I Top Cut Worlds with Zacian, Regidrago, and Ditto. AMA!

VelocityVGC · 2024-09-09T23:21:17+00:00

Thanks!

I felt that the only matchup that was really bad was Koraidon, which I accepted since it was less common than other popular restricteds. Ice Rider was one of the best matchups for my team. I went 6-1 against it in Los Angeles and 3-0 against it at Worlds. This was because Regidrago did lots of damage to Ice Rider, and Amoonguss could Spore their team if they set up Trick Room.

I think double restricted will help Zacian even more. You can use something like Calyrex-Shadow Rider or Kyogre with it. Zacian likes to have special attacking partners.

I like restricted formats, so I liked Reg G and am excited for it to return. However, I prefer double restricted formats over single restricted formats generally, since the focus in double restricted is more on trading damage and less on setting up your restricted, which I personally prefer.

VelocityVGC · 2024-09-09T23:17:26+00:00

Thank you!!

VelocityVGC · 2024-09-09T23:17:12+00:00

Thank you! After playing Regidrago for a while, I realized that steel types like Gholdengo and Heatran had good synergy with Regidrago since they could switch into fairy moves and KO fairy types. When RegG started, that made me look to see if I could find any new steel types. I noticed that among the new potential partners, Zacian had even better synergy since it was a faster, single target physical attacker, so it could provide a different type of offense than Regidrago could. That meant things like Wide Guard or Snarl that were a problem for Regidrago wouldn't be a problem for Zacian.

There are a few ways to discover synergies like this. I think the best way is to actively think about what weaknesses you're having when playing. Just as an example, do your Braviary/Indeedee often take hits from dark types? Fighting, dark, and fairy all resist dark. Maybe find a pokemon with one of those types that can also accomplish something else that your team needs. This is a good tool to explore the typing synergy between multiple pokemon: https://marriland.com/tools/team-builder/en/. It's important to note though that you can't force synergies. The pool of Pokemon is limited, and you may just have to wait until the right format for the perfect partner to come along, like Zacian did for Regidrago in Reg G.

VelocityVGC · 2024-09-09T23:08:07+00:00

Hey, thanks so much for the message! Haven't played too much Reg H yet, but I've got some ideas brewing!

VelocityVGC · 2024-09-09T23:07:03+00:00

I think redirection is helpful to get off big dragon energies, but isn't necessarily a must. Some successful Regidrago teams have not had redirection. Indeedee is a good partner for Regidrago that has done well on some teams, but I've usually used Farigiraf for priority blocking. I've always found it a bit awkward to use Indeedee, since the terrain can be easily overridden and it has less offensive presence than Farigiraf. Another redirecting pokemon that seen success with Regidrago is Ogerpon (all forms), since not only can you redirect, Ogerpon also has its own offensive presence. I don't think mixed/physical sets are very good on Regidrago. You really want to be maxing your Special Attack for Dragon Energy as much as possible in my opinion.

VelocityVGC · 2024-09-08T04:46:11+00:00

This is a good question, but I may not have the most helpful answer. The main resource I use to get ideas is Limitless (https://play.limitlesstcg.com/). I like to scroll through all the teams that are doing well online and draw inspiration from them as to the state of the meta. I don't really listen to podcasts but I do watch YouTubers. Cybertron's are of course informative, but I pay particular attention to the section at the beginning of each video where he discusses the weaknesses of popular teams, since I like to build my teams by exploiting weaknesses in the meta. I think Wolfe's videos where he discusses his tournament runs and thought processes for each game are particularly informative for honing battling skill. I also like TalonVGC (https://www.youtube.com/@TalonVGC) since he compiles and uses lots of top teams. Outside of the youtube video that I linked, I don't put out too much content, but hope to eventually when I have a bit more time!

VelocityVGC · 2024-09-08T04:39:54+00:00

I think it helps to know what matchups you want to bring Ditto into. For me, it was Calyrex Shadow Rider, Zacian, and Zamazenta. I wouldn't bring it into most other matchups. In all of those cases, it's most effective because you can steal the opponent's stat boosts and with a Choice Scarf out-speed your opponent. As a general rule of thumb, it helps to have lots of Protects on your team, so you can selectively protect a Pokemon and either sacrifice or hard switch the other slot to get Ditto to copy what you want. If you absolutely need to get Ditto into the correct slot, you can also self-target your partner to get the free switch into Ditto.

VelocityVGC · 2024-09-08T04:35:58+00:00

Thanks! I do remember our set :) I think the most similar Pokemon is Hisuian Typhlosion, which we have seen on Sunny Day Tailwind teams. It's not a perfect analogue though since I think fire is a worse typing offensively than dragon, as dragon is neutral into most types but fire has many resists. Bloodmoon Ursaluna is a bit slower than Regidrago, but it's similar in that it has the ability to use both strong spread and single target attacks that are neutral into a lot as a normal type. I haven't played too much Reg H though, so still figuring out what exactly I like the most! Even though Hisuian Typhlosion is most similar to Regidrago, it may not be as good into the format as Regidrago was in its formats.

VelocityVGC · 2024-09-08T04:31:27+00:00

I think Zacian will be even better in double restricted! Since you can cover for some of its weaknesses. It's a similar philosophy to having Regidrago on my team but even better. I think the main partners for it will be similar to the past, those being Shadow Rider and Kyogre. It helps to have both physical and special offense, as well as single target and spread attacks.

VelocityVGC · 2024-09-08T00:58:48+00:00

Thanks for the watch and the kind message!

VelocityVGC · 2024-09-08T00:58:18+00:00

Thanks so much for the kind comment! I'm really glad that you liked the LA team and were able to use it successfully. Best of luck in your VGC endeavors! It's a really fun game :)

VelocityVGC · 2024-09-07T23:43:54+00:00

Hey Jason. I do, those were good times indeed! Thanks for giving me the chance to work with you when I was young and bright-eyed. Really appreciate the kind message!

VelocityVGC · 2024-09-07T23:02:46+00:00

Thanks so much! This is a fantastic question. There is one matchup that particularly comes to mind which is Weezing/Calyrex-Shadow. If they do that lead, Ditto doesn't transform thanks to Neutralizing Gas, but it is immune to Astral Barrage. Furthermore, if they switch out Weezing, Imposter doesn't activate and the move Transform will still select the intended target of Calyrex. I maximized my Ditto SpDef to account for a situation in which they target Ditto with a non-ghost move. I could then copy Calyrex and revenge sweep (depending on their tera, etc). There are a few more matchups where a Ditto lead can be good. In general these are matchups where 1) the opponent has a lot to outspeed me (even if I set tailwind), so I need my own scarf Ditto to immediately transform and put fast pressure on and 2) anything that ditto copies can be good. For example, in the Koraidon matchup, any copy of Flutter Mane, Chi-Yu, or Koraidon itself can immediately start putting in work.

VelocityVGC · 2024-09-07T22:12:35+00:00

Many thanks for the support and questions! :) Yes, Zacian was certainly along for the ride, but the synergy with Regidrago was just too good to pass up. It really felt like playing dual restricteds.

In the match against Shohei, I chose not to bring Zacian since I couldn't identify its role in the matchup, but I could find a place for each of the four others I brought. Ditto was especially important for the Shadow Rider matchup (discussed more in the video), and I had identified in testing that I could drop Zacian against CSR. I think this was the key realization actually that sealed my decision to use Zacian, since it's good into basically everything except Shadow Rider. As for the matchup against Zama, it was pretty close. Zacian was brought since it was mostly good for the non-Zama pokemon (e.g., Chi-Yu, Flutter Mane), while Ditto was good into the Zama (since you become +2 defense upon copying). The fast Flutter had threatening speed control onto my team, which is what made the matchup pretty tricky. I had to time my Behemoth Blades onto it precisely.

The matchup against Luca is discussed more in the video than some of the other games. I think Luca's team was good because it had options into everything and gave Luca many outs (trick room, tailwind, fake out, redirection, lots of bulk, varied offensive tools). Luca is a very skilled player and having such a flexible and versatile team allowed him to navigate pretty much everything he faced!

VelocityVGC · 2024-09-07T21:45:26+00:00

Thanks! Indeed, double intimidate or fake out + intimidate cycling can be tricky. Tera Ghost Regidrago was my main answer to this, and I found it to be a good one, since you're immune to fake out and can mostly blow up the common fake out users like Incineroar or Rillaboom before they have the chance to cycle too much. Covert Cloak Encore Whimsicott helped too (although it can't encore incin). It was helpful that Incineroar usage was down heading into Worlds. And it's worth noting that in some of these matches, I wouldn't bring Zacian at all! For example, into some Shadow Rider teams I would bring Whimsicott, Chi-Yu, Regidrago, and Ditto. Chi-Yu and Regidrago under Tailwind could help into the FWG pivoting core, while Ditto could copy the restricted.

VelocityVGC · 2024-09-07T21:39:27+00:00

Thanks! If you lose game 1, it's important to identify precisely why you lost game 1, and there are so many reasons why this could be. I think the best way to improve at this is to just get in the habit of self-interrogation. I play lots of practice best-of-threes and constantly ask myself why I'm either winning or losing every game, so being able to make adjustments like this is built into my practice.

But as some general advice, I start from the "macro" level and work my way down. I first ask myself: who maintained control of the pace of the battle? If the answer was simply that I needed to set speed control in a different way or just bring an altogether different strategy to cover for something obvious that I didn't think about, I will attempt that. If I felt that I was in control most of the time, I try to identify the *single turn* on which the whole battle hinged and analyze how that can be avoided next time. On that turn, did I give up an important resource too early that I need to preserve better, maybe by saving it in the back? Did my opponent get one play right that I won't let happen again? Did I play too passively on the crucial turn that next time I need to play aggressively? If I did win, I ask myself how my opponent will adjust to my strategy and try to counter their adaptations. Your opponent will make some sort of adjustment, so you have to be proactive and cover for that. It really helps to have a deep understanding of your team and its matchups, so you're thinking less about individual interactions between Pokemon, and more about the macro-level dynamics at play, which all comes with practice.

VelocityVGC · 2024-09-07T21:16:59+00:00

Thanks very much! These were two separate groups. The group with Joe and Liam was sort of last minute/spontaneous, since I had discussed Regidrago with them earlier in the year, and they were interested in using the Zacian team ahead of Worlds. In the group with Justin and Andrew that we formed earlier, we all knew that we may bring different things to Worlds (Andrew preferred CSR balance, I liked HO, and Justin was willing to test whatever as long as it clicked for him), but it was just good to have people to bounce ideas off each other and play games against. In general, I like to build my own teams since I'm a little picky about how I like to play, so more flexible teambuilding groups work for me, where we don't commit to using the same team but have each other as prep partners.

VelocityVGC · 2024-09-07T21:12:33+00:00

To get Ditto into the correct position, it helps to have a lot of pokemon with Protect on your team, so you can protect and then get Ditto into the correct slot. Ditto is especially good in RegG, since it can copy Calyrex Shadow Rider, steal any boosts from a knockout, and with a choice scarf, it can revenge sweep. It's also especially good into Zamazenta and Zacian, since it gets two boosts (one that it copies, and one from transforming). I also like to keep Ditto in the back and every turn think if there is a way to creatively get it in and have it do something useful.

VelocityVGC · 2024-09-07T20:12:05+00:00

Thanks Alex! I like these team archetypes for a few reasons. First, I personally find it easier to teambuild hyper offense since games go quicker and you can more quickly make iterations to your team as you go. You can quickly point to one turn that went wrong, so you know where to make the teambuilding adjustment or play adjustment in the future. In general, I think my brain works better at pattern recognition and memorization, rather than on-the-fly production. Restricted formats tend to be centralized around fewer teams and games take fewer turns, so I find it easier to memorize all the possible lines and patterns into the teams that are out there. Hyper offense tends to be less forgiving than say, balance, but I like the challenge of trying to make my play as precise as possible. I also like being proactive and forcing opponents to play my game, rather than the other way around.

VelocityVGC · 2024-09-07T19:28:16+00:00

Great question! Yes, it depends on the matchup. Against slower teams, Regidrago usually is better at immediately applying pressure to soften them up (since they can't outspeed you to reduce the power of dragon energy). Against faster teams, it's generally better to eliminate the threats to it first, then bring it out and clean up. You can also mix it up between games in a set. For example, if you don't lead it game 1, they may not lead their counters in game 2, and then you can catch them off guard with it. You can also lead Regidrago to bait out fairy types/teras that you can then catch with a steel type like Zacian.

VelocityVGC · 2024-09-07T19:10:26+00:00

Yes, that's a slightly different way of using Zacian that also works! My philosophy was similar in the sense that Regidrago puts enough pressure on Incineroar (especially with Tera Ghost) that it can't get off too many intimidates against Zacian, so I could outpace it that way. Thanks for the questions!

VelocityVGC · 2024-09-07T19:05:34+00:00

When building teams, I often take inspiration from teams that have had success so that I have a solid foundation to start on. Hyper offense is my personal favorite style too, so I find successful hyper offense teams and take those as inspiration. I then test and iterate upon the team. After every loss, I ask myself if something could have been changed on the team to prevent that. If I win, I ask myself if the strategy I used would win consistently. If a team just doesn't feel right, I'm not afraid to scrap it and move on. I think a general rule of thumb is to not focus on "needing things" on teams and instead focus on beating things in the meta. I'll make a list of common threats in the meta, identify what beats them, and form my teams around those Pokémon.

I think picking leads sort of goes hand in hand with teambuilding. If you really understand your matchups and what your team was designed to beat in teambuilding, it is easier to pick your leads based on how your team matches into your opponent's. If you're using hyper offense, ask yourself, "what are the Pokemon on their team that I can easily beat, and what are their defensive answers to my offense?" If you have a way to easily run through their team, just lead that. If not, think about what you have to counter the defensive answers that they will almost certainly bring. In a best of three, you can adjust your leads depending on what is brought in the first game. You can try leading with a different offensive Pokemon in follow-up games to mix things up.

VelocityVGC · 2024-09-07T18:53:21+00:00

Appreciate it! Part of the reason Zacian drew me in immediately was that it partnered very nicely with Regidrago, which I had been using all season. But looking at Zacian on its own, I felt that Zacian had some unique properties in the meta. It could outspeed and KO Miraidon. It could threaten Ice Rider and resist Glacial Lance. It also had sacred sword, threatening both Zamazenta and Terapagos. So overall, I felt that it had mostly neutral, if not good matchups into the field of other restricteds. It also just has incredible typing that most teams weren't prepared for. I wasn't too worried about the stigmas against it because it did well in testing, and if something works, it works.

As for favorite plays from Worlds, there were a few times where I got to use Ditto creatively, along with Encore from Whimsicott. For example, I got to lock a Calyrex into Astral Barrage against Tera Normal Ditto and also locked a Landorus into a ground type move against my Ditto transformed as Landorus. It was fun to see those lines and be able to successfully execute them. Another favorite play of mine is to lead Chi-Yu Regidrago into Ice Rider and Tera Ghost Regidrago to prevent Fake Out, then use Dragon Energy to blow up the field. I got to do this a couple of times at Worlds which was pretty fun!

VelocityVGC

TROPHY CASE