Series 3 of competitive battles has been announced for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, starting April 1 and going through Jun 30. With this new series, the Legendary Quartet known as the Treasures of Ruin will finally become available within the pool of monsters competitive battlers can use on their team. Previously, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Series 2 added Paradox Pokemon to the pool, which resulted in a dramatic shift in the meta around these powerful mons, and it's likely these new Legendaries will cause a similar change.
These unique monsters can only be obtained within Pokemon Scarlet and Violet by finding and pulling each of the stakes associated with their shrine from around the Paldea region. Although each one has the Dark typing as one of its dual types, these mons have the potential to be very powerful with their distinct individual abilities that lower a particular stat of all other creatures besides itself. The combination of these elements could lead to some unique, high-risk high-reward set-ups for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet VGC's Double Battle format.
The Treasures of Ruin Could Make or Break the Series 3 Meta in Scarlet and Violet
The first of the Legendary Quartet of creatures is the Dark/Grass-type Wo-Chien, who could see usage in a similar role to mons like Amoonguss and Brute Bonnet thanks to high defenses and access to moves like Pollen Puff and Taunt. As a defensively-oriented monster with a solid move pool, Wo-Chien would make a great support mon despite its range of weaknesses as a Dark/Grass type. One advantage it has over similar mons is its Ability, Tablets of Ruin, which lowers the Attack of all creatures on the field except itself, making it a great support partner for a strong, but frail Special Attacker.
Chien-Pao, the next of the Legendary Quartet, has the advantage of being a fast, Attack-oriented monster with the Ability Sword of Ruin, which lowers the Defense of all mons on the field aside from itself. Although this could be a risky gambit, pairing Chien-Pao with a solid Defensive partner like Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's Iron Hands or Dondozo could help it become a terrifying physical sweeper. While its Dark/Ice typing is not great defensively, Chien-Pao has access to a variety of powerful offensive moves like Throat Chop and Icicle Crash for STAB damage, as well as Psychic Fangs which has the secondary ability to break Light Screen and Reflect.
The physically-oriented member of the Legendary Quartet, Ting-Lu, has the bulk and typing to threaten mons like Flutter Mane and Iron Hands who sit atop the current meta for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet VGC. As a Dark/Ground type, Ting-Lu can wall both Electric and Psychic attackers, and its great HP and Defense give it the survivability to set up the entry hazards it has access to like Spikes and Stealth Rock. It pairs best with a teammate who suffers from low Special Defense since its Ability, Vessel of Ruin, lowers the Special Attack of all monsters on the field beside itself. Interestingly, Ting-Lu is the only completely new Ground-type Pokemon in Scarlet and Violet.
The final member of the Treasures of Ruin, Chi-Yu, has the potential to be the most dangerous of the group with its high Speed, Special Attack, and Special Defense stats. Chi-Yu's Dark/Fire typing gives it the least amount of weaknesses among the Legendary Quartet, while also allowing it to hit common mons like Pokemon number 1000, Gholdengo, for super effective damage. It's even more threatening due to its ability, Beads of Ruin, which lowers the Special Defense of all mons on the field other than itself, making it a great partner for Flutter Mane or Iron Bundle to create a powerful duo of special sweepers.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are available now for Nintendo Switch.
