The Pokemon VGC community was shaken up after it was officially announced that the format was shifting to Regulation D just in time for the Pokemon World Championships.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's format will be officially changing to Regulation D from July 1 to September 30, 2023. This includes some upcoming regionals as well as Pokemon Worlds, a massive event held in Japan this year. In response, the competitive Pokemon VGC community has reacted with frustration, concern, and anger.
Ever since the Pokemon games had a competitive scene, trainers would play the same format the entire season - from January until Worlds. In 2019, three formats occurred in one year to make room for mechanics featured in new releases. The community felt it was a bit chaotic and the one-format-a-season returned in 2022 when the competitive scene returned.
The formats are now known as Regulation this season. In Regulation B, Paradox Pokemon were introduced to the competitive scene. Then Treasures of Ruin was added in Regulation C. Now, Regulation D will introduce new Pokemon that have been transferred over from Pokemon HOME.
This includes Persian, Alolan Muk, Zapdos, Galarian Moltres, Heatran, Cresselia, Landorus, Urshifu, Regieleki, Ursaluna, and more. These Pokemon introduce moves and other factors that make them automatically stronger than most of the existing Pokemon, forcing trainers to change up their rosters to either include them or counter them. Some, like Regieleki, have even been called "broken" due to how big of an impact they will have on the current meta.
By adding in these extremely powerful Pokemon, the game will change significantly. Changing the meta right before Worlds is not sitting well with the competitive community.
"It's not going to be good for the viewing experience. The more casual you are as a Pokemon viewer, the more likely it is you don't like Legendary Pokemon," said VGC competitor Wolfe Glick. "It's also not good for accessibility. Catching these Pokemon was miserable in Arceus. Do you have to reset the game [to get Pokemon with different stats]?"
The timing of Regulation D is unprecedented. This is the first time that Pokemon has made such a massive change right before the World Championships. Of course, this has been a frustrating point for competitors who were grinding with their previous gang of Pokemon.
On top of the timing, Regulation D also comes with some Pokemon that have caused quite a bit of controversy in the past for being overpowered. Many current meta Pokemon will become useless and the meta itself will have to shift drastically to counter and include these new Pokemon.
While the new Pokemon are definitely a hot talking point, others have noted that many popular 'mon will be illegal. This means that some trainers will have to re-think their entire strategy going into Worlds.
Of course, not everyone is devastated. Some Pokemon VGC fans said that the new format sounds "lit" and are excited to see how the chaos unfolds. Many have already started creating their new teams based on the new meta.
It's not unheard of to see massive rule changes and updates ahead of other esports like League of Legends and Overwatch 2. This has often been a topic of discussion in these esports as well, with fans wondering if the constant changing will stress pro players out and not allow them to fully perfect their strategies and skills. But others have felt it's a way to keep the game fresh and keep players on their toes, forcing them to prove their versatility.