8 best natures in Pokemon

Natures for Pokemon may be a pain to memorize, but fortunately, there are only really eight useful ones to keep in mind.

The way natures affect Pokemon is that, depending on which one they have, one stat is lowered while another gets raised. This change can significantly affect what stats a Pokemon ends up getting. For example, using a Tyranitar with a nature that reduces Attack could be detrimental to it.

The issue with natures is that there are 25 of them, and they’re confusing to try and keep track of. It doesn’t have to be that confusing, though. These eight natures are the only ones trainers should worry about.

Note: This article is subjective and reflects the writer’s opinions.

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Top eight Pokemon natures

#1 - Careful

Special Defense up, Special Attack down (Image via Game Freak)

This nature raises Special Defense while lowering Special Attack. It is perfect for bulky attackers that want to take Special Attacks well.

A great example of a Pokemon that could use this nature is Corviknight. It can run Bulk Up, so it doesn’t always need high Defense. It would appreciate high Special Defense more.

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#2 - Calm

More Special Defense but Attack goes down (Image via Game Freak)

This works the same way as Careful, except it lowers Attack. It tends to be more useful, as most Pokemon with high Special Defense (Goodra, Heatran, Slowking) use Special Attacks more often.

Many Pokemon who benefit from a Calm nature tend to run more defensive moves but can have one strong attack to still do damage. An example of a Pokemon that does well with Calm would be Hatterene.

Its Special Defense (base 103) is so high that it can take many Special Attacks and set up Calm Mind to use boosted moves afterward.

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#3 - Bold

Giving high Defense Pokemon more Defense (Image via The Pokemon Company)

This nature raises Defense but lowers Attack. Bold is great for Pokemon that have high Defense but don’t need to use strong attacks. Take, for instance, Toxapex. This Pokemon really doesn’t need to attack: it can Toxic most of its opponents and Recover back all the damage it takes.

However, it would still like a move slot for something like Scald that can get damage off while potentially burning the opponent.

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#4 - Impish

A shot in the arm for Defense, but Special Attack stats go down (Image via The Pokemon Company)

This works similarly to Bold, except it lowers Special Attack. It is typically a good nature for the physical tanks in the game: Skarmory, Bronzong, and Pokemon of the like all benefit from Impish.

Looking at Skarmory, it can live forever unless it faces a special attacker. Impish will allow it to take physical attacks while responding with Brave Birds and Iron Heads.

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#5 - Modest

Boosting the power of strong special attackers (Image via Game Freak)

This nature raises Special Attack but lowers Physical Attack. It will boost the power of strong special attackers like Alakazam and Gengar. Some Pokemon who aren’t the fastest like having Modest so they can punish slower, defensive Pokemon.

For example, Toxtricity can’t outspeed much. With Overdrive and Boomburst, though, it does ridiculous damage to whoever it attacks. It might be better to run Modest to ensure it can beat specially defensive Pokemon.

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#6 - Adamant

Rasising Special Attack for physical attackers (Image via The Pokemon Company)

This is basically Modest for physical attackers (there is definitely a pattern with these). Pokemon that like Adamant are either really fast when they don’t need extra speed or so slow it doesn’t matter. An example of a great Pokemon with Adamant is Dragon Dance Dragapult.

This Pokemon is so fast; after a Dragon Dance, it outspeeds the entire Galar Pokedex. Having Adamant on this Pokemon ensures that it will get KO’s with ultra-strong Dragon Darts and Phantom Forces.

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#7 - Timid

Increasing speed for Pokemon that hit hard (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Timid raises Speed and lowers Attack. It is the ideal nature for Pokemon that hit hard on the special side and need to be as fast as possible so that it moves first.

A prime example of a Pokemon that does great with Timid is Latios. With a base 130 Special Attack, no Pokemon will be able to survive a Draco Meteor outside of Fairy-types. It’s much better, then, to invest in Speed so that Latios can KO the faster Pokemon in the game.

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#8 - Jolly

Pokemon’s physical powerhouses attain high speed (Image via Game Freak)

This is essentially Timid but for physical attackers. By lowering Special Attack, it allows the game’s physical powerhouses to get to high speed and annihilate opposing Pokemon.

The prime candidate for Jolly would be Dracovish. If Fishious Rend moves first, it gets its damage output doubled. This becomes pretty much a one-hit KO button. To get the most out of the move, it’s crucial to have Dracovish as fast as possible.