Trainers have been waiting quite a while for some new Pokémon to come in and shake the meta. The big names from the Scarlet and Violet era have really had a chokehold on Pokémon for several months; names like Chien Pao, Kingambit, and Gholdengo. Although the DLC isn’t out yet, there are already a couple of threats on their way that might shake up the current tier list.
Which are the best Pokémon returning in The Teal Mask – Scarlet and Violet DLC?
10 Milotic
Outside of Toxapex, there isn’t too much competition for Milotic in terms of bulky Water-types in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. The thing that sets apart Milotic from other walls like Quagsire and Toxapex is a decent Special Attack stat (100 at base). This means it can KO all the Dragons in the meta with a strong Ice Beam.
9 Kommo o
Kommo-o may have lost his special Z move, but it gained something extra with Tera. Now, Kommo-o can get rid of that annoying x4 weakness to Fairy, allowing defensive sets like Iron Defense and Body Press to be a lot more potent. Substitute and Belly Drum with Salac Berry could also make a comeback, especially to break through Garganacl and Corviknight.
8 Incineroar
VGC players in particular got to enjoy a meta without Incineroar. Once the DLC drops, though, the Intimidate cat will be back. There are so many strong physical attackers that it’s impossible to see Incineroar not get use just for Intimidate. Some of these threats have tools to deal with Incineroar, though, like Sacred Sword on Chien Pao or Earthquake on Baxcalibur.
7 Mamoswine
Thanks to all the Dragons being used (Baxcalibut, Dragapult, Dragonite, etc.), it could be a good meta for Mamoswine to fire off Ice Shards in. Access to Earthquake also makes it very useful in a meta full of Garganacl, Toxapex, and Clodsire.
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6 Gliscor
With Tera, Gliscor can shed it’s 4x weakness to Ice. This can be fairly deadly, since it might be able to turn around bad matchups like Baxcalibur and Chien Pao with Tera Water. Aside from that, it still will be the best Toxic staller in the game, and Gliscor can Knock Off the Pokémon that it can’t poison.
5 Venusaur
The Sun archetype has had a pretty interesting experience in Generation IX. It used to be really popular with Great Tusk’s and Roaring Moon’s Protosynthesis, but then players realize Scovillain didn’t really make the cut as a good sun sweeper. With Venusaur coming back, though, Sun players will have a great Chlorophyll sweeper and enough strong breakers to pair with it.
4 Infernape
This is surprisingly a good meta for a strong Mach Punch user, since it’s a great tool for revenge killing Baxcalibur, Roaring Moon, Chien Pao, Kingambit, Greninja, and Hisuian Samurott. Infernape brings that to the table as well as Fire coverage for Corviknight and Amoongus. I personally think offensive sets on Infernape will be more popular than Stealth Rocks because it can’t compete with Great Tusk, who is the best rocks setter in the game (maybe ever).
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3 Blaziken
Blaziken will be strong almost for the same reason as Infernape. The difference is that, instead of using Mach Punch, Blaziken will just outspeed threats with Speed Boost. This makes Blaziken a great Tera Pokemon, since it can go Tera Electric for Toxapex, Moltres, and Slowbro.
2 Serperior
The Terastallization mechanic is exactly what Serperior has wanted throughout its existence. Serperior used to be held in check by its lack of coverage moves. In Generation IX, though, Serperior can use Tera Fire to break through Amoongus and Corviknight or Tera Ground to break through Heatran. The rest of the Pokémon would likely get destroyed by Leaf Storm.
1 Clefable
Trainers should be very afraid of what Clefable can do in a Tera meta. The Unaware ability will make it a natural check against Swords Dance Chien Pao and Baxcalibur. Trainers can also use Magic Guard to soak up status and hazards from Great Tusk and Glimmora. With access to Tera Fire, though, Clefable can get surprise KOs against Gholdengo and Kingambit.
Want more Pokémon DLC guides? Steam Game Guides has you covered with Raikou and Cobalion Paradox forms dropped in Pokemon DLC trailer.
