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Published on April 16th, 2015 | by Wyrms Eye

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VGC 2015 European Spring Regionals Preview

As we hurdle along the road to worlds at breakneck speed with time relentlessly ticking away, our attention once again is drawn towards the next batch of European Regionals for this season. Will we continue to see the dominant usage of a few key Pokémon, or will others begin to take up the mantle? Who can we expect to see do well? Who will lead the Championship Point standings following the tournaments? Hopefully I’ll be able to divulge some insight into these questions below.

Prizes

As before, there are a lot of championship points on the line for these regional events. These points are critical for securing the coveted invite to the Pokémon World Championships in Boston later this year. Please note that supplementary prizes may be awarded for individual tournaments, and are subject to further confirmation.

• 1^st Place – 120 Championship Points
• 2^nd Place – 100 Championship Points
• 3^rd & 4^th Place – 80 Championship Points
• 5^th-8^th Place – 60 Championship Points
• 9^th-16^th Place – 40 Championship Points
• 17^th-32^nd Place – 30 Championship Points (Kicker: 64 Participants)
• 33^rd-64^th Place – 20 Championship Points (Kicker: 128 Participants)
• 65^th-128^th Place – 10 Championship Points (Kicker: 256 Participants)

The Metagame

We are now just over three months into the 2015 format, and with it the murky waters from earlier in the season are now beginning to dissipate as players get to grips with the changes in the format. However, this is still a period where the majority of individuals will be looking to refine their teams, building on ideas already in the public domain or creating the next big thing. The winter regional in Arnhem, as well as the five in the North American circuit in February underlined some interesting trends and concepts that I will be highlighting a little further down. But these tournaments primarily showcased how players’ familiarity with their own playstyles led to top results. Many established players are enjoying great success with the same Pokemon and teams that have served them well in the past. Going into these events, we can most likely expect players to begin wandering further away from the comfort zone. With more time to practice, we should begin to see more innovative strategies and more exotic Pokémon choices.

On a more general level, outside of some of the more influential individual Pokémon that I want to highlight, I do want to draw attention to a couple of teambuilding points that are worth noting. I think the first of these is how prevalent Steel types are becoming in this format. Despite a reputation as one of the best defensive types, Steel has suffered from a lack STAB utilization on Steel-type Pokemon. The initial introduction of the Steel-weak Fairy type didn’t do much to boost Steel’s usage, due to the lack of viable fairy Pokemon. This year is different for multiple reasons, and this combination of factors has led to the Steel type being a must-have on essentially every team. The expansion to the National Pokedex meant a wider pool of Fairies in the format, and many of these have seen usage. Many of the Fairies already available have been given a boost from move tutors. As a result, types that are able to defensively cope with the barrage of Fairy-type attacks have been in hot demand, with Steel being the obvious go-to.

This is the reason Fire-types are finding widespread popularity, because they resist both Fairy and Steel-type attacks. It is strange to consider that your Fire types might need to fulfill a defensive role on the team, something many players are not used to. This explains the prevalence of Heatran and Arcanine. Wide Guard also gives Fire types an advantage by allowing teams to neutralize the threat of spread damage from Rock Slide, Earthquake, and Surf, moves that are often spell trouble for Fire types. Pokemon like Aegislash and Swampert provide more options for Wide Guard support to suit a variety of teams and playstyles.

Speed control is essential in this format, usually taking the form of Tailwind or Thunder Wave. Setting up Tailwind is often Talonflame’s role, but there were some interesting users that cropped up in Arnhem regionals, including Hydreigon and Mega Charizard-Y. Being able to double your team’s speed for effectively three turns allows you to fire off attacks with slower, bulkier attackers that may otherwise be threatened by faster opponents. While Thunder Wave only affects one opposing Pokemon rather than the whole field, it doesn’t expire and provides the bonus of preventing your opponents from moving at all. Common users include Thundurus, Zapdos, and Cresselia. Icy Wind and the various derivations are another option, allowing you to deal damage while also slowing the opposing Pokemon. This for the most part is incredibly useful, as it will often bring a fast, frail attacker down into a more favorable speed bracket while also setting up a KO. However, it can carry an element of risk with Bisharp and Milotic still being fairly commonplace in the metagame.

It must be said that it is of no real surprise that Mega Kangaskhan returned with a vengeance to its place as the most popular mega at this early stage of the season. Its ability to run bulky or aggressive builds and fit onto essentially any type of team, its place in a respectable speed tier, and its access to arguably the most broken ability in the game, has been aided with move tutors offering it the ability to diversify its conventional moveset that became a staple of last year. I feel Kangaskhan was obviously a safe, reliable pick for many players early in the season. That was despite the introduction of more Pokemon able to directly threaten it. Terrakion, Landorus-T, and, to a lesser extent, Heatran, all are able to stop Kangaskhan from dominating the field. The big question is how its usage will hold up as we progress further into the season. I would still expect it to give a solid performance in both events this week, so it will be intriguing to see how players build their teams to counter it.

The other interesting feature to come out of the regional data is how much the metagame has shifted to a ‘big six’ of mega evolution options that saw general widespread use. It is fairly safe to say that those seen above, along with Mega Kangaskhan, all have inherent strengths and weaknesses which can be utilized and exploited in a variety of situations, but it’s up to each and every team to compliment them as best as possible. It is good to see that some of the new crop of mega evolutions introduced in Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire have proven to be viable. Both Mega Salamence and Mega Metagross were touted to be among the best of the bunch and so far this has proven  to be true. The remaining three are old staples from last year that are still holding strong where most of the other plausible alternatives have fallen by the wayside. Mega Charizard-Y continues to maintain a steady usage track record, providing huge damage output. On the flip-side Mega Mawile has fallen from its spot as arguably the best mega in the game at the end of last year. The change in format has been quite hostile to it, with more hard counters being reintroduced into the format. Individual Pokemon such as Heatran flat out wall it. Mega Venusaur is a slightly more obscure Pokemon choice. Some of its popularity may be due to a certain YouTuber, but on the whole, it plays very differently than the other megas, taking on a much more defensive role in teams rather than an offensive role.

The tiger is definitely on the prowl once again in 2015, and it was no real surprise to anybody that Landorus-T was the second most-used Pokemon across all of the top cut teams in the six regionals that took place. I feel that a lot of its popular usage is down to its Intimidate ability being very useful against the many physical threats currently around. While the data has suggested that regionals focused more on the specially-inclined attackers, Landorus is still a Pokemon that can have a huge influence in a variety of situations.

While its usage is on the increase in a general sense, Blaziken is a remarkably good anti-metagame call, and I expect to see more of them appearing in the UK and Italy. It offers remarkably good coverage and it can tackle a vast majority of threats that are currently popular in the metagame. Not only does it have the capability to knock-out Mega Kangaskhan in one hit, but it also destroys all the Steel types in common use. It gets access to Speed Boost, an ability that can easily snowball a game if given the opportunity, and it can be run as a mega or not. Blaziken usually utilizes its massive Attack stat by running a purely physical moveset, but special and mixed variants are becoming more commonplace. I see Blaziken posing a unique threat to a majority of teams if they are not prepared for it.

Spring Regional Predictions

This weekend we have two European Regionals taking place, one held in the United Kingdom, the other in Italy. Both have strong lineups, so it is definitely going to be an exciting weekend when the dust settles and the results are known. And, being so close to the Nationals, it will provide a very clear picture of what we can expect. The standings that are given within both previews were correct as of the 9th April; subsequent Premier Challenges may have since been uploaded. I will note however that there is a heavy bias in players mentioned from the UK and Italy for their respective National event. While I endeavour to cover as broad of a spectrum of countries and players as possible, and given the wide number of messages I have sent out, most of those I could confirm attending came from the host country.

As ever, a disclaimer about these kinds of articles: Regionals are, without question, the most accessible events to players of all abilities. Very often, Regionals are typically the first level where players establish themselves. There will almost certainly be individuals who make the Top Cut in these events who have never before achieved such success. This is not a bad thing; it merely showcases the growing player base.

United Kingdom Regional

Difficulty Rating

/ 5

(Three Large Chickens that like to troll) / 5

Location: Sutton Coldfield Town Hall, Upper Clifton Road, Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham, B73 2AB

Registration Time: 9:00 – 10:00

The Scoop

After the rumour mill got set into overdrive post-Arnhem regarding the possibility of further Regionals this season, we were greeted to the news that the UK would be getting its chance to host a Regional event for the Video Game. It’s particularly noteworthy as both Suzie Masters and Ian Fotherington who will be hosting the event have very much been the staple organisers for most of the Premier Challenge events this season for the UK, and their dedication is definitely unquestionable. Having been to two events held in Crawley, very few I have spoken to could argue about the top quality organisation they bring, so I certainly expect that the Regional will be no different. It also goes to show, along with the Italian Regional that TPCi are moving towards more substantial events in more regions.

At the time of writing, the event is close to its maximum capacity that the venue can reasonably hold. As a result, we are pretty much guaranteed to have over 128 Masters competing, meaning that the top 64 will earn championship points. The interest in this particular event has been notable, which is very promising for future regional and national events in the UK! Half of the players who top cut in Arnhem will be in attendance at this event looking to repeat the feat here. There will be many big names present, so the standard of play is expected to be fairly good as reflected in the difficulty rating.

As we near the National leg of the European season, the CP table is starting to take shape and with the Premier Challenges continuing to offer many players the points they crave, we are starting to get an idea of the names to look out for in this season. Once more, the championship points earned here could be significant in deciding who qualifies directly into the Day 2 portion of the Worlds event, and will almost certainly play a huge factor in some securing a spot to attend World Championships at all.

The Main Players

Arnhem certainly has a big hand in the composition of the individuals currently leading the CP standings in Europe. Everybody’s favourite Canadian-living-in-Ireland Kelly Mercier-White (KellsterCartier), the runner-up in Arnhem, leads the pack with 266 CP. UK’s Barry Anderson (Baz Anderson), who defeated Kelly in the finals to claim the title of Netherlands Regional Champion is in second place on the rankings with 252 CP, but crucially still has yet to hit the Premier Challenge best finish limit. Germany will be represented by community favourite Baris Ackos (Billa). Sixth place in Arnhem helped Baris secure third place with 252 CP. I can personally attest to his skill after facing him in swiss. Given his unerring consistency, Billa is a solid pick for top cut here. Christopher Arthur (Koryo) is our final returning top-cut player from Arnhem, placing third at the event. Christopher is definitely an accomplished player in his own right and will certainly be a player to watch. Moving on to players outside of those who top cut in Arnhem, UK’s Lee Provost (Osirus) is currently 55^th in the rankings with 130 CP. Lee has been taking full advantage of the Premier Challenges to put him just within the Worlds invite spot, but this tournament will likely be the first serious test for him this year.

There are, rather unsurprisingly, a large faction of UK players who are worth mentioning. The Miller brothers, Jamie and Justin (Blaze King7 & ThrillerMiller9) have been taking advantage of the Premier Challenge CP giveaway, and are in the hunt for Top 60 in the rankings. Justin is the closest at 64^th place. Jamie made a Worlds appearance in 2014, so is definitely a capable battler and should be within the upper echelons of the standings. Justin is certainly capable of making it to Worlds based on what I’ve seen of him at local Premier Challenges as well as previous exploits at Nationals. However, strong results here will be needed to keep pace with those ahead of them in the rankings. Ben Kyriakou (Kyriakou) is definitely one individual looking to get his season back on track. After scoring his first batch of CP this season at Crawley in March, he has a great deal of catching-up to do on the CP front. A Regional run is certainly on the cards for this double UK National champion and three-time Worlds attendee, but has to be an outside bet at this point. He will be joined by Steve Edgson (SirSmoke), whose season has been patchy at best, but still seems to be getting by in the CP stakes with 106 points, leaving him in 73^rd place. Any Worlds-level competitor is capable of producing momentum that carries them to a surprise winning streak, but given the present form, Steve is an outside bet. Speaking of worlds competitors, one that I am personally looking forward to meeting is Daniel Nolan (Zog). A 2011 top-cut and 2013 world championship competitor, Daniel will once again grace the presence of all in attendance with his unique brand of humour and wit. Heavens knows what we should expect to see, but if his numerous tournament reports are any indication, Sutton Coldfield will never be the same again!

Yan Sym (Sogeking) and William Tansley (StarKO) are two dark horses from the UK, with Yan sitting in 13^th, and Will in 25^th. Both scored important championship points from Arnhem back in February with Top 32 results, and while both have shown tremendous form and consistency in Premier Challenges, their efforts on the bigger stages is still a niggling doubt. The Birch brothers, Jake and Joe (WhiteAfroKing92 & Professor Birch), are also going to be in attendance. They both sit just inside the top 200 on the rankings list, so some work from both is required to climb further. Phillip de Sousa (P3DS) previously top cut UK Nationals in 2014 and placed top 8 in the StreetPass finals, so his is a name worth looking out for, but this will be his first tournament outing of 2015. Richard Fairbrother (NidoRich) is also one to note. Winning Manchester #5, one of the long running grassroots events in the UK, is the obvious highlight for him, but Richard has also achieved top-cut results at UK Nationals in 2012 and 2014. Finally, Samuel East (Samuel996) is the last major name I want to mention. As the runner-up of the Nugget Bridge Circuit for season 3, there is no doubt of the skill and determination of this individual. I am personally unsure if Samuel has been playing much at all this year, but I see no reason why he can’t secure a decent result if he has done his homework on the format. Even with the players covered above, there are still at least a dozen or so individuals who have the capability to do well who have not been mentioned.

The Crystal Ball Predicts…: I’m going to go with Christopher Arthur (Koryo) on this occasion. Given that the event will be a single day, players will need a great deal of physical and mental stamina to get through to the end, and I believe Koryo has that in spades.

Fancy a Flutter: My outside pick for this event goes to Richard Fairbrother. I think a lot of people understate Richard’s capabilities, perhaps due to his lack of a Words showing. However, having been one agonizing match away from achieving this feat in 2012, Richard can certainly match those who compete at the highest level.

Italy Regional

Difficulty Rating

/ 5

(Three Pokemon trying desperately to imitate the Italian flag) / 5

Location: DARK SIDE – Via di Santa Maria Ausiliatrice 82 (Angolo via Coriolano) – 00181 Roma

Registration Time: 10:00 – 10:30

The Scoop

I think this Regional came as quite a surprise to many players, especially given the proximity of the date of the event to its announcement, and the fact that it is scheduled for the same weekend as the UK Regional. That said however, it is nonetheless an important step toward increasing the range of events for us. Italy certainly has a great history in the official format, with the 2013 World Champion Arash Ommati helping to carry the flag of this very passionate nation. It was fitting that Italy should have its own Regional.

One thing to note about this Regional is the attendance cap which is set at 120 entrants. This is a low number, but given it roughly matches the total number seen at Arnhem, I’m expecting it will likely see a similar breakdown of numbers in the respective divisions. While this event only has one player from Arnhem’s top cut event in attendance, it is still worthwhile noting that a number of prominent players will be in the field, many already looking to solidify their position in the invite spots.

The Main Players

I think it is only fitting to begin this article by discussing Arash Ommati (Mean). While Arnhem was possibly a little disappointing for Arash, where he placed 15^th in swiss, the rankings are a much better reflection of his capabilities. At 4^th place in the standings with 240 CP, Arash goes into this event as one of the challengers for the CP lead in Europe. I would personally expect Arash to top cut here. His season to date has been very strong and he has attended a large number of Premier Challenges in order to maximize his CP earnings, such is his dedication to reaching Boston. While Arash claimed the title, let us not discount the fact that Matteo Gini (Matty) was the forerunner for Italians’ hopes at the World Championships. As the runner-up to Ray Rizzo in 2011, Matteo is certainly regarded as one of Europe’s strongest players, and this season is set to add to his list of two world invites and numerous other achievements. Currently sitting 8^th in the rankings with 192 CP, Matteo could easily jump to the top of the standings after this tournament. Similar to Arash, I expect him to top cut this event with relative ease. If we’re going to let one Gini out of the bottle, then it is impossible to stop the second, as brother Alberto (BraindeadPrimeape) is also in attendance. Alberto made his debut at the World Championships last year off the back of a solid season, and is  in good shape to return once again. Currently sitting in 17^th place, any solid number of points should give him some upward movement in the rankings as the point differences between players is still small and a handful of those immediately above him are not attending either event. The German contingent of players is very likely to be led by Florian Wurdack (DaFlo). With respect to Florian, he felt he would likely be making the journey but was not completely sure, but stands a solid shot of doing well if he does. His 6^th place in the CP rankings with 208 CP gives him a solid platform to work from and I think if he does go, he will have the bit between his teeth. Austrian Noah Fuchs (Daydreaming Ninja) burst onto the scene with a 7^th place finish at Arnhem, and currently sits 16^th in the CP standings, right on the cusp of the day-2 and travel award cut-off. Noah may not feel significant pressure to avoid dropping outside the invitation cutoff, but will definitely require a strong result in Rome to fend off those in close proximity in the rankings. The key here will be if he can replicate his strong runs seen in Arnhem as well has his Salzburg Arena Challenge top cut.

The depth of the Italian player base is quite frankly astonishing and it’s apparent as you glance through the CP standings. Players I’m expecting to make an impact include Luigi Lo Giudice (LPROX) and Lorenzo Galassi (Greyfox). Both players have represented Italy at the World Championships in previous years, so they definitely have a solid shot of securing top cut positions. Luigi Orsi (ZPhoenix) is very much in the thick of the invite scrum in a credible 21^st position with 170 CP. One of the unfortunate individuals to miss out on CP in Arnhem by a few places, Luigi will be keen to redeem himself by performing well at his home event. Some points here will be needed to fend off those in the chasing pack. Not so far behind Luigi in 24^th position is Simone Sanvito (Sanvy). One of the more outsider picks for this preview, Simone has had a strong season in the various Premier Challenges, racking up three victories and a further two top cuts for 160 CP. While the local scene differs greatly to a broadly European event, it is still worth noting that his level of consistency shows respectable skill. Aniello Iuliano (Senior14) is currently 33^rd in Europe, and is a player who has made the oftentimes difficult transition to the Masters division this season. Having made the world championships as a senior last year, Aniello seems to have made the transition surprisingly smoothly, despite feeling pessimistic about his chances earlier this season. Three Premier Challenge victories and a top 4 later, you’d have to agree that his chances are fairly decent.

Just as the Pokemon Genies come in a trio, the Ginis also come in threes (cue audible groan from the readers) with Nicola Gini (NicoAkiwa) in attendance with his brothers. Nicola has been doing well in the circuit so far, and sits at a respectable 44^th in the CP standings. There is a very real prospect that all three brothers could top cut this event and looking further ahead, I would not be surprised to see all three of them at worlds, which would be a staggering achievement. Continuing down the CP list, Pietro Chiri (kirro) top cut Italy Nationals in 2014, but unlike those listed above, lies agonizingly on the wrong side of the world invite line at 61^st position. Again, his position is tenuous, and a lack of vital CP will drop him further back in the standings. The final Italian player I wish to mention, Matteo Donati (Poops), is very much a speculative pick, but was supported by a number of his peers when I was trying to conjure up information for this event. The season so far has not yielded much in terms of points, with only a single top 4 finish at a Premier Challenge to his name. That said, I think Matteo is a player who has shown he is more than capable of high level play. At 79 Nugget Points on the Nugget Bridge Circuit, he lies amazingly close to securing an invitational spot, showing the dedication he has made to the game this year. One young German who may be attending, another graduated senior from last year, is Adrian Schwengebecher (xChessx). Once again, most of his previous exploits are from his Senior years. A top 8 in Bochum as well as a top 4 in Manchester last year were more than sufficient to get him to Washington D.C. with a Top 16 finish. This year, Adrian lies 89^th in the CP standings, and seems to be coping with the demands of the Masters division very admirably. His attendance is still in limbo, but he looks likely to be among the field of players.

I am going to preface my final picks with the following: you four are all fruitcakes and insane for what you are attempting! Four players attending the UK event are planning to make the journey over to Italy in the short 12 hour window between the likely end of play in Sutton Coldfield to the start of registration for the Italian event. These players are Ben Kyriakou, William Tansley, Yan Sym and Steve Edgson. Assuming the flight is not delayed, passport control is gotten through with minimal fuss, and they can find an extremely fast taxi, they should make it to the venue before the registration ends. Mind you, they might be dead on their feet, so I don’t know how much stock I’m prepared to put in them doing well here, because they will not be running on much sleep at all! All things considered, they may prove to surprise a lot of people; they are certainly capable of doing so.

The Crystal Ball predicts…: I don’t think it is too far of a stretch to go with Matteo Gini (Matty) on this occasion. Matteo is certainly a stalwart of the VGC events in Europe, and I would be surprised personally if he does not make the top cut. Once there, I feel that his experience and mental strength in such situations will be more than sufficient to prevail against any of the other players.

Fancy a Flutter: Okay, I’ll admit it. I’m going all-aboard the Gini train. I’m a sucker for a good story, and I would dearly like to see Nicola Gini reach the top cut with both of his brothers at the same time. It’s hard to argue against a family trio that has helped to shoulder the burden of Italian VGC for years.

As for me…

As you can probably expect, I am going to be attending the UK Regional in Sutton Coldfield. I hope I will be able to catch up with my fair share of familiar faces and meet new people as well. My aim is to be recognizable by everybody at the event. That may boil down to wearing a loud shirt going dreadfully overdressed for the occasion. We’ll see what happens on that front. As ever, I must thank everybody who was kind enough to help with providing the information that went into this preview. Some of you provided a great deal of information and assistance particularly on the Italian event, and it really is much appreciated. If you want to get involved with the discussion, highlight individuals who you feel are worth drawing attention to that I might have missed, or give your own predictions on who you feel will be victorious, feel free to leave a reply. I look forward to reading your thoughts.

About the Author

Wyrms Eye aka Nigel Gower started playing the VGC format in late 2013 following the release of Pokemon X and Y. Since then, his unusual style has seen him become a solid player within the community, culminating in an impressive NPA Season 3 run with the Mistralton Jets.

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