With the release of the DLC expansions to Pokemon Legends: Arceus, there are over 900 different types of Pokemon in the more than two decades long franchise. However, when it comes to the competitive scene, only a small fraction of those Pokemon are considered viable. Often the same pair of Pokemon appear in competitive battles.
An important part of building a team in a competitive environment pokemon match is the balance between Pokemon specializing in Attack and Special Attack stats. For the former, these Pokemon are often brutal sweepers that pose a threat to many defenseless Pokemon. These ten Pokemon over the 8 generations are the best when it comes to physical Attack.
10 dragonite
Dragonite may be cute on the outside, but he’s a tough fighter when it comes to pokemon VGC. Dragonite debuts in the first generation of games and is of the Dragon/Flying type, which makes it particularly weak for Ice-type moves. However, Dragonite makes up for it with its whopping 134 base Attack stats, which is way above average for any Pokemon.
Dragonite has been placed in the OE in the most recent Sword & Shield competitive meta, meaning many metagames have banned him. Coupled with moves like Dragon Dance, Dragonite’s Attack and Speed stats only get stronger. This will especially amplify the Earthquake attack, which counters Flying-type weaknesses such as Rock and Electric.
9 Tyranitar
Tyranitar’s overall stats surpass Dragonite’s, giving him incredible Attack as well as HP, Defense, and Special Defense. However, as a Rock/Dark-type Pokemon, Tyranitar is quite vulnerable to Fighting-types, which can be tricky in a competitive meta where Fighting-type Pokemon are quite popular among players.
Fortunately, Tyranitar has access to moves like Thunder Wave that stun opponents. This can thwart or slow down an opponent’s attack, allowing Tyranitar to take advantage of his high Attack stats with moves such as Stone Edge or Heavy Slam. An item like a Choice Band can also prioritize higher Attack stats instead of selecting different moves.
8 Groudon
Groudon is the legendary mascot for pokemon rubyand is quite popular in the competitive meta besides being Sapphire counterpart, Kyogre. However, because they are both classified in the Uber tier, they are unusable in certain parts of the leaderboard. Still, one cannot deny Groudon’s massive 150 base Attack and 140 base Defense.
When turned on, Groudon also activates the Drought ability, making the weather sunny several times. This will amplify Groudon’s Fire-type moves, such as the Heat Crash or Fire Punch powerful moves. However, Groudon also has a fairly wide selection of STAB moves for a pure ground type, such as the signature Precipice Blades attack.
7 Garchomp
Garchomp was introduced in the 4th generation and has seen quite a few highlights in the competition pokemon scene. In Gen 6, it had access to an extremely powerful Mega Evolution, although this ability has not been included since Gen 7. With Mega Evolution gone in Gen 8, Garchomp still succeeds thanks to its powerful Attack, HP, and Speed.
Its attack stats only get more powerful when combined with the Swords Dance move, which increases a Pokemon’s attack by 2 stages. Combined with Garchomp’s Rocky Helmet-like ability Rough Skin, Garchomp can slow down for a few turns with Swords Dance before destroying an opponent with moves like Earthquake or Scale Shot.
6 Landorus-Therian
The Therian form of Landorus is quite popular in the world of competition pokemon for its versatility as a physical attack sweeper and a defensive support. His ability, Intimidate, stuns opponents when engaged by lowering their Attack. This also gives Landorus some time to put on Stealth Rocks or pull off a few Swords Dances.
Such strategies can pose a real threat to common Pokemon like Heatran or Corviknight, especially thanks to Landorus-Therian’s placement in the OU tier. The Ground/Flying combination makes it amenable to Ice-types, but also overrides Flying-type’s weakness for Electric-type moves. Landorus-Therian is an easy Pokemon that fits into any team.
5 aegislash
Aegislash’s appearance in Generation 6 and 7 saw it dominate the competitive scene, resulting in its relegation to Uber level. Since the release of Pokemon Sword & ShieldHowever, Aegislash has dropped significantly to the UU, the UnderUsed tier. But even at this much lower level, it has one of the best Attack stats in the game thanks to its Ability.
When Aegislash uses an attack, his Ability Stance Change causes it to shift to Blade Form. The basic form usually has terrible attack and special attack instead of incredible defense and special defense, while the blade form reverses this. Moves like Priority Shadow Sneak and Close Combat will rarely not deal devastating damage from an Aegislash.
4 Yveltal
Yveltal is another Uber-tier Pokemon not often seen in Ranked Battles in Generation 8. But even for a Legendary Pokemon, the Pokemon Y mascot has some of the best stats in the franchise, with 131 base Attack, 126 base HP, and 131 base Special Attack. It even has enough speed to beat some of the biggest competitive threats.
Fortunately, as a Dark/Flying type, Yveltal also has access to some pretty important STAB moves. Sucker Punch and Knock Off are rarely missed in any type of Pokemon competitive, but especially in Dark type physical attackers. It also has access to moves like Roost and Oblivion Wing, which can heal themselves and deal devastating damage.
3 incineroar
Incineroar gained a lot of popularity when it was included as a playable character in Super Smash Bros Ultimate. Thankfully Incineroar beats bros just as well in competitive pokemon, with a base 115 Attack stat that rivals the best starter Pokemon in previous games. Access to the Ability Intimidate also makes a great switch-in Pokemon.
In doubles in particular, Incineroar makes for a great pivot for many viable Pokemon. Using a move like Fake Out, which makes opponents flinch when used on the first turn, gives partners room to improve or heal their stats as needed. Moves like Flare Blitz and Knock Off also give it the chance to deal devastating STAB damage.
2 Rillaboom
Rillaboom is also a great starter Pokemon in the competitive scene after being introduced in Sword & Shield. When turned on, it summons Grassy Terrain, which increases Grass moves by 50% and restores its HP every turn. This HP boost makes Rillaboom the perfect choice for an item like the Life Orb, which consumes health for attack boosts.
A move like Grassy Glide, which takes priority in Grassy Terrain, also compensates for Rillaboom’s mediocre speed stats. In addition, a move like Wood Hammer is an option for players who want to give their attacks a little more power in exchange for kickback damage. All in all, most Water-type Pokemon will fall short against Rillaboom in Singles or Doubles.
1 Urshifu Rapid Strike
Any player who completes the Isle of Armor DLC in Sword & Shield gains access to Urshifu, Kubfu’s legendary evolution. When evolving Kubfu, players have the choice of getting either Rapid-Strike Urshifu or Single-Strike Urshifu, which vary in types (Fighting/Water and Fighting/Dark, respectively). However, only one of these forms is a competitive beast.
That form would be the Fighting/Water-type Rapid-Strike Urshifu. It features 130 Attack, as well as 100 HP and 100 Defense, but that’s not the best part. Urshifu’s Ability, Unseen Fist, causes all moves to contact through protection, rendering moves like Protect or Baneful Bunker useless. Rapid-Strike Urshifu, simply put, is a go-to wallbreaker.
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