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Top 15 Pokémon to use for a playthrough in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet

If you are interested in using different kinds of Pokémon that can help enhance your Pokémon playthrough, then consider this list!

When beginning your Pokémon adventure, you are given the option to choose one of three Starter Pokémon and later capture and train whatever Pokémon you wish as you undergo your Pokémon journey. However, some Pokémon are better than others at enhancing your Pokémon adventure in various ways. Here are fifteen Pokémon that can enhance your casual playthrough in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.

15 – Talonflame

Much like in Pokémon X and Y, Talonflame is another Pokémon that is great to use for a playthrough. Considering that only 30 Fire-type Pokémon currently exist in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, finding reliable Fire-type Pokémon might be difficult if you did not select the Fire-type Starter Pokémon Fuecoco. While most of its stats are nothing to write home about, the Kalos regional bird Pokémon has a very high Speed stat of 126, which allows it to outspeed many Pokémon in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. Additionally, Talonflame could learn many powerful STAB moves, such as Brave Bird and Flare Blitz. Talonflame is also one of the few Pokémon in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet with the Ability “Flame Body,” which has a 30% chance of inflicting a Burn when Talonflame is hit by a move that makes contact. However, Talonflame’s best use is in the secondary effect of Flame Body, which reduces the steps needed for an Egg to hatch in the party when Talonflame is present. This makes Talonflame a very handy Pokémon when breeding and hatching Pokémon Eggs. Its base form, Fletchling can be found very early in the game as well.

14 – Ditto

One of the originals from the very first Pokémon generation, Ditto, is an obvious must-have for any Pokémon playthrough. Because of its ability to breed with any Pokémon capable of breeding, Ditto is useful for hatching Pokémon Eggs, be it for obtaining Pokémon with better stats, Shiny hunting, or breeding your Starter Pokémon early in your playthrough and using it as trade fodder to receive more valuable Pokémon in trades. Additionally, not only is Ditto extremely useful for breeding, but ever since Ditto received its Hidden Ability “Imposter” in Generation V, it now has the ability to transform into the opposing Pokémon upon switching in. When transformed, Ditto copies various aspects of the opponent’s Pokémon, including its stats and stat boosts.

When holding a Choice Scarf, this makes Ditto a competent battler and revenge killer, especially against Pokémon with high stat boosts. Wild Ditto are located in West Province (Area Two) and West Province (Area Three). However, note that Ditto are not found in their true form. Instead, Ditto disguise themselves as other Pokémon native to the area. To determine if the Pokémon in question is Ditto, press the ZL button and use the right analog stick to “zoom in” on a wild Pokémon, which allows you to view the name of the Pokémon before battling it. If you haven’t captured Ditto, the name would appear as “???” instead of the name of the Pokémon it is copying. If you already captured Ditto, the name would appear as “Ditto” instead.

13 – Pelipper

Making its debut in Generation III in Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald, the big-beaked Water Bird Pokémon Pelipper has received significant buffs over the years that make it good for a casual Pokémon playthrough. While Pelipper’s stats aren’t the best, Pelipper has received the Ability “Drizzle” since Generation VII, which summons rain as soon as it enters the battle. Considering that Pelipper is currently the only Pokémon in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet with access to Drizzle, Pelipper is an extremely useful Pokémon for rain teams. Drizzle makes it so Pelipper isn’t forced to use up an entire turn with Rain Dance. In addition, Pelipper’s Drizzle also allows its powerful STAB Flying-type move Hurricane to hit opponents with 100% accuracy and increases the power of its STAB Water-type moves by 50% as long as the rain remains on the field.

12 – Arcanine

Because of the small amount of Fire-type Pokémon in Paldea, the Fire-type original from Generation I, Arcanine, is a great choice to aid you on your Pokémon playthrough. With the Ability “Intimidate,” Arcanine can lower the Attack stat of the opposing Pokémon by one stage upon entering battle, which is useful for checking Paldea’s many physical attackers. Additionally, Arcanine can learn several debilitating moves such as Will-O-Wisp to Burn opponents and lower their Attack stat even further and Snarl to lower an opponent’s Special Attack stat. Arcanine can also be used as a reliable physical or special attacker and can receive a boost when using Fire-type moves in harsh sunlight, which makes it a good Pokémon to have on almost any team.

11 – Ceruledge

Being the counterpart of Armarouge, Ceruledge also evolves from Charcadet, but only after exposing it to Malicious Armor, which can only be obtained in Pokémon Violet, making Ceruledge a Pokémon Violet-exclusive Pokémon. Similar to Armarouge, Ceruledge is a good Pokémon to use during a casual playthrough because Charcadet can be found early in your adventure and eventually be evolved using Malicious Armor. Unlike Armarouge, Ceruledge specializes in physical attacks with an Attack stat of 125. It also has its own signature move, “Bitter Blade,” which is a physical Fire-type attack with 90 base power and 100% accuracy that deals damage and restores half of the damage dealt to the user’s HP. Much like Armarouge, Ceruledge can provide the player with a useful Fire-type Pokémon on their adventure, especially if the player did not choose the Fire-type Starter Pokémon, which is useful because of the shortage of Fire-type Pokémon in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.

10 – Armarouge

Often teased during the Pokémon Scarlet and Violet trailers, the new Pokémon Armarouge is a wise choice for players to utilize during their casual playthrough. However, because Charcadet only evolves into Armarouge after being exposed to Auspicious Armor, which can only be obtained in Pokémon Scarlet, Armarouge is a Pokémon Scarlet-exclusive Pokémon. Being one of the few Fire-type Pokémon in the game, Armarouge is useful because of its rare and good type combination of Fire/Psychic, which allows it to cover a variety of types offensively and receive power boosts from harsh sunlight and Psychic Terrain.

Armarouge’s signature attack, Armor Cannon, is very powerful with 120 base power and 100% accuracy, with its only drawback being that it lowers Defense and Special Defense by one stage each, similar to Close Combat. This allows Armarouge to be a powerful special attacking wallbreaker, especially in harsh sunlight. Furthermore, due to the lack of Move Tutors, Armarouge is the only Pokémon in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet who can currently learn Expanding Force. While Expanding Force normally has a respectable base power of 80, when used in Psychic Terrain when grounded, it gets a 1.5x power increase, as well as the 1.3x power boost from Psychic Terrain, and the ability to hit both foes in double battles.

9 – Azumarill

Cute, yet extremely powerful, the O.G. Pokémon from Generation II returned in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet with many characteristics that make it great for a playthrough. With its Ability “Huge Power,” Azumarill’s Attack stat doubles and is treated as an Attack modifier rather than a stat boost. This makes Azumarill extremely fearsome after using Belly Drum, a move that maxes its Attack stat in exchange for half its HP. Azumarill’s massive Attack stat, especially after using Belly Drum, make it a terrifying wallbreaker and a useful Pokémon in Tera Raid battles. In addition, Azumarill has a great typing of Water/Fairy, which allows it to benefit heavily from rain, and its Fairy-typing is useful for taking down Dragon-type Pokémon that are common within the Paldea region. Azumarill can also learn Aqua Jet, a priority Water-type move with only 40 base power, but it becomes devastating when Azumarill uses it with its Huge Power Ability and after Belly Drum. Aqua Jet’s priority also allows for Azumarill to attack first most of the time, which makes up for its horrible Speed stat.

8 – Tinkaton

The newly introduced and most popularly voted Pokémon native to Paldea is a Pokémon that can be useful in a variety of ways during an in-game playthrough. While Tinkaton’s offensive stats are not impressive, Tinkaton can serve as a wall against special attacks with its 104 base Special Defense. In addition, Tinkaton is one of the few Pokémon in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet with the Ability “Mold Breaker,” which allows Tinkaton to bypass a Pokémon’s Abilities when targeting them with its moves. This allows Tinkaton to ignore certain annoying Abilities such as Unaware, which is especially useful when battling against extremely tanky Pokémon such as Dondozo or Mimikyu’s “Disguise” Ability. Tinkaton’s signature attack, Gigaton Hammer, is extremely powerful, with a base power of 160; its only drawback is that it cannot be selected twice in a row. This allows Tinkaton to function as a devastating wallbreaker, especially against highly defensive Fairy and Rock-type Pokémon. Moreover, Tinkaton is also a useful Pokémon in Tera Raids because of its very powerful Gigaton Hammer, immunity to Poison-type attacks that Fairy-type Pokémon are normally weak to, and its resistance to nine different types.

7 – Espathra

Debuting in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, the Psychic-type ostrich Pokémon Espathra quickly established itself as another Pokémon that can be extremely useful for a casual Pokémon playthrough, mainly because of its versatile utility and signature attack. Espathra has a unique signature Ability, called “Opportunist,” which copies the opponent’s stat changes whenever it boosts its stats. This allows Espathra to be a dangerous lead Pokémon or revenge killer. Its Ability is also very useful in Tera Raid battles against Pokémon with stat boosts, allowing Espathra to gain the strength to take on Tera Raid Pokémon with their own power increases.

Additionally, if you can get a hold of an Ability Patch, such as through trading or a Tera Raid reward, Espathra can also have the Ability “Speed Boost.” This Ability boosts its Speed stat one stage every turn. With an already fast base Speed stat of 105, Espathra can become even faster, making it a scary special sweeper. Its signature attack, Lumina Crash, is a Psychic-type move with a base power of 80 and has the nasty effect of lowering the target’s Special Defense by two stages, making it easier to take down with special attacks. Even more, Espathra can learn Baton Pass, which allows it to pass its Speed stat boosts to other Pokémon in the party and/or Calm Mind boosts to other special attackers in the party.

6 – Skeledirge

Making its debut in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet as a fully-evolved Starter Pokémon, Skeledirge quickly became a Pokémon that is great to include on your team for a playthrough. Although its stat spread may not be the most offensive among Starter Pokémon, Skeledirge stands out from its Starter brethren for its unique ability to make catching Pokémon easier. However, instead of catching Pokémon by simply weakening the target Pokémon, Skeledirge enables the player to catch Pokémon by stalling.

With the move Yawn, a move that causes the target Pokémon to become drowsy and fall asleep at the end of the next turn, Skeledirge can safely lower the opposing Pokémon’s health with an offensive move such as Torch Song. When a Pokémon is afflicted with the Sleep status condition, its catch rate is multiplied by 2.5, making it easier to catch than normal. Skeledirge can then stall further with other moves such as Slack Off to recover any lost health and Protect to avoid any possible damage.

After ten or more turns have passed, using a Timer Ball would multiply the target Pokémon’s catch rate by 4 and an additional 2.5 if still asleep, making it much easier to catch. Using this method could make capturing legendary Pokémon much easier than normal. Moreover, despite 400 Pokémon currently existing in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, only 30 Pokémon in the games are Fire-type Pokémon. Therefore, selecting Fuecoco as a Starter Pokémon before eventually evolving it into Skeledirge ensures that you have a strong Fire-type Pokémon early in your playthrough.

5 – Gholdengo

Although many might consider it annoying to evolve, Gholdengo is a Pokémon that can enhance a casual Pokémon playthrough if you have the patience and drive to evolve it. Gholdengo evolves from Gimmighoul after collecting 999 Gimmighoul Coins, which can be found all over Paldea. Gholdengo is an extremely powerful Pokémon with the extremely powerful Ability “Good as Gold,” which renders it 100% immune to status moves. In addition, it has the great typing of Ghost/Steel, which grants it several resistances and immunities. However, Gholdengo mainly finds its greatest use in helping players earn money quickly.

Gholdengo learns a very powerful signature attack, Make It Rain, a move with 120 base power and the only drawback of lowering its Special Attack stat by one stage. Additionally Make It Rain also has the effect of scattering coins everywhere, similar to Pay Day. Following the battle, the coins are multiplied by five times Gholdengo’s level and collected. The amount collected also doubles if Gholdengo is holding an Amulet Coin, allowing the player to earn large amounts of money over time through battling. Because many useful items that were once Battle Tower prizes are not available for purchase at Delibird Presents, money can play a significant role in your Pokémon journey through Paldea, and your Gholdengo would be more than happy to help you get the bag.

4 – Meowscarada

One of the fully-evolved Starter Pokémon that made its debut in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, Meowscarada is perhaps one of the best Pokémon to utilize during a casual playthrough because of its ability to deal massive damage, outspeed most other Pokémon, and so on. Although Meowscarada might not be as good as it can be with its Hidden Ability “Protean” undergoing a nerf, Meowscarada is still a great Pokémon to utilize in various ways. Meowscarada’s signature attack, Flower Trick, is a Grass-type move with only 70 base power, but it has the special effect of always landing a critical hit when dealing damage.

This is akin to Urshifu’s signature attacks of Wicked Blow and Surging Strikes. This allows Flower Trick to deal 1.5 times the normal damage every time it lands. If Meowscarada has the Ability “Overgrow” and its HP is dropped below half, Meowscarada’s Grass-type moves will deal 50% more damage, which effectively makes Flower Trick’s base power a huge 140 when in a pinch. In addition, Meowscarada can learn the move Night Slash, a Dark-type move with 70 base power that has a higher critical hit ratio compared to most other moves.

When combined with the game’s affection system, which significantly boosts the critical hit ratio, and having Meowscarada hold an item such as a Razor Claw, Meowscarada can land critical hits 100% of the time with its main go-to STAB moves. This allows Meowscarada to inflict massive damage on any opponent during a regular playthrough. Moreover, with a base Speed stat of 123, Meowscarada can outspeed the vast majority of the competition, with only Koraidan, Miraidon, Chien-Pao, Iron Bundle, Flutter Mane, and Kilowattrel beating it in Speed. This ensures that Meowscarada will hit extremely hard and fast against the competition.

3 – Palafin

Palafin is one of the best Pokémon to use during a Pokémon playthrough, making its debut in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet and being the first Pokémon from an evolution line based on dolphins. However, the only way to obtain a Palafin is to evolve Finizen at level 38 when connected with another player via Union Circle. The evolution is definitely worth it, considering that Palafin might not change much in appearance from Finizen at first, but it gains a new Ability, “Zero to Hero,” which can drastically change its appearance and stats. When Palafin switches out, either manually or with a move such as Flip Turn, it undergoes a “heroic transformation” when sent back into battle.

This changes its appearance to that of a superhero and drastically increases its stats, going from a below-average base stat total of 457 to an extremely high total of 650, which is on par with major legendary Pokémon. In its Hero Form, Palafin’s Attack stat undergoes a 128% increase, from 70 to 160, which makes it the Pokémon in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet with the highest Attack stat. Palafin also has a signature move, Jet Punch, an 80-base-power Water-type move with 100% accuracy that has increased priority, which makes Palafin a devastating wallbreaker and even a devastating sweeper with its 100-base Speed stat.

2 – Gallade

Introduced in Generation IV in the Pokémon Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum games as an alternate branched evolution for Kirlia, Gallade is a Pokémon that is excellent for an in-game playthrough, particularly for his ability to help players catch Pokémon efficiently. A Psychic/Fighting-type, Gallade has the ability to learn the move Hypnosis, which puts other Pokémon to sleep, thereby multiplying the Pokémon’s catch rate by 2.5.

Gallade also has the ability to learn the move False Swipe, a useful move that always leaves the target with at least one HP, making it even easier to catch. However, keep in mind that Hypnosis only works 60% of the time. In addition to Gallade’s Pokémon catching abilities, Gallade now has the ability to deal massive amounts of damage in battle. In Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, Gallade gained the Ability “Sharpness,” which boosts the strength of the user’s slicing moves by 50%.

With the ability to learn a grand total of ten slicing moves, Gallade makes the best use of this Ability. With Sharpness, Gallade gains a 50% boost when using its main STAB slicing moves, which are Psycho Cut and Sacred Sword. Moreover, when given a Razor Claw to hold with max affection, Gallade can land critical hits 100% of the time during a regular playthrough, allowing him to deal massive damage.

1 – Mimikyu

A unique Pokémon introduced in Pokémon Sun and Moon, the Pikachu impersonator Mimikyu is one of the best Pokémon to use during your Pokémon playthrough. Its unique Ability, “Disguise,” prevents Mimikyu from receiving damage once per battle when hit by a damaging attack. This allows Mimikyu to set up certain strategies safely, such as setting up Trick Room in single or double battles, using Swords Dance to boost Mimikyu’s Attack stat by two stages, and prepare for a sweep.

This also allows Mimikyu to switch in safely when your other Pokémon will be hit by a potentially super-effective attack. Mimikyu can also learn the move Shadow Sneak, which is a physical Ghost-type move with only 40 base power. However, because of Mimikyu’s ability to safely set up Swords Dance in its Disguise form to sharply boost its Attack stat, as well as Shadow Sneak’s increased priority, Mimikyu’s Shadow Sneak could potentially be a devastating move that almost always attacks first, even against Pokémon that could potentially outspeed Mimikyu.

However, when taking advantage of Mimikyu’s ability to safely set up with its Disguise Ability, beware of Pokémon with the Ability “Mold Breaker” and its variants, as such Abilities ignore Mimikyu’s Ability and can instantly cause damage. Mimikyu also has the ability to learn the move Drain Punch, a physical Fighting-type attack with 75 base power that has the effect of restoring Mimikyu’s HP by 50% of the damage dealt to the target. This ensures that Mimikyu is able to survive for long periods.

In brief, those were fifteen Pokémon that can enhance your casual playthrough in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. When utilized correctly, these fifteen Pokémon can help your adventure in various ways, be it simplifying things when breeding Pokémon Eggs, dealing massive damage in battle, capturing Pokémon, and so on. Such playthrough enhancement is much better for Pokémon players who wish to get the most out of their adventures and use a variety of Pokémon that they might not have considered before.