Trainers tested their mettle in the Championships Battle format by competing in the International Challenge April. Not only did they get to test their strategies against Trainers from all over the world, but they were able to compete for Championships Points toward qualifying for the Pokémon World Championships. And Trainers who participated in three or more battles were eligible to receive a Sceptilite, a Blazikenite, and a Swampertite Mega Stone.
This month, we’ll investigate some of the most surprising Pokémon used by Trainers who took home heaps of Championship Points. If you’re looking to add an uncommon twist to your own team, perhaps one of these Pokémon will be just what you’re searching for. We’ll also highlight successes from some Pokémon that could be indicative of trends in future tournaments both on and off the Pokémon Global Link.
Astonishing Achievements
The most surprising Pokémon to earn a top-4 finish was undoubtedly Comfey. It had the Triage Ability, which greatly increases the priority of moves that restore HP. Comfey was taught three moves that benefit from Triage—Floral Healing, Synthesis, and Draining Kiss—and was deployed alongside a Pheromosa that knew Speed Swap and a Nihilego that knew Trick Room. Those three Pokémon combined to help make a Snorlax that knew Belly Drum almost unstoppable. Another Trainer near the top of the standings performed a similar strategy without the Posy Picker Pokémon, instead opting for Pheromosa, Tapu Fini, and Mimikyu to support Snorlax.
Comfey wasn’t the only tiny, support-oriented Pokémon to make a big impact in the International Challenge April. It isn’t shocking to see Togedemaru appear on a top team—we’ve seen Trainers enjoy success by pairing the Roly-Poly Pokémon with Gyarados throughout the season. But Togedemaru’s top finish in this competition showed off a strategy that combined Togedemaru’s Lightning Rod Ability with Golduck and Pelipper instead. Lightning Rod can be excellent support for any Pokémon that needs extra help avoiding Tapu Koko’s Electric-type attacks, and Togedemaru can provide further assistance by using Fake Out. Look for more Trainers to find ways to leverage Togedemaru now that Marowak has fallen out of favor—even Tapu Fini proved to be a solid enough pairing with Togedemaru to earn a top-16 finish.
It’s hard to find teammates for Snorlax as eye-catching as Comfey, but another Trainer built an intimidating strategy around the Sleeping Pokémon. One key teammate was Tapu Fini—its Misty Surge Ability defended its teammates from Will-O-Wisp and enabled it to raise their Attack using Swagger without inflicting confusion. The rest of the team was filled out with Pokémon that knew physical moves—an Exeggutor that knew Trick Room and Wood Hammer, a Granbull and Arcanine with the Intimidate Ability, and a Muk that knew Imprison. Few players have given Granbull a shot this season, but perhaps more should—Granbull’s Choice Band-boosted attacks helped its team earn a top-16 finish.
We’ve seen a few players try to build teams around Tapu Lele’s Psychic Terrain in the past, but the strategy one Trainer used in the International Challenge April stood out. His team started with a tactic we’ve seen before: combining Tapu Lele with Metagross to take advantage of Psychic Terrain’s boost to Psychic-type damage. The beauty of the team was that it was also built to exploit Psychic Terrain’s other effect, blocking attacks with increased priority. The rest of the team included four of the speediest Pokémon around, with Garchomp, Gengar, Pheromosa, and even a Tapu Koko holding a Choice Scarf completing the team. This team showed off impressive synergy—all six Pokémon on the team benefitted from Psychic Terrain.
Finally, we must draw attention to one truly unconventional strategy that earned a top-64 finish. Typically, we see the Eviolite held item given to stout Pokémon that were once thought to be fully evolved but it is now known that further Evolutions have been discovered. These intermediate Pokémon typically have higher stats than what one would expect from Pokémon that can be evolved. One tricky Trainer in this tournament, however, opted to give Eviolite to a Slowpoke instead. We don’t often see Slowpoke in battle, but its low Speed was crucial to its team’s strategy. Unlike Slowbro and Slowking, Slowpoke is slower than Torkoal, allowing it to move before Torkoal when Trick Room is active. After Slowpoke used Trick Room, it could use Surf to activate Torkoal’s Weakness Policy, restore Torkoal’s HP with Heal Pulse, or clear the skies with Sunny Day before Torkoal used Eruption. The team also included several other fun tricks, most notably a Nihilego that knew Trick Room and two different Pokémon that knew Feint. Give it a shot if you’re looking for a fun team to try out.
Trendy Picks
The top three finishers in this tournament had two Pokémon in common—Arcanine and Tapu Fini. At this point in the season, Arcanine’s presence probably doesn’t surprise many Trainers, but Tapu Fini’s performance doesn’t line up with what we’ve seen throughout the season. We’re not sure Trainers should expect to see the same results at the Pokémon World Championships, but Tapu Fini’s effectiveness in the International Challenge April makes sense. Each Trainer could only play up to 45 single-game matches, so each lost game would reduce a Trainer’s valuable rating. The Misty Terrain created by Tapu Fini’s Misty Surge allows it to excel under these circumstances—when one unexpected freeze or burn can immediately change the result of a match, removing the possibility of added effects becomes much more valuable than in a best-of-three match.
Just like many other quick, stylish Pokémon before it, Ninetales has been a frequently selected Pokémon in this year’s Video Game Championships. But while Trainers could never seem to help Pokémon like Greninja, Sceptile, or Lucario match their popularity with tournament results, Ninetales could be heading down a different path. Ninetales proved its strength as part of this competition’s winning team, and shortly afterward it helped win Toronto’s Masters Division Regional Championships. It was even part of the runner-up’s team at the recent Latin American International Championships. The biggest reason for its recent success may be Icy Wind—few Ninetales were taught this move early in the season, but all three of these impressive Ninetales knew the Speed-reducing move.
Xurkitree’s electrifying Special Attack stat shocked Trainers shortly after the release of Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon. But the initial excitement discharged as Trainers struggled to get around the Glowing Pokémon’s middling Speed and opponents with the Lightning Rod Ability early in the season. After several strong performances at recent Regional Championships and in the International Challenge April—including a top-8 finish—there may be reason to get excited about Xurkitree again. Like Ninetales, most of these Xurkitree have been executing similar strategies that weren’t common earlier in the season. The secret to Xurkitree’s success? A combination of the move Tail Glow and a Berry that can restore its HP.
We hope you enjoyed the International Challenge April—don’t forget to pick up your Mega Stones if you competed! Keep checking back to the Pokémon Global Link for more information about upcoming Online Competitions and global missions. And remember to check out Pokemon.com/Strategy for more Pokémon TCG and video game articles and tournament analysis.
Source: Pokémon Global Link
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