The event ran from June 28-29th, 2025, and used the Regulation Set I ruleset, allowing the use of Paradox Pokemon, Legendary Pokemon, along with a choice of two Restricted Special Pokemon per team. To see announcements for future Victory Road events, including the recently announced July Challenge #1, make sure to check them out on X (formerly Twitter)!
The following list shows all players in Top Cut, the teams they used, as well as prize money earned in USD. All teams and rental codes shown below can be used in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet's online Ranked Battles while Regulation Set I is running from May 1st to August 31st, 2025.
Standings
We can mainly see two pairings of Restricted Pokémon dominating the results. Calyrex Shadow Rider and Zamazenta appear on six teams in Top Cut, alongside Miraidon and Calyrex Ice Rider appearing on four overall and three out of the Top 4. This isn't unexpected, as these two combinations have seen a dramatic amount of success lately — Shadow Rider and Zamazenta won the 2025 Bologna Special and Japan Championships as well as reaching the finals of the 2025 Utrecht Regionals and North America Internationals, whereas Miraidon and Ice Rider won the 2025 Utrecht and Santiago Regionals, Pokémon Trainers Cup, and 2025 Singapore Master Ball League alongside reaching the finals of the 2025 Milwaukee Regionals and the Thailand and Hong Kong Master Ball Leagues.
The top three teams are all very similar, featuring Miraidon and Ice Rider alongside Urshifu, Incineroar, Amoonguss, and either Landorus or Volcarona. According to finalist Kiran Singh, these teams are inspired by 2023 Worlds Finalist Michael Kelsch's performance at the 2025 North America Internationals. Kelsch is known for their incredible achievements as well as their amazing teambuilding skills, with the latter being on display in this event. Kelsch recently teased their 2025 World Championships team on X (formerly Twitter), stating that they have "built another top team."
The only other combination of Restricted Pokémon to feature more than once in Top Cut is the unlikely combination of Terapagos and Miraidon, referred to as "doppia zuppa" by Italian player Sebastiano Trinchitelli. These two haven't seen as much success as other pairings, but many Italian players have adopted the team, with Francesco Pio Pero using it to reach the Top 8 of the 2025 Bologna Special and North America Internationals. While the results are impressive, the team still hasn't seen much mainstream success. However, this event does arguably feature the team's best performance yet with three placements in Top Cut. With time for fine-tuning and practice, it could end up being a top threat at the 2025 World Championships.
Despite Miraidon and Lunala being one of the best performing pairings in the format, winning the 2025 Milwaukee Regionals, Grand Challenge IV, and North America Internationals, it only appears once in Top Cut with X Shenlan's impressive Top 4 finish, with only one other placement in Day 2. It's possible this team has seen too much success, becoming predictable to experienced players who have practiced extensively against it. Underestimating this team could spell disaster for any player in the 2025 World Championships, however. After Andrew Ding won the Milwaukee Regionals with the composition, Federico Camporesi changed it slightly to make it faster and hit harder, relying less on Light Screen, Reflect, and Miraidon's Assault Vest — switching Grimmsnarl out for Whimsicott and giving Miraidon the Choice Specs. Other players could make similar adjustments at the World Championships, leaving their opponents confused and unprepared, especially if they underestimated Miraidon and Lunala.
