Landorus breaking a wall in the Pokémon anime.

Image via The Pokémon Company

Best teams to use for Regulation D in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet

Wins all around.

Yash Nair

Published: Jul 31, 2023 07:33 am

The Regulation D format for VGC in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet has been out for a month now, and through testing on the ladder, grassroots tournaments, and theorycrafting with friends, players have gotten a feel of what’s hot and what’s not in the all-new metagame.

Five best Regulation D teams in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet

Dragonite poses triumphantly in the air. — Gotta beat ’em all. Image via The Pokémon Company

Quintessential Balance

If there will ever be a prime example of what a ‘balance’ team looks like, it’s this team.

Not only does the team have three forms of Speed control—the main being Tailwind from Zapdos—but each ‘mon also has an impeccable mixture of offense and bulk.

With Urshifu, Rillaboom, and Heatran forming a strong Fire-Water-Grass core, this team further solidifies its great neutral matchup into every archetype out there. Damage mitigation with Landorus-T through Intimidate and wild amounts of damage through Choice Specs-Flutter Mane round this team out well enough that it could even earn a first-place finish in a recent Regulation D invitational tournament.

Zapdos

Zapdos @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Static
Level: 50
Tera Type: Steel
EVs: 196 HP / 156 Def / 4 SpA / 52 SpD / 100 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 27 Atk
Moves: Tailwind, Thunderbolt, Hurricane, Roost

Urshifu

Urshifu-Rapid-Strike @ Mystic Water
Ability: Unseen Fist
Level: 50
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 132 HP / 124 Atk / 4 Def / 116 SpD / 132 Spe
Adamant Nature
Moves: Surging Strikes, Close Combat, Aqua Jet, Detect

Landorus – Therian

Landorus-Therian @ Assault Vest
Ability: Intimidate
Level: 50
Tera Type: Flying
EVs: 124 HP / 36 Atk / 36 Def / 108 SpD / 204 Spe
Adamant Nature
Moves: Tera Blast, Rock Slide, U-turn, Stomping Tantrum

Rillaboom

Rillaboom (M) @ Meadow Plate
Ability: Grassy Surge
Level: 50
Tera Type: Fire
EVs: 132 HP / 76 Atk / 36 Def / 188 SpD / 76 Spe
Adamant Nature
Moves: Drum Beating, Fake Out, Knock Off, U-turn

Heatran

Heatran @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
Level: 50
Tera Type: Grass
EVs: 132 HP / 68 Def / 76 SpA / 4 SpD / 228 Spe
Modest Nature
Moves: Earth Power, Heat Wave, Flash Cannon, Protect

Flutter Mane

Flutter Mane @ Choice Specs
Ability: Protosynthesis
Level: 50
Tera Type: Fairy
EVs: 156 HP / 116 Def / 36 SpA / 4 SpD / 196 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
Moves: Moonblast, Shadow Ball, Dazzling Gleam, Icy Wind

Regidrago TailRoom

This is as hyper-offense as a team gets but with a twist. No, it’s not the Regidrago; we’ll get to that. It’s the Trick Room-Indeedee.

While this looks like a standard Tailwind-Offense composition, it turns out it actually acts as TailRoom, which comes in handy when facing off against opposing Tailwind teams, letting you outspeed them when under your Trick Room as they set up Tailwind.

But other than that, you just have a bunch of strong ‘mons, the standout pick being Regidrago here. Support Regidrago with Indeedee’s Follow Me to keep it healthy and its Dragon Plate-boosted Dragon Energy should blow away anything that doesn’t resist the move when it’s at full health.

Landorus – Therian

Landorus-Therian @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
Level: 50
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 108 HP / 140 Atk / 4 Def / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
Moves: Earthquake, Rock Slide, U-Turn, Stomping Tantrum

Tornadus – Incarnate

Tornadus @ Mental Herb
Ability: Prankster
Level: 50
Tera Type: Ghost
EVs: 252 HP / 156 Def / 4 SpA / 84 SpD / 12 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
Moves: Bleakwind Storm, Tailwind, Taunt, Protect

Regidrago

Regidrago @ Draco Plate
Ability: Dragon’s Maw
Level: 50
Tera Type: Steel
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
Moves: Dragon Energy, Dragon Pulse, Tera Blast, Protect

Urshifu – Rapid Strike

Urshifu-Rapid-Strike @ Focus Sash
Ability: Unseen Fist
Level: 50
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
Moves: Close Combat, Surging Strikes, Aqua Jet, Detect

Gholdengo

Gholdengo @ Choice Specs
Ability: Good as Gold
Level: 50
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 204 HP / 4 Def / 132 SpA / 4 SpD / 164 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
Moves: Make It Rain, Shadow Ball, Thunderbolt, Focus Blast

Indeedee – Female

Indeedee-F @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Psychic Surge
Level: 50
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 236 HP / 236 Def / 36 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
Moves: Psychic, Follow Me, Trick Room, Protect

Pao-Nite SemiRoom

Being of the SemiRoom archetype, this team doesn’t necessarily need Trick Room to function and get wins but has a lot of key pieces that can dominate under reversed turn orders.

The Ursaluna, Heatran, Dragonite, and Flutter Mane are all built to have just enough Speed to outpace threats outside Trick Room while being slow enough to abuse Trick Room well too; it just depends on the matchup when it comes to deciding what mode you want to play in.

Chien Pao is the only ‘mon here with maximum Speed investment who also enables the very hard-hitting Physical attackers on this team. Cresselia rounds this composition off by not only setting up Trick Room but also healing itself and its partners while being a Rapid Strike counter due to its Rocky Helmet.

Chien Pao

Chien-Pao @ Focus Sash
Ability: Sword of Ruin
Level: 50
Tera Type: Ghost
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
Moves: Icicle Crash, Sacred Sword, Sucker Punch, Protect

Flutter Mane

Flutter Mane @ Choice Specs
Ability: Protosynthesis
Level: 50
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 140 HP / 236 Def / 124 SpA / 4 SpD / 4 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
Moves: Dazzling Gleam, Moonblast, Shadow Ball, Thunderbolt

Cresselia

Cresselia @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Levitate
Level: 50
Tera Type: Fairy
EVs: 252 HP / 156 Def / 100 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
Moves: Moonblast, Ally Switch, Lunar Blessing, Trick Room

Heatran

Heatran @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
Level: 50
Tera Type: Grass
EVs: 212 HP / 4 Def / 132 SpA / 4 SpD / 156 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
Moves: Heat Wave, Earth Power, Substitute, Protect

Dragonite

Dragonite @ Choice Band
Ability: Multiscale
Level: 50
Tera Type: Normal
EVs: 180 HP / 204 Atk / 124 Spe
Adamant Nature
Moves: Extreme Speed, Outrage, Stomping Tantrum, Giga Impact

Ursaluna

Ursaluna @ Flame Orb
Ability: Guts
Level: 50
Tera Type: Ghost
EVs: 252 HP / 220 SpD / 36 Spe
Adamant Nature
Moves: Facade, Earthquake, Bulk Up, Protect

Psyspam SunRoom

This team was created by Alex Soto, a VGC pro who spearheaded the hard Trick Room archetype when no one else dared touch it in previous regulations and proceeded to get top results with his unorthodox teams, so you know this team is good.

This isn’t plain hard Trick Room however, it’s SunRoom. With Hisuian Lilligant and Torkoal being the star duo, you can go wild with the After You-Eruption shenanigans. If you really want to go slow and cause havoc with Armarouge and Ursaluna, however, don’t worry: You have three whole Trick Room setters to enable your sluggish hard-hitters.

Torkoal works through the After You mode and the TR mode, so you have a lot of flexibility when playing with this team.

Indeedee – Female

Indeedee-F @ Psychic Seed
Ability: Psychic Surge
Level: 50
Tera Type: Grass
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
Moves: Dazzling Gleam, Helping Hand, Follow Me, Trick Room

Armarouge

Armarouge @ Twisted Spoon
Ability: Flash Fire
Level: 50
Tera Type: Grass
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpA
Quiet Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
Moves: Expanding Force, Heat Wave, Trick Room, Protect

Hatterene

Hatterene @ Life Orb
Ability: Magic Bounce
Level: 50
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 212 HP / 36 Def / 252 SpA
Quiet Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
Moves: Psychic, Dazzling Gleam, Trick Room, Protect

Torkoal

Torkoal @ Charcoal
Ability: Drought
Level: 50
Tera Type: Fire
EVs: 252 HP / 12 Def / 244 SpA
Quiet Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
Moves: Eruption, Flamethrower, Earth Power, Clear Smog

Ursaluna

Ursaluna @ Flame Orb
Ability: Guts
Level: 50
Tera Type: Normal
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
Moves: Facade, Headlong Rush, Crunch, Protect

Lilligant-Hisui

Lilligant-Hisui @ Focus Sash
Ability: Chlorophyll
Level: 50
Tera Type: Ghost
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
Moves: Solar Blade, Close Combat, Sleep Powder, After You

Hisuian Electrode Trick Room

Probably the only niche Hisuian Electrode will have in the format, setting up Choice Scarf-Annihilape by giving it four to five Rage Fist stacks through Loaded Dice-Bullet Seed makes this undead monkey incredibly strong, It also happens to be naturally fast as well, thanks to its item, letting it pick up quick KOs by leading this duo.

Another classic duo is Indeedee and Armarouge for Trick Room and Expanding Force spam. If you really want TR to go up, you can even send out Annihilape alongside a TR-setter as a suicide lead with Final Gambit.

The rest of the team is filled up with Assault Vest Enamorus – Therian who is amazing at countering Amoonguss under Trick Room thanks to Overcoat, and Booster Energy-Iron Hands for some solid damage potential.

Armarouge

Armarouge @ Life Orb
Ability: Flash Fire
Level: 50
Tera Type: Grass
EVs: 244 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 4 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
Moves: Expanding Force, Armor Cannon, Trick Room, Protect

Indeedee – Female

Indeedee-F @ Psychic Seed
Ability: Psychic Surge
Level: 50
Tera Type: Fairy
EVs: 252 HP / 188 Def / 68 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
Moves: Dazzling Gleam, Follow Me, Trick Room, Helping Hand

Annihilape

Annihilape @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Defiant
Level: 50
Tera Type: Ghost
EVs: 124 HP / 196 Atk / 188 Spe
Jolly Nature
Moves: Close Combat, Rage Fist, Drain Punch, Final Gambit

Enamorus-Therian

Enamorus-Therian (F) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Overcoat
Level: 50
Tera Type: Fairy
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpA
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
Moves: Springtide Storm, Mystical Fire, Moonblast, Earth Power

Iron Hands

Iron Hands @ Booster Energy
Ability: Quark Drive
Level: 50
Tera Type: Electric
EVs: 12 HP / 236 Atk / 12 Def / 244 SpD
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
Moves: Drain Punch, Wild Charge, Ice Punch, Detect

Electrode-Hisui

Electrode-Hisui @ Loaded Dice
Ability: Aftermath
Level: 50
Tera Type: Ghost
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 10 Atk
Moves: Thunderbolt, Bullet Seed, Taunt, Screech

Dot Esports is supported by our audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission. Learn more about our Affiliate Policy

Author

Yash Nair

Yash is a freelance writer based in the tropical state of Goa, India. With a focus on competitive Pokémon, he also writes general guides on your favorite video games. Yash has written for sites like Dot Esports and TouchTapPlay, and has a distinct love for indie video game titles.