The Pokémon VGC Regulation swapping over should, in theory, make space for new favorites and meta-breaking critters to rise to the top—but sometimes, you just can’t beat a classic, as the usage statistics from the ongoing Birmingham Regional Championships have shown.
Despite the Regulation swapping from Reg H to Reg G on Jan. 6, a handful of immensely popular critters are still dominating the competitive scene. While a few fresh picks did work their way into the top 12 stats for day two of the Regionals, competitive staples like Incineroar and Rillaboom still dominated.
Regulation H, which ran from Aug. 31, 2024, to Jan. 5, 2025, did not allow Restricted Pokémon to enter official matches. Regulation G, however, does allow for one Restricted ‘mon per team, adding a new level of challenge to the team-building process.
Ancient Paradox ‘mons like Raging Bolt and Flutter Mane shot up to the top in the official stats, with 32.1 percent and 25.9 percent usage on day two of the event, respectively.
They were still not quite as high up in the rankings as Amoonguss and Rillaboom, though, which have both been community staples throughout Regulation H thanks to their versatility and ability to slot into a number of powerful team formats.
The Rapid Strike Style iteration of Urshifu dominated the event in terms of popularity, with 46.4 percent usage on day one and a mighty 53.1 percent usage on day two. It’s a competitive beast, with a strong dual typing of Fighting and Water, and it’s fair to say that no one was surprised to see it up top.
The Wushu Pokémon popped up in the teams for the VGC Masters Finals, featuring players William Bassolino and Oliver Eskolin, even ending up with an Urshifu versus Urshifu mirror match-up briefly in one of the final rounds.
In terms of the Restricted ‘mons that were heavily played during the event, Pokémon Violet players will be pleased to see that Miraidon was right up at the top in terms of usage, alongside Crowned Shield Zamazenta.
In comparison, Koraidon pulled in a usage stat of 4.9 percent, as shown in the Restricted Pokémon top eight stats. It still featured in some incredible matches but wasn’t nearly as popular as its sandwich-loving counterpart.
The Birmingham Regional Championships marked the reintroduction of Regulation G, which will be running up until April 30, 2025. Seeing the competitors work with the new format was fascinating as a VGC fan, and the meta is sure to evolve even further as the months roll on.
If you’re planning to head to a competitive event between now and April, it’s worth taking a quick peek at the official listings for allowed Pokémon here to double-check that your team is good to go.
Published: Jan 19, 2025 03:39 pm