Pokémon VGC regionals make a big return in Salt Lake City

Live Pokémon Video Game Competitions (VGC) are back and they’re already better than ever. After two long years without live competition, VGC regionals finally returned to Brisbane, Salt Lake City and Liverpool over the past few weekends in March.

Plenty of players traveled and competed for the chance to win circuit points (CP) en route to the Pokémon World Championship, but being able to see old friends and compete across from another human being really made the experience special. Competition is important in the Pokémon community, but at the end of the day, there’s nothing more valuable than connecting and bonding with other players over the love of VGC and Pokémon in general.

Although live competition was largely postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, online competition thrived in its place -- especially with The Pokémon Company International (TPCi) hosting four online “Players Cup” events. Prominent players like Wolfe “Wolfey” Glick continued to thrive in these events, but they were largely a placeholder for a community hungry to compete in person again. North America’s first regional, Salt Lake City, was an incredible display of the value of live competition and what everybody had been missing since early 2020.

The return of emotional support Pokémon

When players compete in both VGC and the Pokémon Trading Card Game, it’s not uncommon to see mascots sprinkled across the venue as the day’s matches proceed. It might be a player’s favorite Pokémon or even the Pokémon leading their team during the regional. Either way, it’s a genuine display of love for the little monsters that fuel the franchise and competitions that follow.

Whacky teams take center stage

Online competitions require just as much skill as offline competitions, but they certainly change the game. Due to the anonymous and private nature of online events, players are required to disclose their full teams as well their respective movesets and items in order to avoid cheating. This makes for more optimal decision-making between players, but hinders the success of niche strategies.

Max Simon brought Butterfree and Pikachu to Salt Lake City, and while most fans know them as lovable Pokémon from the franchise’s debut, they’re far from traditionally competitive. Even so, Simon’s Butterfree used Sleep Power and Rage Powder to great success as a surprise support Pokémon. There are stronger choices out there, but live competition allows players to flex their favorites that much more.

The return of a live broadcast

Video games lend themselves well to remote broadcast production, but there’s no doubt that in-person casting and production is on a completely different level. Broadcasters and fans feed into each other at live events and make the competition that much more memorable. Rosemary “Nekkra” Kelley and Gabby “SimplyGabby” Snyder among others were jubilant to be at a live venue again, noting several times that “it feels good to be back” during the Salt Lake City stream. As regionals continue to take place in numerous cities across the world, the human element of live broadcasting will continue to elevate the liveliness of competitive Pokémon.

A new champion

With new competition comes new champions, and this time around it was none other than Chongjun Peng. Peng is a relatively new face to VGC and Salt Lake City was his first major regional finish, making it that much more impressive that he ended up winning the whole thing. More than that, he won the whole tournament without dropping a single set -- amassing a perfect 11-0 record. Peng has a lot of work to do before he becomes a household name, but he’s already proven that anyone can step up and be a top-tier competitor if they put in the work.

Lead photo credit: Screengrab via The Pokémon Company International's YouTube channel.