Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are finally here to usher in the ninth generation of the franchise, and with them bring a new batch of strong offensive species. This will prove to be the next shakeup for the competitive meta but, even so, will be important for fans just looking to make the most of their story-focused team.
There are plenty of new Pokémon that excel in their Physical Attack stats, ranging from Legendary creatures, the Paradox species, as well as more conventional types found in the wild. These include Scarlet's mascot Legendary Koraidon to the Violet-exclusive Ceruledge.
10 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. And 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 will be the offensive bread and butter for Ceruledge, and Flare Blitz and Phantom Force for when it wants to go nuclear on the opposition. Likewise, Swords Dance will be excellent to raise its Attack even higher.
9 Brute Bonnet - 127
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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 Amoongus, 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. Just as well, it has solid coverage moves to compensate for its weaknesses.
8 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 it.
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 will surely be a versatile physical threat for players to use.
7 Iron Thorns - 134
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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 will do the same for Iron Thorns' 134 Attack, like Rock Slide and Stone Edge, while Electric moves like Thunder Fang/Punch and Wild Charge will 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.
6 Kingambit - 135
Outside of the Paradox or Legendary species, Kingambit is one of the strongest dual-type Pokémon in Scarlet and Violet. It 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.
5 Slither Wing - 135
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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 takes 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 the 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.
4 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 rare Type combo, with Alola's Kommo-o line being the only other Dragon family with 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.
3 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.
2 Iron Hands - 140
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Pokémon Violet has the right to say it has the most formidable Paradox creature when it comes to raw its 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.
1 Baxcalibur - 145
Being the Paldea region's Pseudo-Legendary Pokémon line, Baxcalibur was always going to be a powerful species whether it was in Physical or Special Attack. This dual Dragon/Ice-Type creature holds the highest Physical Attack in the games, standing at an astonishing 145.
It's an intriguing Type combination since species with the Ice-Type are typically known for being physically frail, but Baxcalibur certainly makes it work. It helps neutralize the Dragon typing's usual Ice weakness while enjoying access to attacks like Ice Fang, Dragon Claw, and Icicle Crash. And if players are feeling like taking the risk, Baxcalibur can also use the devastating new Glaive Rush attack.
Source:gamerant.com