Looking back at 2022 in GLC

Gym Leader Challenge was an exciting part of 2022. People are playing online, over webcam, at locals, and even in side-events in regional and international Pokemon events across the world. Here at CardBoard Warriors, we track the online scene to provide analytics and news on what is going on in the GLC world. Take a look below at the favorite and most effective Pokemon from the online community.

Pokemon

When looking at the most commonly played Pokemon, it is clear that Water and Dark are the most played types. Drizzile is used in a whopping 18% of decks!

The winningest list shows a different story, however. Some late 2022 arrivals in Archeops, Lost Origin Snorlax, and Mismagius are showing how powerful they are. The most commonly played Pokemon are nowhere to be found in the most effective list. I believe the most effective Pokemon are a result of the combination of the power of the card and the strength of the trainer. Lesser used Pokemon like Poyrgon2 and Haxorus have high win rates due to the trainers that are known for running them.

PkmnJohn is known for his Haxorus line skipping the stage 1. Tankmin is known for his choice of Porygon2 in the best attacking Colorless list to date.

Trainers

It is suprising to me how few trainers hit a 90% usage rate with only 6 trainer cards being used in at least 9 out of 10 decks. That goes to show how diverse the GLC format is when even the most common staples don't make it into every deck. It's hard to make a final list of 60!

The best trainer card list is full of uncommon trainer cards that are not found in many lists. Once again, it goes to show that the player itself is what makes the most difference in how well a card is utilized.

DT Salva created a powerful Colorless control list using Sacred Ash bringing its high win rate. Echoing horn is found in the same list as well as Tzubi's lost zone Psychic, and half of the Silent Lab games may have been played by JeoshuaObladi himself 😂.

Types

2022 was the year of the Dragon in Gym Leader Challenge (but just barely!). With all decks (except Fairy) falling within a 10 point win rate spread, it's fair to say that any deck can win in GLC. 2022 ended with GLC in a very healthy meta state with many different types of decks making top cuts and winning.

All data was collected from the CardBoard Warriors analytics page.