricted ‘mons, Incineroar once again leads the charge at 43.51 percent, with Urshifu and Rillaboom not too far behind. These top three make up the very dominant Fire/Water/Grass core, although we also have alternative options in Whimsicott, Amoonguss, Chi-Yu, and Pelipper all in the top 12. With Miraidon flying around with Electric Terrain, Electric-type ‘mons like Raging Bolt and Iron Hands are seeing a lot of usage as well.
When it comes to the restricted Legendary Pokémon, it’s a mix of vastly different options. There’s no single restricted ‘mon that’s far above the rest. The top four, for example, range from 13 to 16 percent usage. This includes Calyrex Ice Rider, Miraidon, Calyrex Shadow Rider, and Terapagos. Koraidon, Kyogre, Zamazenta, and Zacian aren’t too far behind, either.
In other words, Regulation G is giving us a mixed meta, which is refreshing to see and keeps players on their toes. Former world champ Wolfe Glick actually predicted this would be the case back when Dot Esports spoke to him at the previous international event, EUIC.
“I think it will probably be a format where a lot of different restricted Legendaries are viable because, with only one restricted Legendary on a team, you can kind of afford to devote dedicated Pokémon that beat multiple of them,” Glick told Dot Esports when asked about his predictions for Scarlet and Violet’s first restricted meta. “So yeah, I think we’ll see a pretty wide meta rather than a very centralized one.”
Indeed, we’re seeing a wide meta at NAIC, and any restricted Legendary Pokémon has a shot to take the crown. I love an underdog story, so I’m rooting for Zamazenta or Zacian who are sitting at 8.62 and 3.93 percent usage, respectively. As a Scarlet player, I wouldn’t be mad if Koraidon won, either.
NAIC will continue throughout the weekend and Dot Esports is there to cover all the action. Travel to NAIC was provided by The Pokémon Company.
