Since their release, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet have had championship tournaments all over the world from San Diego to Australia. The 2023 World Championship is set for Yokohama, Japan later this year, and every in-person tournament before then will get players one step closer to the annual competition.
In preparation for these major tournaments, players will test their teams in online Ranked Battles, which follow the same format as in-person tournaments except for open/closed team sheets. To take things a step further, the first official online tournament for Scarlet and Violet, Paldea Prologue, will be held from March 10 to 12.
From now until March 12, players can sign up to join the competition. Players will be going head to head in competitive Double Battles with any Pokémon in the Paldea Pokédex. Unlike any of the Scarlet and Violet VGC formats so far, players will be allowed to bring either Koraidon or Miraidon, the two main Legendary Pokémon of the Paldea region. The four Treasures of Ruin (Wo-Chien, Chien-Pao, Ting-Lu, and Chi-Yu) will also be legal in the format ahead of their official VGC debut in April when Series 3 begins.
With Koraidon, Miraidon, and the Treasures of Ruin all thrown into the competition, there’s no telling how they’ll shake up the meta. Players should at least be prepared to counter Koraidon sun teams and Electric Terrain teams running Miraidon. Prior to this online competition, Electric Terrain hasn’t been nearly as common as sun teams, but Miraidon’s Hadron Engine Ability has the potential to make it viable with powerful allies like Iron Bundle and Iron Hands.
Meanwhile, weather teams have always had a place in VGC, so sun teams should only be enhanced with Koraidon’s addition to the competition. Popular VGC Pokémon like Torkoal, Great Tusk, Talonflame, and Arcanine would all greatly benefit from Koraidon’s Orichalcum Pulse Ability, which conveniently sets up the sun for Fire-types and past Paradox Pokémon.
Published: Mar 2, 2023 05:21 pm