Competitive desk
Regulation M-C Usage Report: What 156 Top-Cut Teams Say About Pokémon Champions VGC
Usage, Mega Stones, sets, cores, and every winning team from 11 Regulation M-C events (September 12 to October 25, 2026), counted from published Pokémon Champions team sheets.
Seven weekends of Regulation Set M-C results are in for Pokémon Champions VGC. This report counts every complete open-division team sheet from the top cuts tracked on the VGC tournament page: 156 teams from 11 events, played between September 12 and October 25, 2026. Sixty of those teams come from official Play! Pokémon events (Regionals, Premier Ball League, and the first Global Challenge) and 96 from Victory Road’s weekly community Challenges.
Usage numbers elsewhere usually come from ranked ladder battles. These come from teams that made a top cut, which makes them a better guide to what is actually winning, at the cost of a smaller sample.
The short version
- Incineroar is on 46.2% of top-cut teams, more than any other Pokémon, and over 90% of them run the same three moves: Fake Out, Flare Blitz, and Parting Shot.
- Mega Evolution is close to mandatory. 145 of 156 teams (92.9%) bring at least one Mega Stone, most of them two, and 10 of the 11 event winners carried one. Mega Charizard Y is the most common Mega (27.6% of teams), ahead of Mega Floette (21.2%) and Mega Raichu Y (19.2%).
- One exact team won three events across two weekends. Raichu, Sneasler, Basculegion, Archaludon, Pelipper, and Golisopod won Nice Regionals, the Thailand Premier Ball League, and Victory Road’s October Challenge #4, and the same six appear on nine top-cut teams in total.
- Tailwind is more common than Trick Room (42.3% of teams against 24.4%), and two-thirds of teams carry Fake Out.
- Official events lean harder on Sneasler and Garchomp (50.0% and 45.0% of official top cuts) than community events do (34.4% and 32.3%).
Which events are counted
Every event below used Regulation Set M-C. Only teams with all six Pokémon published are counted, so events that released partial sheets contribute fewer teams.
| Event | Dates | Players | Teams counted | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VR September Challenge #1 | Sep 12–13 | 392 | 16 | Michael Kelsch |
| VR September Challenge #2 | Sep 19–20 | 253 | 16 | Théotime Massaut |
| 2027 Global Challenge I (online) | Sep 25–28 | online ladder | 7 | Joji Kaieda |
| 2027 Recife Regional Championships | Oct 3–4 | 222 | 16 | Juan Salerno |
| VR October Challenge #1 | Oct 3–4 | 384 | 16 | Michael Kelsch |
| VR October Challenge #2 | Oct 10–11 | 220 | 16 | Kiran Singh |
| 2027 Nice Regional Championships | Oct 17–18 | 862 | 16 | Louis Fontvieille |
| VR October Challenge #3 | Oct 17–18 | 231 | 16 | Nicholas Morales |
| 2027 Puebla Regional Championships | Oct 24–25 | 333 | 5 | Kyle L |
| 2027 Thailand Premier Ball League | Oct 24 | not published | 16 | Panyawut Noijan |
| VR October Challenge #4 | Oct 24–25 | 206 | 16 | Ko Tsukide |
Michael Kelsch is the only player to win twice, taking both the first September Challenge and the first October Challenge with different teams.
Usage: the 30 most common Pokémon
Each Pokémon is counted once per team. “Official” covers the 60 teams from Regionals, the Premier Ball League, and the Global Challenge; “Community” covers the 96 teams from Victory Road Challenges.
| # | Pokémon | Teams | All events | Official | Community |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Incineroar | 72 | 46.2% | 40.0% | 50.0% |
| 2 | Rillaboom | 63 | 40.4% | 35.0% | 43.8% |
| 3 | Sneasler | 63 | 40.4% | 50.0% | 34.4% |
| 4 | Garchomp | 58 | 37.2% | 45.0% | 32.3% |
| 5 | Basculegion | 46 | 29.5% | 26.7% | 31.3% |
| 6 | Charizard | 45 | 28.8% | 31.7% | 27.1% |
| 7 | Kingambit | 43 | 27.6% | 30.0% | 26.0% |
| 8 | Raichu | 43 | 27.6% | 23.3% | 30.2% |
| 9 | Floette | 36 | 23.1% | 18.3% | 26.0% |
| 10 | Archaludon | 33 | 21.2% | 25.0% | 18.8% |
| 11 | Pelipper | 30 | 19.2% | 21.7% | 17.7% |
| 12 | Farigiraf | 27 | 17.3% | 18.3% | 16.7% |
| 13 | Gholdengo | 26 | 16.7% | 13.3% | 18.8% |
| 14 | Sylveon | 24 | 15.4% | 16.7% | 14.6% |
| 15 | Indeedee | 22 | 14.1% | 8.3% | 17.7% |
| 16 | Venusaur | 22 | 14.1% | 15.0% | 13.5% |
| 17 | Golisopod | 21 | 13.5% | 18.3% | 10.4% |
| 18 | Volcarona | 19 | 12.2% | 6.7% | 15.6% |
| 19 | Staraptor | 18 | 11.5% | 10.0% | 12.5% |
| 20 | Whimsicott | 18 | 11.5% | 11.7% | 11.5% |
| 21 | Salamence | 16 | 10.3% | 8.3% | 11.5% |
| 22 | Arcanine | 14 | 9.0% | 8.3% | 9.4% |
| 23 | Gengar | 14 | 9.0% | 10.0% | 8.3% |
| 24 | Grimmsnarl | 14 | 9.0% | 11.7% | 7.3% |
| 25 | Milotic | 12 | 7.7% | 5.0% | 9.4% |
| 26 | Kommo-o | 11 | 7.1% | 6.7% | 7.3% |
| 27 | Dragonite | 9 | 5.8% | 6.7% | 5.2% |
| 28 | Delphox | 8 | 5.1% | 8.3% | 3.1% |
| 29 | Gardevoir | 7 | 4.5% | 5.0% | 4.2% |
| 30 | Primarina | 7 | 4.5% | 6.7% | 3.1% |
Sixty-two different species appear at least once. Restricting the count to the 77 teams that finished in the top eight changes the order at the top: Sneasler leads at 44.2%, followed by Incineroar (40.3%), then Rillaboom and Garchomp (39.0% each).
The biggest gaps between official and community events are worth noticing. Indeedee (8.3% official, 17.7% community) and Volcarona (6.7% against 15.6%) are far more popular in the weekly Challenges, while Sneasler, Garchomp, and Golisopod do better at official events. With 60 official teams, a gap of a few points can be two or three players, so treat the smaller differences as noise.
Mega Stones
Teams are not limited to one Mega Stone, and most bring two: 107 of the 156 teams (68.6%) list two Mega Stones, 37 list one, one lists three, and only 11 list none.
| Mega Evolution | Teams | Share of teams |
|---|---|---|
| Charizard (Charizardite Y) | 43 | 27.6% |
| Floette (Floettite) | 33 | 21.2% |
| Raichu (Raichunite Y) | 30 | 19.2% |
| Garchomp (Garchompite Z) | 19 | 12.2% |
| Golisopod (Golisopite) | 19 | 12.2% |
| Staraptor (Staraptite) | 15 | 9.6% |
| Gengar (Gengarite) | 14 | 9.0% |
| Salamence (Salamencite) | 14 | 9.0% |
| Raichu (Raichunite X) | 9 | 5.8% |
| Dragonite (Dragoninite) | 8 | 5.1% |
| Gardevoir (Gardevoirite) | 7 | 4.5% |
| Froslass (Froslassite) | 6 | 3.8% |
| Aerodactyl (Aerodactylite) | 5 | 3.2% |
| Delphox (Delphoxite) | 5 | 3.2% |
| Garchomp (Garchompite) | 4 | 2.6% |
Two Pokémon split between two Mega Stones, and the sets show the split is not cosmetic. Every Raichunite Y Raichu (30 of 30) runs Zap Cannon, while every Raichunite X Raichu (9 of 9) runs Volt Tackle instead: the two Megas are built as completely different attackers. Garchomp shows the same pattern. All 19 Garchompite Z sets carry Power Gem, and 16 of the 19 use a Modest nature with Draco Meteor or Earth Power, a special build. The 21 Choice Scarf Garchomp all use a physical set of Rock Slide, Earthquake, Dragon Claw, and Stomping Tantrum.
How the top 12 are built
Percentages below are the share of that Pokémon’s sets, not of all teams.
Incineroar (72 sets). Intimidate (94.4%) with Fake Out (94.4%), Flare Blitz (91.7%), and Parting Shot (91.7%). The last slot is usually Throat Chop (34.7%) or Darkest Lariat (26.4%). Sitrus Berry is the main item (58.3%), but Chople Berry is second at 20.8%; it halves one super-effective Fighting hit, a direct answer to the many Sneasler running Close Combat. Bulky natures dominate: Careful 37.5%, Impish 22.2%.
Rillaboom (63 sets). Grassy Surge on 92.1%, Fake Out and Grassy Glide on over 90%, and Miracle Seed on 61.9%. Grassy Glide gains priority in Grassy Terrain, so Rillaboom works as both a Fake Out user and a fast finisher. Wood Hammer (79.4%) is the main nuke; High Horsepower (46.0%) and U-turn (44.4%) compete for the last slot.
Sneasler (63 sets). Unburden on 76.2%, paired with items that are consumed early: White Herb (42.9%), which resets the defense drops from Close Combat, or a terrain seed (Psychic Seed 14.3%, Electric Seed 12.7%). Either way, Unburden doubles Sneasler’s Speed once the item is gone. Close Combat (92.1%), Dire Claw (73.0%), and Protect (73.0%) are close to fixed.
Garchomp (58 sets). Split between Choice Scarf (36.2%), Garchompite Z (32.8%), Life Orb (19.0%), and the original Garchompite (6.9%). Rough Skin is near universal (96.6%). See the Mega section above for how differently the Scarf and Mega Z sets are built.
Basculegion (46 sets). Adaptability (67.4%) over Swift Swim (26.1%). Last Respects and Protect (65.2% each), Wave Crash (60.9%), and Aqua Jet (56.5%). All 12 Swift Swim sets are on teams with a Drizzle Pokémon, while Adaptability sets appear with or without rain.
Charizard (45 sets). Charizardite Y on 95.6%. Mega Charizard Y sets sun with Drought, which powers its Heat Wave and Weather Ball (95.6% each) and lets Solar Beam (40.0%) fire without a charge turn. Its most common partners are Garchomp (34 teams) and Venusaur (21 teams), which gets doubled Speed in sun from Chlorophyll.
Kingambit (43 sets). Defiant (90.7%), Kowtow Cleave and Sucker Punch (90.7% each), Adamant nature (86.0%). Defiant punishes Intimidate, the most common ability in the format, with a +2 Attack boost. Items split between Life Orb (37.2%) and Chople Berry (34.9%).
Raichu (43 sets). Lightning Rod (93.0%), which pulls single-target Electric moves away from partners, plus Fake Out (79.1%) and Protect (72.1%). The Y and X sets are described in the Mega section.
Floette (36 sets). Floettite on 91.7%, Flower Veil, and a special set: Protect (91.7%), Dazzling Gleam (88.9%), Calm Mind (66.7%), Moonblast (66.7%). Light of Ruin appears on 9 sets (25.0%).
Archaludon (33 sets). The most uniform set in the format: Leftovers and Stamina on 93.9%, with Electro Shot, Protect (93.9% each), and Dragon Pulse (87.9%). Electro Shot normally needs a charge turn but fires immediately in rain, which is why Archaludon and Pelipper appear together on 30 teams.
Pelipper (30 sets). Drizzle (93.3%) with Hurricane and Weather Ball (93.3% each). Hurricane never misses in rain. Wide Guard on 76.7% protects partners from spread moves like Rock Slide and Heat Wave, and Tailwind on 43.3% adds speed control.
Farigiraf (27 sets). Armor Tail (88.9%), which blocks opposing priority moves, and Trick Room (85.2%). Farigiraf is the setter on 24 of the 38 teams that carry Trick Room.
The most common pairs
| Pair | Teams | Share of teams |
|---|---|---|
| Incineroar + Rillaboom | 46 | 29.5% |
| Charizard + Garchomp | 34 | 21.8% |
| Garchomp + Incineroar | 33 | 21.2% |
| Archaludon + Pelipper | 30 | 19.2% |
| Raichu + Rillaboom | 29 | 18.6% |
| Basculegion + Sneasler | 28 | 17.9% |
| Kingambit + Sneasler | 26 | 16.7% |
| Gholdengo + Rillaboom | 25 | 16.0% |
| Floette + Incineroar | 24 | 15.4% |
| Floette + Sneasler | 24 | 15.4% |
Incineroar and Rillaboom together are the format’s default opening: two Fake Out users, Intimidate, Grassy Terrain, and Parting Shot or U-turn to reposition. Archaludon and Pelipper are the tightest pair in the data: every Archaludon team but three also has Pelipper.
Weather, speed control, and the shape of a team
Counted per team: a team “has” a tool if any of its six Pokémon carries the move or ability.
| Team-level tool | Teams | Share of teams |
|---|---|---|
| Protect or Detect on at least one Pokémon | 145 | 92.9% |
| Fake Out | 102 | 65.4% |
| Intimidate | 94 | 60.3% |
| Tailwind | 66 | 42.3% |
| Grassy Surge | 58 | 37.2% |
| Sun (Drought or Mega Charizard Y) | 46 | 29.5% |
| Trick Room | 38 | 24.4% |
| Follow Me or Rage Powder | 26 | 16.7% |
| Psychic Surge | 22 | 14.1% |
| Rain (Drizzle) | 31 | 19.9% |
| Sand (Sand Stream) | 7 | 4.5% |
| Snow (Snow Warning) | 4 | 2.6% |
Sun is the more common weather (29.5% of teams against 19.9% for rain), but rain teams won four of the 11 events against sun’s three, and Kiran Singh’s October Challenge #2 team carried both. Eleven teams pair Mega Charizard Y with a Drizzle Pokémon, choosing their weather at team preview.
Every winning team
| Event | Winner | Team |
|---|---|---|
| VR September Challenge #1 | Michael Kelsch | Staraptor, Raichu, Gholdengo, Rillaboom, Arcanine, Sylveon |
| VR September Challenge #2 | Théotime Massaut | Floette, Incineroar, Gholdengo, Sneasler, Rillaboom, Dragonite |
| 2027 Global Challenge I | Joji Kaieda | Salamence, Basculegion, Sneasler, Kingambit, Rillaboom, Floette |
| 2027 Recife Regionals | Juan Salerno | Sylveon, Toxapex, Garchomp, Venusaur, Charizard, Incineroar |
| VR October Challenge #1 | Michael Kelsch | Raichu, Garchomp, Incineroar, Rillaboom, Basculegion, Volcarona |
| VR October Challenge #2 | Kiran Singh | Charizard, Pelipper, Archaludon, Venusaur, Grimmsnarl, Garchomp |
| 2027 Nice Regionals | Louis Fontvieille | Raichu, Golisopod, Archaludon, Pelipper, Basculegion, Sneasler |
| VR October Challenge #3 | Nicholas Morales | Volcarona, Incineroar, Raichu, Floette, Rillaboom, Basculegion |
| 2027 Puebla Regionals | Kyle L | Sneasler, Whimsicott, Charizard, Kingambit, Garchomp, Froslass |
| 2027 Thailand Premier Ball League | Panyawut Noijan | Golisopod, Basculegion, Raichu, Pelipper, Sneasler, Archaludon |
| VR October Challenge #4 | Ko Tsukide | Raichu, Sneasler, Basculegion, Archaludon, Pelipper, Golisopod |
The team that won three times
The same six Pokémon (Raichu, Sneasler, Basculegion, Archaludon, Pelipper, and Golisopod) won Nice Regionals (October 17–18), then both the Thailand Premier Ball League and Victory Road’s October Challenge #4 the following weekend. Nine top-cut teams in the data use exactly this six, five of them in the 16-player Thailand top cut alone. The sets are not identical across players, but the structure is: Pelipper’s rain powers Archaludon’s instant Electro Shot and Basculegion’s Swift Swim, Raichu redirects Electric attacks aimed at Pelipper with Lightning Rod, and Sneasler and Golisopod hit the Pokémon that rain does not handle.
Whether this team stays on top depends on how quickly the field adapts. The obvious answers are strong Grass-type attacks, an Electric immunity of your own to blank Archaludon’s Electro Shot, and a weather setter such as Mega Charizard Y to take the rain away. Rillaboom, already the second most-used Pokémon in the format, covers the first.
If you are building for Regulation M-C
- Plan for Fake Out and Intimidate on every opponent. Two-thirds of teams bring Fake Out and 60% bring Intimidate, so Pokémon with Inner Focus, Defiant, or Competitive get value in nearly every game.
- Have a rain answer. One team in five runs Drizzle, and those teams have won more often than their share. Check your team’s Water and Electric matchups in Team Analysis.
- Read the Mega Stones at team preview. 93% of teams carry at least one and 69% carry two, and the Mega is usually the Pokémon the opponent plans their game around.
- Do not ignore Trick Room. It is on a quarter of teams, mostly through Farigiraf, whose Armor Tail also shuts down your Fake Out and Sucker Punch.
To turn a set from this report into a team, the Showdown Builder exports importable sets, and the damage calculator tutorial covers checking the key matchups. New to the format? Start with How VGC Actually Works and the 2026 regulation guide.
How this report was made
All numbers come from the tournament data behind the VGC page, which collects top-cut standings and team lists from PokéData and Victory Road event reports. The counting rules:
- Only Regulation Set M-C events are included.
- Only open divisions are counted (Masters, or “all competitors” for community events). Seniors and Juniors play the same format but publish far fewer sheets, and including them would let a handful of teams move the percentages.
- A team is counted only if all six Pokémon are published. Puebla (5 of 16) and the Global Challenge (7 of 16) released partial sheets, so they are underweighted.
- Each species counts once per team, so Basculegion’s male and female forms are counted together, as are the forms of Indeedee and Floette.
- Players at the Thailand Premier Ball League were not published by division, and the event is counted with the open divisions.
- Four large Regionals from the same weeks (Baltimore, Brisbane, Frankfurt, and Louisville) are on the VGC page but not in this report, because the source data does not record which regulation set they used.
Data current to October 26, 2026. The report can be regenerated as new events are added, and it will be updated as Regulation M-C continues.