Pokemon: 10 Best Pokemon for Competitive Play, Ranked

The competitive scene in Pokemon is divided by formats, with OU, or OverUsed, being the de facto mode and the accepted standard. All non-Uber Pokemon can be used in OU, even those typically seen in lower tiers of play.

Related: Pokemon Scarlet & Violet: Best Fighting-Type Pokemon, Ranked

However, as the name would imply, some Pokemon are more “overused” than others and are seen in competitions as mainstays that reappear battle after battle. Informally, these are further divided into offensive, defensive, and supporting Pokemon, but the best of the best usually take up multiple roles in one. These are the best competitive Pokemon as of Generation 9 (Scarlet & Violet).

10 Toxapex

Incredible defenses in both Sp. Def and Def. make Toxapex a nightmare to bring down. Water/Poison is an incredible typing that allows Toxapex a lot of leeway in what Pokemon it can and cannot face. Its ability, Regenerator, allows it to recover ⅓ of its HP on switching out, ensuring it can re-enter the battle with more HP if it needs to.

Access to Toxic and Protect means that stall strategies are also on the table. Haze removes all stat changes; useful against setup sweepers, and Toxic Spikes are Toxapex’s hazards of choice. Both Assault Vest and Leftovers augment different aspects, but you’ll have to adjust your moveset accordingly.

9 Meowscarada

Protean allows Meowscarada to transform into a Mono-type Pokemon with only two or three 2x weaknesses. This ability was previously only available to Greninja in OU, making him a devastating sweeper with the proper setup. Meowscarada is here to shake that up.

What sets this cat Pokemon apart is the busted move, Flower Trick, which always crits. On top of that, Tera Grass Meowscarada gets a 2x boost to STAB moves, giving Flower Trick a base power of 210. Against opponents that are weak to Grass, this power gets multiplied by two again. And with a base speed of 123, Meowscarada can reliably hit this move first, making it a potent threat players need to look out for.

8 Gholdengo

Steel/Ghost is up there with some of the absolute best typings in the game. Resistant to eight types and immune to three, finding a Pokemon to reliably check a Gholdengo is a tall order. Add a Fighting Tera-typing into the mix, and you have even fewer things to worry about.

Related: Pokemon Scarlet & Violet: How To Catch & Evolve Gimmighoul Into Gholdengo

Chip damage and Garganacl are the only things that can reliably take down a Gholdengo if he’s not prepared for it. But with access to Recover, you can allow your golden ghost to survive long enough to get a Nasty Plot off and sweep. If going down the Tera Fighting route, Gholdengo also gets STAB on Focus Blast, perfect use for his devastatingly high Special Attack.

7 Iron Valiant

Iron Valiant is here to put out some damage and little else. A dedicated sweeper, this Fairy/Fighting type gets access to some reliable damaging moves like Moonblast and Psyshock. Iron Valiant sees the most success with Sp. Atk movesets.

But, since it has comparable Atk (130) and Sp. Atk (120), Iron Valiant can also serve as a mixed/physical sweeper with Swords Dance set up. Close Combat and Spirit Break can allow this Pokemon to output incredible damage. For coverage, you can also give your Iron Valiant Electric Tera type so it can get STAB on Thunderbolt or Taunt to counter hazard setters.

6 Garganacl

A surprisingly effective wall, Garganacl has become a staple of the OverUsed format in Scarlet and Violet. Its ability, Purifying Salt, allows Garganacl to resist Ghost-types and get Clear Body simultaneously.

Salt Cure is a death sentence to Water and Steel types, two mainstays of defensive Pokemon in OU, and a powerful move against all other types. Taking away 15-25% of a Pokemon’s HP every turn prevents setups and sweeps and forces switch-outs. Combined with a reliable entry hazard setter, this means a slow death for the enemy unless they can remove Garganacl from the field.

5 Dragapult

Speed is an invaluable asset in battle, and as the fastest Pokemon in OU (142 base speed), Dragapult is one of the scariest dragons in the game. Dragon/Ghost is also quite useful defensively, forcing the use of a dedicated check to Dragapult to deal with the threat.

Draco Meteor and Shadow Ball with Choice Specs boost are its STAB moves of choice, but it can branch out into Flamethrower or Thunder as needed. Using Tera-type changes to give it STAB on its coverage moves also allows Dragapult to become an even bigger problem.

4 Baxcalibur

Sword Dance Baxcalibur takes full advantage of its insanely high Atk stat (145), making it a devastating physical sweeper in dire need of a check. Unless countered, Baxcalibur can easily win you the battle with its highly offensive moveset designed to take down bulky walls.

Glaive Rush is the most reliable Dragon-type move out there, beating out Draco Meteor in terms of accuracy. It can allow Baxcalibur to brute force his way out of a sticky situation, especially with a Swords Dance boost. Ice Shard is a useful Ice-type move that gets priority (always goes first), allowing this dragon to OHKO glass cannons outright.

3 Kingambit

Kingambit is a potent late-game threat because of its ability, Supreme Overlord. This ability gives Kingambit 10% more damage for every ally Pokemon that is already fainted. With your back against the wall, all your other Pokemon fainted; Kingambit is an incredible last “gambit” in your back pocket.

Related: Pokemon Scarlet & Violet: Best Steel-Type Pokémon, Ranked

Swords Dance easily boosts its Attack stat (135) if you can set it up. And Kowtow Cleave is a STAB move that does 85 damage without the possibility of missing. When complemented by Tera Dark, Sucker Punch can OHKO late-game threats and outplay your opponents if they’re not ready for it.

2 Great Tusk

Highly offensive, Great Tusk serves the role of a powerful wall breaker. Its excellent Fighting/Ground typing has its potential fully realized by Headlong Rush, a Ground-type 120 power move, and Close Combat (also 120 base power).

Great Tusk also gets access to Rapid Spin, allowing him to remove any hazards like Toxic Spikes or Stealth Rock from the field and increase its Speed by +1. Both physical attackers and hazard setters hate going up against this ancient mammoth.

1 Roaring Moon

The scariest dragon in all of Paldea, Roaring Moon is a threat no matter which line-up it is a part of. There are a lot of possible builds for Roaring Moon, but Dragon Dance is always its setup move of choice (+1 Atk, +1 Spd). Earthquake gives coverage for many of OU’s most powerful Pokemon (Kingambit, Garganacl, etc.), and Acrobatics is amazing on Booster Energy Roaring Moon since Booster Energy is single-use.

Crunch and Dragon Claw are both reliable STAB moves, with U-Turn being a viable pivot option if Roaring Moon isn’t locked into a move by Choice Band. You can opt for Iron Head too, which can be useful against some checks if boosted by Steel Tera-type. Or you can choose the Flying Tera type, which not only removes most of its weaknesses but also gives STAB on Acrobatics.

Next: Pokemon Scarlet & Violet: Iron Valiant Build Guide