Starting June 23 at 00:00 UTC, the next Online Competition is the tiny tourney, a Double Battle competition permitting only Pokémon that are equal to or less than one meter (3’03”) in height. Mythical Pokémon and some Legendary Pokémon will be prohibited from competing. You can even earn a Galladite, Gardevoirite, and a Lopunnite just for signing up and playing a few games, so read on to find out more about this exciting competition.
With a name like the “tiny tourney,” you might be imagining battles between small, cute Pokémon like Clefairy, Pikachu, and Trubbish. But like any other Online Competition, Trainers aiming for high ratings will look for the most effective Pokémon available under the constraints of the competition.
Here are some key Pokémon to remember as you prepare for the tiny tourney. Whether you include these Pokémon on your team or not, you’ll have better results if your team is prepared to battle against these miniature behemoths.
Keep Up with Kartana
A majority of the most powerful Pokémon aren’t permitted in the tiny tourney, but the tiniest Ultra Beast fits this competition’s unique criteria perfectly. Expect Kartana to make a sizable impact on this competition.
Kartana’s high Attack and Speed could make it the most dangerous attacker available. The Drawn Sword Pokémon is normally taught attacks from three different types—Grass, Steel, and Fighting. Keep an eye out for Substitute as well, a tactic Trainers in the Video Game Championships have used to successfully defend this frail Ultra Beast.
Include Pokémon that can resist Kartana’s Grass- and Steel-type attacks on your team—they’ll help against opposing Ferrothorn, too. Heat Rotom, Flareon, Chandelure, or a Ferrothorn of your own are all great choices. If you’re looking for more ways to stop Kartana from slicing through your team, try giving a Choice Scarf or Focus Sash to a Pokémon that knows a Fire-type attack.
Make Room for Rotom
Washing machines and microwave ovens probably aren’t the first objects you’d think of as “tiny,” but the small body of Rotom itself is a perfect fit for this competition. We anticipate many Trainers will quickly add the popular poltergeist to their teams, but selecting which electronic device Rotom should inhabit is trickier.
Trainers looking to improve their matchups against Kartana should look to Heat Rotom. It takes little damage from Kartana’s attacks and can fire back with Overheat. Plus, it can use its Electric-type attacks to fight other Fire-type Pokémon or even deal heavy damage to most opposing Water-type Pokémon.
Wash Rotom is often the most popular Rotom form for tournaments, but its normally manageable weakness to Grass-type attacks is more significant in this competition. It’s still strong against the Fire-type Pokémon Trainers may bring to check Kartana and Ferrothorn, so it may still be a popular choice to use alongside these Pokémon on teams that have answers to them.
Each Rotom form is best battled differently, so make sure your team can handle pairings of Electric- with Fire-, Water-, or even Grass-type attacks.
Tricky Trick Room
The Pokémon that can use Trick Room in this competition are powerful—especially with Chandelure and Reuniclus available—but it’s a little tougher to find Pokémon to score knockouts. Trainers forming Trick Room teams should give Azumarill, Ferrothorn, Escavalier, Wishiwashi, and Marowak a longer look than they otherwise might in a different competition.
Double Battles are often won by the Trainer who can better control the Speed of the Pokémon on the battlefield. The pool of Pokémon available in the tiny tourney may leave Trainers short on Pokémon to execute their usual strategies, but Porygon2 and Mimikyu are still available to form the core of Trick Room teams.
With so many strong Pokémon capable of learning Trick Room available, make sure you don’t create a team of only quick, frail Pokémon. You may even want to consider teaching a Pokémon Taunt, Roar, or Whirlwind to stop Trick Room from ever activating.
Parting Shots
If you’re having a hard time thinking of Pokémon for your team, here are some extra ideas.
Porygon2 isn’t the only Pokémon to consider giving the Eviolite item to in the tiny tourney. Many Pokémon get larger when they evolve, becoming ineligible for this competition in the process. Pokémon you may normally rule out, like Doublade, Misdreavus, and Pokémon with weather-changing Abilities, may be worth considering without their evolved forms available.
Mega Evolution is prohibited during the tiny tourney, but Z-Moves are not, so keep an eye out for unconventional tactics. Teams built around Eevee and its Extreme Evoboost will be difficult to stop in this competition. And Porygon-Z’s Z-Conversion can be equally tough to shut down, so try not to give it uncontested turns on the battlefield.
Trainers will likely pair Eevee with Clefairy, one of the only Pokémon available that can redirect attacks away from its teammates. The combination of the move Follow Me and the Friend Guard Ability allow Clefairy to defend its teammates from all kinds of attacks, so it’s a great option for all kinds of teams in this competition.
The only Legendary Pokémon permitted in the competition are Azelf, Uxie, and Mesprit. In addition to great stats, each of these Pokémon can also learn Trick Room. Using Trick Room while it is already active returns the field to normal, allowing these Pokémon to help fast teams stay faster against teams built around Trick Room. Azelf deserves extra attention—it’s naturally quicker than Kartana and capable of learning Flamethrower.
Azumarill faces some stiff challenges from Rotom, Kartana, and Ferrothorn in this competition, but don’t count out the Aqua Rabbit Pokémon. The combination of Belly Drum and Aqua Jet is too powerful to be ignored in any competition, so make sure you have some answers to this Pokémon on your team.
No Pokémon represents a greater risk than Shedinja, but the Shed Pokémon is a fun rogue choice when fewer Pokémon are permitted. Its Wonder Guard Ability will leave you wondering which opposing Pokémon are packing surprise Fire-type attacks for Kartana, but the impact Shedinja has in the team preview phase can be valuable even if you don’t bring it to battle.
These are just some of the great Pokémon available in the tiny tourney. Check out the regulations to find out exactly which Pokémon are permitted in this Online Competition. Try to come up with your own strategies that other Trainers aren’t expecting before the tournament starts—you may even come up with the winning strategy! And don’t forget to sign up and battle to get your hands on a Galladite, Gardevoirite, and Lopunnite.
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