Why is Flutter Mane a popular pick in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet VGC?

With Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's VGC season taking off, many fans may be inspired to participate in the competitive scene for these games. However, newcomers will quickly notice the game's distinct and precise offense-based metagame, with one particular creature spearheading the changes thanks to its various traits.

According to Pikalytics, a trusted source for teambuilding for competitive Pokemon, one particular creature introduced in the newest mainline titles has been absolutely dominating the meta. This monster is none other than the new Paradox Pokemon, Flutter Mane.

For players looking to spread their wings in the Pokemon Scarlet and Violet competitive scene, it can help to know why some creatures are as powerful in the meta as they are. This information will help you construct your team around similar role distributions and understand how certain metagame staples are meant to be used.

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Why is Flutter Mane so good in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet PvP?

One of Flutter Mane's most valuable assets in its kit is its high speed. Being able to outspeed most of the available creatures currently in the ninth-generation titles, Flutter Mane would initially appear to be a glass cannon attacker that stays in the fight for a couple of turns only to be knocked out. However, this is not the case.

Flutter Mane possesses a similar stat distribution to its present counterpart, Misdreavus. However, its Speed, Special Attack, and Special Defense were almost doubled at the cost of its Attack, Defense, and HP, decreasing by values of five each. Having a Speed, Special Attack, and Special Defense of 135 almost cements a win against other special attackers like Gholdengo, Chi-Yu, Iron Bundle, and many more.

Flutter Mane also boasts one of the best elemental type combinations in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. Having access to the Fairy and Ghost typing makes the creature almost immune to all forms of Fighting and Dark-type damage, two common offensive types in the new games.

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How to use Flutter Mane in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet PvP

Flutter Mane's Pokedex picture in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Flutter Mane sees the most success in Doubles, thanks to it being much easier to set up with direct assistance from teammates. Supporting utility like sunny weather and Tailwind are some of the best bonuses you can get for Flutter Mane. For this reason, the Paradox Pokemon is often paired on sun teams or with Murkrow or Amoongus to cash in on their supportive utility in Rage Powder or Tailwind.

In terms of items, you have two main options. If Flutter Mane is on a sun team, it is best run with a Choice Specs item, as this allows the creature to boost its damage output to insane levels. If there is no sun support on the field, Flutter Mane should hold a Booster Energy to allow the activation of its Protosynthesis ability, which increases its highest stat.

For movesets, you will typically want to maximize damage output by incorporating moves like Dazzling Gleam or Moonblast (depending on the format) and Shadow Ball for solid Ghost-type damage. Bringing Icy Wind for Double Battles is a great idea, as it allows Flutter Mane to decrease the speed of both active opponents. The final move slot is typically occupied by Protect.