10 Best Competitive Pokemon [Scarlet & Violet Era]

Zacian

This Legendary Pokemon is still one of the best Pokemon to use in a competitive setting. Zacian is a real beast of a Pokemon, pairing a strong defensive type in Steel with a powerful attacking type in Fairy.

All Legendary Pokémon are strong, but Zacian takes it to another level with frankly incredible stats - and that's after a nerf. The undisputed queen of Pokemon Sword and Shield PVP, Zacian still slays in Scarlet and Violet.

Other Pokemon wish they were as good as Zacian. Zacian is so good it features on this list of the best Pokemon of all time!

With moves like Swords Dance, Play Rough, and Close Combat Zacian is one of the best physical attackers on the competitive scene.

Zacian is a truly powerful Pokemon that doesn't look set to lose ground any time soon.

Dondozo & Tatsugiri

These two Pokemon really come as a pair. They're literally designed to be used together instead of as individual Pokemon. And because of that synergy they're a really good choice in double battles!

Tatsugiri is the perfect support Pokemon for Dondozo, and it boasts a great Special Attack stat itself too. With its Commander Ability Tatsugiri enters Dondozo's mouth and boosts its stats!

Using the Order Up move, Dondozo is able to increase its stats even further depending on the form of the Tatsugiri.

This has proven to be a winning combination in competitive play, which is mainly double battles.

Amoonguss

Amoonguss is, despite its unusual look and lackluster stats, a really good support Pokemon. Its Speed stat is low, which means it can be used in Trick Room strategies and its incredibly versatile moveset with good utility moves makes it a great choice on many a competitive team.

Amoonguss gets the powerful Spore attack which sends opposing Pokemon right off to sleep. Few Pokemon get Spore, and Amoonguss also gets Clear Smog which removes stat changes from the opponent Pokemon as well as deals Poison type damage.

This is a big deal in competitive battles where much of the strategy relies on stat changes and status moves!

Chien Pao

A Legendary Pokemon introduced in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, one of the mysterious Treasures of Ruin, Chien Pao is a great choice in competitive play as well as being a majestic snow leopard.

Its Sword of Ruin Ability reduces the Defense stat of every Pokemon on the field, setting the scene for devastating physical attackers to come in and sweep.

Unfortunately for Chien Pao its defensive capabilities aren't very good, being weak to six types including a double weakness to Fighting type moves.

But in the right hands and used properly, Chien Pao really is a Ruinous Pokemon like its Pokedex entry suggests! Great for use in double battles!

Chi-Yu

Like its fellow Treasure of Ruin Chien Pao, Chi-Yu is a Legendary Pokemon with the Sword of Ruin Ability. Unlike Chien Pao, Chi-Yu's Ability reduces the Special Defense of all Pokemon on the field, meaning it pairs well with special attackers.

A Dark and Fire type Pokémon, Chi-Yu doesn't look like much. It's a cute little fish.

This fiery little fish has solid Special Attack, Special Defense, and Speed stats meaning it's got good utlity and packs a punch. With access to powerful Fire type moves like Heat Wave and a handful of Dark type moves as well, Chi-Yu is a fantastic Pokemon.

Flutter Mane

A Past Paradox Pokémon, exclusive to Pokémon Scarlet, Flutter Mane is said to be an ancient ancestor of Misdreavus. This unusual Pokemon has the great dual type of Fairy and Ghost type, which gives it three type immunities and only two type weaknesses, to Ghost and to Steel types.

Flutter Mane slaps hard with some brilliant moves like Shadow Ball and Dazzling Gleam, as well as a flexible choice of coverage moves, thanks to its fantastic Special Attack, Special Defense, and Speed stats.

This Pokemon is no joke and is one of the best competitive Pokémon in Pokémon Scarlet/Violet, perfect for many a Tera Raid or ranked battles!

Gholdengo

Gholdengo is a popular Pokemon with a quirky design, but it's also one of the best competitive Pokemon in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet era PVP.

The final evolution of weird little Gimmighoul, Gholdengo has an unusual evolution method involving the collection of 100 little coins. 

Gimmighoul got itself a spot on this list of the best shiny Pokemon, so fans might want to check it out!

With a great dual typing of Steel and Ghost, Gholdengo has great defensive capabilities with three type immunities and a whopping nine type resistances. Very few Pokemon can come close to this kind of defensive utility.

But as well as being a tanky choice Gholdengo has a fantastic Special Attack stat of 133 meaning it slaps hard with Shadow Ball and its signature move Make It Rain. These two moves, plus a choice of coverage moves and maybe some utility, make Gholdengo an opponent few other Pokémon ever want to face.

Make It Rain is powerful enough to one shot some common Fairy type Pokemon, so despite Gholdengo's unusual appearance it's certainly no joke!

Palafin

Palafin in its Zero Form is just a cute little dolphin, but it's a cute little dolphin with a secret identity! When its powers are needed Palafin can transform into Hero Form Palafin which gets a superhero-themed design and a boost to its stats.

Hero Form Palafin is a speedy attacker with a massive Attack stat of 160, meaning it's extremely dangerous in the right hands. This physical attacker even gets an insanely powerful physical Water type move, Wave Crash, as well as Aqua Jet and Jet Punch.

This unassuming little Pokemon packs a real punch - literally, with Ice Punch - and is a good choice of Pokemon for use on Rain Teams. With a surprisingly versatile movepool and its monstrous Attack stat, Palafin is a great choice in ranked battles.

Dragapult

Introduced in Pokemon Sword and Shield, Dragapult was a real menace in its debut generation thanks to its massive Attack, Special Attack, and Speed stats.

And a stylish choice as well!

Fortunately for all its fans, Dragapult still slaps hard in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet era competitive play. One of the fastest Pokemon, Dragapult has the powerful Dragon Darts attack which hits opponents twice for an effective power of 100 - which is no joke!

A dual type Pokemon with both Dragon and Ghost typing, Dragapult has access to a nice range of moves that get STAB and hit hard.

Thanks to its high Attack and Special Attack stats Dragapult can make use of its varied movepool which includes attacks like Shadow Ball and Thunder Wave.

Dragapult is easily one of the best competitive Pokemon, and it even got a spot on this list of the best Dragon type Pokemon too!

Great Tusk

Another Past Paradox Pokémon, Great Tusk excels at physical attacks. Featuring in Pokémon Scarlet as a version exclusive Titan Pokémon, Great Tusk also has a unique type combination of Ground and Fighting type.

Making good use of its strong physical attack, Great Tusk uses powerful moves like Earthquake, Close Combat, and Headlong Rush. Like all Paradox Pokémon it lacks a Hidden Ability, but its Protosynthesis Ability is a great choice anyway.

With its flexible movepool containing such choices as Play Rough, Rock Slide, and some great utility moves, Great Tusk is just what the doctor ordered!

And it looks fantastic, too! Every bit the prehistoric monster it's meant to be.

Fans of past Paradox Pokémon might want to check out this list of the best past Paradox Pokémon too!