Violet bring a new batch of strong offensive Pokémon to the table, helping to fill out a diverse roster for the ninth generation of Pokémon games. The best offensive Pokémon can be key for fighting difficult trainers or Gym Leaders, allowing players to take down threatening foes before things can get hairy. Understanding which Pokémon will excel offensively is a key part of the competitive meta, but it's also important for fans just looking to make the most of their story-focused team.
There are plenty of Pokémon in Scarlet and Violet that excel in their Physical Attack stats, with various options including Legendary creatures, the Paradox species, and more conventional types found in the wild. From Scarlet's mascot Legendary Koraidon to the Violet-exclusive Paldean Pokémon Ceruledge, every trainer should be able to find an excellent offensive Pokémon that checks the boxes in both efficacy and appeal. Players are certain to stumble upon creatures with great attack performance when exploring the open-world region of Paldea, but knowing which ones to be on the lookout for can make the search easier.
12 Ceruledge - 125
Revealed in one of the earlier promotional trailers for Scarlet and Violet, the dual Fire/Ghost-type Ceruledge is the counterpart to the former game's Fire/Psychic-type Armarouge. Where Armarouge specializes in Special Attack, Ceruledge does so in Physical Attack with an impressive 125.
It's an interesting type combination, and the more recent mainline Pokémon games have done well to give both Fire and Ghost some Physical Attack-focused moves. Attacks like Bitter Blade and Shadow Claw are the offensive bread and butter for Ceruledge, with Flare Blitz and Phantom Force providing great picks for when it wants to go nuclear on the opposition. Likewise, Swords Dance is an excellent move to raise its Attack even higher.
11 Brute Bonnet - 127
Brute Bonnet is a new Paradox Pokémon species of Paldea, a mysterious new type of creature akin to Alola's Ultra Beasts. This specific species is an ancient relative of Unova's Amoonguss, and it takes on the dual Grass/Dark-type. The Paradox Pokémon are all heavy hitters in their own right, so it's no surprise that Brute Bonnet has an excellent 127 in Attack.
Grass moves are known to be more Special focused, but through TMs, Brute Bonnet has access to strong Physical Grass attacks like Seed Bomb. Things are more versatile on the Dark side, with moves like Payback, Sucker Punch, Crunch, and more. It's well worth learning how to catch Brute Bonnet, as its potential in battle is backed up by solid coverage moves to compensate for its weaknesses.
10 Chien-Pao - 130
As a legendary Pokémon with an offensive focus, it's no surprise that Chien-Pao boasts one of the strongest physical attack stats in Scarlet and Violet with a score of 130. As one of the four Treasures of Ruin, players will only acquire Chien-Pao through fulfilling some late-game hunting.
Chien-Pao's offensive capabilities are backed up by a high base speed that makes its powerful attacks come fast and furious. The signature ability Sword of Ruin decreases the defense stats of all other Pokémon on the field, meaning that using Chien-Pao in a team will require strategic pairing with some Pokémon that can take hits.
9 Great Tusk - 131
Taking a new spin on the Johto region's Donphan, Great Tusk is an ancient relative that adds the Fighting-type alongside the former's Ground. It's an overall physically imposing type combination, with its daunting 131 in Attack more than complementing its intimidation factor.
As long-time fans would expect, Ground Pokémon attacks like the ever-reliable Earthquake will pack a great punch, as well as the go-to Gen 4 Fighting move Close Combat. Its coverage is solid as well, with other attacks from Steel, Rock, and even more elemental types like Fire, Ice, Electric, Psychic, and more. Great Tusk makes for an undeniably versatile physical threat for players to use.
8 Iron Thorns - 134
Going even further up the Physical Attack ladder with the Paradox Pokémon is Iron Thorns. The Violet-exclusive beast takes a futuristic Mecha-Godzilla-like twist on Johto's resident pseudo-Legendary, Tyranitar. Iron Thorns drops its predecessor's secondary Dark-type and adopts the Electric-type instead.
As expected, the same Rock moves that Tyranitar benefited from do the same for Iron Thorns' 134 Attack, like Rock Slide and Stone Edge, while Electric moves like Thunder Fang/Punch and Wild Charge suit its secondary type. Iron Thorns enjoys access to good coverage as well, ranging from the Attack/Speed-boosting Dragon Dance, Ground, Steel, and more alternative attacks.
7 Kingambit - 135
Outside the Paradox or Legendary species, Kingambit is one of the strongest dual-type Pokémon in Scarlet and Violet. Kingambit is the evolution of Unova's Bisharp – which evolves from Pawniard – and it bolsters what already made the Unovan creature powerful. On top of its impressive 135 Attack stat, Kingambit serves as a fantastic physical wall thanks to its HP and Physical Defense.
As if that wasn't enough to make it a threat in battle, the Supreme Overlord ability raises its Attack depending on how many opponents it defeats. Pair that with attacks like Sucker Punch, Night Slash, and Iron Head, and players have a Pokémon that's not to be taken lightly.
6 Slither Wing - 135
Kingambit is one of three Paldean Pokémon that have a 135 Physical Attack, with Slither Wing being the one on the Paradox side. Slither Wing is an ancient take on Volcarona, one of the most proficient Bug-type Pokémon in the series.
As opposed to its modern relative, Slither Wing uses Fighting-type as its secondary. In addition to having the likes of First Impression, Superpower, Close Combat, and Leech Life for damage and health restoration, using Sunny Day with its Protosynthesis ability will bolster its Attack even higher.
5 Koraidon - 135
Since Violet's Miraidon leans on a Special Attack stat at 135, it's only natural that Scarlet's Koraidon acts as its parallel with 135 Physical Attack. The dual Fighting/Dragon-type Legendary possesses a typically unused Pokémon type combination, with Alola's Kommo-o line being the only other Dragon family to share it.
Koraidon's Attack equals its Speed stat, with defenses to ensure that it's a sturdy opponent in battle. Attacks like Dragon Claw and Outrage are excellent on the Dragon front, and perhaps even more lethal than Close Combat is its access to the new Fighting move Collision Course – which deals 30 percent more damage if it's super effective.
4 Roaring Moon - 139
On the opposite side of Iron Thorns, Roaring Moon does an ancient take on Salamence. This Paradox Pokémon is a dual Dragon/Dark-type instead of its Hoenn counterpart's Dragon/Flying, making for a rare type combination only otherwise seen with the Hydreigon line and the Ultra Beast creature Guzzlord.
Weighing in at a hefty 139 Physical Attack, Roaring Moon is also an incredibly well-rounded Pokémon when it comes to stats that take full advantage of attacks like Outrage, Dragon Claw, Throat Chop, Crunch, and more. That's also in addition to the Protosynthesis ability that all ancient Paradox Pokémon get, making Roaring Moon a potential power player.
3 Iron Hands - 140
Pokémon Violet has the right to say it has the most formidable Paradox creature when it comes to its raw Physical Attack stat. The futuristic species Iron Hands takes inspiration from the Hoenn-native Hariyama, this time as a dual Fighting/Electric-type.
Standing at 140, Iron Hands is capable of dealing serious damage with attacks like Close Combat and Wild Charge in its movepool, not to mention the Quark Drive ability the future Paradoxes get and the solid coverage options available. Should players feel particularly bold, Belly Drum can be used to halve Iron Hands' HP in return for raising its Attack by a whopping six stages.
