Scarlet and Violet's core mechanic is Terastallization — every Pokémon can shift its type in battle to a chosen Tera type. Story bosses, 7-Star Tera Raids, and ranked competitive all bend around it. This tier list scores by the combined story+raid+ranked usage.
The all-around picks: Meowscarada (starter), Iron Hands (universal DPS), Chien-Pao (7-Star Tera Raid destroyer), and Amoonguss (ranked support). Every Paradox and Legendary is worth catching but few outperform this core.
Tier at a glance
| Pokémon | Region | Tier | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meowscarada | Paldea starter | S | Story speed |
| Iron Hands | Paldea Paradox | S | Raids + ranked |
| Chien-Pao | Paldea Legendary | S | 7-Star Tera Raids |
| Amoonguss | Paldea | S | Ranked support |
| Terapagos | Blueberry | S | Story finale |
| Ogerpon | Kitakami | A | Teal Mask boss |
| Bloodmoon Ursaluna | Kitakami | A | Physical DPS |
| Iron Bundle | Paldea Paradox | A | Speed lead |
| Great Tusk | Paldea Paradox | A | Ground DPS |
S-tier picks
Meowscarada — the Grass starter, unmatched story speed with high crit rate and Flower Trick.
Iron Hands — universal ranked and Tera Raid pick. Belly Drum + Drain Punch loops any raid boss.
Chien-Pao — the raid destroyer. Sword of Ruin cuts every attacker's Def by 25% for the party.
Amoonguss — the ranked support. Spore, Rage Powder, Sludge Bomb; classic VGC kit.
Terapagos — the Indigo Disk final boss you catch. Stellar Tera Form has 160 base stats across the board.
A-tier
Ogerpon forms — Teal Mask boss encounter. Each form takes a different Tera type.
Bloodmoon Ursaluna — Blood Moon signature move outputs 140 base power with 100% accuracy.
Iron Bundle anchors Speed teams; Great Tusk anchors Ground-type teams. Both come from the Paradox catch pool.
Best story path picks
You can tackle the three storylines in any order. Recommended:
- Path of Legends first — free Herba Mystica materials.
- Victory Road second — Gym Leaders scale with story progression.
- Starfall Street third — bosses are level 60+.
- The Way Home — finale after all three converge.
DLC coverage
Both DLC campaigns matter for endgame:
- Teal Mask — Kitakami region, Ogerpon boss, Bloodmoon Ursaluna quest.
- Indigo Disk — Blueberry Academy, Terapagos boss, all starters catchable.
- Epilogue — connects both DLCs, unlocks Mystery Gift rewards.
For this guide we consulted the Game8 Pokémon Scarlet and Violet wiki (Paradox and Legendary lists, DLC coverage, Terastallization mechanics), the official Pokémon page, and community discussion on Reddit and player Discords.