The Pokémon Scarlet and Violet Toronto Regionals showcased a variety of creative teams, but the winning team was surprisingly the same one that triumphed in a tournament in France just a week prior. Chuppa Cross IV emerged as the new Toronto Regionals champion, utilizing a formidable lineup consisting of Chien-Pao, Flutter Mane, Rillaboom, Urshifu, Tornadus, and Hisuian Arcanine. Interestingly, this exact team composition was also employed by Simone Sanvito to secure victory at the Lille Regionals in France. This further solidifies the notion that Hisuian Arcanine is an exceptional choice in the current Scarlet and Violet metagame.
Upon closer examination of Cross and Sanvito’s teams, only two minor discrepancies can be found. One Urshifu had Protect, while the other had Detect—two moves serving the same purpose. Additionally, the Tornadus on each team possessed different Tera Types, with Steel providing maximum resistance and Ghost offering protection against Normal attacks such as Fake Out and Extreme Speed.
The consecutive victories achieved by these identical six Pokémon teams raise questions about the evolving meta as a whole. Notably, the dominant presence of Ogerpon, which had previously reigned supreme under the Regulation E ruleset, was conspicuously absent. Both the Hearthflame and Wellspring Ogerpon forms had consistently ranked among the top 12 most-used Pokémon in recent regionals but failed to make an impact in Toronto.
Surprisingly, only two Ogerpon teams managed to secure a spot in the top eight, featuring the rarely seen Teal form and Cornerstone form, while the more popular Ogerpon forms were nowhere to be found. Instead, professional players have been gravitating towards Rillaboom and Amoonguss for Grass-type representation, Urshifu and Iron Bundle for Water-type coverage, and Heatran and Hisuian Arcanine for Fire-type prowess. Although Ogerpon remains a formidable threat in the format, this shift suggests that players are becoming more adept at countering the DLC Legendary.
Another noteworthy contender is Hisuian Arcanine, which pro player Neil Patel aptly dubbed the “Least Expected Most Successful Pokemon in Regulation E.” Since its introduction in Regulation D, Hisuian Arcanine has stealthily climbed the rankings and emerged victorious in multiple tournaments, overshadowing its original Gen I counterpart. Its status as arguably the best Intimidate user in the meta is particularly impressive, considering it competes against the likes of Landorus, one of the most notorious threats in VGC history.
The future performance of Hisuian Arcanine will be intriguing to observe once its fellow Fire-type Intimidate user, Incineroar, re-enters VGC. This is expected to occur after the release of The Indigo Disk, which will introduce Incineroar and other Starters from Generation IX into the competitive scene.
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Source: DOTESPORTS
