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VGC / Champions

Masters Division · San Francisco · August 30, 2026

2026 Pokémon VGC World Championship teams: Takuma Yamazaki vs Hiroshi Onishi

Takuma Yamazaki won the Masters final 2-1. Both finalists shared a four-Pokémon core, but their last two slots produced very different games: Yamazaki brought Dragonite and Sneasler; Onishi brought Charizard and Whimsicott. The deciding game came down to Mega choice, priority, and a Feint that made Protect unsafe.

Compare both teamsWatch the official final

Yamazaki

Champion

2:1

Onishi

Runner-up

Best-of-three · Regulation M-B

Result

Yamazaki 2, Onishi 1

Results report

Event records

13-2 vs 12-3

Final standings

Public set depth

Moves and natures, no EVs/IVs

Checked 2026-09-01

Open team sheet comparison

The two Worlds 2026 finalist teams

Four slots match exactly at the species level: Floette-Eternal, Basculegion, Kingambit, and Garchomp. The details do not. The Kingambit berries answer different damage profiles, the Garchomp sets choose bulk versus immediate speed, and even the two Floette natures split between power and pace. The last two slots then decide how each team controls a turn.

Champion

Takuma Yamazaki

World Champion · won 2-1

Floette-Eternal

Floette-Eternal

Fairy

Floettite · Timid

Mega Floette option

Fairy pressure and one of two possible Mega choices at team preview.

Basculegion

Basculegion

WaterGhost

Life Orb · Adamant

Late-game damage, priority cleanup, and a dangerous mirror threat.

Kingambit

Kingambit

DarkSteel

Chople Berry · Adamant

Priority pressure, anti-stat-drop utility, and a valuable pivot at low HP.

Dragonite

Dragonite

DragonFlying

Dragoninite · Modest

Mega Dragonite option

Bulky alternate Mega, special damage, and Extreme Speed priority.

Garchomp

Garchomp

DragonGround

Choice Scarf · Adamant

Immediate speed without Tailwind and flexible spread damage.

Sneasler

Sneasler

FightingPoison

Focus Sash · Jolly

Fake Out tempo and Feint support that turns Protect into a punishable choice.

Load team shell

The team shell loads the six pre-Mega species for a quick type check. It does not claim to reconstruct hidden EVs, IVs, or Champions-only Mega form data.

Show the public open team list6 sets
Floette-Eternal @ Floettite
Ability: Flower Veil
Timid Nature
- Moonblast
- Dazzling Gleam
- Light of Ruin
- Protect

Basculegion @ Life Orb
Ability: Adaptability
Adamant Nature
- Wave Crash
- Last Respects
- Aqua Jet
- Protect

Kingambit @ Chople Berry
Ability: Defiant
Adamant Nature
- Sucker Punch
- Kowtow Cleave
- Low Kick
- Iron Head

Dragonite @ Dragoninite
Ability: Multiscale
Modest Nature
- Dragon Pulse
- Heat Wave
- Extreme Speed
- Protect

Garchomp @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Rough Skin
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Claw
- Stomping Tantrum
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide

Sneasler @ Focus Sash
Ability: Poison Touch
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- Dire Claw
- Fake Out
- Feint
View the source OTS on VR Pastes

Runner-up

Hiroshi Onishi

Runner-up · lost 1-2

Kingambit

Kingambit

DarkSteel

Occa Berry · Adamant

Priority pressure with a Fire-resist berry for the Charizard-heavy mirror.

Basculegion

Basculegion

WaterGhost

Life Orb · Adamant

The same high-ceiling cleaner, creating a volatile speed and priority mirror.

Garchomp

Garchomp

DragonGround

Sitrus Berry · Jolly

A safer, Protect-capable Garchomp that can play beside Charizard.

Charizard

Charizard

FireFlying

Charizardite Y · Timid

Mega Charizard Y option

Sun-enabled special spread damage and the team's alternative Mega choice.

Whimsicott

Whimsicott

GrassFairy

Focus Sash · Timid

Tailwind speed control, Encore disruption, and a guaranteed action through Focus Sash.

Floette-Eternal

Floette-Eternal

Fairy

Floettite · Modest

Mega Floette option

A harder-hitting Fairy option and a second Mega path at team preview.

Load team shell

The team shell loads the six pre-Mega species for a quick type check. It does not claim to reconstruct hidden EVs, IVs, or Champions-only Mega form data.

Show the public open team list6 sets
Kingambit @ Occa Berry
Ability: Defiant
Adamant Nature
- Kowtow Cleave
- Sucker Punch
- Iron Head
- Low Kick

Basculegion @ Life Orb
Ability: Adaptability
Adamant Nature
- Wave Crash
- Last Respects
- Aqua Jet
- Protect

Garchomp @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Rough Skin
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Claw
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Protect

Charizard @ Charizardite Y
Ability: Blaze
Timid Nature
- Heat Wave
- Weather Ball
- Ancient Power
- Protect

Whimsicott @ Focus Sash
Ability: Prankster
Timid Nature
- Moonblast
- Tailwind
- Encore
- Protect

Floette-Eternal @ Floettite
Ability: Flower Veil
Modest Nature
- Moonblast
- Dazzling Gleam
- Light of Ruin
- Protect
View the source OTS on VR Pastes

What the public lists do not contain

EVs and IVs are hidden, and neither finalist had a Replica Code in the published top-cut table when checked. Mega Floette and Mega Dragonite are also absent from this site's current battle-data snapshot. The builder links therefore load the listed pre-Mega species only. They are useful starting points, not exact recreations of the finals damage calculations.

Matchup map

Same core, different way to win a turn

Onishi's clearest speed plan was Prankster Tailwind from Whimsicott. That gives Charizard, Garchomp, and Basculegion room to attack before ordinary targets. Yamazaki did not need one central speed button. Choice Scarf Garchomp moved quickly from turn one, while Sucker Punch, Aqua Jet, Extreme Speed, Fake Out, and Feint let several members act before normal moves.

The Mega decision made team preview unusually important. Each side registered Floette-Eternal plus a second Mega candidate. Choosing Floette meant Fairy damage and Light of Ruin. Choosing Charizard or Dragonite changed the board more sharply. Charizard brought sun and spread Fire damage; Dragonite brought bulk, special Dragon damage, and another priority move. Regulation M-B allowed only one Mega Evolution per battle, so showing one closed the other path.

The Basculegion mirror raised the cost of every knockout. Last Respects becomes more dangerous as teammates faint, and both Basculegion also carried Adaptability, Life Orb, and Aqua Jet. A Pokémon left at one HP could still attack, pivot, or later add to Last Respects. Yamazaki's Game 3 use of Kingambit is the clean example: surviving Heat Wave barely was not a cosmetic detail. That remaining piece became a switch that protected Basculegion and reset the board.

Official match video

Five decisions that changed the final

These timestamps come from the official Play! Pokémon match video. They separate what happened on screen from the later community debate about whether the last play was a hard read or simply the line that covered Onishi's best defense.

Source note: the current YouTube description names a different match. The video title, broadcast graphics, footage, and official Worlds coverage identify Yamazaki and Onishi. This page does not use the mismatched description as evidence.

  1. 11:50Play from here

    Game 2: Yamazaki shows the Dragonite line

    After losing Game 1, Onishi answers the alternate Mega plan. His Floette protects while his Basculegion catches Yamazaki's Basculegion on the switch for a knockout. That exchange leaves Mega Dragonite without the late-game partner it wanted and helps Onishi force Game 3.

  2. 24:46Play from here

    Game 3: both players commit to their alternate Mega

    Onishi chooses Mega Charizard Y instead of Mega Floette. Yamazaki again chooses Mega Dragonite. The preview mind game is now resolved: Charizard supplies sun and spread pressure, while Dragonite is positioned to take those attacks and threaten the Garchomp beside it.

  3. 26:20Play from here

    Dragonite trades bulk for immediate board control

    Garchomp breaks Multiscale with Rock Slide and Charizard follows with Heat Wave, but Mega Dragonite stays on the field. Dragon Pulse then knocks out Garchomp. Yamazaki converts a favorable lead matchup into a two-Pokémon resource edge instead of saving the Mega for later.

  4. 28:15Play from here

    Double Protect reveals Onishi's targets

    Yamazaki protects both active Pokémon and sees Last Respects aimed at Basculegion plus Ancient Power aimed at Dragonite. On the next turn Dragonite survives Ancient Power, attacks Onishi's Basculegion, and Yamazaki's Basculegion wins the exchange before its mirror can move.

  5. 32:13Play from here

    Feint and Aqua Jet close the final through Protect

    Onishi double Protects with Charizard and Whimsicott. Sneasler uses Feint to break Charizard's Protect, then Basculegion finishes it with Aqua Jet. The play is strong because it covers the defensive line directly; it does not depend on Protect failing.

Regulation M-B

The rules around these teams

The official Regulation M-B notice set the window from June 17 at 02:00 UTC through September 9 at 01:59 UTC. It used a restricted eligibility list rather than the full Pokédex.

A player could Mega Evolve only one Pokémon per battle, and no two team members could hold the same item. Those two lines explain much of this final: each list advertised two Mega paths, and berry or Focus Sash allocation could not be duplicated to solve every matchup.

Read the official Regulation M-B notice

After Worlds

What survives the format change

The exact six should be treated as a Regulation M-B team, not a timeless rental. The regulation ends on September 9, so legality and matchup value can change immediately after the next ruleset begins.

The construction lessons last longer. Multiple speed layers make a team harder to shut down. A second Mega candidate changes preview even when it stays on the bench. Feint is worth a slot when the rest of the Pokémon is already useful, and a nearly fainted piece may still be the pivot that wins the positioning battle.

Return to the VGC team builder hub

Community reading

What players kept arguing about

Post-match discussion did not settle on one romantic story about the last turn. Some players called Feint plus Aqua Jet a read on the double Protect. Others pointed out that the same line directly covered Charizard's defense and still left Yamazaki ahead. That disagreement is useful: strong VGC turns often look dramatic because the selected moves cover several sensible opponent choices, not because someone guessed a single hidden option.

Community discussion

r/stunfisk final-turn discussion

Player discussion of Feint plus Aqua Jet and the alternatives around the final double Protect.

Open discussion

Community discussion

r/VGC Championship Sunday thread

Contemporaneous discussion and links to both public open team lists.

Open discussion

Questions about the 2026 VGC Worlds final

Who won the 2026 Pokémon VGC Masters World Championship?

Takuma Yamazaki defeated Hiroshi Onishi 2-1 in the Masters Division final. The final standings list Yamazaki at 13-2 and Onishi at 12-3 for the event.

What team did Takuma Yamazaki use at Worlds 2026?

Yamazaki registered Floette-Eternal, Basculegion, Kingambit, Dragonite, Garchomp, and Sneasler. His open team list included both Floettite and Dragoninite, so the opponent had to respect two possible Mega choices at preview.

What team did Hiroshi Onishi use at Worlds 2026?

Onishi registered Kingambit, Basculegion, Garchomp, Charizard, Whimsicott, and Floette-Eternal. Charizardite Y and Floettite gave him two Mega options, while Whimsicott supplied Tailwind and Encore.

Are the finalists’ EVs, IVs, or Replica Codes public?

The public open team lists show species, items, abilities, natures, and moves, but they hide EVs and IVs. The published top-cut team table did not list a Replica Code for either finalist when this page was checked on September 1, 2026.

Can I load these teams into the PKMN Team Builder?

Yes. Each team card has a Load team shell button that opens the six listed pre-Mega species in the builder. It is useful for a first type-coverage check, but it is not an exact post-Mega simulation and does not fill hidden EVs or IVs.

Evidence ledger

Sources and evidence labels

Official Worlds coverage

Share the side-by-side final

The useful part is the comparison: four shared species, two different Mega and speed plans, plus the exact public OTS. Send this page to a teammate before you start rebuilding the sets for the next regulation.