20 Best Early Game Pokémon to Catch in Scarlet and Violet

To become a Pokémon Master, it’s essential to master a powerful team with synergistic abilities. In this article, we’ll delve into the top Pokémon to keep an eye on in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.

As we all know,  Lord Arceus didn’t create Pokémon equally,  and this is evidently true in the new Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.  Becoming a Pokémon Master requires powerful Pokémon in order to build a synergistic team.  That’s why in this article,  I’ll be covering the best Pokémon you should look out for in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.  I’ve only been playing Pokémon Scarlet thus far,  but the locations for the Pokémon listed are the same.  

For simplicity’s sake,  I won’t be covering version exclusives just yet, and all listed Pokémon can be caught the second you begin your treasure hunt.  Now,  without further ado,  let’s check out the 20 best early-game Pokémon you can catch in Scarlet and Violet.

20 Best Early Game Pokémon in Scarlet and Violet

CLODSIRE

You can get this poison-ground Pokémon by evolving a Palladian Whipper,  which can be easily found at the start of the game. Look near the ponds between Polkopath Lighthouse and Los Plateaus,  and you’re almost guaranteed to see at least one Palladian Whipper.  Clodsire carves itself a niche with its excellent bulk and abilities. Water Absorb and its hidden ability,  Unaware,  are both extremely useful.  Water Absorb allows Clodsire to function as a check to dangerous water types who would normally deal super-effective damage against it.  Just know that coverage moves can threaten Clodsire,  especially those that hit its more vulnerable defense stat.  To unlock Clodsire’s full potential,  you’ll need to get recover via breeding.  Regardless,  Clodsire’s access to useful moves like Toxic Spikes and Amazing Resistances make it a great addition for stall and balanced teams. These traits only ensure Clodzire will make its mark in competitive play.  

CORVIKNIGHT

Corviknight is the final evolution of the unassuming Rookidee,  who can be found roaming the land in Eastern Palladia,  particularly the Southeast.  If you play competitive Pokémon,  then Corviknight is a name you are probably familiar with.  This flying steel type has dominated Smogon’s overuse metagame since its inception, with excellent bulk,  a fantastic typing,  pressure,  and great moves like Defog,  Roost,  Body Press,  and U-Turn.  However,  in order to remain healthy,  Corviknight is quite often forced to use Roost,  which is a loss of momentum and tends to get PP stalled,  due to the universal PP nerf of instant recovery moves.  In Sword and Shield,  Corviknight checked dangerous offensive threats like Landorus T,  Rilla Boom,  and Weevil,  and its value in this generation should be no different,  especially when currently unavailable offensive threats are finally added into the game.

CHANSEY AND BLISSEY

Chansey and Blissey are the evolutions of Happiny,  who can be found at the start of the game near Massagoza,  along the South Province.  After catching Happiny,  you can evolve her during the day with an Oval Stone to get a Chansey,  and make her happy in order to further evolve her into a Blissey. The reason why Chansey and Blissey are both in this list is because both have a high use case.  With Eviolite,

Chansey possesses unparalleled special bulk,  far surpassing every Pokémon in the entire game,  as well as above average physical bulk.  Blissey isn’t quite as bulky,  but can use other items like Heavy Duty Boots,  Leftovers,  and Shed Shell to separate itself from Chansey.  Both of these Pokémon are premier stall picks and balance picks.  They tend to use moves like Stealth Rock,  Heal Bell,  Seismic Toss,  and Softboiled.  I’m curious to see which of these pink blobs will be more viable in competitive play,

especially now that knockoff availability is at an all-time low,  allowing Chansey to hold onto its Eviolite with greater ease.

AZUMARILL

Azumarill is the final evolution of Azuro,  who can only be found south of the Academy,  despite the Pokedex stating that it can be found near bodies of water.  Azumarill has remained one of the top dogs in every generation,  thanks to its ability Huge Power,  which doubles its attack stat.  Azumarill also boasts good bulk,  great coverage moves,  Aqua Jet,  and Belly Drum.

 Azumarill is an offensive powerhouse and powerful wallbreaker when equipped with the Choice Band,  capable of nearly 2HKO-ing every Pokémon tier with the appropriate move.  Additionally,  it can use a Belly Drum set to serve as a threatening late-game cleaner.  Its water fairy typing allows you to check a wide variety of checks without issue.  Although brand new checks and Gen 9 power creep has left Azumarill constantly vying for a slot,  Azumarill is still a fearsome water type that is sure to make its home in the Gen 9 metagame.

GARCHOMP

At first,  catching Gible may seem impossible for new players.  However,  Gible can, in fact,  be found quite early on. You need to get to the West Province Area 1,  then move to the southwest corner of the map and keep an eye out for a large cave.  There,  you’ll find several wild Gibles to add to your collection.  Garchomp is another familiar face in Pokémon,  due to its continued dominance in previous generations.  While you need its hidden ability,  Rough Skin,  to unlock its true potential, Garchomp remains a very useful stealth rock setter,  setup sweeper,  bulky attacker,  and pivot.  As a pseudo-legendary,  Garchomp has got some amazing stats,  including an excellent 130 base attack.  Garchomp is capable of carrying out a variety of roles,  like setting stealth rock,  wall breaking,  and checking physical attackers,  thanks to its above average speed tier,  outstanding attack stat,  useful coverage options,  Rough Skin ability,  and solid defensive typing.  Suffice to say, Garchomp is sure to establish itself well in Gen 9.  

GYARADOS

You have two choices,  either catch a Magikarp and slowly work your way up until it evolves into a Gyarados,  or catch a mighty Gyarados later in the sea or in a Terrorade battle.  Catching Magikarp is easy,  there are probably less areas where you can’t find Magikarp than there are places where you can.  To find it, simply go to any body of water where you might expect to see fish.  It’s really no wonder why Gyarados is in this list. Gyarados has always been a good sweeper thanks to its access to Dragon Dance,  paired with a useful typing and good offensive stats.  Additionally,  it has two powerful abilities in Intimidate and Moxie,  which serves to help it snowball or aid it in setting up Dragon Dance.  Like Azumarill,  Gyarados faces stiff competition from other water types.  Water types are the cornerstone of many teams.  As a general rule,  always remember Gyarados when considering a strong offensive water type.

ANNIHILAPE

Annihilape is the brand new final evolution of Mankey.  Mankey can be found quite early on.  They are pretty abundant on the West Path just outside of Cortondo between West Province Area 1 and South Province Area 2 after you leave the school to begin your treasure hunt.  Annihilape is probably one of the most overpowered Pokémon this generation,  boasting an amazing fighting ghost typing and incredible stats all around.  Its Defiant ability allows Annihilape to exert tremendous offensive pressure against Defoggers, doubling its already high attack stat.  Its signature move,  Rage Fist,  gets stronger the more it gets hit,  which has caused many to opt for a bulk-up set.  In the right hands,  Annihilape is an incredible option in competitive play.  However,  with the absence of Defog users in-game,  Annihilape is unlikely to take frequent advantage of its Defiant ability.  This generation has certainly brought us countless viable Pokémon,  and you’d have to be crazy not to consider Annihilape when you need a solid pivot in balanced and defense hazard teams.

LUCARIO

Lucario is the evolution of Ryolu.  Annoyingly,  Ryolu are an uncommon spawn,  so finding and capturing one might take some time.  It turns out,  Ryolu exclusively inhabit South Province Area 4 in the southwest corner of Paldea and prefer to roam the grassy or hilly areas of the province.  But is Ryolu even worth catching?  In terms of competitive play,  Lucario is hardly deserving of its esteemed reputation.

Long time ago,  Lucario was a powerful meta-pick.  Sadly,  the culminated power creep of several generations has caused it to age badly.  Regardless,  Lucario is a viable wall-breaker and sweeper with its near-unresisting stab combination and extreme speed.  As a fan of Lucario,  it seemed wrong not to mention it,  even though Lucario is not really recommended if you are a serious competitive player,  unless you enjoy the lesser-played Smogonteers and other rulesets.

MABOSSTIFF

 Mabosstiff is the evolution of Mashchiff.  Mashchiff will appear close to the beginning of the game,  to the west of the Academy when your journey starts.  Adjacent to Cortondo,  South Province Area 4 in the southeast of the West Province,  all along the east side of Cascarafa,  all along the east side of Cascarafa and in West Province Area 2.  When I first theory-mawed Mashchiff,  I thought it was going to be an extremely powerful offensive threat, thanks to its decent attack stat and hidden ability,  Stakeout.  It turns out that I may have been partly wrong.  While Mabostiff does possess unbelievable strength when hitting enemies switching in,  the sheer overall power creep of this gen makes me question its overall viability.  Regardless,  Mabostiff can easily one-hit KO most would-be switch-ins,  which admittedly has few applications in single-player.  Its other abilities,  good as they may be,  don’t justify its use,  so this Dark Doggy is only recommended for those who will use its hidden ability versus other trainers online.

SCIZOR

Scizor is the evolution of Scyther.  Scyther can be found pretty early on around South Province Area 4,  as well as later into the game around the northern point of the map.  Evolving Scyther is the tricky part,  though, as you’ll need to trade it along with the Metal Coat-held item,  which can be purchased at Delibird Presents for 3000 Poké Dollars.  In competitive play,  Scizor has always been a strong option.

 It has an amazing bug-steal typing,  giving a soul albeit crippling weakness to fire,  a good attack stat,  decent bulk,  as well as the Technician ability,  which causes moves that have a base power of 60 or lower to become 50% stronger.  This famously pairs well with Bullet Punch,  giving Scizor the long-recognized privilege of serving as a great revenge-killer and setup-sweeper.  Furthermore,  Scizor has good coverage moves like Superpower and the highly-vaunted U-Turn,  solidifying its viability for yet another generation.

PALAFIN

Palafin Palafin is the evolution of Finnezen.  You’ll need to reach Palldea’s borders in order to find Finnezen,  as it only seems to spawn in the oceans.  To evolve Finnezen into Palafin,  you need to fulfill two tasks,  get it to at least level 37 and then level it up in someone else’s game via Union Circle.  This can be achieved through battling in the nearby grass or by simply using XP items.  In truth,  I almost feel guilty for recommending this Pokémon.

Game Freak sure messed up this time,  randomly creating one of the most overpowered Pokémon in competitive play.  You see,  Palafin possesses its own signature ability,  Zero to Hero.  This causes Palafin to transform into its Hero form by simply switching out,  boosting its base stat total from a paltry 450 to an insane 650,  rivaling cover legendary Pokémon.  Its ridiculous 160 base attack is extremely fearsome,

but stats alone are not a good indicator of viability.  Thankfully,  or regretfully,  depending on your perspective,  Palafin has also been blessed with a great movepool,  including favorites like Flip Turn,  Wave Crash,  Ice Punch and Close Combat.  As well as its own signature priority stat move,  Jet Punch.  Unlike Gyarados and Azumarill,  Palafin isn’t desperately vying for a slot in your team.  It is the first offensive water-type trainer should consider when building a team.  After all,  Palafin had the distinct honor of being quick-banned and Smogon overused, which unfortunately makes him illegal in this ruleset.  All in all,  if you want the taste of Gen 9 power creep,  then Palafin may as well be the main course.  

HOUNDSTONE

Houndstone is the evolution of Grievard,  the Pokémon world’s very first ghost-type doggy.  Generally,  Grievard can only be found in the latter portion of a playthrough.  However,  there are small parts of West Province Area 3 where it can spawn.  Evolving Grievard into Houndstone requires you to level it up to 30 or above at night time.

 If you have Grievard in your main party,  then this won’t require deliberate effort on your part.  Legendaries and Paradox Pokémon aside,  the competitive community know of two very powerful Pokémon.  The water-type I just mentioned,  Palafin and the ghost-type Houndstone.  At first glance,  Houndstone doesn’t seem overpowered at all.  It has a very modest stance,  below average bulk in defense by modern standards.  There are two reasons why Houndstone has been banned from Smogon overused. Its sandrush ability grants it double the speed during a sandstorm,  and most importantly,  it has possibly the most unfair move ever made,  Last Respects. Last Respects progressively gets stronger as your Pokémon faint,  increasing all the way to an absolutely ridiculous 300 base power before a factoring stab.  The game plan is quite simple.  Equip a held item that can boost its attack stat or ghost-type power,  such as Choice Band, and use the move after a few of your Pokémon have fainted and your opponent’s normal-type Pokémon have been dealt with.  Houndstone will proceed to sweep the remaining threats with unprecedented ease.  Just remember that Houndstone is meant to be used in sand teams,  which means you’ll want the Scarlet-exclusive Tyranitar or late-game Hippodon in your team.  

TOXAPEX

Toxapex is the evolution of Marini,  a watered poison type who can be found around the eastern Paldian Sea.  Toxapex has earned itself a reputation as an incredibly annoying Pokémon. Toxic Spikes,  Instant Recovery,  Amazing Bulk,  an overpowered hidden ability,  and Regenerator,  what more could one ask for?  It’s lost some noteworthy moves from last gen,  like Scald and Knock Off,  but is already making waves in the current Gen 9 overuse metagame as a great wall against threats like Chien-Pow and Quackwa-Val.  Toxapex was one of the best defensive Pokémon last gen,  and the same is true for Generation 9. If you’re looking for a defensive water poison type with excellent bulk and sustainability,then Toxapex is the Pokémon for you.  

BISHARP AND KINGAMBIT

King Gambit is the brand new final evolution of Ponyard and Bisharp.  To find Ponyard early on,  you should head to the South Province Area 3.  Keep in mind that Ponyard tend to reside close to riverbanks,  and you can occasionally meet one within a group.  Because of Ponyard’s rarity and modest size,  it can also be pretty easy to miss.  What’s crazy is that Bisharp has dominated past generations since its release.

It never had amazing stats save for its great base attack stat,  but its good movepool and Defiant ability earned it a comfortable spot in competitive play.  King Gambit changes its stat distribution a little,  improving its stats at the expense of speed.  King Gambit is very slow,  but more than makes up for it with fantastic bulk and attack.  King Gambit is a scary setup sweeper on offense teams thanks to Sword Dance and the Great Dark Steel Stab combination. Regrettably,  King Gambit’s Abysmal Speed tier forces it to always take hits when Soccer Punch is not applicable.  Of course,  you could always just use Bisharp,  who’s found additional utility with Easy Light as an alternative to Life Orb in its Sword Dance set.  It’s likely that King Gambit will be a bulky band wallbreaker,  while Bisharp will be used more as a Sword Dance sweeper.  

CYCLIZAR

The best locations to find Cyclizar are the West Province Area 2, East Province Area 2,  and North of Lenninicia.  Cyclizar has no business being this good.  It has a poor stat distribution,  after all. Quite comically,  the only reason why Cyclizar is so relevant is due to its hidden ability,  Regenerator,  high base speed stat,  and most importantly,  Shedtail.  Shedtail has completely changed the dynamic of Hyper Offense,  expanding 50% of its HP to create a substitute for teammates of your choosing,

providing invaluable momentum to create offensive pressure.  It also has other nifty moves like Knock Off,  Rapid Spin,  and U-Turn.  If you’re looking to build a strong offense or balance team,  then always be sure to consider the utility of Cyclizar and its Shedtail.  

PAWMOT 

Pawmot is the final evolution of Pommy,  who can be found around Southern Paldaya at the beginning of the game.  Just head to South Province Area 1,  South Province Area 3, Los Platos,  or South Province Area 5 and you’ll find plenty of them.  pawmot  may be the first truly good Pikachu clone, possessing a decent speed and attack stat.  It sets itself apart from the other electric types with its secondary fighting type,  Iron Fist,  and natural cure abilities and excellent movepool,  including Close Combat,  Ice Punch,  a powerful signature electric move in Double Shock,  and Revival Blessing.  Finally,  Trainers can revive fallen Pokémon with the use of a revive.  The potential for a defensive set exists, utilizing its natural cure ability,  rest,  and sleep talk to use Revival Blessing more than once per match,  as Revival Blessing unfortunately has just 1 PP.  Alternatively,  you could use the Leppa Berry in order to restore its PP once per battle,  effectively giving it 2 revives instead of 1.  

GARGANACL  

Garganacl is the final evolution of Nakli,  a new Rock-type Pokémon.  Nakli can appear in the south,  west,  and eastern parts of Paldaya. You might want to try to stick to arid areas to find it.  If you need specifics,  then try finding one in South Province Area 3,  east of Massagoza.  Garganacl has to be among my favorite newcomers. It has good HP,  incredible defense,  decent special defense,  instant recovery,  an immunity to status moves and resistance that goes from its ability,  and Rock-typing.  Before Garganacl,  the only defensive Rock-type Pokémon with instant recovery we had were Corsola and Arceus Rock.

In other words,  I’ve been waiting countless years for this moment.  Garganacl is almost too good to be true. It has a great movepool,  sporting the dreaded Iron Defense plus Body Press combination,  Recover,  Stealth Rock,  and its own signature move,  Salt Cure.  This Rock-type attack causes the target to receive passive damage every turn,  until the target faints or switches out.  This is an outstanding move and should be a mainstay in every Garganacl set.  Garganacl’s Rock-typing can be problematic sometimes, as it has numerous common weaknesses.  Of course,  one can simply terrestrialize into a more convenient typing,  such as Fairy or Ghost.  If you want a wall,  setup sweeper,  and status sponge all in one,  then look no further than Garganacal.  

So,  these are electronic first 20 best early-game Pokémon you can catch in Scarlet and Violet.  This was a long video,  and a lot of research was put into it,  mostly through Smoggan University and the Pokémon Showdown server.  

Are you ready to dive into the captivating world of Pokemon and become a true Pokemon Master? Look no further than Electronic First, your one-stop destination for an incredible selection of Pokemon games on the Nintendo Switch! Explore “Pokemon Legends: Arceus,” expand your horizons with “Pokemon Sword/Shield – Expansion Pass,” revisit Kanto in “Pokemon: Let’s Go Eevee!”, dive into mystery with “Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team,” choose your path in “Pokemon Sword” and “Pokemon Shield,” and immerse yourself in “Pokemon Violet.”

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I know some popular Pokémon have been excluded from the list, so I’d like to hear everyone’s thoughts in the comment section below.  Let us know what you think.  It’s always nice to theorymon with other trainers around the world.

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