(Game Freak / Adam Watkins)
My name is Adam Watkins. I am an English Literature and Media major who absolutely loves video games. Some of my favorites are Super Mario Bros. 3,... Read more
Reviewed by Benjamin Barr
Psychic-types are some of the most popular types in all of Pokémon. Notable for their crazy brokenness in Generation 1, the psychic-typing has never really lost that powerhouse status. When it comes to special attackers few types match up, and that’s why we here at High Ground Gaming have put together a list of the six best psychic types available in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet’s base game.
Ranking from Good to Best Psychic Pokémon in Scarlet and Violet
Even though our first Pokémon on this list is technically #6, they are relatively strong compared to other psychic Pokémon in Scarlet and Violet. Below, we’ve got the best of the best.
This list will not include legendary Pokémon because they are in a whole class of their own.
Hypno
Hypno is a pure Psychic-type Pokémon which means it has weaknesses to Bug, Dark, and Ghost-type attack moves. In contrast, it has resistance to Fighting and Psychic-type moves. These weaknesses aren’t that bad compared to most other types. Bug is a relatively uncommon competitive type, as is the Ghost-typing with only a few exceptions. The only type trainers should really keep an eye out for is the Dark-typing.
Pretty much all of Hypno’s abilities are inconsequential. Its first ability is Insomnia, which prevents the user from falling asleep. Forewarn is its second ability and it reveals the opponent’s strongest move which can actually be pretty useful. Hypno’s hidden ability is Inner Focus, which ensures that Hypno can’t flinch from moves that may cause their targets to flinch.
Hypno has a base stat total of 483. Special Defense is Hypno’s highest stat, providing it with good resistance to special attacks. Its HP stat is also pretty good at 85 and both of its attack stats sit comfortably at 73. Hypno’s biggest weakness is its speed stat which clocks in at 67, not terrible but not great either. Consider running it on a Trick Room team.
When it comes to Hypno’s competitive move sets, one might consider running Psychic, Disable, Focus Blast, and either Nasty Plot or Dazzling Gleam. Hypno also has access to some pretty powerful utility moves like the previously mentioned Trick Room, Calm Mind, Thunder Wave, and the often slept-on Encore. Hypno is by no means the best Pyschic-type when it comes to offense or utility. But it can do a bit of both and that is definitely worth noting.
Medicham
Medicham is a Fighting/Psychic-type Pokémon. This type combination makes it susceptible to Flying, Ghost, and Fairy-type attacks. However, it resists Rock and Fighting-type attack moves. The fighting type may give Medicham a new weakness to Flying and Fairy but it also removes the traditional Psychic-type weaknesses to Bug and Dark-type attacks.
Medicham’s standout ability is Pure Power and if we are being honest it’s probably the only ability worth running on Medicham. Pure Power doubles its user’s attack stat. This allows Medicham to increase its base stat total from 410 to 470, since its Attack stat effectively increases from 60 to 120. This increase makes Medicham a very intimidating physical attacker. Medicham will need some assistance when it comes to its speed and defense stats so keep that in mind when putting this Pokémon on a team.
Some of the best competitive moves for Medicham include High Jump Kick, Zen Headbutt/Psycho Cut, Ice Punch/Thunder Punch, or Fake Out. Drain Punch is also a great option for keeping Medicham in the fight longer. Medicham also has access to Trick Room, which will help with its low-speed stat.
Espeon
Espeon is another pure Psychic-type which means it has a weakness to Bug, Dark, and Ghost-type moves. Its resistances are also the same as any other pure Psychic-type Pokémon, granting it 1/2x resistances to Fighting and Psychic-type moves.
Espeon’s first ability is Synchronize which allows the user to reflect status conditions back on opposing Pokémon the turn they are inflected with them. Espeon’s more useful ability is its hidden ability Magic Bounce. This ability reflects all status moves targeted at the user back at the opposing Pokémon. This can be really strong when timed right and can absolutely devastate an opponent’s Pokémon if hit with the right status move.
Espeon has a base stat total of 525. It’s best stat is its special attack stat which clocks in at a massive base value of 130. Its speed stat is nothing to sneeze at either, coming in at 110. Espeon’s lowest stats are its defense at 60 and its HP and attack stats, both of which have a base value of 65.
When it comes to offensive moves, Psychic, Psyshock, Dazzling Gleam, and Shadow Ball are Espeons best options. Its best utility moves are Calm Mind, Morning Sun, Thunder Wave, and Yawn. There are many situations where one could easily put Espeon at the top of this list, but the remaining Pokémon bring a lot to the table in their own right.
Gothitelle
Gothitelle is a pure Psychic-type Pokémon. It shares the same vulnerabilities as the other pure Psychic-types on this list, having a weakness to Bug, Dark, and Ghost-type Pokémon attacks. It resists Fighting and Psychic-type moves.
Gothitelle’s first ability is Frisk, which reveals the opponent’s held item when the user enters battle. This ability is great for scouting your opponent’s Pokémon and formulating a plan to deal with it. Gothitelle’s second ability is Competitive, which boosts the user’s special attack stat whenever one of its stats gets lowered. This ability is legitimately one of the best in the game, especially for competitive play. There are a lot of competitive teams that make use of Intimidate Pokémon and this ability allows you to turn that minus one to your attack into a plus two to your special attack. This can turn the user into an absolute monster offensively so it’s good to keep in mind.
Gothitelle’s hidden ability is Shadow Tag, and it can be incredibly strong. This ability prevents the opponent’s Pokémon from switching out. This provides an incredible strategic advantage since a big part of competitive play is switching at the right moment. This ability denies your opponent of that option and allows you to capitalize accordingly.
Special Defense is Gothitelle’s highest stat at 110, followed closely behind by its physical defense and special attack stats which both clock in at 95. Gothitelle’s lowest stat is its physical attack stat which is fine considering most of the best Psychic-type moves are special attacking moves. Unfortunately, Gothitelle has a fairly low-speed stat at 65. This does make it pretty good on Trick Room teams, and it does have access to Trick Room so that might be worth considering.
When choosing moves for Gothitelle in competitive play, Psychic, Calm Mind, Rest, and either Taunt or Trick Room are recommended. Magic Room and Thunder Wave are also great choices. Magic Room removes the effects of held items for five true on all Pokémon. This move can absolutely cripple some competitive teams. Thunder Wave is a great option if you don’t want to fully commit to a Trick Room team, but also want to control your opponent’s speed. In general, Gothitelle can be a bit tricky to use but under the right circumstances, it can be a very powerful addition to your team.
Scream Tail
Scream Tail is a Fairy/Psychic-type Pokémon with a base stat total of 570. It’s only weak to Poison, Ghost, and Steel-type Pokémon. It has an immunity to Dragon-types thanks to its Fairy typing, a 1/4x resistance to Fighting-types, and a 1/2x resistance to Psychic-types.
Scream Tail’s only ability is Protosynthesis. This ability raises the user’s highest stat by one stage while they are holding a Booster Energy item or while in harsh sunlight. This ability is probably best used to boost Scream Tail’s speed stat.
Scream Tail’s best stats are its HP, speed, special defense, and defense stat. Both its HP and special defense stats are 115, its speed stat is 111, and its defense stat is 99. Scream Tail’s lowest stats are it two attack stats which are both 65. The general idea behind Scream Tail’s stat spread is for you to use it as a bulky support Pokémon in double battles.
Scream Tail’s battle strategy mostly revolves around its survivability and vast array of support-based moves. Scream Tail can learn all of the weather setup moves, so it fits in on any weather team as a backup weather generator. It has access to both Light Screen and Reflect, so it can help its team if they have love physical or special defense stats. It also has access to healing moves like Wish which will restore quite a bit of health to itself or an ally thanks to its naturally high HP stat.
Finally, it has access to Thunder Wave to help control the speed of enemy Pokémon. Scream Tail isn’t completely useless offensively since it has access to moves like Play Rough and Psychic Fangs. Still, offense probably shouldn’t be your first option for this Pokémon. When it comes to support roles Scream Tail is one of the best, but that also prevents it from being number one since it can’t really close out games on its own and its uses are much more limited in one-on-one battles.
Gardevoir
Gardevoir is a dual-type Pokémon with the same typings as Scream Tail, those being Psychic and Fairy-types. This duel-typing makes Gardevoir vulnerable to Poison, Ghost, and Steel-type moves., it resists Psychic and Fighting-type moves and is completely immune to Dragon-type attacks.
Gardevoir can possess one of three abilities. The first is Synchronize, which allows it to pass on status conditions like paralysis, burn, or poison to its opponent whenever it first gets affected by them. Trace is Gardevoir’s second ability, it lets the user copy the opponent’s ability. Trace can be really strong for a similar reason to why competitive is a strong ability. Intimidate is a really common ability and Trace allows you to reverse the effect back on your opponent.
Finally, we have Gardevoir’s hidden ability, Telepathy. This ability prevents the user from taking damage from teammates in double or multi-way battles. This ability is only really viable in competitive PvP since that is the only format strictly built for 2-v-2 double battles. Considering the fact that some of the best moves in double battles are moves that hit multiple Pokémon, this ability can really come in handy depending on your team composition.
Gardevoir’s has a base stat total of 518. Its best stat is its special attack stat at 125, followed closely by its special defense stat which is 115. Gardevoir’s lowest stat is its attack and defense stats at 65. This Pokémon is more of a glass cannon when it comes to stats but it makes up for that with its few weaknesses and strong offensive typing.
When picking Gardevoir’s moves for competitive play, Moonblast, Psychic, Focus Blast, Thunderbolt, or Shadow Ball are some of the absolute best offensive options available to it. Calm Mind is an excellent setup move for Gardevoir and it even learns Thunder Wave for speed control, and Will-O-Wisp for attack control. Gardevoir is our number one pick because it can be both a strong offensive threat and a powerful support Pokémon at the same time.
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That wraps up our Psychic-type list. What are your picks for best/favorite Psychic-types? Are you looking for more Pokémon guides? Consider signing up for our newsletter today and join the high ground!
Happy Gaming!
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