It's been confirmed that Pokemon Scarlet and Pokemon Violet's new Terastal mechanic will preserve a Pokemon's same-type attack bonus in addition to its new bonuses. The recent Pokemon Scarlet and Violet previews have revealed some significant details regarding how the new games will be dramatically changing combat. Terastallization, a new mechanic which grants a Pokemon a new Tera Type, is the key to those changes. The confirmation of STAB preservation makes that all the more true.In Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, players will be able to use a Tera Orb to Terastallize their Pokemon. Visually, the Terastal phenomenon will look like the Pokemon's turned to crystal, accented with a jeweled symbol for the typing of the transformation (i.e. balloons for flying or candles for fire). While Terastallized, Pokemon will gain boosts to the moves associated with the Tera Type the player chose, but questions have lingered regarding whether a Pokemon's previous typing advantages remained, too.That question has now been answered, as Pokemon are confirmed to preserve their STAB. As an example, a Charizard typically has both Fire and Flying STABs, which grant a 1.5x bonus to Fire or Flying-type attacks. If a Charizard is Terastallized with a Water Tera Type, they retain their Fire and Flying bonuses and gain a Water bonus, too. If Charizard gains a Fire Tera Type, their Fire STAB will be increased while their Flying STAB stays the same.
It should be clarified that the opposite is true for defensive typing bonuses. A Charizard is weak to Electric, Rock, and Water due to those types being strong against Fire or Water, naturally. If that Charizard Terastallizes with a Water Tera Type, they will become weak to Water, Grass, and Dragon, instead. They will lose their innate weaknesses and gain the weaknesses of the Tera Type applied.
To say that the Terastal mechanic could change high-level Pokemon competitive play dramatically is an understatement. It will allow Pokemon Scarlet and Violet players to not only attack enemy Pokemon in a new way, but also to defend Pokemon in a new way. Players will need to defend creatively if they're facing Pokemon opponents with several powerful typing advantages.
It's also true that, for a majority of Pokemon players, the more complex aspects of Pokemon battle strategizing and Terastallization likely won't matter much. Catching strong Pokemon and leveling efficiency should be more than enough for most Pokemon trainers to climb Victory Road. Terastallization should certainly add some fun and flair to the experience, though.
Pokemon Scarlet and Pokemon Violet release on November 18 for Switch.
