Pokémon Scarlet/Violet: Why Ice Is One of The Best Competitive Tera Types

Pokémon Scarlet & Violet have been great so far and have introduced a ton of new mechanics and gameplay options that really have changed the game for the better. One of the more prominent changes is the introduction of the Tera Type Mechanic. In generation 9, every Pokémon has a tera type that can be any of the existing 18 types. These additional typings are usually either the same or one of the original typings but can be a non-native typing. We all know how much strategy can be put into making a good competitive team, but the addition of tera types has vastly expanded the potential meta in ranked play. This change has specifically boosted the viability of the once undesired ice Pokémon by allowing you to chose when this typing comes into play, making it an absolute powerhouse under the right conditions.

Normally Ice Pokémon are rejected for having 4 weaknesses and only being resistant to itself, leaving great Pokémon such as Cetitan and Glaceon left on the bench. Even having ice as a secondary typing is often undesirable as its rarely only seen as adding a defensive liability. But Tera Typing and the signature move Tera Blast has made this forgotten type one of the best moves in the current meta. Many strong and regularly appearing Pokémon such as Garchomp and Great Tusk have weaknesses to ice type moves but are left to be dealt with by other types because players do not want to deal with the overlying weaknesses of ice Pokémon. Trainers could teach ice moves to a non-ice type Pokémon but they will no longer benefit from S.T.A.B which can often be the difference between a one hit K.O. Having a member on your team with an ice Tera Type addresses all of these problems.

Using an ice tera will give you S.T.A.B with any ice move your Pokémon knows. Tera Blast, which is normally a normal type move will always change its type to whatever tera you have and will benefit from either special attack or attack stats depending on which one is higher making it an excellent offensive move. Being able to chose when to use this tera is the key to its success as sometimes you may not even need it at all. With the ability to change at will, this allows you to scope out the other team and see if you would be ok defensively to change typings. This minimizes the risk of changing into something that could be weak to the other team’s offense. On the contrary, some Pokémon will not be defensively prepared for an ice move if its not immediately seen through the Pokémon’s typing, allowing you to potentially sneak in a fast one hit K.O. If you pair this with certain Pokémon such as Armorouge (who has an ability that nullifies all fire damage) you can further minimize the defense weakness of an ice typing while fully maximizing its firepower.

The introduction of tera typing has vastly increased the viability of ice type offense while minimizing the natural defensive shortcomings. Not to mention the competitive edge it gives as it is the least likely prepared for tera type due for the reasons mentioned earlier. With how common and powerful Pokémon with an ice weakness are, having someone on your team with an ice tera can prove to be a powerful an unexpected trump card.