There are a lot of new things being tried out in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. These new titles seem to be both the synthesis and final testing ground for a number of ideas that have been swirling around the Pokemon series for the last several years. The Wild Areas and regions of Pokemon Legends: Arceus have finally given way to Scarlet and Violet's true open world. The campaign co-op from Pokemon Let's Go! has returned as a shared world for up to four players. Terastallizing is the latest battle gimmick, but its Ability to change a Pokemon's type recalls some ideas proposed with Pokemon X and Y's Mega Evolution.
Even the minute details of battling have been changed up. An auto-battle has finally been introduced to the mainline Pokemon titles, and the player is expected to use it in horde battles initiated by Team Star. To go along with this, all battles take place in the game world much like in Pokemon Legends. Fans will have to wait and see what other little details have changed, but one more aspect that has been lightly touched on is the new moves and Abilities in Scarlet and Violet. The ones revealed so far, those being Shed Tail and Tera Blast, have been distinctly focused around enhancing competitive strategies. The early October Pokemon Scarlet and Violet trailer has revealed a couple more Abilities that can be attached to the new Farigiraf, and they both seem impressively strong.
Chew Cud
Held items have been a part of the Pokemon series since the second generation. While casual players often see them as a mere curiosity, competitive players find them to be a necessity. Whether it's ensuring that a Pokemon will always take its turn first, serving as a replacement for certain Abilities like Guts, or quickly resolving a status condition without wasting a turn on an item, they can be very useful. One recurring family of held items is the Berries, which can be used as regular items in a pinch but show their true potential in a Pokemon's possession.
When the circumstances for a Berry to apply its effects comes into play, a Pokemon holding a relevant Berry can eat it and gain those effects. This can be anything from restoring a status effect to cutting the power of oncoming super effective moves, to restoring a percentage of HP based on certain conditions. Farigiraf will be able to prolong this effect with its new Ability, Chew Cud. If a Pokemon with this Ability eats a Berry, it will eat it once more at the end of the next turn. While the effect remains automated and is not guaranteed to be useful every time, this could double the effect of many Berries. Strategies could be built around this, and the nature of Chew Cud as a reference to grazing mammals means the Ability could pass to similar Pokemon in the future.
Armor Tail
Held items aren't the only game mechanic that Farigiraf’s Abilities can interact with. Another long-standing Pokemon component is priority moves, which are attacks that move before the opponent without calculating speed. Most players will recognize Quick Attack as this, but plenty of other priority moves exist, most of which are non-damaging moves like Helping Hand and Protect. Having an almost guaranteed offensive or defensive move in the player's back pocket can be a powerful leveraging tool in fights where every move matters.
However, Farigiraf's Ability Armor Tail completely overturns this side of battling. If this works as advertised, then not only will opposing Pokemon's move priority be disabled, but their priority moves won't even activate when Farigiraf is present. This chance to shut down potential avenues of attack and even nullify plays involving Follow Me, Magic Guard, and the like could be vital in the right situations. It’s so strong that Farigirafs with Armor Tail might become a staple on counterpick teams. It feels like Game Freak is pushing the strength of Abilities in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, and it will be interesting to see what effect they have on the game's meta and Farigiraf’s usage.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet will release November 18 for Nintendo Switch.