The tops
It is the sensation of the United States and Japan Championships. Present in the teams of 4 semi-finalists on both championships, Mega Gardevoir stands out as one of the strong Mega Evolutions of the metagame. Its synergy with Amoonguss and Pokémon with the Intimidation Ability make it a formidable Pokémon.
It may seem strange to play Mega Gardevoir since it is not the most powerful Mega Evolution by far, but its dual typing and stats make it very suitable for the metagame, which explains its success in recent competitions.
Tyranitar has never been more popular than in recent competitions. The foundation of Sandstorm-based teams, Tyranitar has exceptional offensive potential coupled with defensive stats that make up for his many weaknesses.
Accompanied by Amoonguss, Tyranitar will have many opportunities to KO the opposing team. The classic duo of Tyranitar + Excadrill is less effective than before given the omnipresence of Landorus-T, which is why we often find Pokémon such as Rotom-L or Moyade at its side.
Rain Teams are back with Tarpaud. The only Rain setter in the metagame is slowly coming back, especially to counter Sandstorm Teams with Tyranitar. With a Landorus-T still as common and a Tyranitar that is climbing, Tarpaud is establishing himself as a key to the metagame with his Drizzle Ability.
Whether with Mega Gardevoir, Mega Drattak or Mega Kangaroo, Tarpaud is increasingly used as a tool in teams that are not based on Rain. Toler Webb’s team (US champion) is a perfect example.
The flops
Mega Kangaroo is certainly the most played Mega Evolution at any level of play, it has however lost a lot of ground to Mega Drattak and Mega Gardevoir. Its hegemony has cost it dearly, today everyone is perfectly prepared to face Mega Kangaroo and it is therefore not a surprise that we find only one Mega Kangaroo in the Top 8 of the United States Championship.
Mega KangarooX is unlikely to dominate the World Championships, the phenomenon of last year (where a large majority of teams were based on Mega KangarooX counters) is unlikely to happen again, but qualified players are making it clear on social media that they will not play a “cursed” Mega Evolution at the highest level.
After showing off its skills at the Italian Championships, Milotic has been much more discreet in Japan and the United States. Water Pokémon like Rotom-L, Moyade, and Azumarill have somewhat overshadowed Milotic, but we can expect a strong comeback from the Eka Berry and Maranga Berry sets at the World Championships.
The Ability Battling makes it the best counter to Landorus-T in the game, giving it a prominent place in the metagame, but this is likely a temporary dip, unless players prefer to play more original bulky Water Pokémon like Moyade.
Where did Hydreigon go? This is a question to ask, given his near-absence in the American and Japanese championships. Only Europeans still seem to appreciate the 5th generation dragon. The fall of Mega-Metalgross and the reign of Landorus-T are the main culprits for Hydreigon’s flop.
Hydreigon still deserves its place in the metagame, but it will probably have to be confined to Rain Teams alongside Mega Metagross.
The forecasts
With the meteoric rise of Mega Gardevoir, Tyranitar, and the return of Sylveon, Scizor has a real niche to exploit for the World Championships. His access to Sting even makes him an excellent threat against Cresselia and Thundurus, from whom he can steal the Sitrus Berry. Although completely blocked by Heatran, Scizor is rarely “useless” on the field, especially thanks to his access to Cunning, enough to surprise an opponent who thought they were safe with Shelter.
Present in Bennet Piercy’s team (US Seniors champion), Scizor will surely gain popularity in ranked battles. The rise of Tarpaud will surely help Scizor to become a major Pokémon of the metagame again.
What if Mega Mawile took back the place it occupied in 2014? Its Intimidation Ability, its resistance to the Fairy type, its advantage against the majority of Mega Evolutions, the return of Distortion and Rain Teams seem to be paving the way for Mega Mawile’s return. It is still too early to talk about a comeback of the most played Mega Evolution during the last World Championships, but everything indicates that Mega Mawile has a place of choice in the metagame.
Very good in Rain Team, in Team Disto and even outside, Mega-Mysdibule is an excellent ally to sure values like Cresselia, Tarpaud and Fulguris.
