Pokémon has always focused primarily on battles between trainers, but various games throughout the franchise’s history have introduced other types of competition. Pokémon Contests were first introduced in the Generation III games, and featured in a slightly altered form in Pokémon Diamond and Pearl.
The recent remakes, Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, brought back these Super Contests, allowing players to use their Pokémon’s moves to impress panels of judges. These come in five categories, one of which is Beautiful. The Beautiful category often features Fire, Ice, and Fairy type Pokémon, but Pokémon of many types can make great contenders in in Beautiful Super Contests.
10 Infernape Is A Straight Forward Competitor
As a starter Pokémon, Infernape is very accessible in Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl. It can learn several moves that are exceptionally effective in Beautiful contests. The early Fire type move Ember is actually fairly useful in these contests, scoring three Appeal. It also gets access to Flame Wheel, which can be used two turns in a row to earn two Appeal each time. Infernape doesn’t have access to a lot of tricky contest powers, but it is a very competent straightforward competitor.
9 Nidoking Is A Surprising Contender
Very few players would argue that Nidoking is among the most beautiful Pokémon. But for whatever reason, Nidoking has an astonishingly broad move-set that allows it to compete in nearly every Super Contest category, Beautiful included.
It can learn Fire Blast, Ice Beam, Surf, and Blizzard, all of which earn a solid amount of Appeal if they are used first in the turn. Nidoking isn’t the most ideal competitor, but it makes a fun underdog choice.
8 Rapidash Can Blast Through Beautifully
Rapidash learns several Beautiful moves, especially ones for use at high Voltage. Flamethrower and Flame Wheel can be used to rack up Appeal, earning three and two respectively. Rapidash can also use Fire Spin, which earns more Appeal the later in the turn Rapidash goes. Unfortunately, Rapidash doesn’t have a lot of ability to set itself up for powerful combos. Like other pure Fire types, it takes a brute force approach to Beautiful Super Contests.
7 Azumarill Has Some Great Combos
Azumarill has access to several different combo strategies when it comes to winning Beautiful Super Contests. Players who like to win fast can combine Aqua Jet, which scores two Appeal and enables the user to perform first in the next turn, with a move like Blizzard or Surf, both of which score an impressive four Appeal if the user moves first. Using several moves in conjunction like this is a key for trainers looking to win contests.
6 Sceptile Can Manipulate The Voltage Mechanic
Sceptile may seem like a better competitor in the Cool or Tough categories, but it has access to several moves that work surprisingly well in Beautiful contests. It can use both Drain Punch and Giga Impact, both of which interact with the Voltage mechanic to rake in tons of Appeal.
Drain Punch earns four Appeal if two Pokémon raise the Voltage in a row, while Giga Impact earns a whopping five Appeal if the Pokémon immediately before it also raises the Voltage. The Forest Pokémon is a regal monarch and great contender for Beautiful Super Contests.
5 Omanyte Takes It Slow
Combining moves together is an important consideration in Sinnoh’s Super Contests. Omanyte is one of the very few Pokémon in Brilliant Diamon and Shining Pearl that can learn both Whirlpool and Bubble Beam, which work together very well. Bubble Beam scores two Appeal on its own, but it also allows the user to move last on the following turn. Whirlpool earns more Appeal the later in the turn that the Pokémon acts.
4 Absol Is Quite Stylish
Dark types don’t generally work well in Beautiful contests, but Absol is the rare exception. There aren’t as many Beautiful moves that just earn Appeal with no extra tags, and one of these is Night Slash.
Absol can employ this move to earn three Appeal. Absol also learns a surprising number of off-type attacks, such as Flamethrower, Ice Beam, and X-Scissor, all of which earn four Appeal if they are performed first in the turn.
3 Sableye Has Some Tricks Up Its Sleeves
They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so even little gremlin-like Sableye can compete in Beautiful Super Contests. Sableye doesn’t get access to a lot of great Beautiful moves, but it does get a neat little trick in Mean Look and Feint. Mean Look earns two Appeal, but lowers the Voltage of all judges. Normally, this is a bad thing. But Feint actually gets more effective the lower the Voltage is. If this fails, Sableye can fall back on a Zen Headbutt, which earns up to four Appeal if it is used last in the turn.
2 Solrock Can Achieve An Explosive Victory
Not every strategy for Pokémon Super Contests is a complicated interaction between moves. Sometimes a Pokémon puts all its eggs in one basket to try and win. Solrock can learn Explosion, which earns 15 Appeal if every Pokémon chooses the same judge.
This strategy is far reliable, but if it can be pulled off it is a sure path to victory. Solrock also has a handful of extra moves to help make it more reliable, such as Flamethrower and Will-O-Wisp.
1 Altaria Takes Full Control Of The Voltage
Altaria is not the only Pokémon to be able to combine Beautiful moves in powerful ways, but it has perhaps the most varied arsenal to choose from. It can use Power Swap and Perish Song in conjunction to lower the Voltage and use that to raise its own score, but it also has access to moves like Haze, Sunny Day, and Safeguard, all of which earn two Appeal and prevent the Voltage from going up during that turn. Altaria is an unconventional competitor, but it is actually incredibly effective.
About The Author
