Paradox Pokemon movesets for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet
Posted on February 24, 2024 by Ethan in Guides, Switch
Paradox Pokemon are among the strongest creatures available in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, so we’ve put together a list of movesets for each one aimed at more casual players. If you’d like to catch some Paradox Pokemon and get them ready for battles against friends, check out our list of Paradox Pokemon locations.
Past Paradox Pokemon movesets
Pokemon Scarlet’s Paradox Pokemon are generally decently strong. Flutter Mane is definitely the best one (unless you count Koraidon), whereas Brute Bonnet and Scream Tail are among the weaker ones – but they still have their uses. Remember, the movesets we recommend below are aimed at a more casual audience. If you’re looking to equip your in-game Paradox Pokemon with some cool moves, feel free to refer to our past Paradox Pokemon movesets.
- Great Tusk is a bulky Paradox Pokemon with great physical Attack and Defense. Generally, you’ll want to run either Headlong Rush or Earthquake as your main Ground move. Headlong Rush is stronger, but lowers the user’s Defense and Sp. Defense stats after use – which makes Earthquake a safer option. Close Combat, Knock Off, Ice Spinner, and Temper Flare are good options too. We’d recommend using mostly attacking moves here, but a support move like Bulk Up, Rapid Spin, or even Taunt works here too. For EVs, you can either go max Attack and Speed with a Jolly nature or max HP and Defense with an Impish nature.
- Scream Tail is a bulky support Pokemon. It’s not very strong, so you’ll want to run support moves like Protect, Wish, Thunder Wave, Stealth Rock, Reflect, or Light Screen. You’ll also want at least one attacking move so Scream Tail has the ability to deal some damage, even if it isn’t much – Dazzling Gleam probably works best here. If you do decide to go with Reflect and Light Screen, use a Light Clay as your item to extend their duration. For EVs, you can go max HP and max Defense or Sp. Defense plus a Bold or Calm nature.
- Brute Bonnet is one of the weaker Paradox Pokemon, but it’s still got its uses. It’s basically a physical attacker with access to some helpful support moves. Spore is certainly its best support move, because it puts non-Grass type opponents to sleep. Synthesis can also heal Brute Bonnet’s health in a pinch. For attacks, Sucker Punch, Seed Bomb, and Bullet Seed are all solid picks. If you go with Bullet Seed, use the Loaded Dice as an item to make its attack power even stronger than Seed Bomb’s. Otherwise, something like a Life Orb works just fine. EVs in Attack and Speed with an Adamant nature is a great pick here.
- Flutter Mane is absolutely crazy, and it’s great in any format. Slap on a Choice Specs and run Moonblast and Shadow Ball for sure. The last two moves can be any combination of Mystical Fire, Psyshock, Thunderbolt, Energy Ball, or Hex (assuming another Pokemon on your team can inflict status conditions). For EVs, go with 252 in Sp. Attack and Speed with a Timid nature.
- Slither Wing is just a little bit slow, but it does hit hard – so focus on attacking moves. First Impression and Close Combat are musts, and the former always goes first on the first turn Slither Wing hits the field. Flare Blitz, Earthquake, and Dual Wingbeat all work too. For EVs, try max Attack and Speed with an Adamant nature. For an item, something like Choice Band or Life Orb works great – but if you go with Choice Band, you may want to run Leech Life as a secondary Bug-type attack.
- Sandy Shocks is a decently fast special attacker. Its offensive moves include Thunderbolt and Earth Power, and its support moves include Stealth Rock and Thunder Wave. Tera Ice Tera Blast is a good option, too. We’d recommend running max Sp. Attack and Speed EVs plus Booster Energy, Choice Specs, or Choice Scarf as your item.
- Roaring Moon pairs excellently with Booster Energy. One great strategy is to use Tera Flying Acrobatics after activating Booster Energy. Acrobatics doubles in power if the user isn’t holding an item, after all. From there, moves like Knock Off, Dragon Dance, Earthquake, Dragon Claw, or possibly U-turn work great. For EVs, go max Attack and Speed with a Jolly or Adamant nature.
Future Paradox Pokemon movesets
Every future Paradox Pokemon is good – but Iron Jugulis and Iron Thorns are likely the weakest of the group. If you count Miraidon as a Paradox Pokemon, it’s absolutely the best Pokemon in the group (and one of the best in Scarlet and Violet overall). Here’s our full list of future Paradox Pokemon movesets:
- Iron Treads is a decently fast and physically bulky physical attacker. In singles, it’s usually used for its Rapid Spin move, which clears entry hazards like Stealth Rock and Spikes. Otherwise, it generally uses moves like Earthquake, Knock Off, Iron Head, and Stealth Rock. Booster Energy can increase Iron Treads’ Speed if you use a Jolly nature plus 252 EVs in Attack and Speed.
- Iron Bundle is extremely strong, but a bit one-dimensional. Slap on a Choice Specs and spam Freeze Dry and Hydro Pump – that’s about all there is to it. Iron Bundle doesn’t get much meaningful type coverage, so moves like Flip Turn, Ice Beam, and Taunt can be used to fill the remaining two slots. Go for 252 EVs in Sp. Attack and Speed – a Timid nature works best.
- Iron Hands is incredibly strong and bulky on the physical side. It’s most often used in doubles. In singles, it generally uses powerful attacks like Wild Charge, Close Combat, Earthquake, Ice Punch, and Fire Punch. You can also run Belly Drum + Sitrus Berry to maximize Iron Hands’ attack stat. If you’re not running Belly Drum, Choice Band works good instead.
- Iron Jugulis is one of the weaker future Paradox Pokemon, but it’s still got merit. It usually runs Booster Energy as an item plus Dark Pulse and Hurricane. It can also run Earth Power, Flamethrower, or Taunt as additional moves. Unfortunately, Hurricane is rather inaccurate and Iron Jugulis doesn’t have any reliable Flying-type attacks to use as a replacement. We’d recommend 252 EVs in Sp. Attack and Speed here.
- Iron Moth is kind of like Volcarona without Quiver Dance. It sheds its Bug type in exchange for Poison typing, which does make it quadruple weak to Ground-type moves like Earthquake. You’ll usually see Iron Moth run the Booster Energy item plus Fiery Dance, Sludge Wave, and Energy Ball as moves. It can also run Bug Buzz or Flash Cannon for coverage or Morning Sun to heal itself. It gets Agility if you’d like to boost its Speed more directly. For EVs, 252 Sp. Attack and Speed works here too.
- Iron Thorns has an awesome design, but it’s not as good as Tyranitar. It’s a Rock/Electric-type, making it 4x weak to Ground. It loses out on Sand Stream, too, which means Iron Thorns is generally much more frail on the special side than Tyranitar. Still, Iron Thorns usually runs Dragon Dance plus Wild Charge, Rock Blast, Stone Edge, Ice Punch, or Earthquake. Booster Energy can be used to increase its Attack right off the bat.
- Iron Valiant has a ridiculous amount of move options, making it one of the stronger Paradox Pokemon out there. On the physical side, it gets Spirit Break, Close Combat, Shadow Sneak, Ice Punch, Poison Jab, Knock Off, and more. On the special side, it gets Moonblast, Aura Sphere, Vacuum Wave, Grass Knot, Psychic, Thunderbolt, and Shadow Ball. The list doesn’t end there, though – Iron Valiant has access to Thunder Wave, Taunt, Hypnosis, Swords Dance, Calm Mind, and Destiny Bond as support and setup moves. You can really run anything you like, and Booster Energy or Life Orb work great as its item.
At some point in the future, we’ll likely make up casual-oriented movesets for Paldea’s Legendary Pokemon. In the meantime, what movesets do you like running on your Paradox Pokemon? Feel free to let us know in the comments below. Remember to check out our full list of Pokemon guides while you’re here.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are available now for Switch, and you can access the official website here.
