| Event | Smogon Live VGC Tournament (2025) |
|---|---|
| Location | Online |
| Date | 19–20 July 2025 |
| Attendance | 672 players |
| Videogame | Pokémon Showdown! |
| Season | 2025 Season – VGC Regulation Set I |
| Format | 8 Day 1 Swiss rounds + 3 Day 2 Swiss rounds + asymmetrical Top Cut Open team lists |
| Organizer | Smogon University |
Table of Contents
Teams and results
Top cut
| # | Swiss | Player | Prize | Team | List | Exp. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9-2 | Carson | $400 Custom PS! avatar Unique Smogon banner |       |  | |
| 2 | 9-2 | Chromate | $130 |       | | |
| 3 | 11-0 | CICCIOTT | $65 |    | | |
| 4 | 9-2 | Mava2 | $65 |    | | |
| 5 | 10-1 | MichaelderBeste2 | $32.50 |   | | |
| 6 | 9-2 | FedeCampoVGC | $32.50 |    | | |
| 7 | 9-2 | Astte | $32.50 |    | | |
| 8 | 9-2 | DubiousBulb1033 | $32.50 | | | |
| 9 | 10-1 | Dimsun | – |    | | |
| 10 | 9-2 | marcofiero | – |  | | |
| 11 | 9-2 | actornadoboy | – | | | |
| 12 | 9-2 | bennyv | – |  | | |
| 13 | 9-2 | ceree | – | | | |
| 14 | 9-2 | PollitoA7 | – |  | | |
| 15 | 9-2 | flyingfalcons7 | – |  | | |
| 16 | 9-2 | Luixen | – |     | | |
| 17 | 9-2 | soTsoT | – |   | | |
| 18 | 9-2 | Tabu_24 | – | | | |
| 19 | 9-2 | Naniroma | – |  | | |
| 20 | 9-2 | SlycedBread | – | | |
Day 2 Swiss rounds
Find all the OTS of Day 2 players here!
| # | Swiss | Player | Prize | Team | List | Exp. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | 8-3 | panda! | – | | ||
| 22 | 8-3 | StriiderVGC | – | | ||
| 23 | 8-3 | Sylveon used calm mind | – | | ||
| 24 | 8-3 | KKirby | – |   | ||
| 25 | 8-3 | aseqq | – |   | ||
| 26 | 8-3 | CandyJP | – | | ||
| 27 | 8-3 | Animod1 | – | | ||
| 28 | 8-3 | John Black Ops | – | | ||
| 29 | 8-3 | WilfredVGC | – | | ||
| 30 | 8-3 | ratpacker | – | | ||
| 31 | 8-3 | gephicka | – | | ||
| 32 | 8-3 | Suwoong Cheong | – | | ||
| 33 | 8-3 | Mentos | – | | ||
| 34 | 8-3 | Mikathegoat | – | | ||
| 35 | 8-3 | binasProsta | – | | ||
| 36 | 8-3 | livnlarge27 | – | | ||
| 37 | 8-3 | DDXD | – | | ||
| 38 | 8-3 | Kardeas | – |  | ||
| 39 | 8-3 | Shiritu | – |     | ||
| 40 | 8-3 | Kyogrus24 | – | | ||
| 41 | 7-3 | Mareeoh8 | – |  | ||
| 42 | 7-3 | Zestimon | – | | ||
| 43 | 7-3 | Zelda | – | | ||
| 44 | 7-3 | Ursaluna_Bro | – |   | ||
| 45 | 7-3 | BK | – | | ||
| 46 | 7-3 | Perhaps Perish? | – | | ||
| 47 | 7-3 | London13 | – | | ||
| 48 | 7-4 | nayeon922 | – | | ||
| 49 | 7-4 | IHancocKI | – | | ||
| 50 | 7-4 | Eanna | – | | ||
| 51 | 7-4 | PenglinHeHe | – | | ||
| 52 | 7-4 | Cedrico | – |   | ||
| 53 | 7-4 | ExtremeHD | – | | ||
| 54 | 7-4 | Luckelule | – | | ||
| 55 | 7-4 | NKG2D | – | | ||
| 56 | 7-4 | Flyingdragon2025 | – | | ||
| 57 | 7-4 | ChosenFuture | – | | ||
| 58 | 7-4 | Jawnzu | – | | ||
| 59 | 7-4 | SeaWolfMikes | – | | ||
| 60 | 7-4 | KnigthVGC | – | | ||
| 61 | 7-4 | elmono | – | | ||
| 62 | 7-4 | mastermind212 | – | | ||
| 63 | 6-3 | BigMikeOG | – | | ||
| 64 | 6-3 | Fairtree | – | | ||
| 65 | 6-3 | Robbie35646 | – |  | ||
| 66 | 6-3 | ZEPHYRLEGI0N | – | | ||
| 67 | 6-3 | IcebergVGC | – | | ||
| 68 | 6-3 | Tdmask | – | | ||
| 69 | 6-3 | Teriso179 | – | | ||
| 70 | 6-3 | wb_vg | – | | ||
| 71 | 6-3 | wonder gawd | – | | ||
| 72 | 6-4 | Arkali | – | | ||
| 73 | 6-4 | Avocanoodle | – |   | ||
| 74 | 6-4 | Marinus | – | | ||
| 75 | 6-5 | PqlarBear | – | | ||
| 76 | 6-5 | luisito_alpha | – | | ||
| 77 | 6-5 | propedro | – | |
Streaming
The event is broadcast live on Smogon University’s Twitch channel, with Cedric Bernier, Thaison Hughes, Abdul Barrie, Eric Bartlett and Jacob Mortenson as casters.
Usage stats
Restricted pairs
| # | Pokémon | D1 Usage | D2 Usage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | | 18.6% (125) | 18% (14) |
| 2 | | 16.2% (109) | 13% (10) |
| 3 | | 9.4% (63) | 12% (9) |
| 4 | | 7.9% (53) | 12% (9) |
| 5 | | 5.2% (35) | 4% (3) |
| # | Pokémon | D1 Usage | D2 Usage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | | 4.9% (33) | 4% (3) |
| 7 | | 3.3% (22) | 7% (5) |
| 8 | | 3.3% (22) | 4% (3) |
| 9 | | 3.1% (21) | 3% (2) |
| 10 | | 3.0% (20) | 4% (3) |
Restricted usage
| # | Pokémon | D1 Usage | D2 Usage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | | 48.7% (327) | 50% (38) |
| 2 | | 33.6% (226) | 30% (23) |
| 3 | | 27.7% (186) | 30% (23) |
| 4 | | 27.4% (184) | 30% (23) |
| 5 | | 16.5% (111) | 18% (14) |
| # | Pokémon | D1 Usage | D2 Usage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | | 11.5% (77) | 12% (9) |
| 7 | | 10.1% (68) | 12% (9) |
| 8 | | 8.2% (55) | 9% (7) |
| 9 | | 5.4% (36) | 1% (1) |
| 10 | | 4.2% (28) | 4% (3) |
Overall usage
| # | Pokémon | D1 | D2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | | 53.3% (358) | 62% (47) |
| 2 | (R) | 31.8% (214) | 34% (26) |
| 3 | | 27.2% (183) | 25% (19) |
| 4 | | 17.0% (114) | 17% (13) |
| 5 | | 16.8% (113) | 17% (13) |
| 6 | | 15.0% (101) | 22% (17) |
| 7 | | 14.9% (100) | 13% (10) |
| 8 | | 14.3% (96) | 12% (9) |
| 9 | | 14.1% (95) | 16% (12) |
| 10 | | 13.7% (92) | 15% (11) |
| # | Pokémon | D1 | D2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | | 13.7% (92) | 7% (5) |
| 12 | | 12.5% (84) | 16% (12) |
| 13 | | 12.2% (82) | 16% (12) |
| 14 | | 11.9% (80) | 13% (10) |
| 15 | | 11.5% (77) | 9% (7) |
| 16 | | 10.4% (70) | 13% (10) |
| 17 | | 10.3% (69) | 4% (3) |
| 18 | | 10.0% (67) | 9% (7) |
| 19 | | 7.9% (53) | 4% (3) |
| 20 | | 6.4% (43) | 8% (6) |
| # | Pokémon | D1 | D2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | | 5.8% (39) | 8% (6) |
| 22 | | 3.9% (26) | 4% (3) |
| 23 | | 3.6% (24) | 3% (2) |
| 24 |  (S) | 3.6% (24) | 0% (0) |
| 25 | | 3.0% (20) | 3% (2) |
| 26 | | 2.8% (19) | 1% (1) |
| 27 |  | 2.7% (18) | 0% (0) |
| 28 | | 2.5% (17) | 1% (1) |
| 29 | | 2.4% (16) | 3% (2) |
| 30 | | 1.9% (13) | 4% (3) |
Find here a spreadsheet with further details on the usage stats!
Platform and schedule
The tournament is held online through Pokémon Showdown!‘s SmogonVGC server, where announcements from the staff will be made.
The tournament will use the structure of 2-day Swiss rounds + asymmetrical top cut that is in place for all major events in the 2025 season.
The schedule of the tournament is as follows:
- 19 July at 13:00 UTC:
- Day 1 Swiss rounds. All signed up players can play all these rounds. Those with 2 or fewer losses (X-2) at the end of this stage advance to Day 2, and all others are dropped from the tournament.
- 20 July at 13:00 UTC:
- Day 2 Swiss rounds: The qualified players continue playing Swiss rounds. At the end of this stage, all those with 2 or fewer losses overall (X-2) will advance to the next stage.
- Top cut: the players in top cut will continue playing right after the end of the Day 2 Swiss rounds, with a bye to the highest-ranked players if the number results in an asymmetrical top cut.
Prizes
This event is a grassroots tournament and is not a part of any official circuit. This means that it does not reward any Championship Points (CPs).
Victory Road is contributing with $250 USD to the total prizepool! The best-placed players receive the following prizes:
| Placement | Prize money |
|---|---|
| Winner | Prize money* A custom avatar on Pokémon Showdown! A unique Smogon forum banner |
| 2nd to 8th | Prize money* |
* NOTE: Total prize money will be updated on Smogon’s tournament page.
Overview
The Smogon Live VGC Tournament is an online event hosted by Smogon University, with the purpose of serving as practice for the upcoming live tournaments, with a special focus on the 2025 World Championships. This is the fourth trophy-awarding (in Smogon standards) VGC tournament, the first to be held on a single weekend (instead of featuring weekly rounds) and the first since 2013. See previous editions winners:
- 2011, won by Tyler / Tyler Hagan
- 2012, won by kingofmars / Gavin Michaels
- 2013, won by Biosci / William Hall
The ruleset is VGC Regulation Set I, with open team lists, in Pokémon Showdown!.
All detailed tournament procedures for Smogon University tournaments, including rules and penalties, can be found here.
A little bit of history
Smogon University (or just Smogon) is a website and forum created in 2004 for all things related to playing Pokémon games competitively, mainly focused on 6v6 singles battles but also featuring other formats and rulesets, including VGC. Smogon is also the main sponsor of the widely used online battle simulator Pokémon Showdown!.
Smogon regularly organizes VGC weekly tournaments, seasonal circuits and even team tournaments, but this is the first trophy-awarding VGC tournament in over 12 years. The most recent tournament was the Smogon VGC Tournament III, played with the VGC13 ruleset. The 3-way finals saw 2013 San Jose Regional finalist William Hall defeat both German Nemanja Sandic and 2009 US National Champion Mike Suleski to win this major VGC tour!
Sign-up instructions
Sign-ups for the event are done through the Smogon tournament page. Sign-ups are free and open upon announcement of the event. Two forms must be filled out: a public one (so people can see who’s planning to participate) and a private one only available to the TOs.
All players need to lock up a team list in Pokémon Showdown! with the information of the team’s Pokémon as required in the Pokémon Showdown! format “Best of 3 [Gen 9] VGC 2025 Regulation I”.
