Pokemon Scarlet and Violet have an extensive Pokedex of 400 Pokemon. However, once Pokemon HOME opens its doors to the Paldea Region, many additional Pokemon will be able to step foot in Paldea. A lot of these Pokemon will be coming from Pokemon Legends: Arceus and enter their first main-line games, while others will be returning favorites and Pokemon introduced in Pokemon Sword and Shield.
After all, Pokemon like Calyrex, Regidrago, and Urshifu haven’t had much time to shine — so bring them over to Paldea and let them loose! Many trainers are excited to bring their Pokemon over to the most recent release of the classic franchise. Some Pokemon have built up quite a lot of hype for their arrival, and for good reason. These Pokemon have great stats, moves, or abilities — or even all three.
10/10 Regieleki & Regidrago
Sword and Shield’s new Titans make their return in Scarlet and Violet once HOME compatibility opens up. Regieleki boasts the highest Speed stat in the history of the franchise at a whopping 200 and has some of the strongest Electric-type attacks out there thanks to its Transistor ability. Regieleki’s counterpart, Regidrago, has a titanic HP stat of 200 and wields immensely powerful Dragon-type attacks, powered up by the Dragon’s Maw ability. The two titans of the Crown Tundra are powerful indeed, but they are held back by their limited move pools.
They don’t learn many good moves beyond their STAB moves — Regieleki learns Acrobatics and Extreme Speed, which are some of its only good non-Electric type attacks. Regidrago, meanwhile, was blessed with some new additions to its limited move pool in Earthquake and Earth Power — Ground-type attacks that allow the Dragon Titan to hit pesky Steel types (who would normally resist Regidrago’s Dragon-type moves) for super effective damage. Though Regidrago was given some new toys to play with, Regieleki may benefit more from Terastallization — a well-timed Tera Blast can easily dispatch Ground-type opponents looking to absorb Regieleki’s powerful Thunders or Electrowebs.
9/10 Hisuian Lilligant
Hisuian Lilligant gained a lot of attention when trainers discovered its signature move, Victory Dance. In Pokemon Legends: Arceus, Victory Dance boosted the user’s Offensive and Defensive stats, as well as boosting the user’s damage output by 50%.
In a traditional Pokemon game, this move would be beyond overpowered; however, Scarlet and Violet have opted to make Victory Dance a physical counterpart to Quiver Dance. This change doesn’t harm Lilligant, though, far from it; Hisuian Lilligant has respectable Attack and Speed stats, which can be further boosted through its Hustle and Chlorophyll abilities, respectively.
8/10 Hisuian Zoroark
Hisuian Zoroark has all the benefits of Unovan Zoroark with the added boon of its unique Normal and Ghost typing. Normal/Ghost provides three immunities, two resistances, and only one weakness to Dark-type attacks.
Dark-type Pokemon can be taken care of with Zoroark’s Focus Blast — just to name one of Zoroark’s multiple coverage options. Hisuian Zoroark is looking to be Unovan Zoroark turned up to eleven, which looks very promising for this ghost-white fox’s future.
7/10 Urshifu
Pokemon Sword and Shield’s competitive scene was dominated by Urshifu, who not only had a signature move(s) that always landed critical hits, but also could bypass Protect with its contact moves (read: most of its moves) through the use of its Unseen Fist ability.
In Sword and Shield, the only way you could block Urshifu’s devastating attacks was by Dynamaxing and using Max Guard. Dynamaxing is not in Scarlet and Violet, however, allowing Urshifu to run wild with its powerful Surging Strikes and Wicked Blow.
6/10 Ursaluna
Ursaluna possesses monstrous HP, Attack, and Defense stats, and a middling Speed that can easily be turned around with Trick Room. Additionally, Ursaluna has the Guts ability and has STAB on Facade, which becomes stronger if Ursaluna has a status condition.
Ursaluna has a great move pool, learning moves of all sorts of types. All of these factors let Ursaluna put the hurt on any in its path, making confronting the Peat Pokemon like confronting an actual grizzly bear.
5/10 Basculegion
Basculegion is looking to be quite the powerhouse, learning the infamous Last Respects and possessing three great abilities in Mold Breaker, Adaptability, and Swift Swim.
Along with some very solid stats, Basculegion’s two forms also add a layer of customization to the Pokemon; the male variant, signified by red spirits surrounding it, is more of a physical attacker than its female counterpart, who has white spirits.
4/10 Zacian
Little needs to be said about Zacian. Zacian has the best typing in the game, solid defenses, incredible Speed and Attack, an extensive move-pool with every tool it could possibly need, and an ability that boosts its already monstrous Attack by 50% just for entering battle. Zacian is one of the strongest Pokemon of all time, and for good reason.
However, with Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, Zacian was deemed too strong and subsequently nerfed, having its attack stat reduced and Intrepid Sword being changed to only trigger once per battle. It remains to be seen as to whether or not this will truly hold Zacian back.
3/10 Calyrex, Glastrier, Spectrier
While not impressive on its own, Calyrex’s full power is something to fear. When saddled up upon either Glastrier or Spectrier, Calyrex becomes an unstoppable force that wields two abilities at once.
In Pokemon Sword and Shield, Calyrex dominated competitive tournaments in both its Ice Rider and Shadow Rider forms (mounted atop Glastrier or Spectrier, respectively). Calyrex will no doubt be a dominating force once again when it returns.
2/10 Groudon, Kyogre, Rayquaza
Ever since Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire, the Weather Trio has reigned as some of the most powerful and influential Pokemon out there. Groudon and Kyogre introduced the concept of weather-influencing abilities, which shaped the competitive meta around them for generations to come. Rayquaza, meanwhile, possessed monstrous offensive capabilities and served to nullify Groudon and Kyogre’s weather effects, preventing the two titans from running around unchecked.
In Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, the three received powerful new forms that could be classified as some of the most powerful Pokemon of all time. However, these forms have not been accessible since Pokemon Sun and Moon and are unlikely to return. Despite this, Groudon, Kyogre, and Rayquaza will no doubt be pillars of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet’s post-HOME metagame and lay waste to all that stand in their path.
1/10 Arceus
Pokemon fans’ introduction to Arceus was born from a paradox. Though intended to be distributed through an in-game event, Arceus was locked away in Pokemon Diamond and Pearl and unable to be obtained normally. That is, until players with Action Replays obtained the Azure Flute and scaled Spear Pillar to meet the Alpha Pokemon face to face. Years later, Arceus appeared as the mascot for its very own game, Pokemon Legends: Arceus. And no matter what game it appears in, Arceus declares one divine truth: there shall be no Pokemon stronger than Arceus.
While this statement may be debatable, Arceus has proven itself as one of the most powerful and versatile Pokemon in Pokemon history. In its debut generation, Arceus cemented itself as being so powerful that it was banned from the ban-list. Even in games that had monstrous threats such as Mega Rayquaza, Arceus withstood the test of time and was often used as a counter for itself. The advent of Arceus looms over Pokemon Scarlet and Violet like an eclipse casting a shadow over the world, primarily because of a certain Plate that could be Arceus’s greatest weapon.
In Pokemon Legends: Arceus, there exists an item called the Legend Plate. The Legend Plate, obtained alongside Arceus itself, can be used to transform Arceus into the most overpowered Pokemon of all time, with only a few Pokemon even holding a candle to it. While equipped with the Legend Plate, Arceus can change its type mid-battle prior to using Judgment, such so that Judgment will always become super effective while also choosing a type that resists the target’s STAB. The Legend Plate currently exists in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet’s code — it has its own artwork drawn for the game — though it does nothing at the time of writing. Should this be changed in an update prior to Pokemon HOME opening its doors to Scarlet and Violet, then the Pokemon world will shudder as Arceus reclaims its mantle as the most powerful Pokemon of all time.
