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The Pokemon Scarlet and Violet PvP metas are slowly taking shape. Players are working hard at testing combinations of pocket monsters with different abilities, movesets, and held items to see what works best.
Fascinating tactics have been discovered, considering the strengths and weaknesses of Pokemon and tricks developed in PvP battles from earlier generations. These include using Indeedee with Armarouge and setting up the battlefield with a Murkrow or Talonflame lead.
The focus of this article, however, is the Dondozo and Tatsugiri combination dominating battlefields. Although the duo might seem unstoppable, there are a few ways to beat them in battle. Here's how you can achieve this feat.
Best counters for the Dondozo-Tatsugiri combo in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet
How strong is the Dondoxo-Tatsugri combination?
In doubles-format PvP battles, one of the best team-ups of Pokemon currently is Dondozo and Tatsugiri. If Dondozo knows its signature move Order Up and Tatsugiri has the Commander ability, Tatsugiri will end up inside Dondozo's mouth.
This move leads to Dondozo's stats being increased by two stages. It also leaves Tatsugiri's slot in the battlefield empty, so directed attacks are missed. Given Dondozo's massive HP stat and the investment of EV in that area, Tatsugiri-boosted Dondozo is a tanky defender that can dish out high-damage attacks.
Moreover, depending on the kind of Tatsugiri inside Dondozo's mouth, its special or physical attack or speed increases every time an Order Up hits the enemy. With the ability Unaware, it can also bypass any stat changes that the opponent has gone through.
How to beat the Dondozo-Tatsugiri duo in double battles?
All these factors make Dondozo and Tatsugiri a force to be reckoned with in doubles format PvP battles. Using their strengths, you can consider using the following counters to overwhelm the duo.
Combining Armarouge and Indeedee works extremely well against this duo. For this setup, you will want Indeedee to use Trick Room so that the slow Armarouge can use its moves faster. You will want to Terrastalize the Armarouge into Tera Grass to prevent it from fainting from a single Wave Crash.
With Tera Grass, you may want to set up Sunny Day with your Armarouge in the first turn. With high defensive stats and resistance to Water, it will easily survive one hit from Dondozo. A Solar Beam in the next chance will either knock out the Dondozo or force it to switch out. The same strategy can be used with Skeledirge instead of Armarouge.
Another step you can take is to bring a Pokemon like Umbreon into the battle against Dondozo, which is usually a defensive pick. With Umbreon, you will want to have Foul Play as your offensive alongside the rest of your supporting moves. This pick makes up for Umbreon's weak attack stats, as Foul Play uses the target's attack stat.
Umbreon can be combined with a Meowscarada holding a Choice Band or Life Orb. Meowscarada would generally be built to be a fast physical attacker, and its Flower Trick will always land a critical hit on the target, bypassing its defensive stat boosts. If Meowscarada fails to finish the bulky Dondozo down, doubling down using Umbreon is sure to finish it.
You can use more options to hard-counter the Dondozo-Tatsugiri duo in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet PvP battles. However, most of them are explicitly designed to take down Dondozo and might get you into trouble with the other Pokemon on the opponent's team.
The Armarouge-Indeedee and Umbreon-Meowscarada combinations are formidable counters while also being flexible enough to take down other powerful pocket monsters that the opponent might bring out.
