Scarlet & Violet’s Most Surprising Competitive Pokemon Isn't From Gen 9
When discussing the best competitive pocket monsters in , trainers are likely to throw out the names of Gen 9 creatures like Baxcalibur or Tinkaton. Such pocket monsters certainly fit the mold of viable competitive Pokémon: they have great stats, decent typings, and hit incredibly hard. But what's surprisingly become one of Gen 9's most used Pokémon doesn't even originate for the Paldea Region or have the stats currently needed for competitive play.
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet's meta combat is dominated by the Paldean pairing of Dondozo and Tastugiri. These Pokémon have a unique relationship in Double Battles where Tastugiri enters Dondozo's mouth via its signature ability, «Commander.» Though this interaction creates a two-vs-one in favor of Dondozo and Tatsugiri's enemies, it enables Dondozo to use its signature move «Order Up,» which raises all of its stats by two stages. Dondozo can then quickly turn into a rolling powerhouse that other Pokémon lack the strength or abilities to counter, except for one.
Related: Every Pokémon Battle Gimmick Through Gen 9, Ranked
Murkrow has a peculiar set of characteristics that make it the best Dendozo-Tatsugiri counter(and, in turn, one of the best competitive Pokémon) in Paldea. In ranked battles Murkrow is the only Pokémon to have simultaneous access to the ability «Prankster» and the moves «Tailwind» and «Mist,» which proves to be a deadly combination for «Order Up» Dendozo. Prankster increases the priority of status moves like Tailwind, so Murkrow can increase its team's speed quickly to keep it ahead of Dendozo. It can then follow up with Mist, which then removes Dendozo's stat bonuses and leaves it vulnerable to Murkrow's stronger teammates.
Beyond countering Dendozo,
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