Flutter Mane is as soon as once more reigning on the high of the utilization charts for a significant Pokémon Scarlet and Violet match, the European International Championships—and it’s not even stunning at this level. Gamers have already come to the conclusion that this Ghost and Fairy dual-type Paradox Pokémon is one of the best Pokémon to exist within the present VGC metagame.
Ever since Regulation B went reside for Scarlet and Violet on Feb. 1, Paradox Pokémon have been authorized for gamers to make use of on the ranked ladder in addition to official TPCI tournaments. Paradox Pokémon are all stat beasts, boasting both 570 or 590 stat totals, making each one among them viable to make use of in aggressive play.
That being mentioned, some Paradox Pokémon had been recognized from the start to be extra threatening than the remaining. And essentially the most notable choose was the omnipresent, ever-threatening Flutter Mane.
Flutter Mane has been within the high spot in utilization charges for each main match—Regionals and Internationals—since Regulation B began, other than the primary Regulation B match.
Within the Orlando Regoinal Championships, Flutter Mane was the second-most used Pokémon for day one of many match, boasting a 41.92 p.c utilization charge, solely being crushed out by Iron Fingers in first place with a utilization charge of 51.28 p.c. That was the primary Regulation B match, although, so it is sensible that gamers hadn’t precisely discovered what reigns supreme.
Dominating the utilization charge charts of each main match ever since then, Flutter Mane is presently displaying an unprecedented utilization charge of 79.0 p.c for day one of many ongoing European Worldwide Championships, comfortably sitting in first place and beating out the second place Amoonguss by over 20 p.c—the sussy mushroom sits at a 58.1 p.c utilization charge.
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However why precisely does this Paradox Pokémon have such a good chokehold over the aggressive scene of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet? What makes it so persistently good over quite a few codecs and why can’t different Pokémon replicate its success? Let’s determine that out.
Flutter Mane evaluation
To grasp what provides Flutter Mane the premise to carry out so effectively, let’s check out its typing, skill, stats, and relevance to the aggressive VGC metagame.
Typing
Flutter Mane’s twin typing of Ghost and Fairy is without doubt one of the greatest contributors to its success. The one different Pokémon with this twin typing is Mimikyu, and it has been and presently is a powerful choose within the VGC as effectively.
Flutter Mane has a plethora of fine issues going for it, however its typing alone is unbelievable in additional methods than one. To begin with, Ghost and Fairy protection can’t be resisted by any Pokémon presently authorized in Scarlet and Violet VGC, which implies that if a Pokémon resists its Ghost strikes, it gained’t give you the option to withstand its Fairy strikes, and vice versa.
And even when Flutter Mane is barely doing impartial injury, it might simply two-hit knockout and even one-hit KO Pokémon attributable to its overpowering offensive presence.
Secondly, Ghost and Fairy is an incredible defensive twin kind as effectively, particularly for a format like VGC. In any Doubles format, Faux Out goes to be extremely prevalent, so Pokémon possessing the Ghost kind have a bonus as they merely can’t be flinched by means of Faux Out by opposing Pokémon.
Furthermore, the 2 varieties cowl one another’s weaknesses extremely effectively. The Ghost kind takes away Fairy’s weak point to Poison strikes, whereas the Fairy kind takes away Ghost’s weak point to Darkish strikes, leaving Flutter Mane weak to solely two varieties: Metal and Ghost.
If that wasn’t sufficient, this twin typing provides Flutter Mane a whopping three resistances to Regular, Preventing, and Fairy strikes.
Potential
To be trustworthy, Flutter Mane’s Protosynthesis skill might be the worst facet of this overpowered Pokémon, but it surely’s extra of a “worst of one of the best” state of affairs right here. Photosynthesis is a capability that enhances Flutter Mane’s highest stat in harsh daylight, or if Booster Vitality is its held merchandise.
Since Flutter Mane desires to run so many different gadgets that it wants to select from, such because the Focus Sash, Life Orb, and Alternative Specs, it seldom has the liberty to decide on a hit-or-miss merchandise just like the Booster Vitality to utilize its skill, since as soon as you turn Flutter Mane out, you lose the enhance from the merchandise.
There are, nonetheless, groups that allow Flutter Mane to stay on the sphere the place operating Booster Vitality can be the precise name. Aside from this, operating a Torkoal in your group to activate Flutter Mane’s Protosynthesis can work, and has labored prior to now as effectively. One notable group was Abdullah Mohayuddin’s Regional-winning LilliKoal team that was initially constructed by veteran VGC participant Nick Navarre.
Stats
- HP: 55
- Assault: 55
- Protection: 55
- Particular Assault: 135
- Particular Protection: 135
- Pace: 135
Now with a fast look at Flutter Mane’s stats, you may analyze that this Paradox ‘mon suits into the glass cannon archetype—and for essentially the most half, you’re not improper. That is exactly why Focus Sash was the premier merchandise for Flutter Mane again when it was first authorized and continues to be a comparatively standard alternative for it.
It hits quick and it hits laborious, but it surely isn’t meant to take a whole lot of hits. Or is it?
With a Particular Protection stat of 135, Flutter Mane can take just a few hits on the Particular facet of issues earlier than keeling over and fainting. With max HP funding, Flutter Mane is now dwelling tons of hits on the Particular Protection facet, and its surprisingly dwelling just a few Bodily hits as effectively.
When you now add in a little bit of Protection EVs on high of this, Flutter Mane can even have a usable Protection stat whereas being extremely Specifically tanky. With not a whole lot of EVs to dump into its offense, merely slap on a Alternative Specs or perhaps a Life Orb to patch up its offense and also you now have a cumbersome, hard-hitting Flutter Mane—one of the best of each worlds.
Since this cumbersome Flutter Mane additionally gained’t be very quick, it provides in only a little bit of Pace funding to outspeed Garchomp and may benefit from a Tailwind or Trick Room person on its group to present it the mandatory Pace management.
Regulation C’s oblique buff to Flutter Mane
Flutter Mane was already extremely dominant all through the lifespan of the Regulation B format, with the ability to one-shot every of the opposite overpowered Paradox Pokémon equivalent to Iron Bundle, Iron Fingers, and Roaring Moon—to not point out the entire different common Pokémon that fell prey to this Ghost and Fairy dual-type.
And with the daybreak of Regulation C, Flutter Mane simply obtained extra prey to feast on since all 4 of Scarlet and Violet’s new Legendaries from the Treasures of Spoil quartet are half Darkish-type.
Chien-Pao, Ting-Lu, and Wo-Chien are three of the 4 Spoil Pokémon that Flutter hits for super-effective injury, making its utilization soar even increased. Regardless that Chi-Yu isn’t essentially threatened by Flutter Mane—since it’s half Hearth-type and takes impartial injury from Fairy strikes—it nonetheless makes Flutter Mane much more standard within the format.
Chi-Yu’s Potential, Beads of Spoil, lowers the Particular Protection stat of each Pokémon on the sphere. This skill allows Flutter Mane completely since it might use Chi-Yu as its accomplice to make use of its skill, boosting Flutter Mane’s Particular Assault injury output to unprecedented heights. This makes the pairing of Chi-Yu and Flutter Mane extremely potent.
Different Pokémon like Iron Bundle have all the time been neck and neck with Flutter Mane when it comes to utilization charges through the entirety of the earlier format, Regulation B—and for good cause. Iron Bundle is an incredible Pokémon that’s quick, offensive, and frail like Flutter Mane whereas additionally with the ability to play a reliable supportive position for its group if wanted.
But Iron Bundle is presently twelfth in recognition on day one of many EUIC with a utilization charge of 15.7 p.c, versus Flutter Mane, who sits within the No. 1 spot on the utilization chart with a utilization charge of a whopping 79.0 p.c—a gargantuan distinction between two Pokémon who had been principally pleasant rivals at one level.
The reality of the matter is, Iron Bundle has a nasty matchup with just a few of the Spoil Pokémon, particularly Ting-Lu, who it might barely handle to four-hit KO with Freeze Dry—which is a super-effective transfer into Ting-Lu—if it’s carrying the quite common Assault Vest merchandise, inflicting Iron Bundle to plummet in utilization charges.
Iron Bundle remains to be an exceptional Pokémon, which is exactly why it has managed to not less than stick round in twelfth place in utilization charges. This additionally factors us to the truth that Flutter Mane—apart from by means of its benefit of being extremely robust—can also be getting fortunate with how the meta is growing by means of upcoming codecs.
Flutter Mane’s continued dominance can, largely, be attributed to the meta luckily evolving in methods which might be helpful for gamers to proceed utilizing this Ghost and Fairy dual-type Pokémon.
So this then begs the query: When will we see Flutter Mane’s fall from grace? Will we, ever?
