Best Pokémon For Scarlet & Violet Ranked Battle Stadium: Strategies, Move Sets

The first ranked season for Pokémon Scarlet and Violet is officially underway! Players are already testing out tons of new strategies as they get to grips with this new limited Pokédex format. So, if you are ready to jump into competitive Pokémon battling, you've come to the right place!

This article will cover the best Pokémon worth your investment in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, including optimal move sets, best strategies, and more!

Best Pokémon For Scarlet And Violet Ranked Battle Stadium

There are tons of great Pokémon worth mentioning that could very well carry any talented player to Master Ball Rank. However, we'll mostly be sticking to Pokémon that are objectively good in a majority of teams and situations. That way, you can reliably slot these Pokémon into any team, and they will still perform well! We'll also be favoring Pokémon, who can perform well in both the  Singles and Doubles format. 

Gholdengo

Gholdengo is a really powerful Pokémon for several reasons. Its Steel and Ghost typing make it a good threat offensively and defensively (especially against Fairy-type Pokémon). However, what really pushes Gholdengo over the edge is its ability. Good as Gold prevents Gholdengo from any status infliction. This includes things such as Paralyze, Taunt, Encore, and more. This, coupled with its signature move, "Make it Rain," which is essentially a Steel-type Overheat that hits both enemies, and you have one of the most powerful Pokémon in the format.  

• Make It Rain
• Shadow Ball
• Protect
• Nasty Plot

Annihilape

Annihilape is another powerful offensive threat with decent bulk as well. Its signature move, "Rage Fist," increases in power each time it is used, allowing Annhilape to dish out monstrous amounts of damage if left unchecked. It also gets access to tons of coverage moves, including Ice Punch, Earthquake, Close Combat, and even Seed Bomb.

• Rage Fist
• Final Gambit
• Drain Punch
• Bulk Up / Close Combat

Palafin

Palafin is one of the most unique Pokémon we've ever seen. Upon switching it, it changes into its Hero Form, and its base stat total grows to a whopping 650! This, coupled with its signature priority move, "Jet Punch," makes Palafin one of the most, if not the most, powerful Pokémon this generation. That being said, Palafin is more of a contender in Singles, so it can sweep without having to worry about additional threats. 

• Flip Turn
• Wave Crash
• Ice Punch
• Jet Punch

Murkrow

Yes, you read that right! Murkrow is making a name for itself in VGC double thanks to its ability, Prankster. This allows Murkrow to move first when using a non-attacking skill. Murkrow also gets access to Tailwind, allowing it to set up a speed boost for the entire team for free! This, plus Haze to negate all enemy stat changes, and Murkrow is the best support Pokémon out there. 

• Tailwind
• Foul Play
• Taunt
• Haze

Amoonguss

Whenever Amoonguss is in the format, you can bet it to be run on nearly every single team. Spore is just an incredibly powerful move, and Amoonguss' bulk and access to Rage Powder make it a must-have for any viable Pokémon team. 

• Spore
• Rage Powder
• Clear Smog
• Protect

Garchomp

Similar to Amoonguss, Garchomp is a Pokémon that will always be in the meta if it is allowed. Some much damage, so much coverage, and great base stats to back it all up are what make Garchomp such a menacing threat. 

• Earthquake
• Protect
• Dragon Claw
• Rock Slide / Swords Dance

Honorable Mentions

There are so many great Pokémon out there, and new strategies are being discovered every day. If you want more information on what Pokémon are competitively viable, you can always check out Pikalytics to see what Pokémon are being used most often. Here are a few honorable mentions worth considering when rounding out your core team. 

• Grimmsnarl
• Armarouge
• Arcanine
• Indeedee-F
• Dondozo + Tatsugiri
• Maushold
• Hydreigon
• Kingambit

Good luck on the field of battle, Pokémon trainers!