By Amanda Lundberg, Contributing Writer
The 2024 Pokémon GO Championship series has started, and more players than ever are vying for the chance to be crowned the next World Champion. The next major opportunity for competitors to prove their mettle is the 2024 Latin America International Championships (LAIC), taking place November 17–19, 2023. With the newest attack updates from the Adventures Abound Season, players and audience members alike are taking note of the interesting Pokémon they can expect to see battling on the big stage in São Paulo, Brazil. While Medicham and Lanturn are still two of the most popular Pokémon in the “show six, pick three” format, some unique choices like Guzzlord, Shadow Magnezone, Clefable, and Greninja have made day two of regional competitions. We’ve even seen Shadow Dragonite and Pelipper on championship teams!
Pokémon GO Attack Updates
With the Charged Attack Sky Attack getting a nerf, it seems that Noctowl’s reign as the Flying-type Pokémon of choice is over. Noctowl previously ranked number two in usage, but is now nowhere to be found in competitive play. And without its feathery presence on the battlefield, many Grass-type Pokémon, like Serperior and Shadow Venusaur, have decided they simply do not give a hoot(hoot) and are making their way back into the arena. Gligar has also risen in popularity because of buffs to both of its top Charged Attacks, Aerial Ace and Dig. The ascendancy of these Pokémon has resulted in a similar rise in the use of Shadow Alolan Sandslash. In previous Seasons, this Ice- and Steel-type Pokémon was trained to learn the Fast Attack Shadow Claw, but many are now opting to use Powder Snow for broader coverage in the current metagame. In fact, Shadow Alolan Sandslash has become so popular that in the Toronto Regional Championships, its day two usage was right behind its hardest counter, Medicham.
The latest attack updates have made for a dynamic game that has been changing frequently throughout the 2024 Pokémon GO Championship series. Around October, though, things seemingly started to calm down because the familiar team of Serperior, Umbreon, Gligar, Froslass, Medicham, and Lanturn has now won TWO regional competitions! 0ELITE0 was the first Trainer to pilot this team to victory in Sacramento and JJans11 quickly followed two weeks later, securing his Worlds invitation in Toronto. It is also fun to note that KingOwlexander won Peoria with a similar team, with only Lickitung replacing Umbreon in the lineup. And with all these Regional Championships being in North America, many competitors are curious to see if the team will have continued success in other regions.
Attack updates aren’t the only changes we’re seeing this competitive season! The 2024 LAIC will also be the first competition for Pokémon GO to use open team sheets. Open team sheets allow players to see not only which Pokémon their opponent are bringing, but also what move sets each Pokémon are trained to learn. While a few players may be a bit disappointed to have their opponent already know whether the Lanturn is running Water Gun or Spark as its Fast Attack, many see the system as an equalizer for tournaments, since there will no longer be a disadvantage from being shown early on stream. We may also see fewer Lickitung and Registeel being used as safe swap or pivot Pokémon if a player knows their opponent’s Medicham move set. While Medicham is still running the Charged Attack Ice Punch in hopes of freezing out Flying- and Grass-type Pokémon, many players are opting to run the Charged Attack Dynamic Punch over Psychic. This sets Medicham up to be a little better against Dark-, Normal-, and Steel-type Pokémon and is yet another change many players have adapted to.
Earn Championship Points for Worlds
The biggest change for Pokémon GO this season is the addition of Championship Points, giving players who do not win a Regional Championship a new way to qualify for the Pokémon World Championships. Each region has a different threshold they must meet to qualify; North America needs the most, 500 points, while the Middle East and South Africa need 200 Championship Points to secure their invitation to the 2024 Pokémon World Championships in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Each type of competition, from Regional Championships to League Challenges, awards a specific number of points to competitors. International Championships are especially exciting because the amount of available Championship Points increases dramatically. Instead of 200 points going to the champion, first place receives a whopping 500 points! Second place receives 400 points, and third and fourth place both get 320 points, which already meets the threshold of 300 qualification points for Latin America. This means that after the dust settles at the LAIC in São Paulo, many new players will be receiving their 2024 Worlds invitations!
So far, the only Latin American Trainer who has qualified for the 2024 Pokémon World Championships is LNDsRargef, a Brazilian Trainer who finished the Curitiba Regional undefeated and set a new record for the Pokémon GO competitive scene. But with this high level of competition, LNDsRargef may now have a target on his back as many other Trainers are looking to take home a title of their own.
Players to Watch
So who are some of the contenders who may soon be punching their ticket to Worlds? Let’s take a look at a few competitors slated to battle at the upcoming 2024 Pokémon Latin America International Championships. And don’t forget—even if you can’t make it to the event in person, you can still catch all the action on Twitch.tv/PokemonGO!
Let’s start off with Zarddy, because any list of top-level players should mention the two-time regional champion who was also awarded the title “The Best Pokémon GO Player in Brazil” in a grassroots competition. Zarddy placed fifth overall in the first ever Pokémon GO World Championships and has already started the 2024 season strong, placing in the top 8 in the Curitiba regionals. Zarddy is known for bringing off-meta picks, and many Pokémon GO players are interested to see what he may bring to shake up the LAIC meta.
MartoGalde is an Argentinian Trainer and a crowd favorite who has gained quite a following over years of competitive gaming. Marto qualified for the 2022 Pokémon GO World Championships but fell a little short in the 2023 season since only the first or second place winners got qualifications at most events. But with the new addition of Championship Points—and the grit and determination Marto displays—I can easily see him gaining the 220 points he currently needs to be on his way to Honolulu, Hawaii for this season’s Pokémon World Championships!
Someone who I personally think is going to get his qualification at LAIC is Mexican player AndrewManjarrez. Andrew competed in the 2022 Pokémon GO World Championships, and this season he is currently sitting right behind LNDsRargef on the Latin American leaderboards with 190 Championship Points. With the way this competitor has continually been top cutting and putting on a performance in the 2024 season, his remaining 110 points are going to be flooding in quicker than Swampert’s Hydro Cannon!
The GBLindos—or “LNDs” —have always put up fierce competition, and any player with this prefix in their Trainer name is someone to keep an eye on. LNDsRargef was already mentioned as the Curitiba Regional champion with an undefeated run. LNDsTSteinar and LNDsAureo are already household names in the Brazilian community, but another Trainer to be on the lookout for is LNDsJuhsmuniz. LNDJuhsmuniz is one of the few female battlers taking to the big stage in Latin America, and earning third place at the Curitiba Regionals has solidified her high spot on the leaderboard.
Brazilian Trainer PatrickyAlbani will also be taking the stage and is ready to make waves. Patricky is a well-known battler in both the Play! Pokémon and GO Battle League scenes. He qualified and participated in both the 2022 and 2023 Pokémon World Championships and has most recently top cut this season in his local regional competition in Curitiba, Brazil. With 100 of the 300 points needed to solidify his spot, Patricky is definitely well on his way to compete in Worlds for the third time.
Lastly, we can’t talk about the LAIC without talking about JWNaldo. JWNaldo will be returning to São Paulo to defend his title as reigning LAIC champion. After winning last season with a combination of spicy and meta Pokémon, many are wondering if we will see a return of JWNaldo’s Toxapex, especially with the rise of Fairy-type Pokémon like Clefable, Alolan Ninetales, and Carbink making their way back into the “show six, pick three” format.
There are many more well-known and talented Trainers who will be competing and many newcomers who are ready to prove they have what it takes to be the very best. Regardless of who you’re cheering for, the 2024 Pokémon Latin America International Championships will be a show you’re not going to want to miss! With players placing first through fourth getting enough Championship Points to qualify for Worlds, all eyes will be on the LAIC to scope out the competition and see how the Pokémon GO “show six, pick three” meta continues to evolve. I feel extremely honored to be able to cast over this tournament, and I hope to see and commentate over many talented Trainers within the LATAM community. Good luck and have fun, Trainers!
