Pokémon Scarlet and Violet VGC will have a new top dog soon, and here’s the trick

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet VGC will enter its first restricted metagame with Regulation G, and an unexpected Legendary dog is already on the rise.

Starting May 1, the Reg G ruleset will take effect in Scarlet and Violet, allowing VGC players to bring one restricted Pokémon on their team. In other words, plenty of powerful Legendary Pokémon are expected to shake up the metagame. Back at the Europe International Championships (EUIC) earlier this month, we asked pros for their predictions on which Pokémon would be good in Reg G. Most agreed Calyrex Shadow Rider would be on everyone’s radar, while Terapagos and Kyogre were also mentioned.

At the time, no one seemed to be talking about Zamazenta. Now, the Gen VIII Legendary dog is looking to play a huge role in the regulation. This is a pleasant surprise, especially since fellow Gen VIII mascot Zacian was much more favored back in Sword and Shield‘s era. In an April 27 Reddit thread, players explain why Zamazenta is taking over Scarlet and Violet instead of Zacian, and it all boils down to their highest stats.

As the mascots of Sword and Shield, Zacian represents offense and Zamazenta represents defense. With high Attack and Speed, Zacian is a huge physical threat. However, its offense suffers more against popular Intimidate users like Incineroar than Zamazenta does. This is because Zamazenta’s main means of offense doesn’t rely on its Attack—instead, it’s a combo of Iron Defense, Body Press, and its massive Defense. So, while all Zacian’s attacks are weakened by Intimidate, Zamazenta’s Body Presses will remain strong after taking stat drops from Intimidates or even Parting Shots. At the same time, it’ll be super tanky on the field with Iron Defense boosts and an ally Incineroar to lower the opponent’s offensive stats.

One player pointed out how Zamazenta actually didn’t get access to Body Press in the previous generation, a large part of what held it back. And while Zacian and Zamazenta both suffered nerfs to their signature Abilities in Gen IX, the latter was at least compensated with the addition of Body Press to its move pool. Now, Zamazenta can be “the best IronPress user in the game.”

With Reg G ending Aug. 31, it will be the format for the rest of the season, including the North America International Championships (NAIC) and Worlds. This gives Zamazenta a few opportunities to prove itself as the new top dog in Scarlet and Violet.