Cyclizar revealed in new Pokemon Scarlet and Violet trailer

A new Pokemon Scarlet and Violet trailer has arrived, showing off the new gen-nine Pokemon Cyclizar alongside new held items and moves including a Hidden Power replacement.

The 2022 Pokemon World Championship wrapped up and to celebrate the occasion, The Pokemon Company gave fans an extra taste of upcoming games. A new trailer was revealed during the event that showed off new wrinkles to the game. Just as importantly, it also confirmed some of the things that are coming back.

Included in that is the new Scarlet and Violet Pokemon Cyclizar, a set of new moves, alongside the confirmation that held items will return with some new additions. A whole lot was packed into this new trailer.

What is Cyclizar in Pokeoon Scarlet and Violet?

Cyclizar is a new Pokemon coming in Scarlet and Violet that has the unique move Shed Tail and is implied to be a new rideable Pokemon.

Cyclizar is a dragon-normal Pokemon, the second with that typing behind Drampa from Sun and Moon. While that typing isn’t particularly strong, its signature move may be enough to compensate for it. 

Shed Tail is a new move that works similarly to U-Turn or Parting Shot. But instead of dealing damage or lowering opponents’ stats, Shed Tail creates a substitute, swaps Cyclizar out, and leaves the substitute in its place. This is a powerful move, and if it’s not exclusively usable by Cyclizar, it will likely turn the metagame upside down.

This new Pokemon is also interesting aesthetically. The game describes it as a Pokemon that trainers have been riding for millennia:

This is somewhat strange as a major reveal in the last Pokemon Scarlet and Violet trailer was the ability to ride across the Paldea region on legendary Pokemon Koraidon and Miraidon. It’s odd that another Pokemon was introduced with clear similarities to Koraidon, and similar functionality.

Hidden Power returns in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet with new move Tera Blast

Several new moves were shown off in the new Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, including a replacement for Hidden Power known as Tera Blast.

Tera Blast changes its type based on its user’s Tera type to give Pokemon a guaranteed STAB option. It’s unclear how much base power this move will have and whether it’s attack-based or special attack-based, but it’s guaranteed to be even stronger than Hidden Power was based on the Terastallize mechanics.

Alongside these new moves are new held items. Loaded Dice improves the odds of attacks that hit between two and five times. Mirror Herb was also revealed, offering the ability to match an opponent’s stat changes upon consumption.

This reveal also subtly confirms the return of held items in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet.