In a Pokemon battle, some of the most intimidating opponents have always been the physical powerhouses. Pokemon with high Attack tend to be large, imposing creatures, and this trend continues in the Paldea region.
Not all Pokemon are created equal, and some hit harder than others. Luckily, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet has enough variety that you can make a diverse team with good coverage and high Attack quite easily. Measures such as the Burn status effect (which halves Attack) and Intimidate Ability are frequently used to try and mitigate the impact of potent physical threats, but they remain as popular as ever. If you're in search of the strongest party members to fill out your roster, we've ranked the Pokemon with the highest base Attack stats in the game.
10 Iron Thorns: 134 Base Attack
One of the new Paradox forms introduced with Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, Iron Thorns, is the futuristic version of Tyranitar. True to its origin, Iron Thorns retains the extremely high base Attack stat of its regular form.
A typing of Rock/Electric holds this beast back somewhat, making it 4x weak to Ground-Type moves. However, it has decent Defense to help offset that glaring weakness. The Ability Quark Drive allows Iron Thorns to almost always be at +1 Attack when switched in. This Ability, shared with all Future Pokemon, increases its highest stat on switch-in if it has a Booster Energy or Electric Terrain is currently active.
9 Kingambit: 135 Base Attack
A highly requested evolution to an existing favorite, Kingambit does not disappoint. Nearing Pseudo Legendary status, with impressive stats that boast not only an extremely high Attack and good defenses but solid HP as well, Kingambit is a shining example of the fact that Game Freak is not letting old Pokemon get power crept.
Kingambit also has a decent movepool, with access to a nice range of moves and a signature move of its own: Kowtow Cleave. The only caveat to consider if you plan to keep Kingambit on your team is its 4x weakness to Fighting-type moves. A resistance or Ghost-type immunity to switch into will be vital to Kingambit's success.
8 Slither Wing: 135 Base Attack
One of the two Paradox forms introduced for Volcarona, Slither Wing leans towards an extremely high Attack stat instead of Special Attack. Both Volcarona and Iron Moth have an extremely high special attack, and their movepool reflects that.
Slither Wing, meanwhile, gets access to some incredible moves that are more suited to its Bug/Fighting nature. Both First Impression and Lunge are really good physical Bug-type moves that Slither Wing learns by level-up. Lunge has the added benefit of always reducing the Attack stat of the opposing Pokemon if it lands, which can be devastating against physical sweepers.
7 Koraidon: 135 Base Attack
The star of the show in Pokemon Scarlet, Koraidon is undoubtedly one of the strongest Pokemon in the Paldea region. Its fantastic stat spread (135 Atk, 135 Speed, 100 HP, 115 Def, 100 Sp. Def) makes this Pokemon incredibly versatile.
Its ability Orichalcum Pulse serves as a free Sunny Day, setting up the sun and increasing its Attack stat by one stage. Combined with its signature move, Collision Course, which has a base power and accuracy of 100/100, Koraidon is a force of nature on the battlefield. The only thing that might be able to put a stop to this rampaging dragon is a strong Fairy-type Pokemon, owing to its 4x weakness to the typing.
6 Roaring Moon: 139 Base Attack
Roaring Moon is the ancient form of Salamence that heavily resembles its Mega evolution from previous games. Its Dragon/Dark typing is not ideal because of its 4x weakness to Fairy, but Roaring Moon makes it work. It has access to some incredible Dragon-type moves, and a high base Attack and Speed that enables it to take down most threats before its weakness becomes an issue.
Dragon Rush, Jaw Lock, and Dragon Dance all ensure that your Roaring Moon has plenty of flexibility in its build. Protosynthesis raises its highest stat, usually Attack, by one stage if holding Booster Energy or under harsh sunlight. Roaring Moon is a good companion Pokemon to Koraidon, since it benefits greatly from the Harsh Sunlight field effect Koraidon automatically sets. It's even more important to be able to comfortably check Fairy Pokemon elsewhere if you have these two powerhouses in your party.
5 Iron Hands: 140 Base Attack
The Hariyama of the future, Iron Hands, is no slouch when it comes to striking down its opponents with powerful blows. This robotic sumo wrestler can throw down with the best of them, with its terrific Fighting/Electric typing that has no glaring 4x weaknesses for opponents to take advantage of.
Iron Hands also has high HP, turning the Pokemon into a sponge that shrugs off attacks easily. If that wasn't enough, it has access to both Belly Drum and Drain Punch, which, when used in succession, can turn Iron Hands into the scariest physical sweepers to face in the game. Its low Speed and Special Defense, however, can be taken advantage of.
4 Baxcalibur: 145 Base Attack
Every region must have its very own Pseudo Legendary Pokemon, and Baxcalibur fills the role for Paldea. Having one of the most unusual typings in the game, Dragon/Ice, Baxcalibar is not afraid of Ice attacks as most Dragons are.
This unique Pokemon also learns an Ice-type priority move, Ice Shard, by level up. This helps to counteract its below-average Speed, so Baxcalibur can potentially score two-hit KOs on opponents without taking two turns of damage. It also learns Glaive Rush, a Dragon-type move with an incredible 120/100 damage/accuracy split. The only caveat is that it causes the next opposing move to do double damage, so it must be used with care. It will devastate foes that don't resist it, however, thanks to this Pokemon's tremendous physical power.
3 Haxorus: 147 Base Attack
A throwback to Generation 5, Haxorus is available through high-level Tera Raids in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet. Unfortunately, this means that you'll probably not see the hide or hair of this Pokemon until you're fairly far along in your adventure in Paldea.
Haxorus tends to be rather underestimated, and many fans don't know its base Attack is as high as it is. Its pure Dragon typing means it's not 4x weak to anything, and as long as there isn't a Fairy or Ice-type Pokemon on the field, it's safe to switch in. If it's able to set up a Dragon Dance or two, it can circumvent its rather average Speed and become all but impossible to stop.
2 Palafin (Hero Form): 160 Base Attack
A one-of-a-kind Pokemon introduced in Scarlet and Violet, Palafin is a strange one. Its ability, Zero to Hero, works when you switch Palafin out and then switch it back in again. The first iteration of Palafin appears in his Zero-Form, which has fairly below-average stats, but when switched in after being switched out, Palafin transforms into its Hero form, which has an absurd stat total of 650.
As a bonus, Palafin can access Flip Turn, the Water-type version of U-Turn. This makes switching out a natural part of its movepool and makes getting to Hero Form easier. It also gets access to Jet Punch, a priority Water-type move stronger than Aqua Jet. If you haven't already, evolve Finizen into Palafin the first opportunity you get.
1 Slaking: 160 Base Attack
Slaking is every bit as powerful as Palafin. In fact, with an even-higher 670 base stat total, the bored ape is one of the scariest Pokemon in the game. The only thing that holds its back from absolute dominance is its awful Ability, Truant.
Truant forces Slaking to loaf around every second turn, as though it had used a recharge move. Without Truant, Slaking would be a contender for the strongest Pokemon of all time. If you manage to stumble on it in a Randomizer run (where every Ability and encounter is randomized), you might experience the full power of its stats. Some users like to experiment with Ability-switching strategies in doubles matches, but the setup required makes this unreliable.