Pokémon Scarlet & Violet: The Best Pokémon (& Moves) To Use For Catching Other Pokemon

A fresh new release to the worldwide phenomenon, Pokémon Scarlet & Violet has the world saying the same thing: “Gotta Catch ‘Em All!” With the vast quantity of Pokémon to catch and limited currency early on in the game, players will need to make the most out of every Poké Ball. By using efficient Pokémon and moves, players will have an advantage when filling out their Pokédex.

Similar to previous games in the franchise, status moves are critical to the catching formula applied when throwing a Poké Ball. The correct statuses increase the catch rate and work as defensive countermeasures should the capture attempt fail. Among the statuses, Sleep and Paralysis are the ones that players should look to inflict to capture a wild Pokémon in Pokémon Scarlet & Violet.

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The Best Pokémon For Completing Pokémon Scarlet & Violet’s Pokédex

Finding the best Pokémon for players to catch wild encounters relies on three general assessment factors. Speed helps minimize damage received by afflicting statuses before the wild Pokémon can attack, Movesets determine what statuses are available to afflict the wild Pokémon with, and how easy and early the partner Pokémon can be obtained indicates how soon the player can acquire this helpful partner for their team. When it comes to Pokémon Scarlet & Violet, there is a clear victor when all three factors are considered. The best Pokémon partner for catching wild Pokémon is the brand-new electric mouse in Pokémon Scarlet & Violet, Pawmi.

One of the first Pokémon Scarlet & Violet players will come across in the Paldea region, Pawmi is the first in a three-part evolutionary line and makes for the perfect companion for players as they start their adventure. The Pokémon has a pretty good speed stat, is available the moment players obtain Poké Balls, and has access to two important moves: Nuzzle and Thunderwave.

Across the Pokémon franchise, Thunderwave, Stun Spore, and Sleep Powder are commonly considered the primary moves used for catching wild Pokémon. Importantly, each of these moves deals no damage to the wild Pokémon while providing a very reliable source of either Paralysis or Sleep, a method that also worked well for catching monsters in Pokémon Legends: Arceus. However, these moves do not have 100% accuracy, which is where Nuzzle comes into play. Nuzzle is a 20 base power, 100% accurate, a physical move that always Paralyzes the target. The low base power means the move is unlikely to one-shot all but the severely under-leveled targets. This also allows the player to reduce some hitpoints and afflict a status, giving the player a numerical advantage in capture rates on turn two compared to the status move equivalent.

Unfortunately, Pawmi’s evolutionary line struggles with applying Paralysis to Electric and Ground-type Pokémon due to their immunity to affliction from Electric-type moves. The best early Grass-type Pokémon to cover this weakness is Hoppip in Pokémon Scarlet & Violet. Hoppip learns both Stun Spore and Sleep Powder, two incredibly powerful status moves for catching Pokémon, and is obtainable very early into the game. However, due to their low accuracy, players should rely on the Electric-type alternatives. Both Pawmi and Hoppip will make for key partners when trying to catch wild Pokémon in the brand-new Pokémon Scarlet & Violet.

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