Because Pokemon Scarlet and Violet introduced a high number of new Pokemon but still kept the Pokedex to 400 species total, there many differences between which critters are good in Gen 9 and which ones were used throughout Gen 8, instead. With 103 new Pokemon in the Paldean Pokedex, there are plenty of strategies that players can use to make some of them shine, such as Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's Garganacl using moves like Iron Defense, Recover, and Body Press, which is a kit that overall creates an interesting loop. There are many outliers in the new generations, and this includes pocket monsters like Flamigo, which has access to an incredible Ability in the form of Costar, which copies the stat changes of allied Pokemon in double battles, making it a major threat.
While there isn't an official ruleset for competitive Pokemon battles in Gen 9, many players are testing teams in the ranked ladder to experiment with new and returning critters. An unexpected Pokemon to hit the battlefield in these preliminary competitive battles and tournaments is Murkrow, a Gen 2 creature that got an evolution further down the line in Honchkrow, which is instead taking the backseat. Pokemon Scarlet and Violet players are using Murkrow for many reasons, and one of them is that it is an incredibly useful Pokemon that can set status moves quickly and efficiently.
How Murkrow is Winning Tournaments in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet
Murkrow is the only pocket monster that gets access to both Tailwind and Prankster in Gen 9, a combination that has often been used to speed up allied Pokemon to then use their own status moves on opposing critters or attack before they do. Murkrow's base stats are not the best across the board, but it does end up being a great Tailwind setter with a lot of extra utility on top of that in the form of weather moves, Quash, and occasional Brave Bird use to chip away at targets.
Tailwind is immensely valuable to have in double battles because any allied Pokemon can virtually benefit from it a great deal unless they are under the effects of Trick Room, which reverses the Speed of all critters on the field. As such, a great lead to use with Murkrow is Farigiraf with both Imprison and Trick Room, as it can be used as a powerful attacker against any Pokemon, but it can also stop any Trick Room setter in its tracks with a quick Imprison, which goes up first due to Tailwind. Otherwise, Murkrow can be paired with virtually any Pokemon, making it not only an amazing tool in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's competitive double battles but also a force to be reckoned with.
In fact, Murkrow does not deal negligible damage with Brave Bird either, and it can cover wither for Pokemon with Focus Sash, breaking it and allowing allied pocket monsters to hit the KO, or it can simply be used offensively once the crow-like critter has run its course. This precise strategy was used to win a tournament in Japan, in fact, with a team that also comprised Farigiraf, an Assault Vest Glimmora, a Torkoal, a Focus Sash Brute Bonnet, and finally a Choice Specs Chi-Yu.
Chi-Yu is from Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's Legendary quartet of ruinous creatures, and it benefits from Murkrow not only thanks to Tailwind, but also thanks to Sunny Day, which boosts its Fire damage even further, allowing for multiple KOs at a time with Heat Wave. This strategy is particularly effective because there is no Pokemon that wouldn't benefit from Murkrow's supportive role, proving that even not fully-evolved critters that might easily be overlooked can actually put in a lot of work. Ultimately, this is also a symptom of the fact that Gen 9's meta is going to be very different from Gen 8, and that's a good thing.
PokemonScarlet and Violet are available now on Nintendo Switch.
