Except for those who received it as a gift for the holidays, many Pokemon Scarlet and Violet players have likely finished the base game by now and are working on postgame content like Tera Raids and forgiving competitive teams. The competitive scene in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet has already seen some major shake-ups, but this is likely to continue as more Pokemon are added to the game. However, while some Pokemon like Ursaluna will be absolutely broken in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet when added, others have already been heavily nerfed, like Pokemon Sword's Zacian.
As many fans know, the entire ROM for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet leaked online ahead of launch. Datamines have been able to dive into some of this information too, since the games are out in the wild. Before release, fans used this information to learn about the Pokemon in the game, but now fans can use it to learn about what's coming. Of course, as datamined information, this can easily be changed before their additions in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet DLC or as Tera Raid mons.
Zacian Nerfs in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet
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Just like Crown Tundra brought in a bunch of legendaries into Pokemon Sword and Shield, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet DLC is likely to do that as well. Pokemon Sword's Zacian seems to be on the shortlist for additions, but the problem is that Game Freak didn't just nerf Zacian—it neutered it into oblivion with a few very potent hits, according to datamines. For example, its base stat total when in its Crowned form went from 720 to 700, with every single point coming out of Zacian's attack stat. If that wasn't enough, its Intrepid Sword ability, which boosted its attack stat every time it entered battle, was changed to only once per battle.
Meanwhile, its signature move—Behemoth Blade—originally dealt double damage to Dynamax or Gigantamax'd Pokemon, and it would stand to reason that Game Freak would have to change this. Signature moves are powerful usually even without special, with this still being a 100% accuracy 100 Power move without this buff. It could have removed this, changed it to apply to all Pokemon gimmicks, or just Terastallized Pokemon, but no, Game Freak removed it entirely. In short, Zacian is physically weaker, its signature ability was changed significantly, and its signature move was removed entirely.
Obviously, that's not a problem right now. It just means Zacian has no future in competitive Pokemon Scarlet and Violet ranked battles. It was limited before for obvious reasons, but there's no Zacian return on the cards unless Game Freak diverts from the datamine.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet is available now, exclusively for Nintendo Switch.