Are Paradox Pokémon Banned in Scarlet and Violet?

The Pokémon TCG has seen many changes with the introduction of Scarlet and Violet and Generation 9. We’ve been introduced to loads of brand new Pokémon and when you head into Area Zero, you can also find the brand new Paradox Pokémon. These are reimagined versions of existing Pokémon. Pokémon Scarlet gives us Ancient Pokémon, which are ancient versions of modern day Pokémon and are researched by Professor Sada. Pokémon Violet gives us Future Pokémon, which, as you may have guessed, are futuristic imaginings of current Pokémon. These are researched by Professor Turo.

Paradox Pokémon have helped to shape the meta in the competitive VGC. Each one is dual type and can have a different Tera Type, which can give them some nice type coverage. If you have played any competitive Pokémon recently, you will almost certainly have encountered several of these beasts! Although Paradox Pokémon are currently legal for competitive play, it hasn’t always been this way. They were in fact banned for the first season and we are going to take a look at why they were banned and the impact they have had on the game.

The Initial Ban of Paradox Pokémon in VGC and Their Use in Series 2

Paradox Pokémon were banned for the first and second seasons of competitive play which ran in late 2022 and early 2023. Paradox Pokémon became legal for play during Season 3 in February 2023. There are likely many reasons for this, including the fact that The Pokémon Company didn’t want to have too many end game spoilers so early into the game's release.

The most likely reason was probably due to them being reimaginings of pseudo-legendary Pokémon and therefore having stats to match! All of these beefy Pokémon have fantastic statlines and I think there was some fear that they would be too powerful for the competitive scene if they were released too early.

They are now a staple of many people’s competitive lists and there are some which standout head and shoulders above the rest. There are currently only 2 Paradox Pokémon that are banned and these are Walking Wake and Iron Leaves, the Paradox versions of Suicune and Virizion.

Impact on Competitive Play

There have been many Paradox Pokémon featured in top competitive lists, however there are some pretty unanimous decisions on which are the best, now the game has been out for a year. Ask any competitive player and they will likely name Flutter Mane, Roaring Moon, Iron Hands and Iron Bundle as some of the best right now.

These Paradox Pokémon have helped to shape the current metagame, thanks to their super high base stats giving them an incredibly aggressive playstyle, as well as their ease of use and the simplicity of building a well rounded team around them. Their stats are boosted even further thanks to their built in abilities, which they share. All Ancient Pokémon have the Protosynthesis ability and all Future Pokémon have the Quark Drive ability, which boosts their highest stats even further if the terrain is a certain type or if they are holding a Booster Capsule.

Strategies For Using Paradox Pokémon

Despite the Ancient and Future Pokémon being locked to each game, there is a good mix of strengths and one side of the coin doesn’t completely dominate the competitive landscape. Although there are certainly standout picks when it comes to choosing your Paradox Pokémon for battle.

After speaking to lots of people and watching countless hours of Youtube videos, it seems a lot of people like Flutter Mane from the Scarlet games. This Ancient Pokémon is a Ghost and Fairy type with huge speed and special attack. It has a strong Same Type Attack Bonus (STAB) which can increase its power massively. Using attacks like MoonBlast and Shadow Ball can deal huge amounts of damage and are pretty likely to KO any Pokémon on the battlefield. The preferred choice of Tera Typing is Fairy, to further increase the damage of it’s Moonblast attack and remove its Ghost weakness. Despite its high speed and great special attack, Flutter Mane has poor defensive stats and so you need some other Pokémon in your team that are a bit more bulky and can hang around a bit. This is where they also pair nicely with other Paradox Pokémon, including Iron Hands and Roaring Moon.

Iron Hands is a popular pick from the Violet games and what Iron Hands lacks in speed, it more than makes up for in Attack and Defence. Its Fighting and Lightning typing gives it excellent coverage and means that it cannot be paralyzed, always a bonus. It also has very high HP which can help it stick around on the battlefield for a long time. It has a pretty good moveset and can whack lots of the most popular Pokémon for weakness after tanking a hit on its own. Its lack of speed could let it down and that’s where we need Flutter Mane, or even Iron Bundle.

Iron Bundle is one of the fastest Pokémon in the game and is from the Violet game. This little recreation of Delibird has huge Speed and Special Attack, combined with access to some very powerful Special Attack moves. It is a Water and Ice Type which gives it some nice coverage. Equipping it with a Booster Energy further increases its Speed or Special Attack, meaning that you are pretty likely to get that first hit in and it's going to do some serious damage. Equipping it with the moves Hydro Pump and Freeze Dry will give it near perfect coverage. You need to equip your team with a decent physical attacker and something with a bit of bulk that can hang around as Iron Bundle is not the tankiest of Pokémon out there.

Preparing For Paradox Pokémon in Battles

In today's metagame you are all but guaranteed to face off against some of the strongest Paradox Pokémon in every battle. Countering them requires a good knowledge of them, what they do and what they are weak to. Build a team that you think is strong and that works for most matchups. Then consider tweaking it with different Tera Types to gain access to weakness or resistance coverage that you might be lacking. If you are seeing Roaring Moon and Flutter Mane in every single team, then you should potentially run a direct counter in your team. Like most things, a bit of practice and time to see what the most popular Pokémon are will help massively in strategising for them.

The Future of Paradox Pokémon in Competitive Play

Paradox Pokémon are here to stay in Scarlet and Violet and if you aren’t using them already then maybe you should be. They are extremely powerful and can really be that missing piece where your team has a weakness, thanks to their dual-typing. Paradox Pokémon are only going to continue getting stronger, as more are released through DLC and we may have the others removed from the ban list in the future.

If you're playing competitively then chances are you are already using Paradox Pokémon effectively, but if you haven't given them a chance yet, then definitely get some in your team. I think it will make a huge difference to your gameplay!