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VGC 2026 Reg H Updated

VGC 2026 Regulation H tier list

The Pokémon defining VGC 2026 Reg H. No legendaries, no Paradox forms, no Treasures of Ruin. Just the dex sandbox you remember from late VGC 2020.

5 tiers · 27 Pokémon ranked
S
Centralizing threats

Every team has an answer to these three or it loses to them on Day 1.

Dragapult No. 887 Dragapult Gholdengo No. 1000 Gholdengo Ting-Lu No. 1003 Ting-Lu
A+
Cornerstones

Show up on more than 25% of competitive teams. Pick one or have a hard counter.

Garchomp No. 445 Garchomp Metagross No. 376 Metagross Umbreon No. 197 Umbreon Duraludon No. 884 Duraludon Okidogi No. 1014 Okidogi
A
Reliable picks

Strong matchup spreads, well-defined roles, multiple viable item slots.

Tyranitar No. 248 Tyranitar Greninja No. 658 Greninja Gardevoir No. 282 Gardevoir Sylveon No. 700 Sylveon Whimsicott No. 547 Whimsicott Aegislash No. 681 Aegislash Ursaluna No. 901 Ursaluna Tinkaton No. 959 Tinkaton
B
Niche but workable

Need teammate support to shine, but reward correct piloting with format-defining wins.

Aegislash No. 681 Aegislash Quagsire No. 195 Quagsire Excadrill No. 530 Excadrill Lycanroc No. 745 Lycanroc Alcremie No. 869 Alcremie Dragapult No. 887 Dragapult
C
Off-meta sleepers

Reg H surprise pulls. Decent matchup vs the top of S/A but get walled by anything they haven't preview-scouted.

Milotic No. 350 Milotic Weavile No. 461 Weavile Bronzong No. 437 Bronzong Mimikyu No. 778 Mimikyu Dipplin No. 1011 Dipplin

What changed for Reg H

Reg H strips out the Treasures of Ruin trio, the Paradox forms, and all legendaries. What you’re left with is one of the largest legal dex windows VGC has had in years — over 800 species back on the table. The format is wider than Reg G but flatter at the top. There’s no Tornadus-Flutter Mane axis to build around, so the meta is being defined by what fits into multiple archetypes, not what wins by raw stat-stick.

Three early observations from the first three regional events:

  1. Speed control is fragmented. Without the Booster Energy ecosystem, Trick Room teams have a real comeback path. Indeedee-F + Hatterene is being reported on roughly 12% of Day 2 squads.
  2. The Iron Hands archetype died, but the redirector + heavy hitter shell didn’t. Amoonguss + Garchomp + Rillaboom is the new economy build. Cheap, durable, doesn’t lose to surprise picks.
  3. Tera Stellar is overrepresented at the top end. Stellar lets you preserve the surprise factor — opponents can’t read your Tera-type pivot at preview. Expect a ban-or-restrict discussion mid-format.

Sample core

If you’re starting from scratch this week, this is the shortest path to “competitive at locals”:

  • Amoonguss — spore + rage-powder, Sitrus Berry, defensive Tera
  • Garchomp — sash or Loaded Dice, Earthquake / Dragon Claw / Protect / Stealth Rock
  • Hatterene — Trick Room setter + Dazzling Gleam fallback
  • Iron Bundle replacement (Reg H-legal): try Greninja with Choice Specs or Inteleon if you want the speed tier

What we’re watching

The May 24 regional in Charlotte will be the first time a top-cut field plays with full Tera Stellar awareness. If Stellar usage exceeds 40%, expect the developers to clarify or restrict. Update this list after the event.

For the full list of legal species, check the VGC Reg H rulebook on Pokemon.com. We update this tier list when format changes or major events shift the meta.