The Pokémon Scarlet and Violet Europe International Championships are currently underway this weekend in London, and we’re already starting to see some huge meta shifts now that Regulation C allows the use of the four Ruinous Pokémon. With Ting-Lu, Chi-Yu, or Chien-Pao appearing on most teams in the tournament, players have to figure out how to use these Legendary Pokémon along with how to counter them.
Dot Esports had the chance to meet with some of the best players at EUIC to discuss the new format, the Ruinous Pokémon, underrated Pokémon, and any strong new duos that have emerged as a result.
Since the beginning of Scarlet and Violet, there have been certain Pokémon duos that mesh well with each other in VGC. The most obvious example is Dondozo and Tatsugiri, who are bound together by the latter’s signature Ability, Commander. Meanwhile, players have identified a handful of other duos that have defined the Scarlet and Violet meta at some point, such as Armarouge and female Indeedee, Maushold and Annihilape, and Great Tusk and Talonflame.
Now that the Treasures of Ruin are here, there are two new Pokémon duos that stand out in the eyes of VGC experts Paul Chua, Joseph Ugarte, Alberto Lara, Nick Navarre, and Aaron Traylor.
Flutter Mane and Chi-Yu
Flutter Mane was already one of the best Pokémon on its own with incredible Special Attack, Speed, and Special Defense. But once the Treasures of Ruin were introduced, Flutter Mane’s usage shot up to the point where 79 percent of players brought it to EUIC. This has a lot to do with Flutter Mane’s Fairy typing, which hits three of the four Treasure of Ruin for super-effective damage. But it also has to do with Chi-Yu’s presence in the meta.
Chi-Yu’s signature Ability, Beads of Ruin, decreases the Special Defense stat of every Pokémon on the field except itself. As one of the strongest Special Attackers in the game, Flutter Mane can easily take advantage of its target’s lowered Special Defense and deal extra damage when Chi-Yu is next to it. Combined with their natural Speed, it’s possible for Flutter Mane and Chi-Yu to get quick knockouts before their opponents even get to move.
Dragonite and Chien-Pao
Dragonite and Chien-Pao are the physical attacker counterparts of Flutter Mane and Chi-Yu. Chien-Pao’s signature Ability, Sword of Ruin, decreases the Defense of every Pokémon on the field except itself. This means physical attackers like Dragonite are free to hit opponents even harder with reliable moves like Extreme Speed.
Additionally, this specific duo is great for handling one of the biggest threats in VGC—Amoonguss. If Amoonguss isn’t in a situation where it can Terastallize for defensive resistances, Chien-Pao can hit it with Ice Spinner while Dragonite often has Flying Tera Blast to blow Amoonguss away before it can put anyone to sleep.
