Regional Finals Analysis (Japan) - UNITE World Championship Series | UNITE World Championship Series

Want to know a quick summary of the things that happened in the Japan Regional Finals? Read on to see the most used Pokemon, the Pokemon with the best win rate, the most used battle and held items, lanes for each Pokemon, where to watch the stream, as well as highlights that defined this tournament!

Regional Finals Analysis
Regional Finals (North America)	Regional Finals (Japan)

The data here is based on the recent VOD stream released by the Official Pokemon UNITE YouTube channel.

Regional Finals Summary (Japan)

Secret Ship is the Japan Regional Champions!

After months of grueling competition, Secret Ship emerges to be the top team in Japan proving themselves worthy to join the best teams in London for the very first Pokemon UNITE World Championships!

In addition to that, the team will also take home USD$20,000 in prizes! Sweet!

Secret Ship and たきしまグロウパンチ ver2.0 Advances To London!

In addition to the awesome prizes they got for being the top two teams in the Japan Regional Finals, both of these teams will represent Japan for the Pokemon UNITE World Championships in London:

UNITE World Championships Representatives (Japan Region)
1	Secret Ship
2	たきしまグロウパンチ ver2.0 (Takishima Glow Punch ver2.0)

UNITE World Championship Series 2022:
Information and Schedules

Meta Highlights

Hoopa and Blissey Support Duo

Hoopa and Blissey continue to dominate team comps, having the highest pick rates in the tournament. They are either picked alone or as a duo.

Hoopa for Utility

Teams pick Hoopa mainly for its ability to quickly teleport its allies around the map using Hyperspace Hole and Rings Unbound. This proves to be extremely effective in various situtations, such as pushing lanes, securing Drednaw and Rotom, and winning teamfights.

Hoopa Guide: Builds and Best Items

Blissey for Support

Blissey, on the other hand, is played as the team's full-on support, healing, shielding, and buffing allies. Apart from this, it outshines other Supporters due to it having the largest HP pool in the game, making it a tough supporter to take down.

Blissey Guide: Builds and Best Items

All-Rounder Team Comps Return

The All-Rounder meta team comp makes a return in this tournament. Teams seem to favor All-Rounders more as their core picks, particularly for their damage dealers.

List of All-Rounders

Low Lucario Pick Rate

The most surprising turn of events in this tournament is Lucario's extremely low pick rate. It's surprising not only because Lucario has always been a top pick in the meta, but also because of how low its pick rate is in the tournament. This sudden decline in Lucario picks is quite alarming since it has not received any significant changes in any updates.

Lucario Guide: Builds and Best Items

Jungle Splitting

The jungle-splitting strategy continues to show itself in tournaments. This strategy consists of two Pokemon splitting and clearing jungle camps before going to the lanes.

Returning Pokemon

Typical of the Japanese meta, some Pokemon that fell off in terms of picks make a return and have proved that they are still viable!

Dragonite Fast Hyper Beam Secure

During the height of the notorious Score Comp, Dragonite was one of the core picks for the team due to its global mobility via Draco Impact, allowing it to quickly go to any enemy goal zone and score points. However, when Buddy Barrier and Score Shield were nerfed, the Score Comp went downhill, decreasing the need for Dragonite.

Despite these circumstances, Dragonite made a comeback in this tournament and the meta, having a high pick rate. Unlike before, the Pokemon is now played as a burst-type damage dealer thanks to Dragon Dance and Hyper Beam.

Dragonite Guide: Builds and Best Items

Wigglytuff Counter Jungling

Wigglytuff would make an appearance in this tournament, being a nuisance as usual with Sing, but more importantly, depriving the opposing team of valuable EXP. Wigglytuff would head straight into the enemy Jungle to farm its Ludicolo and Bouffalant, pushing its team way ahead on EXP, giving them a huge advantage through most of the game. Quickly dispatching the opposing team's Jungle also allowed Wigglytuff to unlock Sing and support its team sooner in skirmishes.

A huge EXP lead also ensures that an offensive Pokemon on Wigglytuff's team like Dragonite can solo Drednaw, freeing up the rest of the team to keep opposing Pokemon away from the objective.

Wigglytuff Guide: Builds and Best Items

Snorlax Heavy Slam and Block

Snorlax returns to the competitive scene after its long absence from it. The Pokemon is once again showing its worth as a Defender, disabling enemies with its signature Heavy Slam and Block combos. Its high durability and effective crowd control prove to be an effective pick in the current meta.

Snorlax Guide: Builds and Best Items

Score Stacking Strategy Still Viable

Even with the nerf to Score Shield. The tournament still saw a high usage of stacking Held Items. This time, Aeos Cookie was the highlight as it saw high amounts of picks for the first time! It was mainly used by Pokemon like Tsareena and Greedent, which can use their high mobility to get quick scores. This allowed them to get increased survivability transitioning to the late game.

First Drednaw is Essential

With three-stage evolution Pokemon like Tsareena, Dragonite, and Aegislash dominating the meta, we saw how significant the first Drednaw spawn is in getting the necessary EXP to evolve. The team who captures the first Drednaw was guaranteed to reach the level 8 to 9 mark, which is the typical power spike of any Pokemon. Hoopa played a major role in realizing the strategy by utilizing Hyperspace Hole's teleport mechanic towards goal zones to rally the team close to objectives.

Drednaw Buff and Spawn Time

Gengar Debuts as a Jungler

Gengar made its debut in this tournament as a Jungler. The Pokemon fits the burst meta perfectly thanks to its Sp. Atk. combos, particularly its Shadow Ball and Dream Eater burst.

Gengar Guide: Builds and Best Items

Burst Damage Focus

Increased importance is put on quick and efficient damage in the tournament. Players would quickly knock out Wild Pokemon before moving to the next Wild Pokemon, being very efficient with their attack and movement choices. Players assigned to the jungle would spend minimal time there, and quickly help out in lanes. Quickly bursting down opposing players was also a good gauge of whether or not they should extend and commit to a kill or drop the attempt and retreat.

Dragonite, Aegislash and Tsareena in team compositions have proven to be valuable sources of consistent damage.

Offensive Items

Players would frequently equip items like Muscle Band, Attack Weight, and Razor Claw to increase their damage potential. These items would often be used in conjunction with X Speed and X Attack to maximize offensive efficiency.

Talonflame Steal and Burst Tech

Talonflame made an explosive return to the World Championships and proved to be a great contender in the current meta. The team Secret Ship fully utilize the Pokemon's strengths, allowing them to secure objectives and pick off important targets like Blissey and Hoopa.

Fast Counter Jungle

With Jungle-Splitting being a key strategy, counter-jungling with Talonflame allowed other Pokemon like Cramorant to get the needed EXP from the jungle camps near the base. The combination of early burst damage and high mobility proved effective as Talonflame was well fed with EXP to reach its powers spikes while also cutting off EXP from the opposing team.

Objectives Secure with Brave Bird

Brave Bird was the premiere move used in the tournament. We saw multiple plays where the move was used to steal Drednaw away from a charged-up Hyper Beam. Moreover, one match was flipped entirely when Brave Bird stole Zapdos at the last moment.

Brave Bird: Talonflame Move Effect and Cooldown

Easy Disengage with Phantom Force

One notable interaction showcased was combining the Talonflame's long-range initialing moves with Phantom Force. This allowed Talonflame to quickly disengage from its position after landing its Brave Bird or Flame Sweep, saving it from a counterattack from the opposing team.

Phantom Force: Hoopa Move Effect and Cooldown

Picks and Win Rates

Pokemon	Most Picked %	Win Rate %
Hoopa	74%	69.0%
Tsareena	67%	55.2%
Blissey Dragonite	59%	55.2%
Aegislash	53%	51.7%
Snorlax	22%	27.6%
Talonflame	21%	31%
Cramorant	21%	20.7%
Greedent	16%	13.8%
Decidueye	14%	20.7%
Wigglytuff	12%	17.2%
Alolan Ninetales	12%	10.3%
Crustle	10%	10.3%
Mr. Mime Slowbro	9%	10.3%
Eldegoss	9%	6.9%
Cinderace	9%	3.4%
Gengar	7%	10.3%
Charizard	5%	6.9%
Trevenant	3%	3.4%
Lucario	3%	0%
Gardevoir Greninja Pikachu Venusaur	2%	3.4%

Game8 Notes

Hoopa keeps it's top spot with Tsareena taking second place! Lucario dropped significantly - is this the end of the Lucario meta? It seems players experiemented on different team compositions, ultimately relying on countering what the other team was picking. For this tournament alone, 25 of 36 Pokemon in the roster was picked!

Pokemon not shown here were not picked during Regional Finals Japan.

Most Picked Battle Item

Battle Item	Most Picked %
Eject Button	31.0%
X Speed	27.9%
Potion Full Heal	13.4%
X Attack	5.9%
Fluffy Tail	5.2%
Goal-Getter	3.1%

Game8 Notes

Eject Button maintains top spot as the most picked battle item even in the Regional Finals! X Speed comes second which means the meta is shifting more to mobility. Slow Smoke, which was the top pick in past tournaments, is the only unused Battle Item. It really has fallen from grace.

Battle Items not shown here were not picked during Regional Finals Japan.

Most Picked Held Item

Held Item	Most Picked %
Focus Band	81.7%
Muscle Band	46.9%
Buddy Barrier	39.3%
Exp. Share	26.9%
Razor Claw	22.1%
Attack Weight	18.3%
Weakness Policy	13.1%
Choice Specs	10.7%
Score Shield	10.0%
Aeos Cookie	9.7%
Sp. Atk. Specs	6.2%
Energy Amplifier	5.9%
Scope Lens	4.8%
Shell Bell	3.1%
Wise Glasses	1.4%

Game8 Notes

Buddy Barrier nerf proves to be effective for the second time. The reliable sudden boost of health from Focus Band is preferred and more players tend to run Buddy Barrier less. The buff on Exp. Share made it a sure pick for supporters - considering Hoopa and Blissey, two supporters, are in the top 3 most picked.

Held Item not shown here were not used during Regional Finals Japan.

Pokemon Lane Picks

The percentage in bold is the most picked lane for that specific Pokemon.

Pokemon	Top Pick %	Jungle Pick %	Bot Pick %
Aegislash	6.5%	--	93.5%
Alolan Ninetales	--	--	100%
Blissey	91.2%	--	8.8%
Charizard	100%	--	--
Cinderace	--	80%	20%
Cramorant	50%	41.7%	8.3%
Crustle	--	--	100%
Decidueye	--	37.5%	62.5%
Dragonite	--	70.6%	29.4%
Eldegoss	--	--	100%
Gardevoir	100%	--	--
Gengar	--	100%	--
Greedent	--	66.7%	33.3%
Greninja	--	100%	--
Hoopa	--	--	100%
Lucario	100%	--	--
Mr. Mime	100%	--	--
Pikachu	--	--	100%
Slowbro	60%	--	40%
Snorlax	100%	--	--
Talonflame	33.3%	50%	16.7%
Trevenant	50%	--	50%
Tsareena	64.1%	28.2%	7.7%
Venusaur	--	100%	--
Wigglytuff	14.3%	28.6%	57.1%

Pokemon not shown here were not picked during Regional Finals Japan.

Where to Watch Regional Finals 2022 (Japan)

The full livestream for the Regional Finals is available in the official YouTube channel of Pokemon UNITE. The winners of the Regional Finals will go head to head in London for the World Championships! We will surely report the stats for that one too!

For the full schedule of the Championship Series, check out this article:

UNITE World Championship Series 2022 Schedule

Japan Regional Finals Day 1

Japan Regional Finals Day 2

Pokemon UNITE Related Guides

UNITE World Championship Series 2022

2022 Championship Series Analysis

2022 World Championship Series Analysis
2022 World Championships
Regional Finals (North America)	Regional Finals (Japan)
May Finals (North America)	May Finals (Japan)
Aeos Cup (North America)	Aeos Cup (Japan)
March Finals Summary (North America)	March Finals Summary (Japan)
February Finals Summary (North America)

All Pokemon UNITE Tournament and Analysis