Latest News & Analysis

By Ana Hoffman, Contributing Writer

Pokémon GO is joining the action in London this August at the 2022 Pokémon World Championships (Worlds)! Ever since watching the exciting showcase invitational at the 2019 World Championships in Washington, DC, and competing in independent tournaments, Trainers have been battling hard to earn their chance at becoming the inaugural Pokémon GO World Champion.

The Pokémon GO World Championships will be a special experience for competitors and spectators alike. There are so many questions leading into the event, including which Pokémon and strategies to expect, how players will handle the two-day event—and, of course, who will finish on top!

To help set the stage for the tournament, we’ll take a look at the top Pokémon you can expect to see—as well as a few that might surprise you—and get to know some of the top players you’ll get a chance to watch live from London at Twitch.tv/PokemonGO over the course of Worlds from Friday, August 19, 2022, to Saturday, August 20, 2022.

Pokémon GO’s first appearance in the Play! Pokémon Series was at Liverpool in March 2022, with the winning team featuring Nidoqueen, Walrein, Defense Forme Deoxys, Cresselia, Scrafty, and Diggersby. Four of those Pokémon are notably vulnerable to Mandibuzz’s Fast Attack Air Slash, a surprising change from the more common Fast Attack Snarl. This important distinction was key to Aeeriis’s success in the following event, the Europe International Championships (EUIC). Though somewhat niche at the time, using Mandibuzz with Air Slash allowed Aeeriis to take out copycats of the previous Regional Champion while having an advantage against any Sableye, Medicham, and Trevenant brought to the tournament.

Mandibuzz rounded out Aeeriis’s team, which otherwise featured five of the main six Pokémon mentioned previously—Sableye, Medicham, Walrein, Registeel, and Galarian Stunfisk. While it’s unclear if the Bone Vulture Pokémon will accompany Aeeriis to Worlds in London, his comfort and familiarity with the core meta will assuredly serve him well, and whether Mandibuzz—or another anti-meta pick—comes along for the ride, his plays are sure to engage the crowd.

Lickitung is another Pokémon that’s been gaining more time in the spotlight after a previous top finish, this time by second-place Liverpool finalist Statastan. While the Joinville tournament was, unfortunately, not covered on a livestream, Zarddy’s dominance with Lickitung was the signal of a metagame shift that would be felt in subsequent tournaments. Zarddy’s use of this Normal type was clearly in response to the increasing frequency of double Ghost-type teams, like Kieng’s, that proved weak to the Licking Pokémon. Lickitung’s Charged Attacks Body Slam and Power Whip allow it to be a neutral matchup powerhouse while hitting hard against teams with multiple Water types, such as Kieng’s from Indianapolis.

Zarddy rounded out his team with Swampert, Walrein, Defense Forme Deoxys, Mandibuzz, and Trevenant. Whether or not he brings Lickitung to London, it is sure to be on many teams fighting for first place. And other picks from Zarddy—such as his Swampert—seem to have increased in power from subsequent meta shifts and would look great on a London lineup.

While Robdrogo was squashing Araquanid in Perth, on the other side of the world IDexxBI had an Araquanid vs. Araquanid face-off in the finals against JBGWinsenHSV. The merits of this Water- and Bug-type Pokémon are not hard to see: beyond operating as the best answer to Walrein in the meta, it is also strong against Sableye, Medicham, and Trevenant. Looking back at Zarddy’s team—keeping in mind that the Lille tournament was held the same weekend as Perth—it’s clear that Araquanid would have a lot of play against Swampert, Walrein, Deoxys, and Trevenant, and that IDexxBI would surely have an upper hand against those following trends.

Accompanying the Water Bubble Pokémon were Shadow Swampert, Sableye, Walrein, Registeel, and Talonflame. The winning teams of these recent Regional Championships are more likely to stay viable for Worlds, and IDexxBI’s team is a lineup that I could see continuing as-is into the London tournament.

A Champion who needs no introduction, Hsineerg showed up to Vancouver with an unconventional anti-meta powerhouse in Shadow Ninetales using the even less conventional

Fast Attack Ember. The Fire-type Ninetales put in serious work for Hsineerg throughout the tournament, threatening the new arrival Araquanid while putting the hurt on the common meta Steel-type Pokémon as well as Walrein and Trevenant. Hsineerg’s Ninetales also made any Trainer who brought the Ice- and Fairy-type Alolan Ninetales to battle—such as against her final opponent, DaiLapCheurng—immediately regret their decision.

Of all the meta shifts in the series, this is undeniably the largest: a Pokémon rarely seen with the Fast Attack Ember suddenly became synonymous with the Trainer and her playstyle. Hsineerg stands out as a Champion with a true ace Pokémon.

Accompanying the Fox Pokémon on Hsineerg’s team were Medicham, Shadow Walrein, Registeel, Mandibuzz, and Trevenant. Her team composition was expertly crafted to handle the core metagame, and the pairing of Shadow Ninetales with Mandibuzz was seen in the majority of her matches that made it onto the livestream. While other Trainers’ teams are up in the air, it would be very surprising to not see Hsineerg’s signature Ninetales in London. Regardless of her party lineup, Hsineerg is a clear fan favorite heading into the World Championships.

ItsAXN’s second time in the Top Cut was far more successful than his first venture in Indianapolis back in May. Going undefeated in any of these tournaments is a tough task, and ItsAXN’s perfect run through one of Pokémon GO’s toughest competitions to date is nothing short of amazing. While Shadow Nidoqueen saw play throughout the series—from the Liverpool Regionals all the way to the NAIC—its frequency in battle is clearly on the rise and ItsAXN’s dominance reflects that. In addition to offering meta-wide pressure, Shadow Nidoqueen is notably favored against Shadow Ninetales as well as Obstagoon, which made a resurgence in tournaments between the Vancouver Regionals and the NAIC. Appearing on three of the final four teams and seeing frequent play in post-NAIC community tournaments, Nidoqueen is a sure bet for London in some capacity.

ItsAXN’s other team members were Lickitung, Swampert, Sableye, Medicham, and Shadow Walrein, which offered him a good deal of anti-Nidoqueen play between those Ice-, Ground-, and Ghost-type Pokémon. Being the most recent Champion—save for whomever will advance from the Last Chance Qualifier in London—ItsAXN’s team will be under heavy scrutiny, and his decision whether to stick with that lineup or adjust it will have to be an extensively considered one. Regardless of the party he brings, it won’t be a surprise if we see ItsAXN in the Top Cut of the Worlds tournament in London.

While we’ve taken a look at a number of the flashiest competitors to expect at the World Championships, there will many, many more Trainers in attendance ready to battle. Keep an eye out for players you might not have caught at previous events, but who have been preparing just as hard for their big chance to win it all in London!

Whether you’re rooting for amazing Azumarill achievements or a shadowy sweep, the 2022 Pokémon World Championships are assuredly a great time for competitive Pokémon GO fans. Be sure to catch the action August 19–20 at Twitch.tv/PokemonGO.