The first-ever DLC for a Pokemon mainline game is finally here. Along with the Isle of Armor comes a list of five Pokemon that could potentially make a return to glory in competitive battles. This is merely speculation based upon viability in past games, but each one was a solid choice back in Gen VII.
Chansey
Rejoice Eviolite fans, Chansey is returning in the Isle of Armor to wall out all of your opponent’s special attackers. Sure, there are already some bulky defenders in Sword and Shield like Toxapex, Ferrothorn, and Corviknight. But having extra options to switch into can help keep your opponent second-guessing their decisions.
Toxic and Soft-Boiled have been staples in Chansey’s moveset for generations. I doubt anything will change there since the whole point of this Pokemon is to just outlast your opponent while whittling down HP and occasionally healing.
And as mentioned before, you absolutely need to give Chansey an Eviolite. This will give it the Special Defense boost it needs to be competitively viable. That means you’ll need to look out for moves that will make Chansey drop Eviolite. And you’ll want to completely avoid Fighting-type physical attackers like Conkeldurr and Hawlucha.
Azumarill
It looks like rain team fans are getting another option to flesh out their lineups. Azumarill can be a vicious physical attacker as long as it has the Huge Power ability. This has a very simple effect of doubling Azumarill’s physical Attack stat.
You may be tempted to give it something like Ice Punch, but you’ll be better off with giving it moves that will get same type attack bonus (STAB). This slightly boosts the damage output of attacks that are the same type as the user. In this case, Aqua Tail and Play Rough are its strongest physical attacks that get STAB.
Most of the time you’ll see players put Aqua Jet to make up for Azumarill’s abysmal Speed. It’ll be interesting to see if Azumarill gets Liquidation since it can lower the opponent’s Defense stat. But again, this Pokemon’s Speed stat could make it completely reliant on Aqua Jet for a physical Water-type move.
Magnezone
If you have problems with taking on Steel-type Pokemon like Corviknight, Bisharp, or Ferrothorn, then Magnezone will be a breath of fresh air for you. It all starts with the ability Magnet Pull.
This ability makes it so Steel-types perpendicular to Magnezone can’t switch out. The only exception is the Aegislash evolution line because of its partial Ghost-typing. But with every other Steel Pokemon will have to sit there and eat whatever Magnezone is serving.
The Magnet Area Pokemon also has decent bulk, but its Special Attack stat is the most impressive part of this mon. It also has a wide range of options for STAB special moves like Thunderbolt, Thunder, Zap Cannon, Volt Switch, Flash Cannon, and Mirror Blast.
Tangrowth
Tangrowth is back and we’re all better off for it. Just like with Chansey, we have yet another wall to give you more options to switch into. Right now Ferrothorn may actually play the Grass-type tank role a bit better, but if you’re playing competitively in lower tiers, or want to avoid a 4x Fire weakness, Tangrowth has some perks as well.
Just like other walls, your main focus with this Pokemon is going to be draining your opponent while healing. Giga Drain is going to be the best way to do this. Jungle Healing may also see some play if it learns this new Grass-type healing move.
However, Giga Drain is always going to be a more efficient option since it heals Tangrowth and damages the opponent at the same time. Toxic and Sludge Bomb are great options for whittling down opponents and are deadly in the mirror match.
Volcarona
This is arguably one of the biggest competitive Pokemon returning in the Isle of Armor. Volcarona has been an absolute force to be reckoned with since its introduction in Black and White. This Bug/Fire-type Pokemon has a stat-boosting move that is absolutely ridiculous.
Quiver Dance will raise Special Attack, Special Defense, and Speed by one stage each. Volcarona already has a very good Special Attack stat and increasing its Speed only makes it more deadly. On top of that, it has access to powerful Special moves like Flamethrower, Bug Buzz, Fire Blast, Overheat, and more.
Despite Volcarona’s ability to sweep opposing teams, you still need to play this Pokemon carefully. Stealth Rock will put you behind the eight ball very quickly. You should run a Defogger on your team to clear those sneaky stones from the field if you want to use Volcarona.
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