The Pokémon Scarlet and Violet Latin America International Championships kicked off with a surprising twist as Roaring Moon, a previously underperforming Paradox Pokémon, emerged as a popular choice among professional players. Despite its initial lackluster performance since its VGC debut in February, Roaring Moon has now become one of the top contenders at LAIC, the first major international tournament of the season.
While The Teal Mask DLC’s Ogerpon initially dominated the competitive meta in Regulation E, the focus has shifted towards Dragon Pokémon, with Roaring Moon stealing the spotlight at LAIC. This Dragon/Dark type Pokémon has secured a spot on 18.2 percent of teams, making it one of the top 12 most-used Pokémon at the event.
During the first day of the tournament, Roaring Moon was featured in five out of nine matches streamed on November 17. Surprisingly, three of these matches showcased a mirror matchup between Roaring Moon teams, highlighting its newfound popularity.
Roaring Moon’s rise to prominence may come as a surprise, considering its previous lack of popularity in the VGC meta. However, Pokémon professionals at LAIC credit top players from the Toronto Regionals for inspiring and popularizing the use of Roaring Moon. VGC veteran Paul Chua shared a tweet showcasing a screenshot from LAIC’s second round of Swiss, where both competitors utilized the same Roaring Moon team that earned Chua second place in Toronto.
Former world champion Eduardo Cunha also acknowledged Toronto Regionals semifinalist Jamie Boyt for popularizing Roaring Moon with the Poison Tera Type. Cunha emphasized how this strategy showcased Roaring Moon’s potential as a valuable Tailwind user, requiring less emphasis on Attack stats as long as it had moves like Knock Off or Breaking Swipe.
Instead of relying solely on Roaring Moon’s offensive capabilities, players are now utilizing it as a support Pokémon for speed control, item removal, and reducing opponents’ Attack stats. The reintroduction of the Knock Off TM in The Teal Mask DLC has been a game-changer for Roaring Moon, according to regional champions Joseph Ugarte and Justin Tang. Knock Off’s ability to remove opponents’ items has proven crucial in a metagame where items play a significant role.
As day one of LAIC showcased, Roaring Moon has become a prominent presence in the tournament. It remains to be seen how many Roaring Moon teams will appear on day two and whether this underdog Pokémon can secure victory in the entire event.
Source: DOTESPORTS
