Regulation H in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet VGC is a major shift to the competitive ruleset that drastically changes the meta.
After the power creep chaos of Regulation G with everyone having to play around titans like Calyrex-Shadow, Miraidon, and Raging Bolt, Regulation H bans all restricted Pokémon and all Legendary and Paradox ‘mon as well.
Top-tier threats in Pokémon VGC’s Regulation H
Regulation H is the first time since the early days of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet ranked battles that Paradox Pokémon aren’t allowed. This throws the vast majority of meta team comps out the window, with major threats like Flutter Mane, Iron Hands, and Walking Wake no longer around.
You can’t just go back to your Regulation A team comps either, though, because all of the non-Legendary and Paradox Pokémon added in the Teal Mask and Indigo Disk DLCs are still here to cause commotion, and the lowered power level may give some of them space to shine.
Incineroar
Let’s just get Incineroar out of the way early. There’s no need to sing this Pokémon’s praises to any competitive players here. The Fire-Dark cat has brought terror in its wake since touching down in the Indigo Disk DLC.
Its power level is high enough that it was still a mainstay supporting Pokémon all through Regulation G, so there’s no reason to believe it won’t continue to dominate in Regulation H. If you’re not putting Incineroar on your team, then you better be sure you’re building your team around the endless number of Incineroars you will inevitably have to battle.
Ursaluna Bloodmoon
Setting up Trick Room and spamming Blood Moon was a win condition for Ursaluna Bloodmoon all through Regulation G, and that means a lowered power level only increases how much every player needs to plan around this tanky behemoth. If you have Ursaluna Bloodmoon on your team, be prepared for all manner of strategies meant to block your Trick Room, along with lots of Ghost Tera Types trying to prevent Blood Moon from making contact.
Gholdengo
With Calyrex-Shadow and Flutter Mane out of the picture, it’s time for Gholdengo to make it rain once again. Granted, Incineroar is still, unfortunately, a hard counter to this golden Pokémon, but if you can build a team around getting threats like Incineroar and Gothitelle out of the way and then sending Gholdengo out, especially if it has a defensive Tera Type like Water, this could be your new star offensive sweeper.
Dondozo/Tatsugiri
The Dondozo-Tatsugiri power couple terrorized early Scarlet and Violet VGC and has largely fallen to the wayside in recent rulesets due to some combination of the increasing power level and players learning how to get around this strong pair. Regulation H could see these two come back, though, with the power level returning to a state that makes Commander Tatsugiri look very tempting.
This pair is very threatening to many of the other top-tier Pokémon on this list, like Incineroar and Ursaluna Bloodmoon, which only increases the likelihood that Dondozo and Tatsugiri are coming back as answers to these overpowered problems.
Archaludon
Archaludon has seen some success since its introduction in the Indigo Disk DLC, and the removal of Raging Bolt will increase its stock as a premier bulky sweeper. Granted, one of Archaludon’s best partners, Kyogre, is no longer allowed, but other rain setters, like Pelipper and maybe even Politoed, are still available to power up Electro Shot.
Metagross
Metagross was consistently a problem throughout the history of VGC, but it hasn’t seen much play during its short time in Scarlet and Violet. Regulation H may change that, with so many overpowered Pokémon off the table, Metagross starts to look better and better.
Much like Gholdengo, one of Metagross’s biggest problems is its Incineroar hard counter due to a Steel-Psychic typing, but its Clear Body ability does prevent Intimidate and Parting Shot, which means a good Tera Type could quickly turn the tables on an unexpecting enemy.
Indeedee Female
Indeedee Female is one of the best supporting Pokémon in Scarlet and Violet, and Regulation H is removing its biggest Psychic-type supporting competitor, Cresselia. Without the Sinnoh Legendary, Indeedee Female is suddenly the supreme pick for a Trick Room setter besides Farigaraf. Take advantage of Indeedee’s Psychic Surge hidden ability by pairing it with another threatening Psychic-type Pokémon like Armarouge or the aforementioned Metagross.
Rillaboom
Similar to Incineroar and Ursaluna Bloodmoon, Rillaboom’s presence in the restricted format likely means its pick rate will only increase in Regulation H. The combination of Rillaboom’s Grassy Surge ability with moves like Grassy Glide and Wood Hammer just makes it so threatening, and this lowered power level could see a popularity boost for Pokémon that pair well with Grassy Terrain like Meowscarada and Venasaur, making Rillaboom that much more useful.
