Pokémon HOME compatibility has finally arrived in Scarlet and Violet, which means there are tons of returning Pokémon looking to shake up the battlefield in Generation IX.
Some of these ‘Pokémon are incredibly powerful, while the others lag behind. To let you know which are threats that you need to be looking out for, we’re covering the 10 strongest returning Pokémon in Scarlet and Violet from HOME, with regards to the upcoming Regulation D format in VGC, which is where these ‘mons would be legal to use.
We are not going to be talking about Hisuian Pokémon on this specific list, nor will we rank Cover Legendaries or Mythicals on this list.
The 10 strongest returning Pokémon in Scarlet and Violet from Pokémon Home, ranked
10) Zapdos
This Kantonian Legendary bird has always been a solid pick in VGC, and for no standout reason—Zapdos is simply a well-rounded Pokémon that gets the job done.
You will usually find this electrifying avian in balance-style teams, offering a good mixture of defense and offense. It can support its teammates with Tailwind while being bulky enough to provide Speed control multiple times during a single match, also being able to dish out respectable damage with strong Thunderbolts, or Heat Waves for good coverage with spread damage.
9) Regieleki
We don’t think Regieleki is going to be as big of a threat as everyone in the competitive community is making it out to be, simply because it does not have the bulk to survive anything.
In Gen VIII, you could Dynamax this speedy boy to immediately double its bulk. While you can defensively Terastallize Regieleki in this gen, it still won’t be living more than a single hit due to its pathetic defenses.
On top of that, you do want to Terastallize Regieleki offensively, since it will easily be walled by the omnipresent Ground types in Regulation D, as well as the very common Tera Grass ‘mons.
Related: Ranking the strongest Hisuian Pokémon coming to Scarlet and Violet after HOME update
Did we mention Regieleki got a Transistor nerf? Yeah, its ability now gives it a 1.3x boost to its Electric moves rather than its previous 1.5x boost, something that its sibling Regidrago does not have to suffer from.
Nevertheless, it does possess the fastest base Speed of any Pokémon while being able to dish out solid damage and oppressive Speed control, giving it a very usable niche in the upcoming format.
8) Regidrago
For a Pokémon like Regidrago, there’s one term that happens to be the name of the game: Hyper-offense. It makes sure to keep up a hyper-offensive playstyle with the help of its signature move, Dragon Energy.
Like the Water-type Water Spout, the Dragon-type Dragon Energy is a spread 150 Base Power move when the user is at full health, decreasing in power the more health the user has lost.
With Regidrago’s Dragon Maw ability bumping its average Special Attack stat up to an outstanding level, it can very easily sweep the opponent’s team with adequate Speed control—whether that may be in the form of a partner’s Tailwind setup or a held Choice Scarf. Just make sure there aren’t any pesky Fairy-types waiting in the back that can switch into the move for free, though.
Regidrago also gained access to Earth Power this gen, giving it valuable coverage to hit Steel-types for super effective damage, and Fairy-types for neutral damage, both of which withstand its overpowering signature attack.
7) Rillaboom
Rillaboom really did fall from grace after the nerfs it received going into Gen IX. But even though Rillaboom got serious downgrades, it simply dropped from ‘broken’ to a dependably strong Pokémon.
Rillaboom unable to obtain the Grassy Glide move does stop it from being extremely oppressive, but that does not mean it can’t go for Wood Hammers that hit like a truck.
It still gets priority Fake Out, however, letting it slow the opponent’s momentum down and then pivot out of the field with a move like a U-Turn only to return later and cycle its Fake Out—yeah, still pretty annoying.
It also lost access to High Horsepower, but Low Kick does nearly the same job as High Horsepower wants to do, hitting almost the same types for super-effective damage. If you really want that Ground coverage or don’t want to rely on the opponent being heavy, Stomping Tantrum can do fine as well.
6) Heatran
Pokémon HOME has allowed a lot of staple meta picks from over the many years of VGC to return and prove why they’re the best, and Heatran is a prime example of this.
Heatran has an amazing stat spread, boasting great overall bulk with a phenomenal Special Attack stat as well, topped off with a Speed stat that can be trained to fit on either Trick Room or Tailwind.
While Heatran had one debilitating weakness in Ground in previous generations, it can now bypass that by simply Terastallizing defensively; Tera Grass is an amazing choice as it now turns resistant to two of its previous weaknesses in Ground and Water, while also remaining immune to one of Grass’ weaknesses in Fire due to its useful Flash Fire ability.
Heatran also gets access to Earth Power, letting it one-shot opposing Heatran if they don’t Terastallize, practically making it a counter to itself.
5) Cresselia
Another Pokémon that’s back to show the new kids what it’s got, Cresselia is an immediate standout due to the unique combination of attributes it possesses, namely its indomitable bulk and access to the ability Levitate.
Cresselia did get its defenses slightly nerfed going into Gen IX, but even then, it’s one of the toughest ‘mons to remove from the field. With Levitate, it becomes a great partner for teammates that want to spam Earthquake, especially ones that want to do it under Trick Room, since it also gets access to the latter.
Along with a nerf, Cresselia also got buffed, gaining a signature move in Lunar Blessing which heals itself and its partner for 25 percent of their health while also wiping any status conditions they may be suffering from. Cresselia may just turn out to be the ultimate bulky support Pokémon.
4) Tornadus – Incarnate
Move over, Murkrow and Talonflame. We’ve got the premier Prankster Tailwind-setter finally in the game.
Not only is Tornadus – Incarnate bulkier than Murkrow, but it also has access to priority Tailwind whenever it needs it, unlike Talonflame. Additionally, it has better offensive prowess than both of the birds, making it the ideal pick every time.
If this wasn’t enough, Tornadus – Incarnate gets access to a new signature move in Gen IX, Bleakwind Storm, a 100 BP Flying-type spread move that has a 20 percent chance to reduce the target’s Speed stat. Not like the Genies needed to get stronger than they already are, but here we are.
Related: The most broken Legendary Pokémon in Scarlet and Violet returning from Pokémon HOME
Tornadus – Incarnate also gets access to a ton of other support moves like Icy Wind, Taunt, and all four weather-setting moves. Yikes.
3) Landorus
We’re giving this spot to each Landorus form, simply because they’re both very viable.
Landorus – Therian has always been an amazing mix of bulk, utility, offense, and Intimidate support. Being a part-Flying-type, it switches in amazingly against Ground-type attacks while being able to dish out strong Ground-type attacks itself with its phenomenal Attack stat.
Coming on the field also means that it can Intimidate its foes before leaving the field with a pivot move such as U-Turn, letting it return when it needs to be a nuisance for its opponents once again.
Landorus – Incarnate, on the other hand, is a straight-up offensive powerhouse, something that you wouldn’t guess if you were to judge purely based on its stats. With a slightly above average 115 base Special Attack stat, Landorus hits incredibly hard as a Special Attacker due to its ability Sheer Force, which adds a 30 percent damage increase to its moves in exchange for taking away their secondary effects.
Add a Life Orb onto this, and you end up getting a 1.3x + 1.3x damage boost while Sheer Force makes it so that Landorus – Incarnate ignores the recoil from Life Orb.
Pretty wild, especially if you factor in Landorus’ new signature move, Sandsear Storm—a 100 Base Power spread Ground-type move that is also boosted by Sheer Force. Sandsear Storm is a move whose power ends up being so dominant that you can also overlook its shoddy 80 percent accuracy.
2) Urshifu – Single Strike
There are a few key reasons why both the Urshifu forms are broken. One, their signature ability Unseen Fist bypasses moves like Protect and Detect. Second, their signature moves—like Single Strike’s Wicked Blow—always land a critical hit.
This means that the usual way of slowing down a Physical attacker like Single Strike, bringing in an Intimidate ‘mon on the field to lower its Attack stat, will not really matter since Single Strike wants to be clicking Wicked Blow whenever it can, and critical hits ignore any sort of drops in offense or increases in bulk on the opponent’s side.
Compound this with the fact Dark is an amazing type to hit foes for neutral damage, and it becomes very tough to stop an Urshifu – Single Strike that has positioned itself well. You can even Terastallize out of its unfavorable defensive typing now, so there’s nothing stopping this evil-fighting dog-bear thing.
1) Urshifu – Rapid Strike
With Rapid Strike taking the No. 1 spot after narrowly beating out its sibling that ended up getting second place, we can see that the Urshifu twins dominate this list—and for good reason.
In the case of Rapid Strike, however, it gets the arguably more useful signature move as Surging Strikes hit multiple times, letting it pick up KOs on ‘mons that are holding Focus Sashes, something Single Strike cannot do with one click of a button.
While it does possess the same stats as its counterpart, Rapid Strike more efficiently fits the average competitive team as it can become an indispensable part of the team’s Fire-Water-Grass core.
Furthermore, with Tornadus becoming a staple part of such teams—and teams in general—Rapid Strike can abuse the former’s ability to set up a priority Rain Dance and pick up swift KO’s with its now supercharged Surging Strikes, along with getting critical hits every single time.
Yeah, and breaking through Protect, because who needs game balance?
