Best Pokemon for Competitive Play in Scarlet & Violet

Competitive play is an important part of any Pokemon game, letting players participate in heated online battles with other trainers in their skill rank, climb the ladder, and aim to be the very best. In Pokemon Scarlet & Violet, there is a number of viable new Pokemon added to the competitive pool, so if you’re looking to build a team, look no further. Here’s the best Pokemon for competitive play in Scarlet & Violet.

Best Pokemon for Competitive Battling in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet

Note: For all Pokemon Stat coverages listed, they follow the order of HP, Attack, Defense, Sp. Atk, Sp. Def, Speed.

Grimmsnarl

Grimmsnarl is a viable Dark/Fairy Dual-Type Pokemon and the fully evolved form of the Impidimp evolution line. Grimmsnarl has a solid stat coverage of 95-120-65-95-75-60. Grimmsnarl has a wide variety of supporting moves, such as Foul Play, Taunt, and Parting Shot, and its Prankster Ability makes good use of Light Screen and Reflect. If you’re looking for an Impidimp to evolve into Grimmsnarl, check out our guide for where to find and catch Impidimp in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet.

Dondozo

Dondozo is a strong, tanky Water-Type Pokemon and one of the new creatures introduced in the Paldea Region. Dondozo has Stats of 150-100-115-65-65-35. Due to Dondozo’s Unaware Ability, it ignores opponents’ stat changes, making it a reliable and durable choice to combat enemy Pokemon relying on these types of moves. Dondozo also can boost its Defense and Attack with the move Curse to make it even more hard-hitting.

Meowscarada

Meowscarada is a Grass/Dark Dual-Type, and one of the starter Pokemon available at the beginning of your journey as Sprigatito. Meowscarada’s Protein Hidden Ability is helpful for competitive battles and can give you the upper hand by changing Meowscarada’s Type to the Type of the move it is about to use once per match.

Meowscarada has a Stat coverage of 76-110-70-81-70-123 and some great moves available to learn, such as Knock Off or Flower Trick. On top of this, Meowscarada can outspeed powerful Pokemon such as Roaring Moon and even one-shot with Play Rough. Meowscarada should be at the top of your list when it comes to speedy offensive Grass-Types.

Glimmora

Glimmora is a strange Rock/Poison Dual-Type, but also one of the most viable Pokemon to use in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet’s competitive ranks. Glimmora’s Toxic Debris Ability scatters Toxic Spikes whenever a physical attack hits it. Additionally, Glimmora has a very solid support movepool to combine with this, such as Spiky Shield, Stealth Rock, and Mortal Spin.

Glimmora has Stats of 83-55-90-130-81-86, allowing it to operate as an offensive powerhouse due to its high Sp. Atk. Glimmora is a rare Pokemon that can be difficult to locate and catch, so if you need more information on how to do so, check out our guide for where to catch Glimmet and evolve into Glimmora.

Azumarill

Azumarill has been a contender in Competitive play for multiple Generations and has returned to Pokemon Scarlet & Violet’s pool of Pokemon available in Paldea. Azumarill is an excellent choice for a sturdy Water/Fairy Type Attacker, with stats of 110-50-80-60-80-50.

With a Tera Type of Water, Azumarill adds a power boost to the Aqua Jet move, allowing more damage to be dealt. On top of this, Azumarill can use Huge Power and Play Rough to overpower opposing Dark, Dragon, and Fighting Type Pokemon.

Wash Rotom

Wash Rotom, identified above as the square form with the blue outlines, is a Water/Electric Dual-Type Pokemon, having returned to Scarlet & Violet’s competitive pool for its unique strengths. Firstly, Wash Rotom’s Dual-Typing enables a lot of variety in its moveset, and its stats of 50-65-107-105-107-86 make it a solid defensive choice.

Rotom has the Ability to cause status effects to enemy Pokemon with the use of moves such as Thunder Wave and Will-O-Wisp, and even has the opportunity to scout out the enemy’s Tera Type, then switch out with Volt Switch to allow a better-suited member of your team to take them on.

Hippowdon

Hippowdon is an excellent choice if you’re looking for a Ground-Type Tank to add to your team. Hippowdon’s stats of 108-112-118-68-72-47 make it a bulky Pokemon that easily brushes off physical attacks, especially with the bonus of the Slack Off move. On top of this, the Sand Stream Ability allows Hippowdon to break Focus Sash and work towards a KO that much easier.

Gholdengo

Gholdengo is a Ghost/Steel Dual-Type Pokemon and the evolution of Gimmighoul. Gholdengo’s Good As Gold Ability grants it immunity from all status conditions, making it an extremely useful Pokemon to have on your team and shut down those pesky moves. Its Dual-Typing of Steel and Ghost allows for strong offensive battling, carrying stats of 87-60-95-133-91-84.

Though Gholdengo is a strong choice for competitive battling, it is one of the hardest Pokemon to obtain in the game. To do so, you’ll need to collect Gimmighoul coins and evolve a Gimmighoul, so be sure to check out our guides for all Gimmighoul coin locations and how to evolve Gimmighoul into Gholdengo.

Mimikyu

Mimikyu is a Fairy/Ghost Dual-Type that has returned to Pokemon Scarlet and Violet as one of the choices best suited to competitive play. Mimikyu’s Disguise Ability allows it to set up using Swords Dance to try and get the upper hand over its opponent. Alongside this, Mimikyu can also attack Pokemon that outspeed it by using Shadow Sneak.

Mimikyu’s stats of 55-90-80-50-100-96 allow it to operate as a versatile physical attacker, with various Tera Type options to pick from. If you’re looking to add this ghostly little guy to your team, check out our guide for where to find and catch Mimikyu in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet.

Hydreigon

Hydreigon is one of the Pseudo-Legendary options available in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet and a strong Dark/Dragon Type addition to any competitive team. With stats of 92-105-90-125-90-98, Hydreigon has a high damage output and is a hard-hitting Sp. Atk user.

Hydreigon is also capable of stopping opposing Pokemon from setting up or healing with moves like Swords Dance, Dragon Dance, Roost, and Recover. On top of this, Hydreigon is also capable of hitting Ghost-Type Pokemon with STAB, resulting in super effective damage thanks to its Dark Typing.

Skeledirge

Skeledirge is a Fire/Ghost Dual-Type Pokemon and the final evolution of Paldea’s Fire-Type starter, Fuecoco. Skeledirge is an excellent choice for your competitive team, with its Unaware Ability meaning it ignores Stat changes. With stats of 104-750-100-110-75-66, Skeledirge has solid offensive power in both Attack and Sp. Atk, with the latter being boosted even further with its unique Torch Song move – all while still doing damage.

Garganacl

Garganacl is among the new Generation 9 Pokemon to debut in the Paldea Region. Garganacl is a great Rock-Type choice for your competitive team, carrying stats of 100-100-130-45-90-35. The combination of Terastallizing and using the move Iron Defense makes Garganacl a defensive beast that can be very hard to break through.

Garganacl’s Purifying Salt Ability negates all status conditions and halves any damage received by Ghost Type attacks. Additionally, Garcanacl’s special move, Salt Cure, causes a hit to the opponent’s HP while also causing residual damage each turn. If you want to add this defensive wall to your team, check out our guide for where to find and catch Nacli, the base Pokemon of Garcanacl’s evolution line.

Annihilape

Annhilihape is the brand new evolution to the Mankey line introduced in Generation 9 and has already made its mark as one of the most viable Pokemon in the game. Annihilape is a Fighting/Ghost Dual-Type with a stat coverage of 110-115-80-50-90-90.

With its signature move, Rage Fist, Annihilape has powerful STAB attack opportunities and can also easily use moves such as Bulk Up and Final Gambit to KO heavy attackers. If you’re looking to add this ghostly punching machine to your team, check out our guide for how to evolve Primape into Annihilape in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet.

Dragonite

Dragonite is an all-time fan favorite that has appeared in numerous competitive team builds over many generations of Pokemon. For this reason, it’s no surprise that Dragonite makes a return as one of the best choices for competitive play in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, carrying stats of 91-134-95-100-100-80.

Dragonite’s Multiscale Ability lets it survive what would otherwise be a devastating super-effective hit at full health, reducing damage by 50%. Dragonite with a Normal Tera Type can be an absolute monster, boosting the power of Extremespeed significantly. On top of this, Dragonite can set up with Dragon Dance on turn 1 to boost its Attack and Speed stats.

Dragapult

Dragapult is a much-loved Pseudo-Legendary, one of the strongest Ghost Types, and one of the strongest Dragon Type Pokemon available in Scarlet and Violet. Dragpult has stats of 88-120-75-100-75-142, making it one of the most versatile and well-rounded Pokemon to use in competitive battling.

A Ghost-Type Dragapult can use the move Tera Blast to hit with a powerful physical Ghost-Type attack, making it a serious offensive threat. Dragapult has a vast movepool that can be customized to your liking, enabling it to fit a variety of roles on your team. Alongside this, Dragapult’s high Speed stat enables it to attack first in most scenarios, giving a huge advantage.

That’s everything you need to know about the best Pokemon for competitive play in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. For more helpful guides, tips, and information on the game, feel free to browse our other content. We have a wide range of topics that can help you on your journey in the Paldea Region and answer any questions you may have, such as the best Clodsire counters and all weaknesses, 10 strongest returning Pokemon to use, and how to get Bitter Herba Mystica.