Gholdengo’s Strongest Soldier Down Under — A Melbourne Regional Top 16 Team Report

Hi all! I’m Toby Kongmun from Melbourne, Australia. Although I am not new to VGC, the 2023 season was my first since playing in the Junior Division in 2014.

This past weekend I placed 11th at the 2024 Melbourne Regional, the first event in Australia with Day 2 Swiss rounds. I am glad my best result so far comes from my hometown regional. Here is my team report!

Table of Contents

Teambuilding process

When Regulation Set F was announced, I knew immediately I wanted to use Raging Bolt. Its design was just super unique and Thunderclap seemed like a great move. So before my first Premier Challenge of Regulation Set F, I picked out Pokémon that I both liked and thought could do well in the current format.

Raging BoltIncineroarChien PaoOgerpon WellspringDragoniteFlutter Mane

After a bit of testing, I looked at the best performing teams of the Portland Regional, and Zhang Zhe’s team really stuck out to me, however I moved around some items like giving Rillaboom the Assault Vest and swapping out Rapid Strike Style Urshifu to Wellspring Mask Ogerpon.

Raging BoltEnteiChien PaoOgerpon WellspringRillaboomFlutter Mane

I brought this team to the Premier Challenge on the 19th of January, and got top 8 and lost to a Registeel team. The team was quite unprepared for that matchup and it really stuck with me. I continued to bring the same six to a smaller Premier Challenge on the 21st where I won! I knew this team had quite a bit of potential but a few difficult matchups. That was when I thought about my matchup into Registeel teams, hard Trick Room teams and balance teams with a Trick Room option. I thought Nasty Plot Gholdengo could patch these issues quite well and replace Flutter Mane.

That’s when the final standings of the Charlotte Regional were released, and Zhang Zhe used an improved version of his Portland team with many of the same adaptations I made, showing me I was on the right track.

Raging BoltEnteiChien PaoOgerpon WellspringRillaboomGholdengo

These were the six I settled on after the 19th, and had built them in game for a Midseason Showdown on the 26th. During this tournament, I went 4-1 top cutting and finishing top 4, and then once again placed top 4 at a Premier Challenge on the 28th. Only one week out from the Regional at this point, I knew my team was solid, but I made a few tweaks to the spreads to patch a few holes in the team, which will be discussed shortly.

The Team

▶️ Get the team’s paste here!

Normal Sprite

haku (Chien-Pao) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Sword of Ruin
Level: 50
Tera Type: Ghost
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
– Icicle Crash
– Sucker Punch
– Sacred Sword
– Protect

Let’s get the easy one out of the way: this is the standard Chien-Pao set. The 4 Defense EVs are for living an Adamant Choice Scarf Urshifu’s Surging Strikes. I preferred Ghost Tera Type over something like Stellar, as a surprise Terastallization when a Fake Out would secure a game helped me greatly. I only chose Icicle Crash due to having Rillaboom on the team, but I strongly believe it is the GOAT move. It has single-handedly won me sets. I preferred Jolly as I didn’t really need Chien-Pao to take every KO, as I had pieces that could finish the targets off, or have it finish them off with Sucker Punch.

Offensive calcs

Rillaboom 252 Atk Sword of Ruin Chien-Pao Icicle Crash vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Rillaboom: 200-236 (96.6 – 114%) — 75% chance to OHKO

Flutter Mane 252 Atk Sword of Ruin Chien-Pao Icicle Crash vs. 116 HP / 204 Def Flutter Mane: 109-129 (75.1 – 88.9%) — guaranteed 2HKO

Defensive calcs

Urshifu Rapid 252+ Atk Urshifu-Rapid Strike Surging Strikes (3 hits) vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Chien-Pao on a critical hit: 126-153 (81.2 – 98.7%) — guaranteed 2HKO

It lives every OHKO due to Focus Sash 😉

Normal Sprite

pookie (Entei) @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Inner Focus
Level: 50
Tera Type: Grass
EVs: 204 HP / 244 Atk / 44 Def / 12 SpD / 4 Spe
Adamant Nature
– Sacred Fire
– Extreme Speed
– Stomping Tantrum
– Protect

This Entei was such a beast, It was both tanky and great at dealing damage. Sacred Fire can win you games by shutting down physical attackers with burns, and at a 50% chance it’s incredible. The biggest feint on this Pokémon is the Grass Tera Type. In front of the common Choice Scarf Urshifu, they often expect a Terastallization and just U-turn out, however it is calced to live an Adamant Urshifu’s Surging Strikes all but 6.3% of the time (which never KO’d). It is quite safe to sit on the field and click a Sacred Fire into the Urshifu, as it deals around 30% and then has a chance to burn, on top of dealing free damage into the incoming Pokémon if it chooses to U-turn. The amount of attacks Entei can live is very impressive, and then it eats its Sitrus Berry and lives longer. I would be very frustrated up against it.

Offensive calcs

Gholdengo 244+ Atk Entei Sacred Fire vs. 108 HP / 0 Def Gholdengo: 180-212 (102.2 – 120.4%) — guaranteed OHKO

Ogerpon Wellspring 244+ Atk Entei Sacred Fire vs. 252 HP / 116 Def Ogerpon-Wellspring: 87-103 (46.5 – 55%) — 67.6% chance to 2HKO

Rillaboom 244+ Atk Entei Sacred Fire vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Rillaboom: 186-222 (89.8 – 107.2%) — 37.5% chance to OHKO

Incineroar 244+ Atk Entei Stomping Tantrum vs. 236 HP / 20 Def Incineroar: 92-110 (46 – 55%) — 62.5% chance to 2HKO

Defensive calcs

Urshifu Rapid 252+ Atk Urshifu-Rapid Strike Surging Strikes (3 hits) vs. 204 HP / 44 Def Entei on a critical hit: 234-276 (108.3 – 127.7%) — approx. 6.3% chance to OHKO

Urshifu Single 252+ Atk Sword of Ruin Urshifu-Single Strike Wicked Blow vs. 204 HP / 44 Def Entei on a critical hit: 153-181 (70.8 – 83.7%) — guaranteed 2HKO after Sitrus Berry recovery

Raging Bolt 252+ SpA Raging Bolt Draco Meteor vs. 204 HP / 12 SpD Entei: 157-186 (72.6 – 86.1%) — guaranteed 2HKO after Sitrus Berry recovery

Normal Sprite

winston (Rillaboom) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Grassy Surge
Level: 50
Tera Type: Fire
EVs: 196 HP / 220 Atk / 36 Def / 12 SpD / 44 Spe
Adamant Nature
– Fake Out
– Wood Hammer
– Grassy Glide
– High Horsepower

Rillaboom’s spread basically consisted of maxing out HP and Attack, and then reallocating EVs to the stats that needed them more. The rest was split between Defense, Special Defense and Speed. Rillaboom was honestly my least used Pokémon, only coming in when I really needed Fake Out, or Grassy Terrain. After that it just used Wood Hammer to deal big damage and Grassy Glide to pick off lower-health targets. The Grassy Terrain synergizes well with Ogerpon as it boosts its Horn Leech to 97.5 BP along with recovery.

Offensive calcs

Flutter Mane 220+ Atk Rillaboom Wood Hammer vs. 116 HP / 204 Def Flutter Mane in Grassy Terrain: 166-196 (114.4 – 135.1%) — guaranteed OHKO

Ogerpon Wellspring 220+ Atk Rillaboom Wood Hammer vs. 252 HP / 148 Def Ogerpon-Wellspring in Grassy Terrain: 136-162 (72.7 – 86.6%) — guaranteed 2HKO after Grassy Terrain recovery

Urshifu Rapid 220+ Atk Sword of Ruin Rillaboom Grassy Glide vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Urshifu-Rapid Strike in Grassy Terrain: 170-204 (96.5 – 115.9%) — 87.5% chance to OHKO

Defensive calcs

Incineroar 44 Atk Incineroar Flare Blitz vs. 196 HP / 36 Def Rillaboom: 168-198 (84 – 99%) — guaranteed 2HKO after Grassy Terrain recovery

Flutter Mane 36+ SpA Protosynthesis Flutter Mane Moonblast vs. 196 HP / 12 SpD Assault Vest Rillaboom: 90-106 (45 – 53%) — 0.4% chance to 2HKO after Grassy Terrain recovery

Urshifu Single 252 Atk Tera-Dark Urshifu-Single Strike Wicked Blow vs. 196 HP / 36 Def Rillaboom on a critical hit: 136-162 (68 – 81%) — guaranteed 2HKO after Grassy Terrain recovery

Normal Sprite

Yuji (Ogerpon-Wellspring) @ Wellspring Mask
Ability: Water Absorb
Level: 50
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 116 HP / 60 Atk / 124 Def / 20 SpD / 188 Spe
Adamant Nature
– Ivy Cudgel
– Horn Leech
– Follow Me
– Spiky Shield

This Ogerpon was brought to nearly every single set on the weekend. It is just such a versatile Pokémon and honestly is the Queen of role compression. Having such great damage support and typing in one slot is just insane. Its bulk allows it to live many common attacks such as an Urshifu’s Dark Tera Type-boosted Wicked Blow. Its Speed is its greatest attribute: 188 Speed EVs outspeeds Modest Chi-Yu, Modest Incarnate Forme Landorus, Timid Glimmora, and probably more. A Jolly Nature could also be used if you wanted to outspeed the Timid variants of these Pokémon.

Offensive calcs

Urshifu Rapid 60+ Atk Ogerpon-Wellspring Horn Leech (1.2x Mask Boost) vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Urshifu-Rapid Strike in Grassy Terrain: 180-212 (102.2 – 120.4%) — guaranteed OHKO

Glimmora 60+ Atk Ogerpon-Wellspring Ivy Cudgel (1.2x Mask Boost) vs. 20 HP / 36 Def Glimmora: 192-228 (119.2 – 141.6%) — guaranteed OHKO

Chi Yu 60+ Atk Ogerpon-Wellspring Ivy Cudgel (1.2x Mask Boost) vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Chi-Yu: 218-260 (166.4 – 198.4%) — guaranteed OHKO

Landorus Incarnate 60+ Atk Ogerpon-Wellspring Ivy Cudgel (1.2x Mask Boost) vs. 4 HP / 4 Def Landorus: 200-236 (121.2 – 143%) — guaranteed OHKO

Incineroar -1 60+ Atk Tera-Water Ogerpon-Wellspring Ivy Cudgel (1.2x Mask Boost) vs. 236 HP / 20 Def Incineroar: 176-208 (88 – 104%) — 25% chance to OHKO

Defensive calcs

Urshifu Single 252+ Atk Tera-Dark Urshifu-Single Strike Wicked Blow vs. 116 HP / 124 Def Tera-Water Ogerpon-Wellspring on a critical hit: 144-170 (84.7 – 100%) — 6.3% chance to OHKO

Ursaluna Bloodmoon 252+ SpA Life Orb Ursaluna-Bloodmoon Blood Moon vs. +1 116 HP / 20 SpD Tera-Water Ogerpon-Wellspring: 118-140 (69.4 – 82.3%) — guaranteed 2HKO

Ogerpon Hearthflame 252 Atk Mold Breaker Ogerpon-Hearthflame Wood Hammer (1.2x Mask Boost) vs. 116 HP / 124 Def Ogerpon-Wellspring: 117-138 (68.8 – 81.1%) — guaranteed 2HKO

Raging Bolt

124+ SpA Protosynthesis Raging Bolt Draco Meteor vs. 116 HP / 20 SpD Ogerpon-Wellspring: 153-180 (90 – 105.8%) — 37.5% chance to OHKO

124+ SpA Protosynthesis Tera-Electric Raging Bolt Thunderbolt vs. 116 HP / 20 SpD Ogerpon-Wellspring: 142-168 (83.5 – 98.8%) — guaranteed 2HKO

Normal Sprite

littlefoot (Raging Bolt) @ Booster Energy
Ability: Protosynthesis
Level: 50
Tera Type: Electric
EVs: 196 HP / 68 Def / 124 SpA / 84 SpD / 36 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 20 Atk
– Thunderbolt
– Thunderclap
– Draco Meteor
– Protect

As I said before, I wanted to use Raging Bolt ever since it was announced. I was just fortunate enough for this Pokémon to be truly viable and a threat in the current format. It has very solid bulk and a higher Special Attack stat than Flutter Mane. 124+ Special Attack EVs after Booster Energy consumption gives Raging Bolt a stat value of 247, which can 2HKO almost every non-resisted Pokémon with a Thunderbolt. Being able to get this amount of damage off makes the Pokémon that got hit vulnerable to a follow-up priority attack such as Sucker Punch, Grassy Glide, or Extreme Speed. A Draco Meteor can also OHKO many more fragile Pokémon and was almost a matchup solver in itself, as it could just take anything off the field that the rest of the team was unable to deal with. Not to mention an Electric Tera Type-boosted Thunderclap being extremely threatening.

Offensive calcs

Flutter Mane 124+ SpA Protosynthesis Tera-Electric Raging Bolt Thunderbolt vs. 220 HP / 4 SpD Flutter Mane: 108-128 (68.3 – 81%) — guaranteed 2HKO

Ogerpon Hearthflame 124+ SpA Protosynthesis Raging Bolt Draco Meteor vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Ogerpon-Hearthflame: 154-183 (99.3 – 118%) — 93.8% chance to OHKO

Urshifu Rapid 124+ SpA Protosynthesis Raging Bolt Thunderclap vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Urshifu-Rapid Strike: 246-290 (139.7 – 164.7%) — guaranteed OHKO

Defensive calcs

Chien Pao 252 Atk Sword of Ruin Chien-Pao Icicle Crash vs. 196 HP / 68 Def Raging Bolt: 186-218 (82.6 – 96.8%) — guaranteed 2HKO

Flutter Mane

252+ SpA Choice Specs Flutter Mane Dazzling Gleam vs. 196 HP / 84 SpD Raging Bolt: 174-206 (77.3 – 91.5%) — guaranteed 2HKO

252+ SpA Choice Specs Flutter Mane Moonblast vs. 196 HP / 84 SpD Tera-Electric Raging Bolt: 136-162 (60.4 – 72%) — guaranteed 2HKO

Normal Sprite

Charles (Gholdengo) @ Iron Plate
Ability: Good as Gold
Level: 50
Tera Type: Steel
EVs: 252 HP / 68 Def / 84 SpA / 4 SpD / 100 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
– Make It Rain
– Shadow Ball
– Nasty Plot
– Protect

Lastly we have Gholdengo, which was the most useful member when my opponent didn’t have a matchup against it. It could just take away games even against common Pokémon that threatened it, such as Single Strike Style Urshifu, Incineroar and Flutter Mane due to the redirection from Wellspring Mask Ogerpon. Gholdengo was brought to teams with bulky Trick Room setters such as Farigiraf, Indeedee, and Porygon2. While its partners are using Fake Out or Follow Me to guarantee Trick Room going up, you can set up a free Nasty Plot and start dealing free damage next turn with redirection or Fake Out support.

Offensive calcs

Farigiraf +2 84+ SpA Iron Plate Gholdengo Make It Rain vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Farigiraf: 240-283 (105.7 – 124.6%) — guaranteed OHKO

Indeedee Female +2 84+ SpA Iron Plate Gholdengo Make It Rain vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Indeedee-F: 174-205 (98.3 – 115.8%) — 87.5% chance to OHKO

Porygon2 +4 84+ SpA Iron Plate Gholdengo Make It Rain vs. 252 HP / 100 SpD Eviolite Porygon2: 171-202 (89 – 105.2%) — 37.5% chance to OHKO

Registeel +4 84+ SpA Gholdengo Shadow Ball vs. 252 HP / 60 SpD Registeel: 136-162 (72.7 – 86.6%) — guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

Defensive calcs

Incineroar 44 Atk Incineroar Flare Blitz vs. 252 HP / 68 Def Gholdengo: 156-186 (80.4 – 95.8%) — guaranteed 2HKO

Urshifu Single 252 Atk Urshifu-Single Strike Wicked Blow vs. 252 HP / 68 Def Tera-Steel Gholdengo on a critical hit: 94-112 (48.4 – 57.7%) — 95.3% chance to 2HKO

Chien Pao 252+ Atk Sword of Ruin Chien-Pao Sucker Punch vs. 252 HP / 68 Def Gholdengo: 162-192 (83.5 – 98.9%) — guaranteed 2HKO

How to use the team

The main teams I was preparing for this tournament were Wolfe Glick’s Charlotte team, which many people were running in the lead up (I didn’t end up playing against a single one); Glimmora + Tornadus Tailwind teams, Iron Crown psyspam teams, and Bloodmoon Ursaluna teams.

Tournament run

Day 1

RoundResultOpponentOpponent’s teamList
R1LWWAUS
Alister Sandover
(スカーレット)
Ogerpon WellspringFlutter ManeIncineroarAmoongussRoaring MoonRaging Bolt
R2WWAUS
Jason Emmanuelle
(Jay)
Iron CrownIndeedee FemaleTorkoalLilligant HisuiLatiasWalking Wake
R3WWAUS
Brayden Bithio
(Bray)
HattereneIndeedee FemaleTorkoalUrshifu RapidGalladeKingambit
R4WWAUS
Timothy Nurse
(Comedier)
RillaboomRegisteelIncineroarPrimarinaPorygon2Raging Bolt
R5LLAUS
Nicholas Kan
(Nick)
Ogerpon WellspringFlutter ManeChi YuUrshifu SingleTornadus IncarnateGlimmora
R6LWLAUS
Philippe Breig
(252 accuracy)
Ogerpon WellspringGreat TuskTorkoalUrshifu SingleFarigirafRaging Bolt
R7WWAUS
Ibtihal Mahmood
(Diam)
RillaboomFlutter ManeIncineroarUrshifu RapidTornadus IncarnateRaging Bolt
R8WWAUS
Jackson Bell
(Sulu)
Ogerpon WellspringFlutter ManeArchaludonUrshifu RapidTornadus IncarnateLandorus Incarnate
R9WWAUS
Matthew Robinson
(tsumi88)
Ogerpon WellspringFlutter ManeChi YuUrshifu SingleTornadus IncarnateLandorus Incarnate

Day 2 Swiss rounds

RoundResultOpponentOpponent’s teamList
R10LWWAUS
Andy Brophy
(Andy)
Ogerpon HearthflameRillaboomIncineroarUrshifu RapidFarigirafUrsaluna Bloodmoon
R11WLLAUS
Bryce Facey
(Aery)
Ogerpon WellspringRillaboomIncineroarGouging FireArticuno GalarRaging Bolt
R12LLCHN
Ren Chengfu
(小夫)
AmoongussFlutter ManeIncineroarUrshifu RapidPelipperArchaludon
R13LWWAUS
Daniel Baguley
(Dirty Dan)
Ogerpon HearthflameFlutter ManeIron HandsUrshifu SingleFarigirafUrsaluna Bloodmoon
R14WLWAUS
Scott Sellers
(Scott)
Ogerpon WellspringFlutter ManeChi YuUrshifu SingleTornadus IncarnateRaging Bolt

Conclusion

Overall I was extremely happy with my performance over the weekend and being able to stand up to very strong players. This felt like a great achievement for me as I have not placed this well at a Regional before. I was also proud of being the highest performing Gholdengo player in the tournament, and the only Entei in Day 2 at all.

I want to give a few shoutouts, firstly to the Melbourne local scene as Premier Challenges and Midseason Showdowns with the best players in the region helps so much for practice. Also to my cousin Andy, who plays in the Senior Division, who pushes me to become a better player as he comes along with me to every event. And finally my girlfriend who picked the nicknames for my Pokémon. I will be at EUIC and hopefully Hawaii in August!

Thank you all for reading. It means a lot! 🙂

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