Competitive battles have been a part of the Pokemon series since the first games were released, and Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are no different introducing dozens of new critters to the online PvP battle scene. The first season of the video game championship series for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet is currently under way and sees players from around the world competing in ranked battles using the best mons they can find. Some of these creatures are better than others, and the current competitive metagame sees a mix of both new and old mons on the top teams.
Although Series 2 of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet VGC will allow the use of Paradox Pokemon, they are not currently usable in the current series of ranked battles. Even without using these mighty monsters, teams in Series 1 of VGC are still home to a few frequently used beasts that have been leading their users to victory. While the metagame for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet is bound to shift as the seasons go on, these critters are currently four of the most commonly used among competitive battlers.
Gholdengo
One of the most commonly used mons in the meta right now is Pokemon number 1,000. Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's Gholdengo has a variety of tricks up its sleeve that make it a competitive powerhouse. It has a solid base stat total of 550 and a favorable spread for individual stats with Special Attack being the highest, as well as decent Defense and Speed supporting it. A typical Gholdengo build focuses on its high Special Attack to utilize its signature move, Make It Rain, with its 100% accuracy and 120 base power, further boosted through the Choice Specs held item. Couple that with its Ability, Good as Gold, which makes it immune to status effects and Gholdengo can effectively shut down opponents.
Meowscarada
At first glance, the final-stage Grass starter Meowscarada doesn't seem like a good competitive mon with its 4x weakness to Bug types and five regular weaknesses. However, the introduction of Terastallization in Gen 9 relieves a Grass Tera Type Meowscarada of this 4x weakness while simultaneously boosting its signature move, Flower Trick, which never misses and is also guaranteed to be a critical hit. When combined with its high Speed and Attack, this setup can take out opposing mons quickly and give the user the momentum necessary to win the battle. It also has access to support moves like Knock Off, Protect, and Sucker Punch to help build out a well-rounded move set.
Dragonite
Gen 1's pseudo-legendary Pokemon Dragonite has always been a powerful monster thanks to its 600 base stat total. However, the creature has seen a resurgence in the VGC meta with the introduction of Terastallization allowing it to gain boosted STAB damage from Extreme Speed, a priority move with base 80 power. Dragonite already has a high Attack stat, but access to Dragon Dance can boost this stat even further. Setting up Dragon Dance and then Terastallizing a Normal Tera Type Dragonite puts it in a position to sweep most of an opponent's team with Extreme Speed.
Kingambit
While it's quite slow for a competitive mon, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's Kingambit has a lot of bulk with an excellent Attack stat and access to a solid move pool that's made even better with a Dark Tera Type. A Terastalized Kingambit using Sucker Punch can deal high damage while skirting its low Speed, and its signature move, Kowtow Cleave, can be devastating since it never misses. What really makes Kingambit such a fearsome foe is its Ability, Supreme Overlord, which raises its Attack and Special Attack for each ally that has fainted in the battle. This Ability makes it perfect to bring out as a final Pokemon in a last-ditch effort to sweep the opponent's remaining team.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet is available now for Nintendo Switch.
