Whether it’s taking on Titan Pokémon, facing Gym Leaders, or battling Team Star, having the Pokémon Scarlet best Pokémon in your team is crucial for those of you roaming around Paldea on Koraidon.
In this version of the Switch RPG game, there are plenty of fearsome ‘mons that you can catch and train to come out on top in every battle. While this includes some well-known returning Pokémon, it also includes some of the new Pokémon Scarlet and Violet Pokémon that debuted in Generation 9. But which are the best? Here we’ll give our recommendations, which are guided by a Pokémon’s stats, unique or useful typings on the Pokémon type chart, strong moves, or awesome abilities that can help you in battle.
Pokémon Scarlet best Pokémon
The best Pokémon in Pokémon Scarlet are:
- Baxcalibur – Dragon/Ice
- Annihilape – Fighting/Ghost
- Dragapult – Dragon/Ghost
- Tyranitar – Rock/Dark
- Tinkaton – Fairy/Steel
- Eelektross – Electric
- Armarouge – Fire/Psychic
- Flamigo – Fighting/ Flying
- Ogerpon – Grass
- Gholdengo – Steel/Ghost
- Palafin – Water
These are some of the best Pokémon in Pokémon Scarlet, and as well as new Pokémon like Baxcalibur and Armarouge, you’ll notice some returning names such as Tyranitar and Dragapult – these are certainly some of the strongest Pokémon in the Pokémon Scarlet Pokédex.
You may find one or two legendaries in here, but we’ve generally opted for Pokémon that are more than strong enough to hold their own, even against the mightiest ‘mon the game will throw at you. Regardless, be warned of spoilers ahead – both for the base game and the Teal Mask DLC.
Baxcalibur
Baxcalibur is the all-new pseudo-legendary Pokémon – that being a Pokémon with a stats total of 600, but that isn’t considered a true legendary or mythical ‘mon. While it’s Dragon/Ice-typing is susceptible to a fair few weaknesses, you can’t argue with any pseudo-legendary due to its immense stats (especially its physical attack stat).
Annihilape
A new evolution for Generation 1’s Primeape, Annihilape has the incredible type combination of Fighting/Ghost, which has only ever been seen once before in the Pokémon games. However, Annihilape couples this with excellent stats, some great moves, and its very easy to obtain: catch a commonly-found Mankey, evolve it to Primeape at level 28, learn the move Rage Fist at level 37, and use the move 100 times. That’s all you need to do to get one of the best Pokémon Scarlet has to offer.
Dragapult
Not only is Generation 8’s Dragapult one of the coolest pseudo-legendaries, it’s also one of the best in battle. As well as its great typing, stats, and moveset, its ability Clear Body prevents opposing Pokémon from lowering any of its stats. While there are lots of great Dragon-type Pokémon to choose from in Scarlet, Dragapult is one you should definitely consider.
Tyranitar
A Pokémon Scarlet version exclusive, Generation 2’s Tyranitar has long been one of the best and coolest Pokémon in the series’ history. While its typing gives it a lot of weaknesses (including a 4x weakness to Fighting moves that you need to look out for), its hyper-aggressive stats and moveset make it a great addition to any team.
Tinkaton
While it doesn’t boast the best stats on this list, Tinkaton does have one very big ace up its sleeve in its signature move, Gigaton Hammer. This Steel-type move does a massive 160 base damage, which is one of the highest for a move that can be learned by non-legendary Pokémon. With Tinkaton’s Steel/Fairy typing, it’ll else get a STAB bonus, and an impressive speed stat, you’ll probably be able to strike first with this move in a lot of scenarios. Tinkaton, against a lot of Pokémon, is a one-hit knockout machine.
Eelektross
Another old face returning in Pokémon Scarlet is Eelektross. On the surface, it looks like a fairly decent, third-stage Electric type. One look at our Pokémon type chart will show you that Electric-types should have just one weakness to Ground, however, Eelektross is rather special – thanks to its ability Levitate, which makes Ground moves ineffective, it technically has zero type weaknesses. If you want a zappy Electric Pokémon on your team, there’s a good reason to pick Eelektross.
Armarouge
Another exclusive to Pokémon Scarlet is Armarouge. While it doesn’t possess chart-topping overall stats, Armarouge’s high special attack stat and its access to loads of powerful Fire and Psychic-type special moves make it a scary opponent to face.
Flamigo
Our next entry looks like it shouldn’t be anywhere near a best Pokémon list, but Flamigo is a surprisingly good ‘mon to have on your team. Found extremely early in the game despite boasting decent attack and speed stats, Flamigo’s party trick is its Scrappy ability, which allows its Fighting and Normal-type moves to hit Ghost-types which are usually immune to those attacks. Pick this feathery fighter up early on and enjoy a super strong Pokémon.
Ogerpon
Having been introduced in the Teal Mask DLC, Ogerpon is a Legendary Grass-type that is remaskably flexible thanks to the various masks you can equip it with: Cornerstone, Hearthflame, and Wellspring. Each mask gives Ogerpon a secondary typing, as well as a unique ability. The Hearthflame mask, for example, makes Ogerpon a Fire and Grass-type, while granting the Mold Breaker ability. As such, Ogerpon can be slotted into a wide variety of teams, and its signature move Ivy Cudgel – which also changes type based on Ogerpon’s mask of choice – can hit like an absolute truck thanks to its high crit chance.
Gholdengo
Gholdengo’s dual Steel/Ghost typing makes it one of only four Pokémon to have it and immediately makes it an interesting proposition for a variety of teams. But that’s not all that makes Gholdengo one of the best Pokémon Scarlet Pokémon.
Coming in with a solid 550 base power, Gholdengo packs a punch – especially considering 133 of it is allocated to its Sp. Atk stat. Additionally, it comes with the unique ability ‘Good as Gold’, which makes it impervious to other mons’ status moves. It even has a 120-power signature move, ‘Make It Rain’, which scatters coins à la Pay Day when used. Get that bag.
Obtaining Gholdengo is a bit of a mini-game in itself, though this only adds to its charm. To evolve it from Gimmighoul you’ll have to collect 999 Gimmighoul Coins, which can be obtained by interacting with them in a few different ways.
Palafin
Well, would you look at the adorable dolphin? So cute, so majestic, so… boring. While Palafin won’t win any awards for imaginative design, it is actually one of the most powerful non-legendary Pokémon in the entire game – we’re not joking.
You see, there’s something fishy about the Water-type that goes beyond its looks, and you’ll be right to treat it with an air of suspicion – dolphins are deceptively evil, after all. However, rather than turning into a villain when you switch it out, Palafin enters its hero form, amping itself up to a monstrous 650 base stat – 160 of it being Attack.
What’s more, Palafin even has its own +1 priority signature move, Jet Punch. While it’s only as powerful as Water Pulse (60 power), it’s guaranteed to land first which is a huge advantage in clutch situations.
So those are our picks for the best Pokémon Scarlet Pokémon. Train these creatures up for a team that can easily sweep any of the Pokémon Scarlet Gym Leaders with ease, and make sure you’re taking on the game’s toughest battles in style with one of the best Nintendo Switch controllers. Meanwhile, if you are in the market for another of the best Switch RPG games, then consult our list. Good luck, trainer.