Thanks to the very short, but very informative, October 25th Ghost Hunt trailer for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, we not only learned about the ghost dog Greavard, but also that Mimikyu is returning in Generation 9 and the Paldea region. This means it’s yet another competitive Pokemon with access to Tera Types – in this case, Ghost and Fairy.
Mimikyu is among the Pokemon introduced in Generation 7, debuting in the Sun and Moon games. It has the strong Disguise ability, which means the first hit Mimikyu receives does zero damage. However, when the Disguise breaks, it deals damage equal to 1/8th of its HP, which on Mimikyu is pretty low to begin with, only a 55 HP base stat. The Disguise Pokemon also enjoys decent base stats besides its poor HP and meager 55 base Special Attack.
With decent Attack (90 base), modest physical defense (80 base), strong Special Defense (105 base), and good speed (96 base), Mimikyu has the base stats to contend in mid-tier competitive singles. It was an underused (UU) staple on Pokemon Showdown for Generation 7, and even held its own niche in the top tier (OU) as a check to common threats such as Volcarona and Mega Medicham.
Mimikyu also saw play in official Pokemon competition during VGC 19 doubles, running a moveset of Play Rough, Shadow Claw, Will-O-Wisp, and Trick Room. Occasionally it would swap Shadow Claw for Shadow Sneak and Will-O-Wisp for Taunt depending on the utility it needed for its particular battle team. So, while it wasn’t one of the top Pokemon in Generation 7, it was a mid-to-high tier competitive staple.
How Good was Mimikyu in Sword and Shield?
While it didn’t enjoy nearly as much success in Sword and Shield, Mimikyu held its own as a mid-tier Swords Dance user. For Generation 8 Mimikyu leaned hard into setting up with Swords Dance and using its best same-type attack bonus (STAB) moves Play Rough and Shadow Claw for massive damage. Singles players opted to drop Will-O-Wisp or Taunt in exchange for the guaranteed first hit of Shadow Sneak to help break Focus Sash or Sturdy Pokemon.
In VGC 21 competitive doubles, however, Mimikyu returned as a Trick Room setter similar to its Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon days, this time setting up Calyrex-Ice sweeps. It still ran Will-o-Wisp, Shadow Sneak, and Play Rough, although some builds would drop Play Rough for Taunt. It wouldn’t be a shock if Scarlet and Violet competitive trainers find that the best moveset for Generation 9 doubles was Shadow Sneak, Will-o-Wisp, Taunt, and Trick Room is still best. Slow sweepers should definitely still exist in the Gen 9 meta game.
For singles, it’s likely we see a return of the Swords Dance moveset: Swords Dance, Shadow Claw, Play Rough, and either Will-o-Wisp or Shadow Sneak. Because of Mimikyu’s ability to lean into two powerful STAB moves, though, that begs the question: which Tera Type is better for this Ghost/Fairy Pokemon?
What is the best Tera Type for Mimikyu?
While there are likely to be Tera Raids with Mimikyu offering other Tera Type choices, those caught in the wild will either have the Ghost or Fairy Tera Type. Defensively, Mimikyu is only weak to Ghost-type and Steel-type moves. If Mimikyu leans into its Ghost Tera type, that’s an additional weakness to Dark, although it loses the Steel-type weakness. A Fairy Tera type swaps the Ghost-type weakness for Poison. As there seem to be quite a few new Poison types in Generation 9, it seems the Ghost Tera Type is better defensively.
With the Ghost Tera type, you’ll also get an additional 50 percent boost for Ghost-type STAB moves. It seems then that the Ghost Tera Type is preferable, and Tera Blast is 80 base power rather than the base 70 power Shadow Claw, although without the Critical Hit ratio boost. From an offensive standpoint, Ghost is the best Tera Type for Mimikyu.
This doesn’t mean there’s no value in a Fairy Tera Type, of course, depending on the make-up of your team. A Fairy-type 160 base power Tera Blast is nothing to shake a stick at, of course, as it’s super-effective against Fighting, Dragon, and Dark type Pokemon. But, it’s not very effective against Fire, Poison, or Steel types. Ghost, on the other hand, is super-effective against Psychic-types and other Ghost types, with only Dark as a resistance, and Normal as an immunity. Overall, Ghost seems to be the best Tera Type for Mimikyu both on offense and defense.
While it’s unlikely that Mimikyu is the cream of the crop among the Generation 9 competition, there’s little doubt we’ll be seeing the Disguise Pokemon fairly often. It’s one of the more popular Pokemon returning in Scarlet and Violet and more than a few teams will make room for the little Ghost/Fairy dual type.
