Pokemon Scarlet & Violet are here, firmly ushering in Generation IX for the hit monster-taming franchise. Fans were quick to pick which adorable creatures they wanted by their side or to capture in the wild as glimpses came out, but one particular pokemon has caught the fancy of Gen IX trainers, Quaxly. This water-type starter is a new challenger in the Paldea region, with quite an interesting spread of stats by their final evolution, Quaquaval. But what is the best nature for Quaquaval, a Water/Fighting-Type in Scarlet & Violet?
Quaxly, Quaxwell, and Quaquaval Benefit from Certain Natures Particularly Well
Quaquaval works best with a Jolly nature in Scarlet & Violet, or possibly Adamant, to take advantage of their high Attack base stat (base 120.) This is in light of a bad Special Attack base stat, 85, and works well with the perks of either of these natures. Jolly is generally more favorable since Quaquaval can stand to have more Speed at their disposal (base 85) especially if you’re looking to play competitively, as you’ll want them to be able to keep up and not get KO’d before making their moves.
This, along with the powerful move Wave Crash, essentially a Water-Type Flare Blitz, a Choice Band, and Close Combat, Aqua Step, and Ice Spinner, would make for good coverage.
Why Are Natures Important in Pokemon?
To lean further into the discussion on nature in Pokemon, this is a fundamental mechanic for every Pokemon in your roster. Every pokemon has a nature, essentially a personality, that affects the growth of their stats, with an eventual 10% boost along with a 10% drop for one non-HP stat. Jolly boosts Speed while dropping Special Attack, and Adamant boosts Attack while dropping Special Attack. In general, when breeding pokemon, you’ll want to observe these natures about the creature’s known base stats if you want the ideal competitive pokemon. This is a prime example of min-maxing in RPGs.
How a Jolly Nature Quaquaval Will Shine With Moxie in Scarlet & Violet
Quaquaval has enormous physical Attack potential, and despite Torrent being an underwhelming Ability (boosting Water-Type moves at low HP) their Hidden Ability, Moxie (boosting Attack after KO’ing a pokemon in battle) will make this a deadly sweeper. Combined with Jolly and a Choice Band for the boosted attack, you can amass incredible Water or Fighting-Type STAB (Same Type Attack Boost) damage and obliterate your opponents. So be sure to inspect your starter’s nature as soon as you can, or get to breeding if you want to take advantage of their best stats!
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet released on November 18, 2022, exclusively for the Nintendo Switch.
