VGC UmbreNews 22.09.2026 #33 - Champion recap
VGC UmbreNews 22.09.2026 #33 - Champion recap
VGC UmbreNews 22.09.2026 #33 - Champion was a 57-player online tournament on Limitless, played in Pokemon Champions Regulation Set M-C. almondspy finished first at 8-1-0, closing ahead of Dirty, SuBxForce, and Evan M. The listed final round matches were almondspy over lilipup951, lilipup951 over naibot2814, and Dirty over subxforce.
| Place | Player | Record | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | almondspy [GB] | 8-1-0 | Raichu / Eternal Flower Floette / Incineroar / Rillaboom / Gholdengo / Sneasler |
| 2 | Dirty [DE] | 7-2-0 | Lucario / Incineroar / Rillaboom / Gholdengo / Raichu / Basculegion |
| 3 | SuBxForce [US] | 7-1-0 | Raichu / Kommo-o / Rillaboom / Hisuian Arcanine / Kingambit / Froslass |
| 4 | Evan M [US] | 6-2-0 | Salamence / Raichu / Hisuian Arcanine / Gholdengo / Rillaboom / Sneasler |
almondspy’s winning team was built around strong positional play and multiple setup or snowball threats. Raichu with Raichunite Y, Lightning Rod, Fake Out, and Protect gave the team immediate tempo control while also threatening Zap Cannon and Focus Blast. Incineroar and Rillaboom added a second and third Fake Out user, with Intimidate, Parting Shot, Grassy Surge, and priority Grassy Glide all contributing to flexible board control.
The standout structural piece was the pairing of Rillaboom and Sneasler. Sneasler carried Grassy Seed with Unburden, using Close Combat, Dire Claw, Rock Slide, and Protect, while Rillaboom supplied Grassy Surge and strong Grass pressure with Miracle Seed-boosted Wood Hammer and Grassy Glide. That gave almondspy a clear fast mode without needing Tailwind.
The team also had two special win conditions. Eternal Flower Floette used Floettite with Flower Veil, Moonblast, Draining Kiss, Calm Mind, and Protect, giving almondspy a dedicated boosting Fairy-type. Gholdengo rounded out the offense with Life Orb, Good as Gold, Make It Rain, Shadow Ball, Nasty Plot, and Protect. Between Calm Mind Floette, Nasty Plot Gholdengo, and Unburden Sneasler, the team could turn a single free turn into a major advantage.
Across the top cut of standings, Raichu and Rillaboom were the clearest defining picks. Every top-four team used Raichu with Raichunite Y and Lightning Rod, and every top-four team also used Rillaboom with Grassy Surge. Gholdengo was also highly represented, appearing on three of the top four teams, each time with Life Orb, Good as Gold, Make It Rain, Shadow Ball, Nasty Plot, and Protect.
Fake Out pressure was another major trend. The top two teams both used Raichu, Incineroar, and Rillaboom together, creating repeated opportunities to slow the opponent down while positioning a setup attacker. Sneasler also appeared on both the first- and fourth-place teams, though almondspy used Grassy Seed while Evan M used White Herb. Hisuian Arcanine with Focus Sash, Rock Head, Flare Blitz, Head Smash, Extreme Speed, and Protect showed up on both the third- and fourth-place teams.
One-line takeaway for ladder players: Regulation Set M-C rewarded teams that combined Fake Out positioning, Grassy Surge support, and immediate setup threats like Gholdengo or Sneasler.
Source: Limitless