13 Best Competitive Pokémon In Pokémon Scarlet And Violet

Ever since the introduction of the Ranked Battle Stadium mode, it has then been flooded with Pokémon trainers from around the world, competing against each other and trying to climb the ranks. If you also want to swiftly climb up these ranks, keep reading this article because we are here to tell you which Pokémon perform best in competitive battle mode.

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If you catch and level up the Pokémon we are about to tell you, you are very likely to be dominating the Ranked Battle Stadium in no time.

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The 13 Best Pokémon To Use In Scarlet & Violet Ranked Battle Stadium Mode

Given the newly formed competitive aura around the game, you will want to use your finest Pokémon for the Ranked Battle Stadium. The Meta is still developing around this game’s competitive nature since it only started in December 2022. Knowing that here we present you the 13 best Pokémon you can use in the new competitive mode of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.

Note: Keep in mind that this list is in no particular order as the Meta is still developing. Also, Paradox Pokémon and Treasures of Ruin are not allowed in Ranked Battles, they have thus been excluded from this list.

Gholdengo

This cheese-string-looking Pokémon is incredibly versatile in battles, with several different sets that can be put to good use in the competitive mode. It has high Special Attack stats that can be best demonstrated by its move, ‘Make it Rain’. 

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Furthermore, it is probably the best at blocking spins in the whole of Paldea. It can prevent opponents from using spins like Mortal Spin or Rapid Spin, solely because of its typing and ability. It also has immunity from moves that could affect its status (like Smore putting it to sleep) with its ability ‘Good as Gold’.

Annihilape

This vicious ape Pokémon, Annihilape, is turning out to be one of the strongest picks seen in the game so far. One of its moves, ‘Rage Fist,’ is so overpowered that its power increases by 50 every time it is hit during the battle. Furthermore, you can activate its Fighting Tera Type to make it even more lethal, making Fighting moves like ‘Close Combat’ way more damaging. 

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You can also choose to equip the ‘Choice Scarf’ held item to deal with Ghost-type opponents such as the Gholdengo itself. Annihilape even has three good elemental style punches that are very useful in battle, out of these, Ice Punch is very potent against Dragon-type Pokémon.

Baxcalibur

This Ice and Dragon type Baxcalibur is an absolute beast in the Stadium with its classic physical attacks. It has a very useful ability called ‘Thermal Exchange’ that increases its Attack stats by 1 when it gets hit by Fire-type attacks. This allows Baxcalibur to easily hold its ground against Fire-type opponents and prevents it from getting Burned.

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Furthermore, it has a ‘Life Orb’ set that makes all of its attacks less forgiving for your opponents, compensating for its average Speed stats. Adding a Dragon Tera Type to it will make its moves like ‘Glaive Rush’ destroy anyone in its way. Also, with moves like Dragon Dance on it, Baxcalibur is surely one of the best Dragon-type Pokémon in competitive mode.

Dondozo

This huge and bulky whale Pokémon Dondozo is also a deadly pick for competitive battles in Pokémon. Even though Dondozo is quite lethal on its own, if you can pair it up with Tatsugiri in Doubles Battles, your Dondozo will shine in its truest, brightest light. Tatsugiri’s Ability called Commander gives Dondozo extreme strength and damage by boosting all of its stats by +2.

It has moves like ‘Wave Crash’ that do an immense amount of damage. Plus, it can boost its own defense stats through the move ‘Curse’, making it very difficult to take down.

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Houndstone

This cute little hound will annihilate you inside the Battle Stadium with its Sand Rush Ability. This is partly the reason Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are having talks about banning it from the competitive mode. Houndstone performs so surprisingly well when paired up with Pokémon that can create Sandstorm, as this doubles Houndstone’s Speed stats.

Coupled with that insane amount of speed, Houndstone has an overpowered attack called ‘Last Respects’ that adds 50 to its damage for each fallen member of your team. Furthermore, the ‘Choice Band’ set adds even more to its damage, so it gets almost unfair for its opponents.

Glimmora

This Pokémon is very risky to take on in a battle when it’s against you. This is because its Ability Toxic Debris scatters Toxic Spikes all over the battlefield upon being hit by any physical attack. Glimmora can survive way longer due to its Bold nature and Focus Sash item. Moreover, it has a sick Special Attack of 130 base damage.

Kingambit

The Kingambit is a very offensive Pokémon that can deal insane amounts of damage. Thanks to its outrageous Ability called Defiant, it does not weaken when faced with attacks like Defog; rather, it gains a +2 boost in its attacks. It already has a 135 base Attack stat which will go up once it gets a boost from Defiant.

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Getting the Sword Dance move is difficult, but if you do get it, it’s over for everyone else. The Sword Dance, coupled with the move Sucker Punch, will very easily wipe off whole teams in front of you. With attack stats so powerful, one tends to forget that Kingambit is a low-speed Pokémon.

Murkrow

The Murkrow is far more useful than its evolution, the Honchkrow. This is because it has an Ability Prankster, which makes its status move much more effective, making it an excellent support Pokémon. Also, it has movies like Haze that can cancel the effect of any stat changes for every Pokémon on the field. This makes Murkrow an excellent Pokémon to have on your team.

Amoonguss

This Pokémon is also a brilliant support Pokémon to have on your team for a few reasons. It can get access to the move Smore, one of the best moves in the game, with 100% accuracy, putting enemies to sleep. Also, the move Rage Powder is suitable for both offense and defense as it redirects the opponent’s move back to themselves.

These moves alone are immaculate; however, it does have more. For example, Protect and Pollen Puff can do damage to the opponent as well as heal one’s own allies.

Garchomp

Garchomp is, simply put, one of the best physical attackers in the game. It has a very strong Special attack, probably one of the best at the moment. With incredibly potent moves like Earthquake, Garchomp can end its opponents. The move Sword Dance is also an exceptionally high attacking move that you would be lucky to have with your Garchomp.

Skeledirge

This Ghost and Fire-type Pokémon also performs very well in the Ranked Battles. It has high-damaging quality Special Attack stats that can do great damage to its opponents. Also, it can withstand a lot of physically damaging attacks due to its high defense stat, so it can stand for a long time and do its normal damage.

Dragapult

Ever since it was introduced, Dragapult has been a wise choice in competitive battles. It has an Ability called Clear Body that prevents its stats from lowering during battle. Dragapult is an exceptionally hard hitter. 

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Not only are its physical attacks very damaging, its insane Special Attack, Dragon Darts, can end whole battles in mere moments. Other than this Special Attack, it has the insane move Dragon Dance. These combine to make it extremely dangerous for your foe in any type of battle.

Dragonite

Dragonite has always been a very capable and potent Pokémon. In Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, it has incredible stats for battle and a variety of insane learnable moves. It has an Ability called Multiscale, which is extremely useful as it lowers the opponent’s damage by 50% when Dragonite’s health is full. This makes Dragonite extremely durable in battle, which makes it more dangerous for the opponent.

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Final Thoughts

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet is a very detailed game, and it’s tough to select only 13 Pokémon at the top. There are going to be a lot of other Pokémon out there that you feel lucky to have on your team, so feel free to let us know what you think should also be on this list. Check out our Guides tab if you’re looking for more helpful guides to get you on top of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet’s Competitive mode.

13 Best Competitive Pokémon In Scarlet And Violet – FAQ

Which Pokemons are best for competitive in Scarlet and Violet?

The best Pokemons for competitive are:-

1. Gholdengo
2. Annihilape
3. Baxcalibur
4. Dondozo
5. Houndstone
6. Glimmora
7. Kingambit
8. Murkrow
9. Amoonguss
10. Garchomp
11. Skeledirge
12. Dragapult
13. Dragonite