Best Pokemon (Team Builds) to Use in Scarlet and Violet’s Academy Ace Tournament

By the time you unlock the Academy Ace Tournament in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, you’re already one of the strongest trainers in the world. You’re champion-ranked, fought off giant Pokemon, and stopped a robot with power over time and space. Could a bunch of students and teachers really step to you? Well, as it turns out, yes, they can, so you better prepare. Here are the best Pokemon team builds to use in Scarlet and Violet’s Academy Ace Tournament.

Best Pokemon (Team Builds) to Use in Scarlet and Violet’s Academy Ace Tournament

Before we get started here, a word of caution: the first time you compete in the Academy Ace Tournament after unlocking it, your opponents will be fixed. You’ll go up against Arven, Jacq, Dendra, and Geeta, in that order, all using preset Pokemon. However, while you can rechallenge the Academy Ace Tournament as many times as you want, those fixed opponents will only be so for the first time.

In subsequent tournaments, your opponents will be randomly selected from the students and faculty of the Academy. As such, you can’t exactly plan around their weaknesses to the letter. That said, any team you successfully clear the first tournament with should be fine for a repeat performance so long as you’ve got a good variety of typings and moves.

Building Your Team

Firstly, here are the Pokemon you’ll be dealing with in the first tournament:

• Arven
  • Greedent (Normal)
  • Toedscruel (Grass/Ground)
  • Scovillain (Fire/Grass)
  • Garganacl (Rock)
  • Cloyster (Water/Ice)
  • Mabosstiff (Dark, Tera Dark)
• Jacq
  • Arcanine (Fire)
  • Mudsdale (Ground)
  • Slowbro (Water/Psychic)
  • Lurantis (Grass)
  • Swalot (Poison)
  • Farigiraf (Normal/Psychic, Tera Psychic)
• Dendra
  • Falinks (Fighting)
  • Tauros (Fire/Fighting)
  • Tauros (Water/Fighting)
  • Medicham (Fighting/Psychic)
  • Hawlucha (Fighting/Flying)
  • Hariyama (Fighting, Tera Fighting)
• Geeta
  • Espathra (Psychic)
  • Gogoat (Grass)
  • Veluza (Water/Psychic)
  • Avalugg (Ice)
  • Kingambit (Dark/Steel)
  • Glimmora (Poison/Rock, Tera Rock)

Keeping these particular Pokemon in mind, we recommend a team with one or more instances of the following typings, both in their actual types and the types of their moves:

• Ground
• Fairy
• Steel
• Water
• Flying

Here’s a good example of a team that encompasses these types:

• Garchomp
• Quaquaval
• Sylveon
• Abomasnow
• Kingambit
• Miraidon

Garchomp in particular is absolutely vital for this tournament. Its powerful Ground moves and high speed will give it a head start on the many Grass-type Pokemon you’ll go up against. Sylveon is a fantastic Fairy type since it can learn both Moonblast for a strong Fairy move and Shadow Ball for a little Ghost action. Tinkaton is also a fantastic choice since its Fairy/Steel typing is deadly to Fighting and Ground types.

Speaking of which, all the Ground and Rock types necessitate a good Water type. I like Quaquaval for this since it can also learn Fighting and Flying moves, though Gyarados is also a choice pick. Kingambit is great for a little extra Steel insurance, plus Dark moves against the few Psychic types you fight. In the event something happens to Grass battlers, an Ice-type like Abomasnow can tide you over until they’re back on their feet, especially since Abomasnow’s own partial Grass typing gives it some resistance.

As for Miraidon… well, it’s not strictly necessary since there are few Water types and no Dragons. But come on, if you don’t use your mascot legendary in a post-game tournament, when are you going to use it? Plus, it can learn Power Stone, which is good against Grass and Fighting types.

Given the number and variety of Pokemon you face in this first tournament, there’s plenty of room for workshopping. As long as you’ve got your types covered and your Pokemon are sufficiently leveled, though, you shouldn’t have any problems.