Outside their possible starter, the Grass-type in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet adds much-needed diversity to a player's roster through the addition of Smoliv, and its progressive evolution Arboliva, which protect against Rock, Ground, or even the ever-powerful Water-type Pokémon that dominate battles. The Grass-and Normal-type Smoliv are found in the Grass Province of Area 2, a hard-to-spot Pokémon that hides its tiny form in the taller grasses of this section. Although Smoliv does have relatively weaker statistics and can be difficult to train at first, their evolutions take full advantage of Special Attack-centric moves that incentivize trainers to invest in this plant they must cultivate in order for it to grow.
Arboliva is the third stage of Smoliv's evolutionary line, preceded by Dolliv, and all of whom share the Grass- and Normal-type. Smoliv evolves into Dolliv when trainers advance the level of the pocket monster to 25, while Dolliv evolves into Arboliva at level 35. Smoliv has the biggest challenge for players looking to level it up directly, as his base stats leave a lot to be desired outside decent Special Attack and Special Defense in the early stages of Pokémon Scarlet & Violet's story. Thankfully, the shared XP system that has been prevalent in recent titles has returned, allowing players a lot more choices when choosing how to level up Smoliv enough to evolve.
Evolving Smoliv into Arboliva in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet
Players should be extra careful not to throw Smoliv against rival trainers who are specialists in either the Flying or Fire-type, as that would likely lead to an instant faint from the fragile Pokémon without any experience gained. Water-type or Rock-and Ground-type users are a better focus, as the Grass-type moves Smoliv and Dolliv eventually learn to exploit those weaknesses through moves such as Mega Drain at level 23 or Seed Bomb at level 29. If a player's rival chose the Water-type starter in Pokémon Scarlet & Violet, having Smoliv and its evolutions perpetually on their team could help greatly in future battles against that individual opponent.
Both Smoliv and Dolliv have the same Ability, Early Bird, which allows them to get out of the Sleep condition faster, which can be useful against opponents who try to apply that particular status effect. Arboliva, on the other hand, has an Ability called Seed Sower, which immediately turns the battlefield into a Grass Terrain when Arboliva gets hit with a physical attack. Grass Terrains heal all Pokémon on the field at the end of their turns, similar to the Leftovers Item, once again encouraging players to evolve Smoliv into Dolliv and eventually Arboliva alongside Pokémon Scarlet and Violet's many creatures.
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Pokémon Scarlet and Violet
- Released:
- 2022-11-18
- Developer:
- Game Freak
- Franchise:
- Pokemon
- Genre:
- RPG, Adventure, Action
- Platform:
- Nintendo Switch
- Publisher:
- Nintendo, The Pokemon Company
- ESRB:
- E
- Summary:
- Pokémon returns in its next installment series: Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. Set in a fictional town near Mediterranean Spain, gamers will explore Paldea, catching new and classic Pokémon. Pokémon Scarlet and Violet is the first ever open-world game in the series and features new Pokémon that can transform into vehicles. Pokémon staples like gym battles are still present, but co-op exploration and Terastallize battles are also introduced.
- Multiplayer:
- Online Co-Op, Online Multiplayer
- Prequel:
- Pokémon Sword and Shield
- Mode:
- Single Player, Multiplayer
- How Long To Beat:
- 31 Hours
