Pokemon Scarlet and Violet show off competitive play in new trailer

With the release of Pokemon Scarlet and Pokemon Violet looming on the horizon, The Pokemon Company has detailed some of the competitive play in a new trailer.

The last game (Arceus) had no online match options, so Pokemon Scarlet and Violet do seem to be going back to the online functionality that people really liked.

Among the new moves are the likes of “Shed Tail”, which allows a Pokemon to create a substitute, then swap places with a party Pokemon in waiting. This one is going to need to be balanced, or it could be abused, for sure. “Mirror herb” is a new item, which copies an opponent’s stat increases when consumed, while the trailer also shows off Terastallizing, which “changes types and turns the tables”, or in other words, allows you to change type from something like fire to water in the middle of a battle.

Another new item is “Loaded Dice”, which makes multistrike moves move likely to hit more times, and a move called “Tera Blast” changes type when the user has Terastallized.

Of coruse, Scarlet and Violet have a lot to live up to, thanks to this year’s Pokemon Legends: Arceus, which I reviewed, saying “It’s difficult to say this statement without overhyping Pokemon Legends: Arceus, but this is the title I’ve wanted Game Freak to make for the longest time. Fluid, responsive, open to exploration, almost feeling like a reboot of the series: Arceus is an absolute triumph in pretty much every regard. While many seem to revel in Pokemon having rough frame rates, or being “the same as before”, I can tell you that Arceus exceeds all expectations, on almost every front”.

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are due out in November 18th, exclusively for Nintendo Switch.