Pokemon Scarlet and Violet have officially been out for a week, and it’s a week full of news, controversy, success, and more. But, as time goes on, there’s something else that’ll happen: competitive play. Currently, competitive play is only going on with players who are up for testing their Poke-mettle online in versus matches. But soon enough, multiple official and unofficial places will be hosting tournaments and events for Gen 9, and players can’t wait. However, the catch is that these events will have special rules, including bans for Pokemon they feel are too powerful to have in competitions.

Smogon is a forum that hosts battles and tournaments at various tier levels, and they are one of the first to declare a set of Pokemon as “banned” for particular battle tiers. For example, the Pokemon Houndstone, which is the evolution of Graevard, is banned due to the move Last Respects. That move allows Houndstone to attack with more power based on how many Pokemon in your party is fainted. As many have accurately pointed out, if you save Houndstone for last, you can attack with enough power to take out 300 HP. That’s more than enough to KO just about every Pokemon you raise. Plus, if you have a Houdstone if a great speed stat, it’ll always attack first, making him a “ringer” for most fights. Not cool.

The other Pokemon that has gotten a ban is Flutter Mane. This particular Pokemon got a ban due to its stats and base ability which can further boost its stats beyond the norm. You could say its power level is “over 9000” in particular instances.

Oh, and it should be noted that the legendary Pokemon Miraidon and Koraidon are banned, but that’s typical for competitions, as legendary Pokemon aren’t always the most “fair.”

To reiterate, these are bans for Smogon alone, and many agree they could be revisited once things balance out or patches are made. Also, on Smogon, there are tiers where you can use all of these Pokemon. So if you want to use them against other players, read the rules and know where you can go.

If you want to work with players and not against them, head to the Tera Raids within Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. They have begun a special raid event where you can find special Eevees with unique Tera Types to build up your party more. More events are on the way, so stay tuned!

Source: ComicBook.com