Mid-Week Smoke #9 results: sun balance leads Regulation Set M-B
Mid-Week Smoke #9 results: sun balance leads Regulation Set M-B
Mid-Week Smoke #9 was a 32-player Pokemon Champions Regulation Set M-B online tournament played on Limitless on 2026-08-19. The final round listed marksparrow170 vs binz, with binz winning, while the published standings were led by Niel Arveen Serrato [PH] at 6-2-0.
| Place | Player | Record | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Niel Arveen Serrato [PH] | 6-2-0 | Sylveon / Venusaur / Charizard / Aerodactyl / Garchomp / Incineroar |
| 2 | Mark Ian Abayon [PH] | 6-2-0 | Whimsicott / Garchomp / Basculegion / Kingambit / Eternal Flower Floette / Charizard |
| 3 | Czarina Sy [PH] | 5-2-0 | Gengar / Swampert / Incineroar / Politoed / Archaludon / Vivillon |
| 4 | Mohammad Libao [PH] | 4-3-0 | Floette / Aerodactyl / Sinistcha / Sneasler / Kingambit / Incineroar |
Niel Arveen Serrato’s first-place team was built around a clean sun offense shell with several practical doubles tools. Charizard held Charizardite Y and carried Heat Wave, Weather Ball, Ancient Power, and Protect, giving the team immediate spread pressure. Venusaur paired with it through Chlorophyll and Life Orb, using Leaf Storm, Sludge Bomb, Earth Power, and Protect to convert sun turns into fast offensive pressure.
The supporting cast made the team less one-dimensional. Aerodactyl with Aerodactylite, Unnerve, Tailwind, and Wide Guard provided both speed control and protection against opposing spread attacks. Garchomp added a second physical attacker with White Herb, Rough Skin, Earthquake, Dragon Claw, Stomping Tantrum, and Protect. Incineroar supplied the familiar Intimidate, Fake Out, Parting Shot, Flare Blitz, and Darkest Lariat package, while Bright Powder gave it a distinct item choice compared to the more common defensive berries seen elsewhere. Sylveon rounded out the six with Fairy Feather, Pixilate, Detect, Hyper Voice, Hyper Beam, and Yawn, giving the team a strong Fairy-type spread option plus a way to force awkward positioning.
The top tables showed several repeated pieces. Charizard appeared on the first, second, and seventh-place teams, all with Charizardite Y. Aerodactyl was also prominent, showing up in first, fourth, and eighth, with Tailwind and Rock Slide present on each of those sets. Incineroar remained a major glue Pokemon, appearing in first, third, and fourth with Intimidate and Parting Shot each time.
There was also a clear preference for flexible speed control. Tailwind appeared on Aerodactyl, Whimsicott, Talonflame, and Pelipper among the listed top teams, while Trick Room showed up on Farigiraf and Gallade. Weather was another major theme: sun cores with Charizard and Venusaur placed first and seventh, rain elements appeared through Politoed and Pelipper, and Joshua De Jose’s fifth-place team leaned into Blizzard pressure with Froslass and Glaceon.
Item trends were similarly practical. Focus Sash appeared on Whimsicott, Vivillon, Venusaur, Sneasler, Gallade, and Aerodactyl across the top eight. Sitrus Berry was used by Garchomp, Politoed, Incineroar, Azumarill, Pelipper, and Gholdengo. Life Orb was seen on Venusaur, Basculegion, Talonflame, and Milotic, showing that straightforward damage boosts still had a strong place in Regulation Set M-B.
Takeaway for ladder players: prepare for Charizardite Y sun teams, but also respect Tailwind, Intimidate, and bulky pivot support around them.
Source: Limitless