With Pokémon Scarlet & Violet coming to stores and the Nintendo eShop in November 2022, an August trailer finally introduced fans to the "generational gimmick" of the game: Terastal.
Terastal allows Pokémon to change into its Tera type. Of note, a Pokémon that changes to a type it already possesses will get a boost to its STAB (Same Type Attack Bonus) moves. With that in mind, the few Tera forms that were revealed in the trailer will likely be at very different levels of power when the games come out.
The Same-Type Starters
The starters of the Paldea region are some of the best gen 9 Pokémon has to offer, so far. And while their final evolution's Terastal forms will likely be interesting, these three forms will all be gone by around level 16.
It remains to be seen if the extra STAB power will be preferable to a new typing on any of the three starters, but the other forms revealed are simply likely to be far stronger Pokémon than the lovable Paldea starters will be. For now, fans can only wonder at the mystery of the three starters' abilities, moves, and stats.
Flying Pikachu
Flying Pikachu has been a fun card in the TCG, and now the same concept is brought to the video game with the wonderful anime mascot's new flying form.
Changing Pikachu from Electric to Flying, mid-battle, comes with an obvious boon: turning its ground weakness into an immunity. If a player predicts an incoming ground move, they can change to flying and avoid it. However, the question is: what does Pikachu do after the change? Sadly, the mascot learns Flying moves to use as its new STAB, and its signature Electric moves are weakened.
Fire Drifblim
Driflblim is an odd Pokémon that can fill a wide variety of roles in a battle. Sadly, it doesn't fulfill any of them especially well due to poor stat distribution and mediocre coverage.
Drifblim's Fire form has some advantages, as all Tera Type changes do. However, unlike most Tera Types revealed, Drifblim wouldn't be converting a single major weakness into a resistance. In fact, it still takes super effective damage from a common offensive typing in Rock. To make matters worse, Drifblim learns no offensive Fire moves.
Normal Persian
While it may be the beloved companion of Team Rocket boss Giovanni in the anime, Persian isn't exactly the strongest Normal type in the game.
Persian does get a big boost from having extra Normal-type STAB damage. Its Technician-boosted Fake Outs and its Double Edge spam are a big part of Persian's kit. Hitting a little harder will help the utility-based Pokémon, but Persian doesn't exactly get a tremendous boost from keeping its mediocre mono-Normal typing either. Ultimately, it's a fairly mediocre upgrade for the already mediocre cat.
Water Azumarill
Azumarill is a surprisingly powerful Pokémon, thanks to its access to the ability Huge Power, a good priority move in Aqua Jet to make up for bad speed, and the best type in the game: Fairy.
As cool as the added STAB bonus would be to a pure Water-type Terastal Azumarill, it loses one of the main things that makes it viable. By removing its Fairy typing, Azumarill would lose important resistances and its STAB Play Rough. Overall, it would just be better to keep Azumarill as is than to take the bonus to Water moves in exchange for its Fairy typing.
Water Gardevoir
With powerful Fairy/Psychic special attacker Gardevoir's biggest weakness being Steel moves, its beautiful new Water form can turn its weakness into a resistance.
Despite the utility, Gardevoir sadly doesn't learn a single good Water move to truly take advantage of the change. Changing Gardevoir to Water to save her from Steel-type attacks could be a viable strategy in a challenge run like a Nuzlocke, but it won't be so viable in competitive play.
Flying Drifblim
Drifblim got two different Tera-type forms revealed in the trailer, and the Flying version of Drifblim is arguably the most interesting type for the balloon to have.
Despite an amazing ability in Unburden, Drifblim struggles to function properly as a sweeper. While it has access to the ultimate Unburden sweeper move, Acrobatics, Drifblim's paltry 80 attack is too low to finish off KOs with it. A bonus to its Flying STAB could give an offensive Drifblim all the tools it needs to be a dangerous attacker.
Water Slowking
Slowking is one of the best bulky Water Pokémon out there, with a powerful potential ability in Regenerator and a very solid natural typing in Water/Psychic.
Unlike some Pokémon that feel like they grow strictly better, or others that feel weaker with their new type, the Water Tera type Slowking that was revealed is surprisingly complex. While it will miss access to STAB Future Sight, Slowking may greatly benefit from losing important Dark and Bug weaknesses and gaining bonus damage on Scald.
Grass Lilligant
Lilligant was never one of the strongest monotype Pokémon, partially due to its lack of coverage and subsequent over-reliance on Petal Storm or Giga Drain in all situations.
Fortunately, this weakness is a boon for Lilligant's Grass-Type Terastal Form. Nothing fundamentally changes about the Pokémon except for a big boost to the STAB Grass moves that Lilligant was already going to be spamming in the first case. Grass Terastal Lilligant is the perfect example of strictly making something better with Terastal instead of drastically changing it.
Fire Dragonite
While the Terastal description seems to imply that all Pokémon can be any Tera type potentially, they may have already revealed Dragonite's best possible type change: Fire.
Not only does Fire resist Dragonite's biggest weakness in Ice, but many of Fire's biggest weaknesses are covered by Dragonite's original typing as well. This means the player can choose when they Terastal or don't for the perfect matchup. Dragonite also has fantastic Fire moves for its physical and special versions: Fire Punch and Flamethrower. Overall, a Dragonite that can potentially become a Fire-type is a very dangerous thing.
