New Champs at the Milwaukee Regionals
Last week, the Pokémon Scarlet and Violet Milwaukee Regionals wrapped up. Two Pokémon, Iron Hands and Gyarados, shook up the finals. They weren’t the ones we expected to see shine.
Many know Flutter Mane and Amoonguss as the top picks. Yet, this time, Iron Hands and Gyarados took the spotlight, even outperforming Flutter Mane and Amoonguss on teams that had all four.
Brian Youm emerged as the new Milwaukee champion. He used Iron Hands and Gyarados to secure his victory, all the way to the finals. You can check out his triumph here.
“Iron Hands and Gyarados were the main players,” said the champ on a Twitch stream post-tournament.
Rising Stars
Iron Hands made a big comeback into the game, more than Flutter Mane in the top eight. It’s impressive because Flutter Mane has been a strong choice since its entry. Flutter Mane was still used by 66.4 percent of the players. But Iron Hands stealing the show in the final rounds really stands out.
Gyarados also shined brighter than many, even when up against similar partners like Arcanine and Amoonguss. These two were part of the “Palafin balance” core that ruled earlier games. Now, Gyarados is doing what they did, only better.
Based on Milwaukee’s data, Gyarados and Arcanine were used about the same amount. But only Gyarados made it to the top 8. Its Ability, Intimidate, lowers the enemy’s Attack. This was key to helping Youm, Tang, and Chua in their matches.
Gyarados also used Thunder Wave a lot. It slowed enemies down and sometimes even made them skip turns. This made Gyarados more annoying than Amoonguss. Plus, Gyarados can hit hard when needed.
New Meta
Iron Hands took the place of Palafin as the top attacker. Gyarados has become a great Water-type choice on many teams, replacing Palafin too.
Pros were worried the game would get boring with too many Palafin Balance teams. But the change in top Pokémon is keeping the game fresh and exciting.
Looking Forward
With the Fresno Regionals and the North America International Championships coming up, everyone’s eager to see how the game continues to evolve. The shake-up in Milwaukee points to an ever-changing and unpredictable battleground.