Anaheim, California is once again the focus of the Pokémon universe as the top players battle with hopes of becoming the next World Champion from August 15–17. The Pokémon World Championships are certain to be exciting, with the biggest names in the game ready to claim the title for 2025.
To prepare you for the action, we’ve once again assembled our expert trio of Lou Akcoş-Cromie, Aaron Traylor, and Joe Ugarte—joined by Chris Shepperd of Pokemon.com—to provide us with insights about the top Pokémon and Trainers to watch for.
You can catch all three days of battling action on Twitch.tv/Pokemon. Visit the official Worlds broadcast page for more information.
Shepperd: All right, I think we can get started! I’m excited to get us all together again. Let’s get rolling!
Ugarte: Worlds always comes around so fast, Chris! I feel like every time it ends, I’m super bummed, feeling like it’s going to be away forever—and then before I know it, it’s back again. This season has been a really exciting one, and I think this Worlds will be great!
Shepperd: Same! Worlds just has a totally different vibe. I feel it even in our preview discussions. OK, first topic.
What are the strongest team cores that we’ll see at Worlds? What are the players preparing for?
Traylor: I think we’ve got to start with Shadow Rider Calyrex and Zamazenta, which has been dominating the format all season long.
Ugarte: Shadow Rider Calyrex and Zamazenta is definitely the most consistent core in this format, having a huge share of every tournament meta with a lot of interesting variations that provide unique options. It’s worth mentioning the rise of Smeargle, as it has quickly shot up as one of the duo’s most popular partners.
Akcoş-Cromie: Shadow Rider Calyrex and Zamazenta have been a great duo! It won at the Japan Nationals and has a great balance of special and physical offense.
We definitely have to talk about Smeargle—it’s working so well with a lot of cores and was in the Japan-winning team, piloted by Yuma Kinugawa.
Akcoş-Cromie: I believe it also won with an Ice Rider Calyrex and Lunala core at Taiwan Nationals. It helps so many cores with setup!
Traylor: Smeargle is BACK!
Shepperd: How is Smeargle being used on this team?
Ugarte: Smeargle is incredibly useful, giving Fake Out and Follow Me support so Shadow Rider Calyrex has free turns to get up Nasty Plot.
Spore is also an incredibly threatening move, potentially allowing Smeargle to put multiple Pokémon to sleep. It can pair well with Rillaboom, who can override Miraidon’s Electric Terrain so Spore can’t be stopped.
Akcoş-Cromie: Whether it’s enabling Trick Room, Tailwind, Nasty Plot, the fast Fake Out (having the edge over Pokémon like Incineroar in the Fake Out race), Smeargle makes a great asset to restricted Pokémon. It also can pressure Spore to put opposing Pokémon to sleep or give a partner Pokémon a boost with Decorate.
Traylor: Decorate is a new option for Smeargle, making it even harder for opponents to predict what it will do. Will they Fake Out and attack or Protect and Decorate themselves?
Akcoş-Cromie: Honestly, Decorate has been really well-utilized on Ice Rider Calyrex in Trick Room before, but now more Trainers are picking it up with more flexible options. The fact Decorate works even on a partner Pokémon using Protect is always wild to me.
Ugarte: Decorate is such a cool option alongside Shadow Rider Calyrex, because it creates really awkward situations where you can get punished for either double-targeting Smeargle and allowing Shadow Rider Calyrex to use Nasty Plot, or for attacking Shadow Rider Calyrex as it uses Protect and allowing a Decorate for free. It’s a really oppressive strategy at times, and it requires specific answers.
Traylor: Did you know Decorate goes through Protect but not Substitute? I guess the Substitute gets in the way of the icing.
Shepperd: If this core is both strong and really flexible, what can competitors do to prepare for it?
Traylor: Here’s the issue with Smeargle and Shadow Rider Calyrex. If both players in a match are using the duo, it gets REALLY challenging to pull ahead in the game. Because Smeargle nearly always uses Fake Out, and Shadow Rider Calyrex could use Normal–, Ghost–, Dark–, or Fairy–Tera Type, it comes down to some really crazy mind games and Speed ties. It’s a level of horrible ambiguity we haven’t seen since you could pair Smeargle with Xerneas.
I was testing it pretty heavily, but once I realized there wasn’t a way to easily always win in those situations, I realized I would rather just try to be strong against the duo instead of having it for myself.
Ugarte: I definitely think Smeargle can add a huge level of volatility to the mirrors, but I do think for people willing to take the chance, it can be very rewarding. Especially with some Moody Speed boosts!
Traylor: But I want to be World Champion 100 percent of the time! I don’t want to wait around for a Moody boost.
Akcoş-Cromie: Calyrex mirrors are tricky. You can apply a lot of pressure straight away by going for the Dark–Tera Type or Fairy–Tera Type to help combat the Ghost-type weakness. But then you leave yourself vulnerable to damage from Zamazenta or Fairy-type moves (plenty of those out there at the moment). So forcing your opponent to try and burn up that Tera instead and find a counter to Calyrex is recommended. It’s just hard to outspeed it.
Ugarte: To answer your question as well, Chris, fast Taunt with Flutter Mane or Covert Cloak Tornadus with Taunt can work well into Smeargle. You can also just lead two faster Pokémon and remove it from the field the old-fashioned way!
Akcoş-Cromie: Flutter Mane is a great counter to this core, in my opinion.
Traylor: There are two main directions for Shadow Rider Calyrex—supporting Shadow Rider Calyrex with Pokémon like Smeargle, Incineroar, Rillaboom, and Clefairy as it blows through the opposing team, or having a more well-rounded balance team that uses its damage to open up or close out, which will rely on Pokémon like Chien-Pao, Raging Bolt, Rillaboom, and Ogerpon.
Akcoş-Cromie: Taunt can shut down Smeargle, and you can avoid damage from Body Press if you can catch it on a switch-in. You pressure Calyrex with Shadow Ball or—if they use Dark–Tera Type—Moonblast. It’s hard to contend with its Speed too, especially if it has Booster Energy active.
Ugarte: I think it’s also worth talking about one of the other biggest threats in the format—Ice Rider Calyrex and Miraidon. It’s been the other public enemy in the format!
Traylor: Ice Rider Calyrex and Miraidon are really interesting, because offensively they complement each other really well. The trick is that because their Speed stats are so different, the hard part is actually weaving them together well in a game.
Ugarte: I think the idea of Ice-type and Electric-type pins is incredibly threatening if positioned well. Its struggles come against particular Pokémon with good matchups if they are positioned better. I think another nuanced part of facing the team is whether the Ice Rider Calyrex is running Leftovers with Leech Seed or Clear Amulet with High Horsepower.
Traylor: Ice Rider Calyrex really wants Trick Room (and most players have given up on making it work in Tailwind), but Miraidon can’t really get anything going in Trick Room, which results in a little tension when making game plans. So much so that most Miraidon and Ice Rider Calyrex teams give Miraidon a Choice Scarf so it can outspeed threats like Shadow Rider Calyrex without relying on a Tailwind Pokémon.
Akcoş-Cromie: I think Ice Rider Calyrex has had the biggest character arc this season. A lot of Trainers ran it as hard Trick Room, then a hybrid style started emerging so it wasn’t so dependent on the slower modes. Then Michael Kelsch unleashed the Leftovers / Leech Seed version, which a lot of Trainers picked up and ran with across Regionals and NAIC. Now players are given so many variants to work with ahead of Worlds.
Ugarte: Choice Scarf Miraidon has been such an interesting meta development but makes a lot of sense for the reason Aaron mentioned. Along with the fact that, since you have two restricted Pokémon, the power drawback you get is less bad than if you had used it in a single restricted format.
Traylor: These teams also enable Volcarona, which has been silently dominating the format. Volcarona is one of the best checks to Zamazenta, one of the most challenging Pokémon to defeat in this regulation, and it has the bonus of being able to bother both forms of Calyrex, especially after a Quiver Dance.
Having two restricted Pokémon to fit onto a team makes the team-building problem much harder than just one, in my opinion.
Akcoş-Cromie: Miraidon’s Choice Scarf is also such an interesting point. At one point the only Miraidon we saw was Fairy–Tera Type / Choice Specs, and it just constantly did the “Tera to avoid opposing Draco Meteor and now do big damage.” But then an Electric–Tera Type / Assault Vest variant emerged, and now Choice Scarf is here! Each is used for very specific reasons and board positions—I think that says a lot about the types of situations Trainers keep finding themselves in that they need such significant items or Tera Type choices to stand up to these matchups.
Ugarte: I think there are a lot of combinations, but definitely a defined top three. The final one we hadn’t mentioned yet was Lunala and Miraidon, which ended up winning in NAIC.
Traylor: Federico Camporesi used Lunala and Miraidon to win the North America International Championship. Luca Ceribelli, sitting World Champion, also got Top 16 there.
They paired the duo with Whimsicott, Rapid Strike Style Urshifu, Incineroar, and Ursaluna. It’s proven to be one of the most robust teams in this regulation. I’ve spent a lot of time looking at the different partner Pokémon for this team, and I basically realized that you can’t do better than these supporting Pokémon for this restricted duo, due to the combination of defensive types and offense that they provide.
It’s a really powerful and flexible team, and is still strong despite winning NAIC, so expect to see it at Worlds.
Shepperd: Let’s move on to the next question! Give us some ideas of dark horse combinations and counter-meta cores we might see.
Akcoş-Cromie: Marco Silva told me at NAIC that Terapagos had lost its “aura,” but I’m still rooting for it as an underdog choice! I think with the right support, it can still succeed. Possibly even with Smeargle Decorating around the place, it can enable Terapagos to get a boost and do damage in the same turn, rather than lose time setting it all up itself manually.
Traylor: I do feel like Terapagos is the least explored of the best restricted Pokémon. We’ve seen some cool teams with it, like Francesco Pio Pero’s Miraidon and Sinistcha team, where Terapagos held Electric Seed.
Akcoş-Cromie: Yeah, that team finished Top 8 at NAIC. Seeing Iron Treads and Sinistcha do so well will certainly inspire some more Trainers to pick it up. Being able to have recovery support through Hospitality, or terrain removal through Steel Roller, enables some good disruption options. And Iron Treads also hits hard on the offensive side!
Ugarte: Definitely agree! It’s also been the subject of small, smart adaptations like Life Orb / Electric–Tera Type Miraidon, giving the Miraidon more flexibility!
Traylor: But at the same time, Terapagos is very hard to get going, and players have to make up for its good-but-not-great Special Attack power. Many use Calm Mind and focus on setting it up—a cool set out there is Terapagos with Meteor Beam / Power Herb on more offensive teams.
Ugarte: In terms of other dark horse cores, I think a big one is Miraidon and Shadow Rider Calyrex. At the start of the format, it really had no exploration, and nowadays it feels like a lot more people are trying to crack the core.
Akcoş-Cromie: I always liked the idea of this pairing plus Chi-Yu. Just think of the Special Attack damage potential!
Traylor: Miraidon and Shadow Rider Calyrex is for real for sure, just so much offense. There are also Miraidon and Shadow Rider Calyrex teams that focus on setting up Shadow Rider Calyrex with Clefairy / Incineroar / Rillaboom.
Akcoş-Cromie: It’s definitely not the most flexible or consistent Pokémon out there, but there are enough Terapagos believers out there that I expect to see it still do well.
Ugarte: One thing Shadow Rider Calyrex setup teams struggle with is Spore. Miraidon helps alleviate that, along with giving it a strong tool to use in the mirror with Electric–Tera Type Drift and Snarl.
Akcoş-Cromie: Notably, I feel Koraidon has got a little lost in the meta at the moment. It’s not in the same spotlight it was at the end of EUIC, for example.
Traylor: We have so much to discuss, we could have our own articles about Koraidon, Kyogre, and Groudon, but I would also expect to see a few of these teams perform quite well at Worlds.
Ugarte: I think Koraidon still has a lot of potential, but it definitely requires more exploration. One of the most interesting appearances lately was seeing it get second place in a huge Japanese grassroots tournament, paired with Ice Rider Calyrex! It hasn’t been something we have seen the most frequently, though.
Traylor: Yep, that was World Champion Shoma Honami! His teams always rule. I hope we get to see some great stuff from him at Worlds this year.
Although not counted out by any means, I feel like these Pokémon are the real “dark horses” going by virtue of being up against the solidified metagame threats.
Akcoş-Cromie: I think that’s why we often see Amoonguss or Smeargle on teams with Rillaboom to help counter Miraidon’s terrain and allow Spore to be unleashed again.
Ugarte: Not to mention it also has worked in the past with Lunala and Ursaluna, which are a very strong pair of Pokémon!
Shepperd: Next I’d like to talk about NAIC and its ongoing impact. I imagine the last big event is still on a lot of competitors’ minds. What did we learn at NAIC that will affect players’ approach to Worlds?
Ugarte: NAIC was a big catalyst towards the rest of the format becoming a bit more “solved.”
I wouldn’t say every option has been exhausted yet. But I definitely think it established some of the strongest teams. Federico winning had a huge impact on Lunala and Miraidon becoming one of the format mainstays.
Traylor: I think the big takeaway from NAIC from competitors is that having lots of experience using your team is the most important factor. The finalists both played known “comfort teams,” so given that players had eight weeks to prepare, I think a lot of players are trying to emulate that and just know their team really well.
In my experience, optimizing for comfort and muscle memory is a real double-edged sword, so I’m excited to see whether people can make it work on the world stage.
Ugarte: I definitely think there is a very important influence of comfort in this format. Since there are quite a few options, it helps people settle on what they like most
Akcoş-Cromie: NAIC is always the last official event before the World Championships. So it gives us a good insight to what the good stuff is, but it’s also so long ago that by the time these Trainers reach the Worlds stage, they’ve had plenty of time to potentially find something new. And they will likely keep them close to their chests for now. That said, consistency was the main lesson I learnt from NAIC. Linking to Aaron’s point there, Federico won with a core he has trusted and utilized for a long time. Consistency and knowledge with a team was the greatest strength.
Shepperd: Has there been significantly less meta movement between NAIC and Worlds than in past years, then?
Ugarte: I would argue that there has been some of the most movement in this part of the cycle, actually.
I think it established the top teams more, but it’s forcing more meta developments and exploration with less popular cores of Pokémon.
Traylor: Hmmm. I agree that players are exploring. That’s what I spent the past few weeks doing.
Akcoş-Cromie: Teams seem a lot less telegraphed at the moment, really relying on instinctive predictions and flexible positions. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Trainers using what they know best. That said, creativity is often in the mind of our top Trainers, so I expect some wild testing to be going on.
Ugarte: I think there is so much potential for Worlds to feature a lot of unique teams and cores.
Traylor: I agree that there’s potential, but the pressure of having to lock a team weighs pretty heavily on every competitor’s head. Are you really going to lock some niche Pokémon in your battle box when there are very strong and consistent compositions out there? A lot of competitors aren’t ready to commit to that decision even after they spend all summer preparing.
Ugarte: That’s always the question, isn’t it. Worlds always has such varied approaches, and I think it’s all about what risks you are willing to take—and whether you find that unique idea soon enough to practice it well and believe in it.
Were there Pokémon that didn’t perform well at NAIC that could have a renaissance at Worlds? Or are they shut out for good?
Traylor: I think Clefairy is up there for real. Koraidon, Kyogre, Groudon are all looking to get a foot (or a flipper, for Kyogre) in the door.
Ugarte: Clefairy is an incredible Pokémon on quite a few teams, for sure.
Akcoş-Cromie: We have occasionally seen some less-utilized Pokémon doing well. But again, it’s what Trainers like to use. Nikolaj Nielsen is always still believing in Sneasler, for example.
Traylor: Yep, he and his brother are always getting up to some Sneasler trickery.
Akcoş-Cromie: Kyogre did win a Regional with Gavin Michaels. But I agree it’s lonely right now.
Ugarte: I think Wide Guard Zamazenta being everywhere provides some difficulty for Kyogre.
Traylor: Many players are opting to use Hydro Pump, though. As someone who got their Zamazenta Hydro Pumped, like, 500 times at NAIC, it’s awful to deal with.
Akcoş-Cromie: I think Chi-Yu is still an untapped asset on teams. It’s not always performing well, but has such potential to support and pressure.
Ugarte: Chi-Yu is definitely strong. I think it just finds itself only on very offensive cores. It loves being next to Koraidon.
Shepperd: We’ve discussed the Ruinous Pokémon quite a bit in past roundtables. Is Chi-Yu the one that’s starting to pull ahead?
Traylor: Chi-Yu will “ruin” me and my blood pressure every time it clicks one of its 90-95% accurate moves. Ting-Lu is also out there! It complements Zamazenta really well, and has found its way onto some Shadow Rider Calyrex and Zamazenta teams.
Ugarte: I think you have to mention Chien-Pao for sure. It’s great next to Zamazenta.
Traylor: Chien-Pao is always a mainstay. For the first time in a while, we’re seeing some cool items on it, like Assault Vest.
Akcoş-Cromie: Chien-Pao has the top spot right now, I believe. Pressure / Sucker Punch is so good into Shadow Rider Calyrex, and it can also do great damage into Grass-types (which is often utilized in Tera Types too) with Icicle Crash. Chi-Yu is more the “not-doing-so-well-but-still-has-potential” option.
Traylor: Ruination combos really well with every restricted as well, especially against Pokémon that resist its attacks.
Ugarte: Not to mention the other move possibilities, which can heavily change matchups with Taunt and Ruination.
Akcoş-Cromie: Yes! Taunt has been on the rise for those person marbles pesky Smeargle (argh autocorrect!).
Ugarte: Yeah exactly. Getting a(n almost) guaranteed 50% of damage, plus a powered-up Body Press, is crazy.
Shepperd: All right, let’s finally put the focus on the players! I’d like to talk about the top Trainers from each region. Let’s start with Europe.
Akcoş-Cromie: So about Italy…
Shepperd: NAIC was a pretty good showing for them, huh?
Traylor: Chris, we don’t talk about that here in North America!
Akcoş-Cromie: Honestly, we say it a lot, but Marco Silva is one to absolutely watch. He nearly took the title at NAIC and he’s just so formidable. The Shadow Rider Calyrex and Zamazenta core really worked for him.
Ugarte: Having talked to him, I think Marco is also particularly motivated for this Worlds. He’s always a threat, but I think he’s really had an insane season this year in particular.
Traylor: European players Luca Ceribelli, Federico Camporesi, Marco Silva, and Michael Kelsch have all had incredible seasons, are incredibly strong, and are, incredibly, driving the bar higher every time they compete.
Akcoş-Cromie: Federico Camporesi is also on a mission—he wants to be the first person to win one of every title in a single season, and Worlds is the last on his list! Winning at locals, Gdańsk Regionals, and NAIC this season is incredible! Can he get the final title, though?
Ugarte: Italy is really bringing the money home to Europe, that’s for sure! So many strong players.
Ugarte: Wasn’t Italy half of the of NAIC Top 8, now that I think about it?
Shepperd: What are the Italian players doing differently?
Ugarte: I just think they are very prepared for every tournament and work very hard in between tournaments. Not to mention, having so many strong players as friends likely helps in general.
Traylor: There is a very strong local community in Italy, and many top Italian players work very closely together.
And if your best friend is an International Champion or a World Champion, it definitely makes your practice better as well. They’re always on that grind.
Akcoş-Cromie: Germany also has a good presence at Worlds. Michael Kelsch is a champ and has done incredibly well (second then Top 4) at the past two Worlds. Also, top Trainers like Markus Hamann will be there alongside Louis Markl, who is a Trainer on the EU Regional scene that has been standing out a lot lately.
I always admire Italy’s team ethos. You often see them running similar teams, or at least having boot camped in prep together. At NAIC, there was some great team spirit shown between the finalists and roommates, despite being against each other. They really do train and prep together and push each other to be the best. Other testing groups do this too, of course, but there’s something about Team Italy that’s special.
Traylor: Ruben Gianzini, Antonio Sánchez, and Oliver Eskolin all placed in the Top 16 last year at Worlds, as well. Victor Medina lost his win-and-in at Worlds last year, but had an incredible season, finishing 2nd at LAIC and top 16 at NAIC, so definitely watch out for him as well.
Shepperd: Let’s move south to the Latin America region. They never fail to surprise at Worlds.
Traylor: Gabriel Agati crushed it at NAIC with a very, very cool team featuring Scream Tail, Koraidon, and Leech Seed Shadow Rider Calyrex.
Ugarte: I think Agati showed that he was in strong form at NAIC for sure, and as Aaron mentioned, featured unique choices.
Akcoş-Cromie: I will forever and always be an Agati believer. He always has something interesting to discuss on his team too. Even back at EUIC finals a few years ago, he had Baxcalibur, which nobody was anticipating.
Ugarte: It’s worth noting we haven’t seen Scream Tail since then as well, so it only really worked on his build with Shadow Rider Calyrex and Koraidon, which also aren’t that common.
Traylor: 2018 World Champion Paul Ruiz will also be in attendance!
Ugarte: It’s worth always mentioning Juan Salerno, being a consistent top performer in South America and internationally.
Akcoş-Cromie: Juan was also running something interesting at NAIC with Cornerstone Mask Ogerpon and the unique core of Lunala and Koraidon. Maybe it was too unique for the competition, but he will surely adapt going into Worlds.
Shepperd: OK, let’s head to Japan and its neighbors! Joe, you just got a chance to see it firsthand…
Ugarte: Yeah, as someone who was lucky enough to get to go and compete with the Japanese players very recently, I was actually quite surprised by what I found.
Akcoş-Cromie: Tell us all!
Ugarte: A lot of the strongest teams in Best-of-Three that we have seen, like Zamazenta and Shadow Rider Calyrex, Miraidon and Lunala, Miraidon and Ice Rider Calyrex, were very popular. Actually, in all the games I played, I don’t think I played against a single deviation from those pairings. There are definitely exceptions, like Shoma’s Ice Rider Calyrex and Koraidon team, but I noticed a lot of the top players sticking with what’s consistent.
With all that said, the first name I have to mention is Shohei Kimura, showcasing a crazy level of dominance in every tournament he plays. I genuinely think his lowest placement this season has still been Day 2.
Akcoş-Cromie: Kazuki Kobayashi will be on my radar for sure. Their play was truly inspiring at NAIC, and I loved how different their team was. Farigiraf is not utilized as successfully anymore in the double restricted format, but Kazuki was able to get Top 5 with it and the Speed hybrid team core of Ice Rider Calyrex and Miraidon. There was a great balance of bulk and brawn on the team and in the match too!
Ugarte: You also have to mention the Japan National Champion, Yuma Kinugawa. A great player, great consistency and a very strong friend group for developing great teams and practicing.
Traylor: We’ve mentioned Shoma Honami and Yuma Kinugawa already, but they’re teammates with Kiwamu Endo, who got second at Japan Nationals last year and Top 16 at Worlds in 2018. This trio is one of the strongest in VGC. I expect them to dominate.
Ugarte: Easily, those three and Shohei are the biggest standouts I can think of for this season, at least.
Akcoş-Cromie: I expect one of them to win!
Shepperd: Japanese players are known for finding the one Pokémon nobody else was thinking about. Is that on the menu again?
Ugarte: One specific tech I noticed was Life Orb / Electric–Tera Type Miraidon, which has not seen much play elsewhere, at least pre-NAIC. I noticed a lot of the Japanese players experimenting with that item and Tera Type combination to make Miraidon play a bit differently, especially on the Lunala and Miraidon composition that has been popular since it won at NAIC.
Traylor: Other players we love mentioning who have invites from Japan:
From some players, such as Shoma, it could be on the menu. Some other players, such as Shohei, are very strong at identifying the strongest archetypes and executing at a very high level.
Akcoş-Cromie: It always is, I believe. Their tournament structure allows for a different team-building style and often that makes them unpredictable at Worlds. With open lists, though, I think it has created a shift for Japanese players at Worlds to go with more tested cores. It’s more about the little techs and tweaks that they will have identified that give them advantages. I think that’s a great insight from Joe about the Life Orb play.
Ugarte: I think the fact they compete in single-game matches all year until Worlds and still do amazing every Worlds is a testament to their skill. Also, quick shoutout to Yuta Ishigaki! Finalist at Worlds is no joke!
Traylor: Joe, you got to play against him right in Japan?
Ugarte: We did end up playing, and honestly I kind of didn’t realize it was him until after our match. (laughs) After I lost, I was like wow, this player is pretty good! Then I realized who it was.
Shepperd: Let’s jump over to Oceania real quick!
Traylor: Oceania has Diego Ferreira, who placed Top 8 at Worlds last year with a hard Trick Room team. He flies the Chilean flag but plays in Oceania, I believe. Diego makes some incredible plays, I really look forward to watching his games.
Joji Kaeda is an incredibly strong player from Japan doing work study in Australia—he won THREE Grand and Global Challenges. I don’t think anyone in the game has ever done something crazy like this.
Ugarte: Joji is an incredible player with incredible consistency—especially in Global and Grand Challenges this season, like Aaron mentioned—and still doing well in every tournament.
Akcoş-Cromie: Nicholas Kan has also been gaining more experience in the Masters Division over the past few years and is always once to watch. Always calm and collected, but has such an instinctive way about his gameplay.
Shepperd: OK, let’s cap it with North America.
Traylor: Here’s the thing about North America—I can’t mention anyone from Top 8 at NAIC 2025, and I can’t mention anyone from Top 16 at Worlds 2024. Justin Knox, the only NA player in Top 16 Worlds 2024, didn’t get his invite this year. So maybe North America is the real dark horse region?!
Ugarte: I think it’s worth mentioning Carson Confer for sure. Consistent performances throughout the year, utilizing strong teams with strong groups of players and doing well.
You also have to talk about Wolfe Glick. Even with a disappointing NAIC, his win rate is crazy and he always works hard for Worlds. Not to mention, Wolfe won Toronto, a Global Challenge, and EUIC all in a short span of time. Different formats but still shows incredible consistency and strength.
Akcoş-Cromie: Wolfe should really be the first Trainer you put on your bingo card. I fully believe in his mental approach to tournaments that he’s adapted the past two years, and I think it gives him an edge as a Champion.
Ugarte: I’ve noticed it feeling very different from previous seasons.
Akcoş-Cromie: There are so many North America players to talk about, but I want to discuss some players I’ve been keeping track of for a while—Aaron Brok and Giovanni Cischke. Both Trainers have been featured favorites in the broadcast and reached top cut placements at multiple Regionals. Aaron Brok often runs something unique like a Drednaw or Ting-Lu to keep opponents on their toes.
Giovanni is a Trainer I am fascinated to watch, because he is so analytical and knowable in his play style. I faced him at San Diego last season, and at every turn he was calculating every possibility and always selecting the correct option. I think if both these Trainers can keep their cool and focus, we can expect a good showing from them!
Ugarte: I think we are definitely in a period where North America as a region is really changing, and I think the names will change around quite a bit.
Traylor: We’ve also got Paul Chua, who has placed Top 4 before, and Kyle Livinghouse, who is one of the players out there who has metagame calls that consistently impress me. I’ll do a post-event wrap-up for, like, literally any tournament and then look at Kyle’s team and be like, “He knew the whole time.”
Ugarte: Kyle always does bring smart teams to tournaments that are positioned well for sure. I also think Justin Tang still is great! I think once he finds something he is comfortable with, he can always perform well.
Akcoş-Cromie: Behzad Muntazir is also a Trainer doing well this season. It’s worth keeping an eye on them because of their consistency.
Traylor: Absolutely agreed, Behzad has an excellent mindset. And Joe Ugarte. We gotta mention him. He trained in Japan!
Ugarte: The Japan training arc went hard, that’s for sure! It was a great time and great for experience in this meta.
Shepperd: All right, I think we better wrap it up! Thanks everyone for another super interesting roundtable.
Ugarte: Last thing I have to say, more so what I’m excited for is going to be the overall energy at Worlds. What’s so intense about it is seeing people play their win and ins, chasing their dreams, and seeing so many storylines come to wrap up for this season.
I remember the excitement, nervousness, and energy surrounding win and ins. They truly are intense, not to mention top cut as well! You see so many friends and family root for each other and it’s really special.
Traylor: Yes! This Worlds is going to be one for the ages!
Akcoş-Cromie: I can’t wait to see all the magic of it!
Shepperd: Good luck to everyone playing, casting, and cheering in Anaheim. We’ll chat after the event.
You can catch all three days of battling action on Twitch.tv/Pokemon on August 15 –17, 2025, including the Finals on Sunday.
Lou Akcoş-Cromie has been an official Play! Pokémon commentator since 2017 and has been honored to cast multiple International and World Championships in her career so far. As the #1 East Sea Gastrodon fan, she is always excited to see her favorite Pokémon do well, but is also intrigued by off-meta picks that catch her by surprise! Outside of Pokémon, you can most likely find Lou surrounded by cats or teaching English and Debate in the school classroom.
Aaron Traylor has been competing in the VGC since 2011. He placed in the Top 8 and the Top 16 at the World Championships in 2016 and 2019, respectively. He believes that the friendship between Trainers and their Pokémon is ultimately what leads to success in battle. Outside of Pokémon, he is a graduate student studying computer science and cognitive science.
Joseph Ugarte is a full time VGC competitor and content creator. Competing since 2017, he has had three Top 4 placements in Internationals, two Worlds Top Cuts, and two Regionals wins, along with lots of other strong Regional finishes. He loves being involved in the community efforts to grow and expand the game further!
