Pokemon Scarlet & Violet player uses necromancy as competitive strategy

A Pokemon Scarlet & Violet player has shown off a competitive battling strategy that’s kind of horrifying if you think about it too long. Is there a PETA for the Pokemon world?

The Pokemon video games’ competitive battling scene can be a tough nut to crack. Particularly in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet. There’s a smidge of eugenics involved with Breeding and don’t even get me started on EVs and IVs.

That’s just to raise a Pokemon strong enough to hold its own in battle. Next, you have to memorize type matchups, move pools, strategies, and now, Tersatalizing. If you can get all that down, Pokemon becomes a surprisingly deep PVP experience.

In one of the greatest showcases of that depth in recent memory, Twitter user sja900 has revealed an intriguing, if slightly disturbing competitive strategy for Pokemon Scarlet & Violet. It forces one poor Pocket Monster into an endless cycle of death and revival.

The core of the strategy is using Alolan Golem to valiantly sacrifice itself using the move Explosion. This deals massive damage to all Pokemon on the field but takes out the user. Golem is teamed up with Rabsca who has access to the move Revival Blessing which allows it to revive Golem so it can continue its Sisyphean struggle.

Rabsca is immune to Golem’s Explosion thanks to the Telepathy ability and gets around Revival Blessing’s single-use drawback with a Leppa Berry that restores PP. It also activates Trick Room which is why the usually slow Golem’s explosions can outspeed its opponents.

If you’re wondering why Golem was able to hit the Ghost-type Flutter Mane with a Normal-type move like Explosion, its Galvanise ability causes Explosion to become an Electric-type attack. This also explains why Landorus wasn’t affected.

Landorus is troublesome enough on a good day but not for sja900 who had a counter. In a separate video, they used the move Soak to turn Landorus into a Water-type meaning the already powerful Explosion became a super-effective, one-shot attack.

The Pokemon Company

How could you do that to this guy? Look at his little mustache.

Being able to drop Explosion on an enemy team three times at the cost of only one Pokemon is an insane return on investment. We can’t help but feel bad for poor Golem though. The existential dread caused by the strategy must take a toll.

If you’re looking to take the leap into competitive play for Pokemon Scarlet & Violet (instead of mindlessly mashing A with whatever damage move seems the most effective, like I do), we’ve got heaps of guides to help you out.

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