Pokemon Scarlet & Violet Teal Mask DLC brings major buffs to Sinnoh starters

The release of The Teal Mask DLC for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet brought a major buff for the popular Sinnoh starters, and players are quite happy with the changes.

With the launch of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet DLC The Teal Mask, some changes were introduced such as the arrival of returning Pokemon from previous games. The Sinnoh starter trio arrived and their introduction came with major buffs.

Turtwig, Chimchar, and Piplup’s final evolutions are now stronger, with new moves, and in the case of Empoleon, a new Hidden Ability.

Torterra, Turtwig’s final evolution, has gained access to a tremendously useful move called Shell Smash, This move greatly raises Attack stats and Speed, at the cost of Def. and Sp. Def. drops. This move turns Torterra into a hard-hitting Grass/Ground-type beast.

Infernape, the evolution of Chimchar, can now learn Aura Sphere, a Special Attack Fighting-type move that other Fighting-type Pokemon like Lucario have in their moveset. Since Infernape’s forte has been as a Special Attacker, it makes more sense that S&V added this attack to its moveset.

Additionally, Infernape received the move Knock Off, which in the competitive meta, is a great move to have. It makes the opponent drop their held item, which can be quite a useful strategy during a tough fight.

Finally, Empoleon, Piplup’s final form, is the Pokemon that received the most powerful boost. Its moveset has been increased with the addition of Roost, a healing move that pairs really well with the Water/Steel type Pokemon’s defensive stats.

Empoleon’s new Hidden Ability is now Competitive, an ability that boosts Special Attack when other stats drop. Since Empoleon is a special attacker, having Competitive instead of Defiant makes more sense.

That’s all about the buffs that the Sinnoh starters received in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet The Teal mask.

If you want to know how to get one of these starters in The Teal Mask DLC, here’s a guide for a mystery egg to hatch them. In addition, here’s a quick guide on the lore of Kitakami, in case you want to know more about the game.