Pokemon VGC Stealth Rock: How to use, tips, counters, and more

With hype for the Pokemon VGC building up following the upcoming Pokemon World Championships, many trainers are dipping their toes into the game's competitive scene and are being met with various strategies and moves that can greatly impact the tide of the battle.

Stealth Rock is a notorious trap introduced in the fourth generation of the franchise that deals damage to a creature whenever they switch into the battlefield. However, unlike Spikes or Toxic Spikes, Stealth Rock can hit Flying-types. It also has a lot of other complications that can make it hard to understand. Here is everything to know about Stealth Rock in Pokemon VGC.

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How to use Stealth Rock in Pokemon VGC

Being a trap, Stealth Rock is best used as soon as the match starts (Image via The Pokemon Company)

To get the most value from Stealth Rock, it is best used right on the first turn of combat. This will put pressure on the opponent, easily punishing them for switching out frail leads. It can also affect teams that make use of moves like U-Turn or Shed Tail, damaging whatever monster switches in if they do not have the Heavy-Duty Boots item.

Tips for using Stealth Rock in Pokemon VGC

• Stealth Rock is not a common trap in VGC due to it being a more fast-paced Double Battle format. However, trainers can use this to their advantage, bringing Stealth Rock as a wildcard strategy to throw off opponents.
• Stealth Rock's damage is determined using the type effectiveness of the Rock element. This means the move will deal more damage to Flying and Fire-type Pokemon, compared to Steel or other Rock-types. This can be useful for common picks like Landorus, Tornadus, and Incineroar.
• Rapid Spin is a Normal-type move that is the most common counter for Stealth Rock. Ghost-type Stealth Rock users in Gen 9, Golurk and Palossand, are immune to the move, making it ineffective at removing the trap without Defog, a Flying-type status move that does not deal damage.

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Counters for Stealth Rock in Pokemon VGC

As previously mentioned, Stealth Rock is a move most commonly countered by Rapid Spin. This attack was also recently buffed, now boosting the speed stat of its user after connecting with its target. This move has a Poison-type variant in Mortal Spin, which poisons the opponent upon connecting, rather than boosting the user's speed.

Tidy Up is a new signature move for Maushold, one of the most popular choices for competitive Single Battles during Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's initial ranked season. Using this move also boosts the user's attack and speed, even if it does not clear traps like Stealth Rock.

Also mentioned previously, Defog is a Flying-type status move that eliminates all traps from the field. Additionally, Defog also clears away the opponent's screens, and lingering status barriers like Mist and Safeguard.

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While it may seem tempting to give Stealth Rock a try in Pokemon VGC, there is a reason why traps and stall strategies are ineffective in official tournament formats. The official VGC format only allows Double Battles, which are incredibly fast-paced, leaving very little time for set-ups like stat buffs and traps.

This condition is best left in Single Battles where fights are much slower, and status tanks are much more valuable. Nevertheless, a player can perform well with Stealth Rock in their VGC team if they can find the right way to play around it.

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For more information on the Pokemon series, check out our other articles:

• Ranking every Fire-type Starter in Pokemon VGC
• Everything to know about the 2024 Pokemon World Championships
• Best Doubles teams for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Regulation Set G