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Learn which Pokemon VGC players and their teams did the best at the Frankfurt Regionals, one of the first tournaments after Worlds 2025.
With the 2025 World Championships having ended, the 2026 Pokemon VGC season has started. The first of these events is the Frankfurt regionals, giving us a decent look into the current state of the meta.
It is worth mentioning that all tournaments being played are not using the Regulation J format being used in Scarlet and Violet Ranked Battles. Instead, players will have to follow the Regulation H ruleset, which bans all Legendary and Paradox Pokemon.
5 of the Best Pokemon VGC Teams Seen at the Frankfurt Regionals
5) Michael Kelsch’s Team (Kingambit, Sneasler, Magmar, Rillaboom, Baxcalibur, and Dondozo)
| Pokemon | Ability | Tera Type | Held Item | Moves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kingambit | Defiant | Ghost | Black Glasses | Kowtow Cleave, Sucker Punch, Swords Dance, Protect |
| Sneasler | Unburden | Stellar | Focus Sash | Close Combat, Dire Claw, Coaching, Protect |
| Magmar | Vital Spirit | Fairy | Eviolite | Overheat, Will-O-Wisp, Follow Me, Protect |
| Rillaboom | Grassy Surge | Water | Assault Vest | Wood Hammer, Grassy Glide, High Horsepower, Fake Out |
| Baxcalibur | Thermal Exchange | Ghost | Loaded Dice | Icicle Spear, Scale Shot, Ice Shard, Protect |
| Dondozo | Unaware | Poison | Leftovers | Wave Crash, Fissure, Yawn, Protect |
Micheal Kelsch brings a few interesting choices to the Frankfurt regionals, with his Magmar standing out the most. It provides useful redirection support with Follow Me and is bulky enough to take a few hits thanks to its held Eviolite. This redirection support lets the main attackers of his team, Kingambit and Baxcalibur set up with Swords Dance and Scale Shot, respectively. Additionally, he also has a Dondozo not paired with Tatsugiri, but one that can attempt one-hit KOs with Fissure instead.
4) Davide Carrer’s Team (Hisuian Arcanine, Espathra, Sneasler, Kingambit, Indeedee, and Hydreigon)
| Pokemon | Ability | Tera Type | Held Item | Moves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arcanine-Hisui | Intimidate | Water | Mirror Herb | Flare Blitz, Rock Slide, Close Combat, Protect |
| Espathra | Speed Boost | Psychic | Life Orb | Expanding Force, Lumina Crash, Dazzling Gleam, Protect |
| Sneasler | Unburden | Dark | Psychic Seed | Close Combat, Dire Claw, Throat Chop, Protect |
| Kingambit | Defiant | Flying | Assault Vest | Kowtow Cleave, Sucker Punch, Low Kick, Tera Blast |
| Indeedee | Psychic Surge | Dragon | Rocky Helmet | Psychic, Follow Me, Helping Hand, Protect |
| Hydreigon | Levitate | Ghost | Safety Goggles | Draco Meteor, Snarl, Taunt, Protect |
Davide’s team is focused on the Psychic-type core of Indeedee and Espathra. Indeedee sets up Psychic Terrain and protects Espathra with Follow Me. Meanwhile, Espathra benefits greatly from the boost provided by Psychic Terrain to spam Expanding Force and its signature Lumina Crash. Also benefitting is Davide’s Sneasler, who uses the Psychic Terrain to activate its Psychic Seed for a Special Defense boost as well as a Speed boost thanks to Unburden.
3) Shohei Kimura’s Team (Dragonite, Gholdengo, Annihilape, Maushold, Bloodmoon Ursaluna, and Rillaboom)
| Pokemon | Ability | Tera Type | Held Item | Moves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dragonite | Multiscale | Fairy | Loaded Dice | Scale Shot, Tailwind, Haze, Protect |
| Gholdengo | Good as Gold | Water | Life Orb | Make It Rain, Shadow Ball, Nasty Plot, Protect |
| Annihilape | Defiant | Fire | Sitrus Berry | Rage Fist, Drain Punch, Bulk Up, Protect |
| Maushold | Friend Guard | Ghost | Focus Sash | Super Fang, Follow Me, Beat Up, Protect |
| Ursaluna-Bloodmoon | Mind’s Eye | Water | Assault Vest | Blood Moon, Earth Power, Hyper Voice, Vacuum Wave |
| Rillaboom | Grassy Surge | Fire | Miracle Seed | Wood Hammer, Grassy Glide, High Horsepower, Fake Out |
Shohei’s team is stacked with offensive powerhouses meant to thrive in the Regulation H meta. This includes Dragonite, Bloodmoon Ursaluna, and Gholdengo. Interestingly, his Dragonite is not a Tera Normal Extreme Speed version but a defensive support with Haze and Tailwind. He also uses a Maushold for redirection support, with its Friend Guard ability giving its ally a defense boost too.
2) Víctor Medina’s Team (Incineroar, Basculegion, Gholdengo, Pelipper, Amoonguss, and Archaludon)
| Pokemon | Ability | Tera Type | Held Item | Moves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Incineroar | Intimidate | Water | Safety Goggles | Flare Blitz, Knock Off, Parting Shot, Fake Out |
| Basculegion | Swift Swim | Water | Choice Band | Wave Crash, Last Respects, Flip Turn, Aqua Jet |
| Gholdengo | Good as Gold | Flying | Life Orb | Make It Rain, Shadow Ball, Nasty Plot, Protect |
| Pelipper | Drizzle | Ghost | Focus Sash | Weather Ball, Hurricane, Tailwind, Protect |
| Amoonguss | Regenerator | Psychic | Sitrus Berry | Pollen Puff, Spore, Rage Powder, Protect |
| Archaludon | Stamina | Fighting | Assault Vest | Flash Cannon, Draco Meteor, Electro Shot, Body Press |
Víctor Medina brings a rain core with Pelipper, Basculegion, and Archaludon. The former sets up the rain with Drizzle. Basculegion gets a speed boost with Swift Swim, and Archaludon can fire off one-turn Electro Shots in rain as well. The rest of his team includes VGC staples like Incineroar and Amoonguss, as well as Regulation H staple Gholdengo.
1) Emanuele Briganti’s Team (Incineroar, Gholdengo, Sneasler, Alolan Ninetales, Bloodmoon Ursaluna, and Rillaboom)
| Pokemon | Ability | Tera Type | Held Item | Moves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Incineroar | Intimidate | Ghost | Safety Goggles | Flare Blitz, Knock Off, Fake Out, Parting Shot |
| Gholdengo | Good as Gold | Water | Life Orb | Make It Rain, Shadow Ball, Nasty Plot, Protect |
| Sneasler | Unburden | Flying | Grassy Seed | Close Combat, Acrobatics, Swords Dance, Protect |
| Ninetales-Alola | Snow Warning | Ghost | Focus Sash | Blizzard, Icy Wind, Disable, Protect |
| Ursaluna-Bloodmoon | Mind’s Eye | Electric | Leftovers | Blood Moon, Earth Power, Yawn, Protect |
| Rillaboom | Grassy Surge | Fire | Assault Vest | Wood Hammer, Grassy Glide, High Horsepower, Fake Out |
Pokemon VGC Frankfurt regional champion Emanuele Briganti uses a team of mostly standard picks, including Incineroar, Gholdengo, Sneasler, Bloodmoon Ursaluna, and Rillaboom. But for his sixth Pokemon, he chose Alolan Ninetales. Its ability sets up the snow, which gives it a defense boost and lets it spam Blizzard freely. However, his most innovative choice was to give his Bloodmoon Ursaluna an Electric Tera type. This removes the bear’s weakness to Water and Grass-types, making it even more threatening.
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