Salamence is the pseudo-legendary Pokemon of the Hoenn region. Like the other pocket monsters of its category, it has three evolutionary stages, which start with Bagon. Bagon evolves into Shelgon at level 30 and then into Salamence, starting at level 50.
You cannot directly catch a Salamence in Pokemon Scarlet or Violet, but fortunately, Shelgon is easily found in the cave near Alforanada in Pokemon Violet exclusively. Being around level 43 already, evolving it into a Salamence shouldn't be a steep climb, even with the slow leveling rate. You have to use trade to get the pocket monster in the Scarlet version of the game.
Salamance, like its pseudo-legendary counterparts, boasts excellent stats across the board. However, it takes a bit more than having good stats to become viable in Competitive battles.
This article will tell you exactly how to build your Salamence with the perfect EVs, held item, Tera type, movesets, and so on for PvP battles in Scarlet and Violet.
Note: This article is subjective and reflects the opinions of the writer
Best PvP build for Salamence to shine as a fast and bulky physical sweeper in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet
Salamence is a Dragon/Flying-type. This means it is resistant to Fighting, Bug, Fire, Water, and Grass-type attacks, alongside being immune to Ground. Its biggest enemy is Ice, which takes 4x damage, but try to keep it safe from mighty Rock, Dragon, and Fairy-type moves.
Salamence has a base stat total of 600, with 135 Attack, 110 Special Attack, and 100 Speed. It has decent bulk with 80 each on physical and special defense and 95 base HP. This makes it a solid all-around Pokemon that outspeeds Hydreigon and can intimidate Garchomp.
It has enormous potential to shine in PvP battles in Scarlet and Violet and is currently not one of the most used Pokemon in the scene. Whether in the singles or doubles format, bringing one out has a good chance of taking your opponent by surprise.
Here is the best PvP build for Salamence:
- Ability: Intimidate
- Nature: Naughty (+Attack, -Special Defense)
- EVs: 160 HP/ 252 Attack / 96 Speed
- Moves: Tailwind + Draco Meteor + Flame Thrower + Tera Blast/Protect
- Tera-Type: Fairy
- Item: Choice Band
Salamence's PvP build explained
Salamence's best stat is its Attack, so maxing it out with 252 Attack EVs, a Choice Band, and Naughty nature will make sure every offensive move it uses hits the opponent as hard as possible. With these boosts, even neutral damage moves will deal tons of damage.
160 HP EVs means that it can live through at least one or even two super-effective moves. 96 Speed EVs combined with priority Tailwind means it will outspeed virtually every other Pokemon on the battlefield for the first four turns of the battle.
Fairy is the best Tera type for Salamence, especially in double battles. Salamence already has immunity from Ground types owing to its Flying typing. Fairy will convert its Dragon-type weakness into an immunity while letting it hit opposing dragons with STAB super effective moves. This leaves it with a Steel-type weakness you will need to be wary of.
You will want to switch Salamence in and out to make the most out of Intimidate. This will also help with you getting locked into a single move owing to the Choice Band.
As for moves, Salamence can do STAB damage using Draco Meteor. This is perfect for opposing Dragon Pokemon, who will not be able to hit it very hard, thanks to Salamence's Tera Fairy. Flame Thrower is a great coverage option for both Ice-types and Steel-types, which threaten Salamence.
The last slot can be filled with Tera Blast or Protect, depending on whether you want to exert more offensive pressure or have a solid defensive option.
This slightly unconventional build for Salamence will get you excellent results in the PvP scene of Scarlet and Violet.
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