Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's Treasures of Ruin are the latest set of Legendary Pokemon. These cursed Pokemon were formed from negative energies poured into their respective relics, turning against the king who owned them and bringing a kingdom to ruin in a single night. Was it a mistake to release these Pokemon from their prisons? Or are these Pokemon innocent and unaware of their true power? You can discover that yourself by releasing them. Among the Treasures of Ruin is Chi-Yu, a tiny goldfish made of flames formed from a set of jade beads.
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Chi-Yu is a Dark- and Fire-type Pokemon with the Ability Beads of Ruin. Beads of Ruin, much like its fellow "of Ruin" abilities, passively lowers a stat of all Pokemon by 25%, Special Defense in this case. Chi-Yu, like Chien-Pao, is one of the offensively oriented Ruinous Pokemon (compared with the defensive potency of Ting-Lu), with its Ability lowering the defense stat its main strength corresponds to. Chi-Yu has made a name for itself as possibly one of the most powerful wallbreakers of all time, being able to even fell the mighty Blissey, previously thought to be a nigh-unstoppable special wall. Chi-Yu has good stats all around, focusing mainly on Special Attack (base 135), Special Defense (base 120), and Speed (base 100). Its only poor stat is its HP (a low base 55), contrasted by its decent defenses. Here's how to build this powerful critter for a format that allows it.
One of Chi-Yu's greatest tools is its Ability, Beads of Ruin. It passively lowers the Special Defense of all Pokemon on the field by 25%, except other Pokemon that have Beads of Ruin. As a Special Attacker, this is perhaps one of the best abilities Chi-Yu could ask for. The claim of being able to fell Blissey is not an exaggeration. A combination of harsh sunlight, Tera Fire, and Choice Specs gives Chi-Yu's Overheat enough power to knock out Toxapex in a single hit. This is especially noteworthy, as not only is Toxapex a premier defensive wall, but it also resists Fire-type attacks. Even with Toxapex's base 142 Special Defense and Water typing, Chi-Yu can easily steamroll it even with a resisted attack.
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Chi-Yu wields frightening power with what it has, but admittedly that isn't a lot. Chi-Yu learns attacking moves of the Fire, Dark, Ghost, Psychic, and Normal types, and even then mostly Fire and Dark. While this combination of types certainly hits a lot of Pokemon for Super Effective damage, it hits more for a max of neutral damage.
The lack of type coverage outside of Tera Blast does limit Chi-Yu's options. If you see a Chi-Yu on your opponent's team, you can probably guess what kind of role it will play. It's not like Chi-Yu is a great screen setter, or one that can tank hits very well. The fiery menace Chi-Yu is, first and foremost, a specially oriented wallbreaker. With the right preparation, there is nothing that can stand in Chi-Yu's way with confidence.
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We've gone over the facts, now let's take a look at some builds for the formidable fish.
When in doubt, use a formidable Fire-type move. A Modest nature is recommended for maximum damage output, though a Timid nature can allow Chi-Yu to outspeed Pokemon like Great Tusk, Annihilape, and Iron Treads, who could put an end to Chi-Yu's fun before it begins. Choice Specs will power up your attacks, even letting you knock out prominent special walls in two hits if you have harsh sunlight supporting you. Activating Tera Fire will turn these 2HKOs into OHKOs.
This build focuses on speed. Psychic is a good coverage option to deal with pesky walls like Toxapex, and a well-timed Overheat can clear away even tough threats like Koraidon. Tera Fire will power up your Fire-type attacks massively, though Tera Dark will nullify your Stealth Rock weakness. Tera Grass, however, can be useful for dealing with Water-types like Dondozo.
Who knows what is going on in this little fish's mind? Nothing good, that's for sure, since it's packing Nasty Plot. Nasty Plot will bring Chi-Yu's Special Attack to monstrous levels, letting it demolish anything it couldn't before. Overheat and Flamethrower can be chosen depending on your preference for power versus accuracy, and Dark Pulse is a good Dark STAB option. Your choice of items is Life Orb and Heavy-Duty Boots; Life Orb will boost your damage even further, but will wear down Chi-Yu over time. Heavy-Duty Boots, meanwhile, will let Chi-Yu switch in without having to worry about Stealth Rock.
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