2016 Pokémon VGC Regionals – Adelaide: Analysis and Usage Stats

May 1st, saw the first of our 2016 Pokémon VGC Regional Championships take place in Adelaide! The event saw 71 Masters, 37 Seniors, and 13 Juniors compete for their respective championships. The Masters division had seven swiss rounds, with the first two rounds played in best-of-three sets, before time constraints saw the rest of the swiss rounds changed to a best-of-one format. Top Cut was played in best-of-three sets.

Sam Pandelis went through the entire day without losing a single battle to become Australia’s first Regional Champion for 2016. His win in Adelaide means that Sam has now won 3 Regional Championships in his VGC career, the most of any Australian trainer, after going back-to-back in Melbourne back in 2013 and 2014. Sam defeated Josh Callister in an all Victorian final, while Luke Curtale was the best placed local with his top 4 finish.

Today’s results will see a further five Australians qualify for a day 1 invitation to the World Championships, adding to the ten who are already above the 200 CP bar. Congratulations to Sam Pandelis, Martin Larumbe, Luke Curtale, Nicholas Bingham and Haris Sahovic on their achievement!

In the Seniors Division, Hamish Davidson-McLeod took the championship, defeating Alfredo Chang-Gonzalez in the final, while Nicholas Kan continued his dominance of the Junior scene with his win in the Junior Division.

FINAL – Sam Pandelis vs. Joshua Callister

Top Cut Teams

1. Sam Pandelis (@ZeldaVGC)
M-Kangaskhan/Xerneas/P-Groudon/Salamence/Smeargle/Talonflame

2. Joshua Callister (@JCalVGC)
M-Salamence/P-Kyogre/Ferrothorn/Landorus-T/Thundurus-I/Dialga

3. Luke Curtale (@Dawg_pkmn)
Xerneas/P-Groudon/Smeargle/Cresselia/M-Kangaskhan/Talonflame

4. Martin Larumbe (@BaseIN2)
M-Kangaskhan/Xerneas/Groudon/Salamence/Smeargle/Talonflame

5. Nihal Noor (@UchihaX96)
Whimsicott/M-Gengar/Groudon/Kyurem-W/M-Salamence/Sableye

6. Nicholas Bingham (@LudicoloPatrol)
M-Kangaskhan/Xerneas/P-Groudon/Salamence/Smeargle/Talonflame

7. Brandon Miller
Gyrados/M-Mewtwo X/Xerneas/Gengar/Whimsicott/Ferrothorn

8. Josh Matos 
Kyurem-B/Mawile/Mienshao/Thundurus-I/Gourgeist/P-Kyogre

Top Cut Usage Data and Analysis

5 – Groudon, Salamence, Xerneas,

4 – Smeargle, Kangaskhan, Talonflame

2 – Gengar, Whimsicott, Ferrothorn, Thundurus, Kyogre,

1 – Landorus-T, Dialga, Cresselia, Kyurem-W, Sableye, Gyarados, Mewtwo, Kyurem-B, Mawile, Mienshao, Gourgeist

With three Big 6 teams, and one Big 5 variation, the Xerneas/Groudon archetype was dominant in the top cut, as it has been around the world for the majority of this season. Joshua Callister’s team meant Australia saw a Dialga/Kyogre team in the top cut, although the archetype had missed out in earlier Mid Season Showdowns. Nihal Noor’s Kyurem-W/Groudon team showed that it is a team that can be considered more than just a Battle Spot gimmick, while Josh Matos and Brandon Miller’s unorthodox teams ensured that Kyurem-B and Mewtwo saw more top cut usage than Rayquaza at this regional, which was unexpected. Also absent from the top cut was the dual primal archetype which has seen some use overseas and in some smaller level Australian events.

Huge thanks to our guys for attending the event and obtaining team information. Well done to everyone who competed, and congratulations to the finalists and winners. The next stop on the Regionals calender is Auckland. We believe a few Australians will be attending this event, so we’ll keep an eye on how they go against the New Zealand community.