Kotone was the only Trainer in the top-8 to use Mega Gardevoir, who could do plenty of damage, as well as enable Trick Room. She had two Pokémon that benefited greatly from Trick Room, a Tyranitar holding a Life Orb and a Heatran with Flash Cannon. Heatran’s Quiet Nature slowed it down even further, increasing the effect of Trick Room.

Ryan stuck with the popular combination of Mega Charizard Y and Cresselia with Moonlight and Calm Mind. He livened up the team by using Terrakion with Double Kick, an effective move against Substitute (a common move for Heatran) and any Pokémon holding a Focus Sash, a particular favorite of Bisharp.

One of the few players still using Mega Mawile, Shu made it work well enough to reach the top cut. Not only is it rarely seen, it’s even more surprising to not see it with Trick Room. Shu also included an unusual Cresselia that knew Toxic and Safeguard, two moves that are both good but not necessarily seen on the same Pokémon. He also had the choice of a second Mega-Evolved Pokémon with Mega Kangaskhan, one of two players in the Junior Division top-8 to give himself that option.

Shuhei stuck close to the popular trends with Aegislash, Kangaskhan, Thundurus, and Landorus. He got creative with his other two Pokémon: the Togekiss with Magic Coat to deflect status conditions attacks back at the user; and a Suicune holding an Assault Vest that supported its team with Snarl and Icy Wind.

The 2014 Worlds Runner-Up started out with a team of familiar Pokémon including Kangaskhan, Thundurus, Landorus, and Heatran. London’s opponents might have been expecting that quartet, but the Sylveon with Calm Mind and the rarely seen Jellicent were definitely curve balls. With its Cursed Body Ability, Ghost type, and Will-O-Wisp attack, Jellicent made it difficult for it Physical Pokémon to handle.

Mega Metagross, Hydreigon, and Togekiss form an unusual core for Cory’s team. Togekiss can help the other two Pokémon avoid attacks by using Follow Me and Tailwind, freeing them up to deliver massive damage. The team also has Milotic and its Competitive Ability to discourage Pokémon with the Intimidate Ability from coming into play against Metagross.

Aiden kept with the trio of Salamence, Excadrill with the Sand Rush Ability, and Tyranitar with the Sand Stream Ability that earned him the U.S. National Championship title. This time he mixed up the remaining Pokémon on his team by adding Mow Rotom, Milotic, and Aegislash. Mow Rotom was especially a surprise, and certainly was effective against the Water-type Pokémon that troubled his big three.

Yuma had the choice of Mega Charizard Y or Mega Charizard, both with Natures that slowed their Speed. This team looked faster than it actually was, so that when Trick Room was enabled, it caught a lot of opponents off guard. Yuma also had some cool Pokémon to take advantage of Trick Room, including a Sylveon holding a Life Orb. Sylveon also knew Quick Attack, which gained a boost thanks to Sylveon’s Pixilate Ability.