Pok\u00e9mon Scarlet<\/em> and Violet<\/em> VGC players are struggling to defeat a mysterious team featuring two Pok\u00e9mon rarely seen in competitive play\u2014Dewgong and Gloom.<\/p>
With Scarlet<\/em> and Violet<\/em>\u2019s first restricted format, Regulation G<\/a>, starting May 1, many VGC players are busy practicing on the very popular battle simulator, Pok\u00e9mon Showdown<\/em>. As with every new format, the meta shifts, and players need to figure out what works. One of the main focuses of Regulation G is the introduction of restricted Legendary Pok\u00e9mon<\/a> like Calyrex Shadow Rider, Terapagos, Miraidon, and Zamazenta<\/a>.<\/p>
![\"Dewgong](\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Pokemon-Dewgong-Gloom.jpg?w=640\")
However, there\u2019s a very unusual team floating around right now, and the restricted Legendary is the least of everyone\u2019s worries. Instead, it\u2019s Dewgong and Gloom catching everyone off guard, defeating top players like 2023 Europe International champ Paul Chua<\/a>.<\/p>
Chua claimed<\/a> he \u201cgot cooked\u201d by the bizarre team featuring Dewgong, Gloom, Ting-Lu, Armarouge, female Indeedee, and Lunala. This can often be the case with gimmicky teams and closed teamsheets because you just don\u2019t know what to expect. I\u2019ve never seen Dewgong or Gloom in VGC, let alone in Reg G, so I\u2019d have no idea what these two were capable of if I suddenly ran into them on the ladder.<\/p>
According to players who faced the team, the Dewgong had two main gimmicks: Powering up Armarouge<\/a> and clicking a one-hit knockout (OHKO) move with Quick Claw<\/a>. Dewgong uses Aqua Jet on the ally Armarouge to activate the Fire\/Psychic-type\u2019s Weakness Policy, boosting its offensive stats by two stages. Combine that with female Indeedee\u2019s Psychic Terrain and Armarouge can do its usual thing and spam Expanding Force to deal massive spread damage. And because this requires Dewgong to attack its teammate, it likely has an underwhelming Attack stat that can be overridden by the inaccurate OHKO move, Horn Drill.<\/p>
As for the Gloom, players suspect<\/a> it might\u2019ve also had a cheeky gimmick up its sleeve. Unlike its evolutions, Gloom is one of the few Pok\u00e9mon that gets access to the Stench Ability, which adds a chance to flinch the target with damaging moves. When this is combined with multi-hit moves like Bullet Seed and the Loaded Dice, this stinky Pok\u00e9mon has a fairly high chance of getting that annoying flinch.<\/p>
