Regieleki is one of the newest Pokemon introduced in Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield, added as part of the Crown Tundra DLC. At first appearance, Regieleki may just look like another member of the Regi family, but one glance at this bad boy's base stats and fans will quickly realize that Regieleki has huge potential in the Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield Competitive scene.
In this series, we're highlighting Pokemon that are making waves in the competitive scene, how the Pokemon can be used effectively, and how they fit into the competitive meta. Last week we covered the #1 most used Pokemon in competitive right now: Tapu Fini. Now it's time to break down the fastest Pokemon in the game: Regieleki.
Stats and Weaknesses
Upon looking at Regieleki's stats, one stat in particular jumps out: Speed. Regieleki is the single-fastest Pokemon in the entire franchise, boasting a whopping 200 Base Speed. The rest of Regieleki's stats spread out as such that it makes Regieleki a super-fast glass canon sweeper that can focus on either Physical or Special Attacks. Regieleki has a lower base HP stat of 80, rough Physical and Special Defense stats at 50 each, and solid Physical and Special Attack stats at 100 each. Players will want to spend some time soft-resetting the Regieleki fight to get a perfect IV Regieleki if they want a mixed attacker, or one with 0 Physical Attack IV if they know it'll be Special-only.
Being a pure-Electric type, the only weakness Regieleki has is to Ground attacks. Regieleki takes 0.5x damage from Electric, Flying, and Steel types. Ground Pokemon, or at the very least Ground Attacks, are certainly not unheard of in Competitive Pokemon, especially with the very-popular Landorus back in play. Regieleki should be primarily dealing Electric-type attacks due to the STAB bonus on top of Regieleki's ability, Transistor, which boosts the power of Electric moves by 50%, and Electric is only resisted by Electric, Grass, and Dragon with Ground types being Immune to the damage.
Move Pool and Coverage
Regieleki's Move Pool is relatively limited, being primarily Electric-type attacks (which, as mentioned before, are all powered up by STAB and Transistor). Regieleki has a unique move called Thunder Cage, which is a Special Attack that deals 80 Base Damage and prevents the opponent from switching out for 4-5 turns - a powerful effect in VGC formats. Regieleki can also set up Screens, has access to the always-valuable Volt Switch, and also has Rising Voltage for when Electric Terrain is active.
Running Protect is never a bad call when a Pokemon has such weak defenses like Regieleki. In terms of dealing with Ground Pokemon, Regieleki isn't in a great spot. Players can use Explosion as a last-resort move against them, but it's usually better to switch out and let the rest of the team deal with those pesky Ground Types. Overall, with these moves Regieleki is easily one of the best Legendary Pokemon added in the Crown Tundra, so long as teams aren't built prepared to counter it.
Pairings
Tapu Koko and Tapu Fini are easily two of the best pairs for Regieleki, both catchable in the Dynamax Adventure game mode. Starting with the legend itself, Tapu Fini. On top of being just an all-around great Pokemon and great against Regieleki's Ground weakness, Tapu Fini allows for some big brain plays if Tapu Fini is running Soak - a relatively underused move. What this move does is it changes the target's typing to pure-Water. This is the PERFECT way to counter those blasted Ground type Pokemon that are blocking Regieleki's path to victory. This works on the vast majority of Pokemon, and is a guaranteed way to ensure Super Effective attacks from Regieleki for massive damage.
Tapu Koko has always been a staple Pokemon in the VGC Competitive Battling scene after its introduction in Pokemon Sun and Moon. What makes Tapu Koko such a great match-up is its Electric Surge ability, which sets Electric Terrain when it enters the field. This not only powers up Electric-type attacks, it will DOUBLE the power of Rising Voltage against Pokemon who is not Flying or has Levitate. Not only that but Tapu Koko can learn Grass Knot which helps cover Regieleki against Ground Type Pokemon as well.
One last pick would be running Regieleki alongside Glastrier, one of the two new Legendary Horse Pokemon. While they may seem on opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to Pokemon, that is why they work so well together. Regieleki is blindingly fast while Glastrier is painfully slow. This helps cover Regieleki in the event that Trick Room is set, because that means the opponent has to deal with a stupidly fast Glastrier now. Additionally, Ice does wonders against Ground types too.
Best Uses and Counters
As we've stated a dozen times over, Ground Pokemon are the bane of Regieleki's existence. Additionally, there are several Pokemon who have the Lightning Rod ability which will redirect any Electric-type attacks. Some popular ones include Alolan Marowack and Rhypherior. Trick Room also serves as a major hindrance to Regieleki, as it inverts the Speed order for 5 turns, making Regieleki the slowest Pokemon on the field. Without its speed, Regieleki has nothing going for it and will likely be destroyed before it can make a move. It's good to balance out a team with either a Pokemon that can set Trick Room (to undo Trick Room), or with some Pokemon like Glastrier that can thrive in Trick Room in case it goes up.
In terms of usage, Regieleki is a fast, physical or special sweeper that can clean up and one/two shot some Pokemon before being defeated. With only Ground Pokemon/Attacks to worry about, Regieleki doesn't have many weaknesses, but lacks coverage moves to allow it to excel against Pokemon that resist Electric. However, with the combination of STAB and Transistor, it can still deal a ton of damage to resistant Pokemon. Running a Life Orb on Regieleki allows it to further amplify its damage at the cost of some life per attack. Regieleki is here for a good time not a long time so that is okay.
Running Choice Scarf and relying on Electro Ball for a fun meme build is a possibility if a bit overkill, but Choice Specs will be a much better fit to boost Special Attack damage at the cost of being locked into a single move. Overall, Regieleki is a great pick and is certainly making a name for itself during its Competitive premier, only time will tell if this Pokemon remains dominant or if it will fall to the wayside.
Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield are available now for Nintendo Switch.