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With the release of Pokemon Scarlet & Violet, competitive players are excitedly forming the game's new competitive meta. The addition of new mechanics such as Terastallizing promises to shake up predictable matchups and make formerly unappealing Pokemon now desirable for competitive players. Of course, new Pokemon are also catching players' eyes.
In Scarlet & Violet, there are over 100 brand-new Pokemon for players to catch in the Paldea region. However, only a certain number of these Pokemon are made to be sweepers, which refers to Pokemon on a competitive team whose job it is to get easy KOs on an opponent's team. These are the ideal sweepers out of the game's new mons.
Maushold
At first glance, Maushold may not seem incredibly valuable for competitive players. The family of mice has lackluster stats across the board, save for an impressive base Speed. However, it comes with a unique signature move in Population Bomb, which deals 20 damage and may hit somewhere between one and ten times.
Combined with Maushold's Hidden Ability Technician, which increases the damage of less powerful attacks, as well as items like the Lucky Dice which favors odds of multi-hit attacks, Maushold is a serious threat. A move like Population Bomb could reliably deal between 100-200 damage in one turn, which would make its weaker stats negligible.
Espathra
Competitive players will be very satisfied with using Espathra, a Psychic-type Pokemon with impressive Speed and Special Attack stats. However, Espathra's real draw is its Ability, Speed Boost, which boosts its already high speed at the end of every turn. This means within a few short turns, Espathra could outspeed many Legendary Pokemon.
Espathra also boasts a pretty strong movepool for a special attacker. Aside from typical Psychic-type moves, Espathra also gains coverage for Ghost, Grass, Fairy, Flying, Bug, Dark, and Fighting. Its versatility and strength will make it a preferred special sweeper in competitive teams, especially when players factor in additional STAB from Tera types.
Kilowattrel
Don't be fooled, Kilowattrel is one of the best new Pokemon to debut in Scarlet & Violet. Its base Speed is 125, which puts it on par with Pokemon like Marshadow and Greninja. It also has an incredibly useful typing in Electric/Flying, which grants it full immunity to Electric's only weakness, Ground-type.
Given Kilowattrel's superb Speed, as well as a useful Special Attack stat, the Pokemon is surefire to become an easy choice for a fast special sweeper in the new meta. Access to moves like Electro Ball also gives it an edge over Pokemon it outspeeds, while moves like Volt Switch can help it deal damage and then get out before its opponent makes their move.
Klawf
Klawf doesn't boast as great speed as the previous entries, but it has enough physical Attack and Defense stats to make up for it. Additionally, Klawf comes with an incredibly useful and unique Ability with Anger Shell, which basically gives the Pokemon a free Shell Smash with low health, boosting its Attack, Special Attack, and Speed stats.
Combined with a powerful physical movepool including STAB moves like Stone Edge and Rock Slide, Klawf can deal some serious damage to opponents. Additionally, the use of Tera types can give it even stronger coverage moves, like Stomping Tantrum, Trailblaze, Knock Off, and X-Scissor, among others.
Cetitan
This Ice-type Pokemon is one of the bulkiest new additions to Scarlet & Violet. Its Ability Thick Fat gives it resistance to Fire and Ice moves, negating one of its biggest weaknesses, while its other ability Slush Rush can give it a much-needed boost in Speed in Hail. However, Cetitan's real draw comes in his stat distribution.
Aside from moderate speed, Cetitan boasts a strong 113 base Attack and a whopping 170 HP. With the right EVs and IVs, Cetitan can become an incredibly difficult Pokemon to wipe out. Its great Attack stat also allows it to take advantage of Pokemon that are weak to Ice, Ground, Fairy, Fighting, and Water, thanks to its diverse movepool.
Garganacl
Garganacl's signature move, Salt Cure, drew the attention of many competitive Pokemon fans when Scarlet & Violet first dropped. The Rock-type move deals damage every turn, giving it the same property as a status condition. However, it also is super-effective against Water and Steel-type Pokemon, which are normally resistant to Rock moves.
Though Garganacl is lacking in Speed, its HP, Attack, and Defense stats make it a real threat to Pokemon that are weak to Rock, as well as Steel and Water-types. While it's not without its weaknesses (there's no shortage of speedy Fighting-types in Gen 9), Garganacl can deal a devastating amount of damage against teams with very little effort.
Annihilape
Primeape finally received an upgrade in Gen 9 thanks to its new evolution, Annihilape. As a Ghost/Fighting-type, Annihilape boasts invincibility from Normal and Fighting-types, as well as neutral damage from Dark-type moves. Its Ability, Vital Spirit, also makes it immune to the Sleep condition, making it a difficult Pokemon to avoid taking damage from.
Surprisingly, Annihilape may be open to taking damage anyway. Its signature move, Rage Fist, increases in power whenever Annihilape is hit. Combined with decent HP, Annihilape is bulky enough to survive hits and return with devastating fury, except for Normal-types. However, Annihilape has enough of a Fighting-type movepool to cover those.
Kingambit
Pokemon fans are extremely excited for Kingambit, the new evolution of Bisharp introduced in Scarlet & Violet. Its Ability Supreme Overlord gives it a powerful edge: for every ally Pokemon that's fainted, Kingambit receives a boost in its Attack and Special Attack. This improves an already great stat distribution for the Dark/Steel-type Pokemon.
Though Kingambit lacks the decent Speed of its pre-evolution, it more than makes up for it with its base Attack, Defense, and HP stats. Its signature move, Kowtow Cleave, is also a surefire hit against Pokemon that aren't protected during the turn. It also has access to decent coverage moves like Poison Jab and Zen Headbutt.
Houndstone
For a cute Ghost-type dog Pokemon, competitive players wouldn't expect it to be completely broken. However, its signature move does all the talking. With Last Respects, Houndstone's base 50 damage move increased by 50 for every fallen ally Pokemon. That means if Houndstone is the last mon standing, it will deal base 300 damage with the move.
When fans combine Last Respects with Houndstone's great Attack, power-up items, EV, and IVs, as well as the possibility of Terastallizing for extra STAB, there's little that can resist it other than Normal-types. Fortunately, Houndstone also has enough Speed and coverage to take down anything that can resist Last Respects, making it a true sweeping threat.
Palafin
At long last, a dolphin Pokemon has made its debut in Gen 9. However, it wasn't long before Palafin was banned from the current competitive meta for being overpowered. Its gimmick involves its Ability, Zero to Hero, which changes Palafin into a superpowered Hero form whenever it switches out, invoking Clark Kent turning into Superman.
Thanks to the ease of switching out in singles battles, as well as access to the move Flip Turn, Palafin can easily return to battle with 160 base Attack. Combined with a Choice Scarf to boost Speed and coverage moves like Close Combat, Focus Punch, and Wave Crash, Palafin is a threat to any Pokemon, even those that resist its STAB attacks.
Pokemon Scarlet & Violet is currently available on Switch.