Pokemon Natures: All 25 Explained

Adamant is the gold standard for physical attackers. By boosting Attack 10% while reducing Special Attack (a stat physical-only Pokemon never use), Adamant delivers the highest possible physical damage output with zero competitive cost. It's ideal for slow, hard-hitting Pokemon like Dragonite, Garchomp (on Dragon Dance sets), Scizor, Machamp, and countless wallbreakers. If your physical attacker needs to move first, consider Jolly instead, but if it's slow enough that speed doesn't matter, Adamant maximizes every hit.

Modest is the Adamant equivalent for special attackers, maximum Sp. Attack with no meaningful downside for Pokemon that only use special moves. Reducing Attack costs nothing for a pure special attacker, making Modest strictly better than any neutral nature for this role. Modest suits slower special sweepers and wallbreakers: Magnezone, Reuniclus, Chandelure, Blissey (for Seismic Toss builds), Volcarona, and Iron Moth are textbook Modest users. The choice between Modest and Timid comes down to whether outspeeding key threats matters more than squeezing extra damage.

Jolly is the physical attacker's speed nature, boosting Speed while reducing the unused Special Attack. Use Jolly over Adamant when a few extra Speed points let you outspeed a key threat in your tier. Classic Jolly users include Garchomp (to outspeed base 100s after a Speed boost), Dracovish (for Fishious Rend priority), Lucario, and most priority-move users that still need speed for non-priority turns. Jolly trades a small amount of damage for the ability to move first. Worth it when the Speed tier matters; less so when the Pokemon is already slow enough that Adamant doesn't help either.

Timid is the special attacker's speed nature, the Jolly equivalent for special-move users. Reducing Attack costs nothing for Pokemon that only use special moves, making Timid a pure speed upgrade over Modest. Timid is preferred when a Pokemon needs to outspeed a specific threat: Iron Moth and Walking Wake need Timid to outspeed scarfed Dragapult; Gengar needs Timid to outspeed other base 110s; Alakazam needs Timid to not tie with other 120-speed threats. If your special attacker is already slower than its key threats regardless of nature, Modest is usually better.

Calm is the best nature for special walls and specially-defensive support Pokemon that carry no physical moves. Reducing Attack costs nothing for a Pokemon whose moveset is all special moves or status, making Calm strictly better than any neutral nature for that role. Blissey and Chansey are the definitive Calm users, their entire purpose is soaking special hits and recovering. Clefable, Togekiss, and Florges are other premier Calm candidates. The competing nature is Careful (+Sp. Def / −Sp. Atk), better when a Pokemon needs to keep its physical Attack for coverage moves. If the moveset has no physical moves at all, Calm is the correct choice.

Bold is the go-to nature for physically defensive walls and support Pokemon that carry no physical attack moves. Boosting Defense while reducing the unused Attack costs nothing for a Pokemon whose entire moveset is special moves or status. Physically defensive Clefable, Vaporeon, Quagsire, Tangrowth, and Slowbro are classic Bold users. The distinction from Impish: Bold suits Pokemon running zero physical moves (so the Attack reduction is truly free), while Impish suits defensive Pokemon that also carry at least one physical move like Knock Off or Earthquake.

Impish boosts Defense while reducing Sp. Attack, the right choice for physically defensive Pokemon that also use at least one physical move (Knock Off, Earthquake, Body Press, U-turn, etc.). Because the Pokemon uses physical attacks, reducing Sp. Attack is free. Corviknight, Skarmory, Ferrothorn, and Hippowdon are textbook Impish users, all run physical moves alongside their defensive sets. If a defensive Pokemon uses zero physical moves, Bold (which reduces Attack instead) is preferable since Attack becomes the unused stat.

Careful boosts Sp. Defense while reducing the unused Sp. Attack, perfect for physically-offensive Pokemon that also want mixed bulk against special attacks. Snorlax is the quintessential Careful user: it primarily uses physical or status moves and wants maximum special bulk. Umbreon, Tyranitar (on specially bulky sets), and Mandibuzz are other common Careful users. The choice between Careful and Calm hinges on whether the Pokemon needs a physical attack in its moveset, if yes, Careful; if it only uses special moves or status, Calm.

Brave maximizes Attack while minimising Speed, the definitive Trick Room physical attacker nature. Under Trick Room (where slowest moves first), lower Speed is an advantage. Brave users include Hariyama, Marowak (Alolan), Conkeldurr, and slow powerhouses that specifically target Trick Room teams. Outside of Trick Room, Brave is rarely optimal since Speed is almost never a liability you want to worsen on purpose.

Quiet is the Brave equivalent for special attackers, maximising Sp. Attack while reducing Speed for Trick Room viability. Reuniclus (which sets its own Trick Room), Slowking-Galar, and Hatterene are classic Quiet users. Outside Trick Room, Modest is strictly better. Quiet is only worthwhile if your team is explicitly built around Trick Room and needs the Pokemon to move after the Room-setter.

Relaxed boosts Defense and lowers Speed, used on defensive Trick Room setters and very slow physical tanks. Bronzong (a renowned Trick Room setter) is the textbook Relaxed user. Steelix and Ferrothorn sometimes run Relaxed on dedicated Trick Room teams. Outside of that niche, Impish or Bold are almost always preferred for defensive Pokemon since their Speed reduction is a drawback.

Sassy boosts Sp. Defense and reduces Speed, best on slow, specially-bulky Trick Room Pokemon. Celesteela, Bronzong (specially bulky sets), and Stakataka occasionally use Sassy. Outside Trick Room, Calm is almost always better since Speed reduction is a downside. Sassy sees occasional use on very slow dedicated special walls that happen to want the lowest possible Speed for specific situations.

Hasty boosts Speed and reduces Defense, used mainly on mixed attackers that need both speed and physical coverage. Infernape running both Close Combat and Flamethrower/Overheat sometimes uses Hasty to avoid reducing either Attack or Sp. Attack. In most cases, Jolly or Timid is preferred depending on the primary damage type, but Hasty suits true mixed sets that need the Speed.

Naive is Hasty's counterpart, Speed boost with Sp. Defense reduction instead of Defense. Used on mixed attackers where neither physical moves nor special moves can be sacrificed, but a defensive stat can afford to drop. Rarely chosen over Hasty unless the Pokemon specifically needs its Defense for surviving priority moves or physical hits. Often seen on mixed Dragonite, Kyurem, and certain legendary mixed sets.

Lonely boosts Attack and reduces Defense, occasionally used on mixed physical attackers where Sp. Attack can't be sacrificed (because the Pokemon also uses special moves). Mostly outclassed by Adamant for pure physical attackers, but has a niche on mixed sets. Not recommended for defensive Pokemon under any circumstances.

Naughty boosts Attack and reduces Sp. Defense, a compromise nature for mixed attackers where both Attack and Sp. Attack are needed but bulk on the special side can be sacrificed. Rarely seen in standard competitive play. Some mixed wallbreakers in lower tiers use Naughty when they need to keep Sp. Attack for coverage but their primary damage source is physical.

Mild boosts Sp. Attack and reduces Defense, a glass cannon nature for mixed special attackers that still need their physical Attack intact. Used on special sweepers where losing Sp. Attack would hurt (so Modest isn't viable) but Defense is expendable. Mixed Infernape, Genesect, and special Garchomp sets occasionally run Mild.

Rash boosts Sp. Attack and reduces Sp. Defense. Rarely seen outside niche applications where a Pokemon needs its physical Attack intact but also wants maximum special power. The Sp. Defense reduction is painful for a sweeper as it increases susceptibility to revenge killing. Occasionally used on mixed sweepers in lower tiers.

Gentle boosts Sp. Defense but reduces Defense, a problematic combination for walls since it sacrifices physical bulk to gain special bulk. Better alternatives always exist: Calm for special walls (reduces Attack instead), Careful for physical attackers wanting Sp. Defense. Gentle has almost no competitive applications and is generally considered one of the weakest natures for any build.

Lax boosts Defense and reduces Sp. Defense, an awkward combination that improves physical bulk at the cost of special bulk. Rarely useful since a physically defensive Pokemon almost always wants both defensive stats intact. Impish (reduces Sp. Attack) is almost always better for defensive Pokemon. Lax occasionally appears on very niche physical tanks that specifically face all-physical threats in a particular tier.

Hardy is a neutral nature, it technically boosts and reduces Attack simultaneously, cancelling to zero. No competitive benefit over any nature that boosts a useful stat. Acceptable for casual play. Hardy is the "default" nature many players encounter on their first Pokemon.

Docile is a neutral nature that neutrally boosts and reduces Defense, resulting in no change. Like all neutral natures, it provides no stat advantage. Use a Mint to apply a better nature if you catch a Pokemon with Docile that you want to use competitively.

Serious is a neutral nature (self-cancels Speed). Notably, the Serious Mint exists and is used to apply a neutral effect to any Pokemon with a detrimental mint applied, effectively a "reset" mint. Otherwise, Serious is avoided competitively in favour of any nature with a real stat bonus.

Bashful is a neutral nature that self-cancels Sp. Attack. No competitive value, apply a Mint to upgrade to Modest, Timid, or another useful nature for your Pokemon's role.

Quirky is a neutral nature (self-cancels Sp. Defense). The fifth and final neutral nature alongside Hardy, Docile, Serious, and Bashful. No competitive value. Upgrade with a Mint for any serious team-building scenario.