Weather control has been a recurring staple in Pokemon VGC battles for many generations, and it returns once again as a major aspect of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. Despite some changes to the way weather functions in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, such as the replacement of hail with snowstorms, it's played just as pivotal a role in competitive battles as ever before. One such mon to take full advantage of its weather-setting capabilities is Gen 3's Pelipper, who makes a great partner to many of the game's best competitive battlers.
The change to weather mechanics in Gen 9 has shifted the ways in which certain mons are used in specific types of weather. Snowstorms have helped make Ice types much more viable in battle as they boost the Defense of Ice types while active. Harsh sunlight has become much more useful due to the Ability Protosynthesis found on past Paradox Pokemon, which activates under the sunny weather condition. However, it's the rain that can make some of the best creatures in the meta even better, meaning Pelipper is a solid choice for competitors looking to utilize a powerful weather team.
How Pelipper Turns Certain Monsters into Terrifying Sweepers
The key to Pelipper's competitive viability is access to the Ability Drizzle. Prior to Gen 5, the Legendary Kyogre was the only monster with access to this Ability; however, this changed with the introduction of Hidden Abilities in Gen 5, which saw Politoed gain Drizzle as a Hidden Ability. This marked a steep jump in rain team usage as now the weather condition could be set up when switching Politoed into battle, and teams didn't have to rely on Rain Dance wasting a turn and move slot to set up the rain.
Politoed was the staple mon used for starting rain until Gen 7 when Pelipper gained Drizzle as a second potential Ability besides Keen Eye and the Hidden Ability Rain Dish. Although Politoed has a higher base stat total than Pelipper, it's not available in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, making Pelipper the default option for those wanting to use a rain team in Gen 9. However, Pelipper still has some tricks up its sleeve that help it stand on its own. This includes access to Hurricane, which has 100% accuracy in the rain, and Tailwind, which is used to give teams a boost to their Speed.
With the power to immediately set up rain with Drizzle, Pelipper makes certain mons like Palafin and Iron Bundle even more powerful than they already were. With Water-type moves getting a 50% damage increase in the rain, Palafin's already ridiculous 160 base Attack stat in its Hero Form makes it a real force to be reckoned with, and the Speed of Iron Bundle also makes it a specially-oriented threat in the rain. While Dondozo can also gain the benefits of boosted Water-type moves in the rain, because it should be paired with Tatsugiri, this would require the less-than-ideal scenario of three Water types on a team.
Pelipper may not be the strongest monster on its own, but as a supporter for some of the best sweepers in the current meta, it's a fantastic choice. It can also be useful for dampening the effects of Fire-type moves, as their power gets reduces by 50% in the rain. Unless Politoed is added via DLC for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, or a new creature is given the Drizzle as an Ability, it seems like Pelipper will continue to have a presence in the competitive meta for Gen 9.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are available now for Nintendo Switch.
