Tips for getting started in VGC

In VGC you bring 6, pick 4 and start with 2 on the field on each side. Every turn you choose two actions, and what one Pokémon does opens room for the other. That's why strong teams are built around pairs that complement each other.

Across the 15,709 teams from Reg M-C tournaments on Limitless (through October 29, 2026), the most common pairs show exactly that:

Fake Out hits before almost everything and makes the target flinch: it loses its turn. It only works on the Pokémon's first turn on the field. Use it to hold back a threat while your partner sets up Tailwind, Trick Room or Mega Evolves.

In Reg M-C, Fake Out is on 99% of Rillaboom (the most-used Pokémon, on 46% of teams), 100% of Incineroar and 85% of Raichu. So expect to take a Fake Out on turn 1 in almost every game.

• Ghost-type Pokémon are immune to Fake Out, since it's a Normal move. Basculegion, Gholdengo and Sinistcha can come in safely.
• Armor Tail, Farigiraf's ability, blocks priority moves aimed at it and its partner.
• Protect also blocks it, and it's the simplest way.

Protect blocks almost every attack that turn. It looks defensive, but it's offensive: you shield one side while your partner attacks, burn a turn of your opponent's Tailwind or Trick Room and find out what they wanted to do.

Almost every attacker in the meta runs it: Protect is on 99% of Archaludon and Charizard, 98% of Gholdengo and Salamence and 87% of Raichu. Two things to keep in mind:

• Using Protect two turns in a row has only a 1/3 chance of working.
• In Champions, Protect has 8 PP.

In doubles, whoever moves first usually wins the exchange. There are two ways to flip speed in your favor:

Trick Room needs genuinely slow Pokémon, like Incineroar (60 base Speed), Kingambit (50) and Torkoal (20). And since you can't lower IVs in Champions, the slow Pokémon runs 0 SP in Speed and a Speed-lowering alignment. See the Stat Points guide and the speed tiers.

Intimidate lowers both opponents' Attack by 1 stage when the Pokémon comes in. Incineroar runs it in 99% of sets and shows up on 34% of M-C teams. It also has Parting Shot (96%), which lowers Attack and Special Attack and switches out, so it can come back in and Intimidate again.

That's why the meta has ready-made answers to Intimidate:

• Defiant (Kingambit, Annihilape): each stat drop gives +2 Attack.
• Competitive (Milotic): each stat drop gives +2 Special Attack.
• White Herb + Unburden (Sneasler): the herb undoes the drop, gets consumed and Unburden doubles Speed.
• Contrary (Mega Staraptor): flips the drop into a boost.

In team preview you get 90 seconds and see your opponent's 6, but not their items. Before picking your 4, quickly answer:

1. Who controls speed? Look for Tailwind or Trick Room setters.
2. Who has Fake Out and Intimidate? Expect them on turn 1 or switching in mid-game.
3. Which one is likely the Mega? A team can carry more than one stone, but only one Pokémon Mega Evolves.
4. Which of my pairs handles turn 1? Pick your 2 leads for that and keep the other 2 as answers.

In tournaments with open team sheets, you also see your opponent's items, abilities and moves, and reading the game gets much easier. To practice, play with ready-made teams from tournaments, run the numbers on the damage calculator and then join a tournament on Caneko.