Welcome, Trainers! Stepping into the world of competitive Pokémon, or VGC (Video Game Championships), can feel like a big leap. With unique rules, complex strategies, and a constantly shifting metagame, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. But fear not! This guide will break down how to build your very first team for VGC Regulation H in Pokémon Scarlet & Violet.
Regulation H is a “restricted” format, meaning it allows the most powerful Legendary Pokémon to enter the fray. This guide will help you understand the rules, choose your all-stars, and build a balanced team ready for battle.
A Deep Dive into Regulation H
Before we build, let’s understand the battlefield. In VGC, every few months, the rules change to keep the game fresh. These rule sets are called “Regulations.”
Regulation H is defined by one key rule: you can have up to two “Restricted Legendary” Pokémon on your team. These are the incredibly powerful Pokémon that are usually banned from competitive play, often the “box art” mascots from each game.
- Format: Double Battles
- Team Size: Bring 6 Pokémon to Team Preview.
- Battle Size: Choose 4 of your 6 Pokémon to use in each battle.
- Key Rule: Your team of 6 may include up to two Restricted Legendary Pokémon.
Examples of Restricted Pokémon include:
- Koraidon & Miraidon
- Kyogre & Groudon
- Zacian & Zamazenta
- Calyrex (and its Rider forms)
- Lugia & Ho-Oh
Choosing which two to build around is the first and most important step in your journey.
Competitive Corner: Your 5-Step Team Building Plan
Building a VGC team is like solving a puzzle. Each Pokémon is a piece that should support the others. Here’s a simple, five-step process to construct a solid team.
Step 1: Choose Your Restricted Core
Your two restricted Pokémon are the heart of your team. Their synergy will define your strategy. Don’t just pick your two favorites; think about how they work together.
- Sun Core (Koraidon + Groudon): Koraidon’s Orichalcum Pulse sets up harsh sunlight, which in turn powers up Groudon’s Fire-type attacks and its signature move, Precipice Blades. This is a hyper-offensive core that wants to hit hard and fast.
- Rain/Terrain Core (Miraidon + Kyogre): Kyogre’s Drizzle sets up rain, boosting the power of its Water Spout. Miraidon’s Hadron Engine sets Electric Terrain, boosting its Electric-type attacks and making it impossible for grounded Pokémon to fall asleep. Together, they overwhelm opponents with powerful special attacks.
- Speed & Power (Calyrex-Shadow + Zacian): Calyrex-Shadow is one of the fastest Pokémon in the game, hitting both opponents with Astral Barrage. Zacian provides immense physical pressure with its Behemoth Blade. This duo focuses on out-speeding and knocking out threats before they can move.
Step 2: Add Your Support Pokémon
Now, you need Pokémon that help your restricted duo shine. Good support Pokémon cover your weaknesses, disrupt the opponent, and control the flow of battle.
A common strategy is to build a Fire-Water-Grass or Fairy-Dragon-Steel core. These typings cover each other’s weaknesses well.
- Incineroar: The king of VGC support. Its Intimidate ability lowers both opponents’ Attack stats. With Fake Out, it can make an opponent flinch for a turn, and Parting Shot lets it pivot out while lowering the target’s stats.
- Amoonguss: A premier defensive support. Spore can put a threatening Pokémon to sleep, and Rage Powder redirects attacks away from your restricted powerhouses. Its Regenerator ability gives it fantastic longevity.
- Rillaboom: Provides Grassy Terrain, which offers passive healing and weakens Earthquake. It also gets Fake Out for disruption and U-turn for pivoting.
Step 3: Master Speed Control
In a Double Battle, attacking first is often the key to victory. You must have a way to manipulate the turn order.
- Tailwind: Doubles your team’s Speed for four turns. Tornadus is the best Tailwind setter due to its Prankster ability, which gives its status moves priority.
- Trick Room: Reverses the turn order for five turns, making slow Pokémon move first. If your restricted core is slow (like Groudon or Ursaluna-Bloodmoon), a Trick Room setter like Cresselia or Farigiraf is essential.
- Speed-Reducing Moves: Moves like Icy Wind (from Pokémon like Iron Bundle) or Electroweb (from Pokémon like Regieleki) lower the Speed of both opponents.
Step 4: Find a Flex Attacker
You have your restricted core (2), your support (1-2), and your speed control (1). Your last one or two slots should be filled by flexible Pokémon that can counter common strategies or provide extra offensive pressure.
- Urshifu (Rapid Strike Style): Its signature move, Surging Strikes, always results in a critical hit and hits through Protect, making it incredibly reliable.
- Flutter Mane: An insanely fast and powerful special attacker that threatens Dragon, Ghost, and Dark types.
- Iron Hands: A bulky attacker with access to Fake Out and the powerful Drain Punch for recovery. It functions well in or out of Trick Room.
Step 5: Putting It All Together (Sample Build)
Let’s look at what a finished team might look like conceptually.
- Slot 1 (Restricted): Koraidon
- Slot 2 (Restricted): Groudon
- Slot 3 (Support): Incineroar
- Slot 4 (Speed Control): Tornadus (with Tailwind)
- Slot 5 (Flex Attacker): Urshifu-Rapid Strike
- Slot 6 (Flex Support): Amoonguss
This team has a clear plan: use Koraidon and Groudon under the sun, support them with Incineroar’s Intimidate and Fake Out, set up Tailwind with Tornadus, and use Urshifu and Amoonguss to handle specific threats.
Here is a sample Incineroar build to get you started:
- Item: Sitrus Berry
- Ability: Intimidate
- Tera Type: Grass (to resist Water and Ground moves)
- Moves: Flare Blitz, Knock Off, Fake Out, Parting Shot
- EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 100 Def / 148 SpD / 4 Spe (Adamant Nature)
From Concept to Cartridge: Getting Your Team In-Game
Once you’ve designed your team on paper (or using a pokemon team builder like Pokémon Showdown), you need to get them ready in Scarlet or Violet.
- Obtain the Pokémon: Catch them in the wild, through Tera Raids, or by breeding. Restricted Legendaries are typically caught during the main story or DLC.
- Perfect their Stats:
- IVs (Individual Values): Use Bottle Caps to “Hyper Train” your Pokémon’s stats at Montenevera, assuming they are Level 50 or higher.
- EVs (Effort Values): Use Vitamins (like HP Up, Protein) for quick EV training, or battle specific Pokémon while holding a Power Item (e.g., Power Weight).
- Set Abilities, Natures, and Moves:
- Use an Ability Patch or Ability Capsule to get the desired Ability.
- Use Mints (e.g., Adamant Mint, Modest Mint) to change your Pokémon’s effective Nature.
- Craft TMs and use the Move Relearner to get your desired moveset.
- Choose a Tera Type: Head to the Treasure Eatery in Medali to change your Pokémon’s Tera Type for 50 Tera Shards. This is one of the most important strategic choices in Scarlet & Violet!
The Lore of VGC: A Trainer’s Tradition
The Pokémon Video Game Championships (VGC) has been the official competitive circuit since 2009. Its core identity is the Double Battle format, which emphasizes synergy, positioning, and strategy far more than Single Battles. The “Bring 6, Pick 4” system adds another layer of skill, as you must predict what your opponent will bring and choose your best four Pokémon to counter them.
The rotating “Regulations” like Regulation H are a modern tradition designed to keep the game exciting. By changing which Pokémon are allowed, the metagame never gets stale, forcing trainers to constantly innovate and adapt—the true mark of a Pokémon Master.
Trainer’s Final Thoughts
Building your first competitive team is a rite of passage. It’s a journey of discovery, learning, and a lot of trial and error. Don’t be discouraged if your first team doesn’t win every battle. Every loss is a lesson.
Key Takeaways:
- Start with a synergistic pair of restricted Pokémon.
- Build around them with strong support and speed control.
- Always have a plan for how your team will win the game.
The most important rule is to have fun! Use the Pokémon you love and learn their strengths and weaknesses. To continue your journey, check out these amazing resources:
- Pikalytics: A website that shows usage stats, common builds, and teammates for every Pokémon in VGC.
- Victory Road VGC: A hub for VGC news, tournament results, and in-depth articles.
- Pokémon Showdown: A free online battle simulator where you can build and test teams instantly.
Now go out there and build something amazing. I’ll see you on the battlefield