As a long-time Pokémon fan, I think Scarlet and Violet have been super important for the series lately. They really became the go-to games for competitive battling for a while, with all sorts of new rules and Pokémon added. They definitely laid the groundwork for where the series is heading now. Now that the final ranked season is wrapping up, I think it’s a good time to remember all the good things about these games, even though they weren’t perfect. It’s interesting to think about the new games, Winds and Waves, continuing the tradition of having different Pokémon in each version. And it’s kind of funny – even though Violet sold more copies, a lot of people actually consider Scarlet to be the better game overall!
Even though Pokemon Scarlet and Violet have a few cosmetic differences – like a renamed academy and new student outfits – the biggest difference between the two games lies in which Pokemon are exclusive to each version. Version exclusives are a long-standing tradition in the Pokemon series, with fans still discussing the exclusives from FireRed and LeafGreen. While Violet ultimately sold more copies than Scarlet, it’s clear that Scarlet featured the stronger Pokemon.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet’s Version Exclusives Explained
The main version exclusives for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are as follows:
- Pokemon Scarlet
- Paldean Tauros (Blaze)
- Larvitar
- Pupitar
- Tyranitar
- Drifloon
- Drifblim
- Stunky
- Skuntank
- Deino
- Zwielous
- Hydreigon
- Skrelp
- Dragalge
- Oranguru
- Stonjourner
- Armarouge
- Great Tusk
- Scream Tail
- Brute Bonnet
- Flutter Mane
- Slither Wing
- Sandy Shocks
- Roaring Moon
- Koraidon
- Walking Wake
- Pokemon Violet
- Paldean Tauros (Aqua)
- Misdreavus
- Mismagius
- Gulpin
- Swalot
- Bagon
- Shelgon
- Salamence
- Clauncher
- Clawitzer
- Passimian
- Morpeko
- Dreepy
- Drakloak
- Dragapult
- Eiscue
- Iron Treads
- Iron Bundle
- Iron Hands
- Iron Jugulis
- Iron Moth
- Iron Thorns
- Iron Valiant
- Miraidon
- Iron Leaves
Furthermore, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet‘s DLC also had version exclusives. These are:
- Teal Mask, Pokemon Scarlet:
- Gligar
- Gliscor
- Cramorant
- Teal Mask, Pokemon Violet:
- Aipom
- Ambipom
- Morpeko
- Indigo Disk, Pokemon Scarlet:
- Cranidos
- Rampardos
- Alolan Vulpix
- Alolan Ninetales
- Gouging Fire
- Raging Bolt
- Suicune
- Raikou
- Entei
- Ho-Oh
- Latios
- Groudon
- Glastrier
- Reshiram
- Solgaleo
- Indigo Disk, Pokemon Violet:
- Shieldon
- Bastiodon
- Alolan Sandshrew
- Alolan Sandslash
- Iron Crown
- Iron Boulder
- Cobalion
- Terrakion
- Virizion
- Lugia
- Latias
- Kyogre
- Spectrier
- Zekrom
- Lunala
Why Pokemon Scarlet Beats Pokemon Violet
Competitive battles in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are currently using a ruleset called Regulation F. Although the game has been updated to Regulation J, players are still competing under the older Regulation F rules. According to Pikalytics, the 10 most popular and effective Pokemon in these battles are:
- Urshifu Rapid-Strike (45.83%)
- Flutter Mane (37.53%)
- Incineroar (34.26%)
- Tornadus (32.21%)
- Raging Bolt (31.42%)
- Ogerpon Hearthflame (23.04%)
- Chien-Pao (20.47%)
- Ogerpon Wellspring (20.23%)
- Rillaboom (18.81%)
- Landorus (17.99%)
Among these Pokémon, Flutter Mane and Raging Bolt are only available in the Scarlet version, while none are exclusive to Violet. Iron Crown is the first non-exclusive Pokémon on the list, appearing at number 19 with 11.95% usage, and after that, more Pokémon exclusive to Scarlet appear.
- Gouging Fire at number 26 (6.36%)
- Alolan Ninetales at number 30 (4.98%)
- Roaring Moon at number 31 (4.67%)
If you’re looking for more Pokémon only available in Violet, Iron Hands appears at number 41 (used by 3.15% of players), quickly followed by Entei from Scarlet (2.77%). Tyranitar is another Scarlet exclusive and remains a very popular choice for creating Sandstorm conditions. Gliscor has been a strong competitor in past generations, and although Generation 10 offers new options, it still performed well in Generation 9. Armarouge is generally considered stronger than Ceruledge, and Pokémon like Great Tusk, Scream Tail, and Koraidon were all frequently used in battles.
Miraidon is often considered the stronger of the two legendary Pokémon, and that’s generally true. However, Koraidon is still fantastic and significantly impacted competitive battling. When the Paradox Pokémon were first released in Scarlet and Violet, Iron Bundle and Iron Hands quickly became incredibly powerful, demonstrating the strengths of the Violet version of the game.
One major difference between Pokemon Scarlet and Violet lies in their Legendary Pokemon. While Scarlet has slightly stronger versions of Latios and Entei, Violet boasts Kyogre and Lunala, which are generally considered more powerful and are used more often in competitive battles. In past formats, like Regulation J, the version-exclusive Pokemon Spectrier and Glastrier (used with Calyrex) were fairly balanced, although Calyrex Ice Rider saw a bit more play. However, when looking at all version-exclusive Pokemon, Pokemon Scarlet comes out ahead, offering more valuable options for competitive players.
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2026-03-31 15:37