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, strong moves, or awesome abilities that can help you in battle. Additionally, we won’t include any late-game or post-game legendaries in this list, as these are both fairly obviously excellent in battle, and we also want to avoid any potential spoilers.
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
These are some of the best Pokemon in Pokemon 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, so let’s dive into each one and see what makes them so good in this game.
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), it’s 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 makes it a scary opponent to face.
Flamigo
Our final 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.
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. Make sure you’re taking on the game’s toughest battles in style with one of the best Nintendo Switch controllers. Good luck, trainer.
