Pokémon Scarlet & Violethave around 400 Pokémon in their Pokédex. There are old favorites, surprising inclusions, new evolutions, and brand-new additions. The Paldea region’s new faces fill some interesting niches, such as Scovillain having both Fire and Grass typing.
RELATED:Best Mythical Pokémon Designs
The Pokémon on this list are standout stars original to these games for a variety of reasons. Whether they’reincredibly strong, well-designed, orfan-favorites, they represent the best of the best of what Paldea has to offer.
For more Pokemon Scarlet & Violet guides, see ourComplete Guide Directory.
10Dudunsparce
Dudunsparce did not make this list by being a powerful Pokémon or by being a wonderful design. It’s pre-evolution, Dunsparce, is a silly fellow, and Dudunsparce is no different. It’s literally the same Pokémon, just longer.
However, it’s safe to say that the Pokémon community has long had a soft spot in their hearts for Dunsparce, so seeing this beloved little guy get an evolution is wonderful. Its base HP stat is 125, and its base Attack is 100, so don’t overlook it!
How can four mice be a Pokémon? Well, regardless of the answer, Maushold is indeed a Pokémon, and a surprisingly strong one at that. It’s aNormaltype that evolves from Tandemaus at level 25, and it can either be a “Family of Four” or a “Family of Three” depending on internal values.
RELATED:Pokemon Scarlet & Violet: Best Normal-Type Pokemon, Ranked
The line’s signature move “Population Bomb,” is its strongest aspect. It’s aNormal-typemove with a base power of 20 and is a multi-attack that can hit between four and ten times. Combine that with a preemptive use of Tidy Up and its Technician ability, and this Pokémon can be a tough competitor.
Love them or hate them, you may’t deny that lawn flamingos are iconic. And so too are the Flying/Fighting-type Flamigo. A long time coming, it hits hard and fast with an Attack base stat of 115 and a base Speed of 90.
It’s got some good type coverage too, with Water and Dark-type moves making an appearance in its compatible TMs. Its Scrappy ability is nothing to sneeze at, as it lets you hit Ghost-types withNormalandFightingmoves.
7Garganacl
Garganacl is a tank and a half with the abilities to match. Its base Defense is 130, and its base HP and Attack are both 100. Its base Speed, though, is only 35 so don’t expect it to go very fast. But with its hidden ability, Clear Body, you don’t have to worry about its stats being lowered.
It’s a Rock type, specifically salt, and while it’s weak to Water-type attacks, it has a way to fight back. Its signature move, Salt Cure, does a base 40 damage and continues to damage the following turns. Not only is the initial damage doubled for Water andSteel-types, but the addition damage is too.
6Tatsugiri
Tatsugiri is an interesting Pokémon as it’s not meant to be used on its own. Designed for double battles, its signature ability, Commander, lets it hide inside the mouth of a Dodonzo and issue orders from within. This protects the Tatsugiri and gives the Dodonzo special boosts to its signature move, Order Up.
On its own, Tatsugiri is a powerful but fragile Pokémon. It has a ludicrously high Special Attack stat, but it can’t take a hit. It’d be recommended to save using this guy for after your main playthrough and trying out its special ability in competitive play.
5Gholdengo
If you’ve got 999 Gimmighoul Coins, then all of them belong to your new Gholdengo, the dual Ghost andSteel-typePokemon. It’s a shiny gold skateboarder that uses its coins to inflict damage with its signature move, Make It Rain.
RELATED:Pokemon Scarlet & Violet: Best Ground-Type Pokemon, Ranked
Its base Special Attack is 133, and its defensive stats hang out around 90, so its isn’t too shabby at taking hits while it doles out damage. Plus, you get extra money in any battle where it uses its signature move.
An absolute legend, the chonkiest and most horizontal of Pokémon. The evolution of Paldean Wooper, Clodsire is a Poison/Ground-type Pokemon that specializes in being big and taking hits. It has a base HP stat of 130 and base Special Defense of 100.
Don’t worry too much about its low Special Attack (base 45), as its natural move pool relies on physical attacks and status effects. It’s not fast, so don’t rely on any strategy that requires it to go first. If you’re unsure if your Clodsire can take a hit, giving it a Focus Sash might be a good option.
Tinkaton’s pink design and all-female gender ratio really leans into the Fairy typing, but her signature move, Gigaton Hammer, with 160 power and 100% accuracy, won’t let you forget she’s aSteel Typetoo.
Fairy/Steel is considered the best typing in the game for competitive play. With a base Special Defense of 105 and a base Speed of 94, this powerful stat combo could make for some interesting strategies.
This Pokémon is fast and strong, but you’ve got to be ready to switch it out at a moments notice due to its low defensive stats. However, with moves like U-turn and Shed Tail, Cyclizar comes pre-equipped to mitigate its weaknesses.
It only has four type weakness, all at only x2, and its has great move coverage. Its list of compatible TMs has some really high-powered moves like Outrage and Giga Impact, so that speed will be a real knock out in delivering a heavy initial blow.
1Baxcaliber
The pseudo-legendary of generation XI, the Ice/Dragon-type Pokemon, Baxcaliber, evolves from Arctibax at level 54. It has base stat total of 600, which is the same total as Mew, with a whopping 145 in Attack. Its HP and Defense aren’t bad either, with 115 and 92, respectively.
It has a big move pool, but not a wide range of type coverage. However, with the Ice andDragontyping, you can cover a lot of bases and get STAB to boot. Plus, not only is it powerful, but it also has an awesome design. Who wouldn’t want an ice-covered Godzilla on their team?
