A year later, pro Pokémon players actually love this ‘broken and boring’ Scarlet and Violet mechanic

Pokémon players weren’t initially sold on Scarlet and Violet’s Terastallization and Tera Types when the games were first released, but after one full season of competitive play, the Gen IX mechanic seems to have grown on the VGC community—all thanks to a major change implemented this generation.

Around a month after the 2023 Pokémon World Championships wrapped up in Yokohama, Japan, veteran competitor James Baek asked fellow VGC players if they felt any different about Terastallization now that they’ve had a decent amount of experience with it.

Most players agreed they appreciate the Terastallization mechanic a lot more now than when it was first introduced almost a year ago—but only because the Gen IX games also introduced the new open teamsheet rule.

With open teamsheets at most VGC tournaments, players have full access to their opponent’s team, move sets, items, and Tera Types prior to each battle. This gives players everything they need, aside from IVs and EVs, to make informed decisions at these high-stakes tournaments, and they can’t rely as much on the art of surprise with weird gimmick teams. 

Naturally, the new open teamsheets rule works perfectly with Terastallization, since the possibilities are endless when it comes to using Tera Types. Instead of having to guess which of the 18 Tera Types an opposing Pokémon might have, you’ll know right away thanks to open teamsheets. Without this given information many games would be lost due to guessing on the opponent’s Tera Types, which adds an element of chance.

Unfortunately, certain circuits like the ones held in Asia and online ranked battles still used closed teamsheets during Scarlet and Violet’s first VGC season, which players believed made Terastallization less consistent at tournaments. “In a closed team sheet environment, it is a nightmare to play against,” said one player, noting some games would be lost the moment they began regardless of skill.

Still, this is just where things stand after one full VGC season with Terastallization. The 2024 VGC season just kicked off earlier this month with the Pittsburgh Regionals, and there are still plenty more tournaments on the way in the near future.

As the rules and regulations continue to change throughout Scarlet and Violet‘s time in the VGC spotlight, there’s definitely still room for opinions to change regarding the Terastallization mechanic.