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Learn which Pokemon VGC players and their teams excelled at the Pittsburgh Regionals. Find out which Pokemon did unexpectedly well.
The Pittsburgh Regionals have provided a clearer picture of the current Pokemon VGC meta. While both the Frankfurt and Monterray Regionals kicked off the next set of competitions leading up to Worlds 2026, Pittsburgh saw the meta take shape. There were a lot of teams focusing on weather conditions like Rain, Sand, or Sun. However, the winner Chuppa Cross IV ended up using a classic “goodstuffs” team focused on Pokemon great for the Regulation H meta.
The Best Pokemon VGC Teams From Pittsburgh Regionals
5) Thomas Hayden’s Team (Charizard, Hatterene, Indeedee-Female, Rillaboom, Torkoal, Ursaluna)
| Pokemon | Ability | Tera Type | Held Item | Moves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charizard | Solar Power | Fire | Choice Scarf | Heat Wave, Overheat, Air Slash, Fire Spin |
| Hatterene | Magic Bounce | Fire | Covert Cloak | Dazzling Gleam, Expanding Force, Skill Swap, Trick Room |
| Indeedee-F | Psychic Surge | Ghost | Psychic Seed | Trick Room, Follow Me, Helping Hand, Dazzling Gleam |
| Rillaboom | Grassy Surge | Grass | Life Orb | Wood Hammer, Grassy Glide, High Horsepower, Fake Out |
| Torkoal | Drought | Fire | Choice Specs | Eruption, Heat Wave, Fissure, Weather Ball |
| Ursaluna | Guts | Poison | Flame Orb | Facade, Protect, Earthquake, Headlong Rush |
Thomas Hayden’s team is very interesting on first glance. It has two Pokemon pairs that work really well. The first of these is Drought Torkoal and Charizard with Solar Power and holding a Choice Scarf for extra speed.
The second one is the Psychic duo of Indeedee and Hatterene, who are meant to set up Psychic Terrain and spam boosted Expanded Force, respectively. Indeedee also has a Psychic Seed to add to its bulk. Both the Psychic-types also have Trick Room as well, to give Ursaluna a chance to outspeed and launch devastating physical attacks.
4) Ben Grissmer’s Team (Tyranitar, Ursaluna-Bloodmoon, Excadrill, Dusclops, Indeedee-Male, Sneasler)
| Pokemon | Ability | Tera Type | Held Item | Moves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tyranitar | Sand Stream | Flying | Choice Band | Rock Slide, Assurance, Low Kick, Tera Blast |
| Ursaluna-Bloodmoon | Mind’s Eye | Normal | Life Orb | Blood Moon, Earth Power, Hyper Voice, Protect |
| Excadrill | Sand Rush | Stellar | Focus Sash | High Horsepower, Rock Slide, Iron Head, Protect |
| Dusclops | Pressure | Grass | Eviolite | Night Shade, Will-O-Wisp, Pain Split, Trick Room |
| Indeedee-M | Psychic Surge | Fighting | Choice Scarf | Expanding Force, Tera Blast, Trick, After You |
| Sneasler | Unburden | Dark | Psychic Seed | Close Combat, Dire Claw, Throat Chop, Protect |
Sand was very dominant in this Regional, even though Rain had better results. Ben’s team uses the familiar Sand combo of Tyranitar and Excadrill. Additionally, he also went with Bloodmoon Ursaluna, who doesn’t care about sand’s chip damage and is just an overall great Pokemon.
However, he also had a Dusclops just in case he wanted to set up Trick Room for his bear. Finally, he had a Psychic Terrain combo of Indeedee and Sneasler, the latter benefitting from the Psychic Terrain the former set up.
3) Daniel Yu’s Team (Sinistcha, Pelipper, Ursaluna, Incineroar, Basculegion-Male, Archaludon)
| Pokemon | Ability | Tera Type | Held Item | Moves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sinistcha | Hospitality | Water | Sitrus Berry | Matcha Gotcha, Rage Powder, Life Dew, Trick Room |
| Pelipper | Drizzle | Stellar | Focus Sash | Hurricane, Weather Ball, Tailwind, Protect |
| Ursaluna | Guts | Poison | Flame Orb | Facade, Protect, Earthquake, Headlong Rush |
| Incineroar | Intimidate | Flying | Safety Goggles | Knock Off, Fake Out, Taunt, Parting Shot |
| Basculegion-M | Swift Swim | Water | Choice Band | Wave Crash, Last Respects, Aqua Jet, Flip Turn |
| Archaludon | Stamina | Bug | Assault Vest | Electro Shot, Dragon Pulse, Flash Cannon, Body Press |
While several Rain teams did well in this tournament, it was Daniel Yu’s team that placed highest. He used his Pelipper to set up Rain with Drizzle. This helped his Basculegion (speed boost though Swift Swim) and his Archaludon (Electro Shot becoming a single turn move). The rest of his team consisted of staples like Sinistcha, Ursaluna, and Incineroar.
2) Matt Tidd’s Team (Sinistcha, Kingambit, Hariyama, Volcarona, Archaludon, Primarina)
| Pokemon | Ability | Tera Type | Held Item | Moves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sinistcha | Heatproof | Dark | Mental Herb | Matcha Gotcha, Strength Sap, Calm Mind, Trick Room |
| Kingambit | Defiant | Ghost | Safety Goggles | Kowtow Cleave, Iron Head, Sucker Punch, Swords Dance |
| Hariyama | Thick Fat | Psychic | Assault Vest | Close Combat, Knock Off, Heavy Slam, Fake Out |
| Volcarona | Flame Body | Steel | Covert Cloak | Flamethrower, Struggle Bug, Rage Powder, Tailwind |
| Archaludon | Sturdy | Electric | Power Herb | Electro Shot, Dragon Pulse, Flash Cannon, Protect |
| Primarina | Liquid Voice | Grass | Choice Specs | Hyper Voice, Moonblast, Dazzling Gleam, Hydro Cannon |
Runner-up Matt Tidd’s team is worth noting because of the fact that he brought a Hariyama to the final. He made use of Hariyama’s decent bulk and access to useful moves like Fake Out and Knock Off. However, he also had an anti-meta pick in Primarina, though he opted to give it a Choice Specs over a Throat Spray. The rest of his team was just usual picks, though he went with a Sturdy Archaludon with a Power Herb instead of one with the ability Stamina.
1) Chuppa Cross IV’s Team (Basculegion-Male, Maushold, Dragonite, Incineroar, Ursaluna-Bloodmoon, Gholdengo)
| Pokemon | Ability | Tera Type | Held Item | Moves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basculegion-M | Adaptability | Ghost | Focus Sash | Wave Crash, Last Respects, Aqua Jet, Protect |
| Maushold | Friend Guard | Poison | Rocky Helmet | Super Fang, Feint, Follow Me, Protect |
| Dragonite | Multiscale | Fairy | Loaded Dice | Scale Shot, Tailwind, Haze, Protect |
| Incineroar | Intimidate | Grass | Safety Goggles | Flare Blitz, Knock Off, Fake Out, Parting Shot |
| Ursaluna-Bloodmoon | Mind’s Eye | Fire | Assault Vest | Blood Moon, Earth Power, Hyper Voice, Vacuum Wave |
| Gholdengo | Good as Gold | Steel | Choice Specs | Make It Rain, Shadow Ball, Power Gem, Trick |
Chuppa Cross IV won his second Regional with a very standard goodstuffs team. All of his mons are proven performers in the meta, with Basculegion, Dragonite, and Incineroar for physical offense, Bloodmoon Ursaluna and Gholdengo as special attackers, and Maushold to protect its allies. But it takes a deft hand to use even great Pokemon well, and Chuppa certainly did.
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