We are back at it once again. Last month in August, the 2023 Pokémon VGC World Championships were held in Yokohama, Japan. People from all over the world came to compete to see who had the best team. We saw a lot of the same Pokémon, but there were some different ones as well. This month’s team we are going to talk about the first-place winner. Shohei Kimura took his team to a first-place victory and we are going to highlight the team he used. So let’s get into the World Championship team.
Team Characteristics
When it comes to this Pokémon team I would say it’s one of the more straightforward teams. The majority of the team can deal a good amount of damage. Amoonguss and Iron Hands both have a lot of Hit Points and are tanks. Amoonguss plays a decent support role as well. Flutter Mane, Chien-Pao, and Urshifu have high speed, they can outspeed other Pokémon. You can combine whatever two you want depending on the situation to help you obtain victory. This team was great and well put together.
Landorus
The first Pokémon on the team is the Flying/Ground-type Landorus. Landorus is a male who has the Intimidate ability. When he enters the battlefield his Intimidate ability lowers the Attack stat of all adjacent opponents by one stage. He also is holding the Safety Goggles which grants the holder immunity to powder and spore moves. Also grants immunity from weather damage as well. I always liked utilizing Landorus as a lead and then poking with U-Turn to bring out a Pokémon that’s better for that situation. The highest stats for him are his Hit Points and Attack.
Stomping Tantrum, Tera Blast, U-Turn, and Protect are his moves. Stomping Tantrum is an attacking move and if the previous move was missed or prevented then Stomping Tantrum power is double this turn. Tera Blast inflicts damage using the Attack or Special Attack stat, depending on which is higher for the user.
U-Turn is a move that will deal damage and then switch the user out with another Pokémon. Protect enables the user to protect themselves from all attacks. Its chance of failing rises if it is used in succession. Protect can save you in a pinch for sure. Landorus is weak to Water-types, but super weak to Ice types.
Flutter Mane
The second Pokémon on the team is the Ghost/Fairy-type Flutter Mane. Flutter Mane has the Protosynthesis ability. When a Pokémon with Protosynthesis is in harsh sunlight or is holding Booster Energy, its highest stat is increased by 30%, or 50% if Speed is the highest stat. This doesn’t include Hit Points. It prioritizes Attack, Defense, Special Attack, Special Defense, and Speed, in that order.
Flutter Mane is holding Choice Specs which boosts the Pokémon’s Special Attack by 50%, but only allows the use of the first move selected. So make sure to choose wisely when making the decision. The highest stats on this one are Speed, Special Attack, and Special Defense.
Shadow Ball, Dazzling Gleam, Moonblast, and Energy Ball are the moves Flutter Mane knows. Shadow Ball deals damage and has a chance to lower the target’s Special Defense. Dazzling Gleam is a damage-dealing Fairy-type move.
Moonblast is an attack move that has a chance to lower the target’s Special Attack. While Energy Ball is another attack move that might lower the target’s Defense stat. These are great moves to weaken the opposing team and take advantage of that with your team. However, Flutter Mane is weak to Ghost and Steel-type Pokémon.
Amoonguss
The third Pokémon on our team is the Grass/Poison-type Amoonguss. This Amoonguss is a male with the Regenerator ability which heals him a little bit when withdrawn from battle. He is holding a Sitrus Berry which restores a little bit of Hit Points when it activates but is consumed after use.
Amoonguss has been one of my favorite support Pokémon I have ever used. I am sure people will use him for a long time to come. The highest stats for him are Defense and Hit Points. Hit Points is really high which is why he’s a good tank.
Pollen Puff, Spore, Rage Powder, and Protect are what Amoonguss knows. Pollen Puff’s effect varies depending on the target. If it targets an opponent, it deals damage. If it targets an ally, it restores up to 50% of the target’s maximum Hit Points. Spore is a move that puts the target to sleep.
Rage Powder forces opposing Pokémon to target the user rather than the intended targets. In addition, Protect enables the user to protect themselves from all attacks. Its chance of failing rises if it is used in succession. However, Amoonguss is weak to Fire, Ice, Flying, and Psychic-type Pokémon.
Urshifu
Next up on the team, we have the Fighting/Water-type Urshifu. Urshifu is a male who has the Unseen Fist ability. If the Pokémon uses moves that make direct contact, it can attack the target even if the target protects itself. As a result, this is one of the few things that allows you to get through a move like Protect. He is holding Mystic Water which boosts the power of Water-type moves. Moreover, Urshifu is definitely one the the team members who can dish out a lot of damage. Specifically, the highest stats for Urshifu are his Attack, Speed, and Hit Points.
Surging Strikes, Aqua Jet, Protect, and Taunt are the moves that he knows. Surging Strikes is a Water-type attacking move that strikes multiple times. Each strike will be a critical hit barring a few exceptions. Aqua Jet is an attacking move with a priority of +1. Protect enables the user to protect themselves from all attacks. Yet, its chance of failing rises if it is used in succession. Taunt makes the target use only attack moves for three turns. He is weak to Electric, Grass, Flying, Psychic, and Fairy-type Pokémon.
Chien-Pao
The next Pokémon on the team is the Dark/Ice-type Chien-Pao. Chien-Pao is another damage-dealing team member with the Sword of Ruin ability. Sword of Ruin decreases the Defense stat of all Pokémon on the field other than the user with this Ability by 25%. The Focus Sash is what Chien-Pao is holding and if the holder has full Hit Points and is hit by an attack that would otherwise cause fainting, it survives with 1 Hit Point. Focus Sash is one of the most common items people like to use on their competitive teams. The highest stats for Chien-Pao are Speed and Attack.
Icicle Crash, Sacred Sword, Sucker Punch, and Protect are the moves Chien-Pao knows. Icicle Crash is an attacking move that might cause the target to flinch. Sacred Sword inflicts damage ignoring Defense and Evasion stats. Sucker Punch enables the user to attack first. This move fails if the target is not readying an attack. Protect enables the user to protect themselves from all attacks. However, its chance of failing rises if it is used in succession. Chien-Pao is weak to Fire. Bug. Rock, Steel, and Fairy-type Pokémon, but super weak to Fighting types.
The last Pokémon on the team is the Fighting/Electric-type Iron Hands. Iron Hands has the ability known as Quark Drive. When a Pokémon has Quark Drive and is on the field with Electric Terrain active, or the Pokémon is holding Booster Energy, its highest stat is increased by 30%, or 50% if Speed is the highest stat. This doesn’t include Hit Points. It prioritizes Attack, Defense, Special Attack, Special Defense, and Speed, in that order. Iron Hands is holding an Assault Vest which is an offensive vest that boosts the holder’s Special Defense stat but prevents the use of status moves. The highest stats for Iron Hands are Attack, Hit Points, and Defense.
Wild Charge, Volt Switch, Drain Punch, and Fake Out are the moves Iron Hands knows. Wild Charge inflicts damage, and the user receives recoil damage equal to 1/4 of the damage done to the target. Volt Switch is an electric attack that switches the user out with another Pokémon just like U-Turn does.
Drain Punch is an attacking move that restores up to half the damage taken by the target. Fake Out is an attack that hits first and makes the target flinch. It works only on the first turn each time the user enters battle. Iron Hands is another primary damage dealer for the team. Iron Hands is weak to Ground, Psychic, and Fairy-type Pokémon.
Wrap-Up
This double-battle team was fun to use. I didn’t get as much time with this team as I do with all the others. Out of 7 matches, I won 6 of them just by diving in and getting a feel for the team. Shout out to the 2023 World Champion Shohei Kimura for this excellent put-together Pokémon team. This is one of the first teams I have used where the majority of the members can dish out some good damage. If there is a team you want to see me cover let me know and I will try to make it happen. Stay tuned for more Pokémon battle team coverage in the future.
