VGC pro predicts these 5 Pokémon will be ‘key to the strongest Worlds teams’

With the Pokémon World Championships less than one month away, one VGC pro player shared a tier list of where the meta currently stands, pointing to five Pokémon that could be the key to success.

On the VGC side of Pokémon, it’s been rather quiet lately. The North America International Championships (NAIC) wrapped up back in June, leaving Worlds in Hawaii (August 16 to 18) as the last remaining major event of the 2024 season. During this two-month break, Worlds invitees have been busy building their teams and practicing the current Regulation G format with Legendary threats like Calyrex, Miraidon, and Terapagos.

Of course, restricted Legendary Pokémon take up just one of the six slots on Reg G teams, so we must also consider the rest of the threats in the meta. By now, it’s pretty standard to see the likes of Incineroar, Rillaboom, Rapid Strike Urshifu, and Raging Bolt on most teams, as we saw at NAIC. However, the true “key to the strongest Worlds teams” may lie with five different Pokémon, according to a tier list posted by VGC pro Jeudy Azzarelli on X (formerly Twitter). The five ‘mons are Smeargle, Clefairy, Farigiraf, Grimmsnarl, and Ditto, who are all carried by their handy Abilities or unique traits.

Clefairy, Farigiraf, and Grimmsnarl, for example, have Abilities that help them protect their allies. Clefairy’s Friend Guard weakens incoming damage against its allies, while it can also redirect attacks with Follow Me. Farigiraf’s Armor Tail blocks priority moves like Fake Out and Aqua Jet, making it especially useful against the most popular ‘mons in the meta—Incineroar, Rillaboom, and Urshifu. Meanwhile, Grimmsnarl gains priority on status moves with Prankster to quickly set up Light Screen or Reflect for the team.

Smeargle and Ditto are more like wild cards. Smeargle is by no means a threatening ‘mon on its own, but don’t underestimate its ability to support its allies. With its signature move Sketch, Smeargle can essentially have any moveset it wants. Oftentimes, it’ll run popular moves like Fake Out or Follow Me to protect and enable its partner. But perhaps the scariest thing it can do is use Decorate on a strong ally to boost their Attack and Special Attack by two stages.

Ditto was already a hit at NAIC, used by Azzarelli and 12.2 percent of the competition on day two. In an interview with Dot back at that event, the pro praised Ditto and highlighted its ability to give you an extra restricted Legendary Pokémon with Imposter. The pink Pokémon adds a layer of flexibility and unpredictability to your team, but that could be exactly what you need to win Worlds.