The art of Pokemon battling is built around two main forms of damage: Physical Attack & Special Attack. Each Pokemon's skill in either of these stats determines what movesets they excel with, or what strategies players should use for them. What separates most special moves from physical moves is their lack of contact with opposing Pokemon.
Over the years, many Pokemon with high Special Attack stats have been favored by competitive players. As with most competitively viable Pokemon, the Speed stat is key, but some slower Pokemon are able to thrive with the use of the move Trick Room. These Special Attackers are some of the strongest in the current competitive meta.
Updated on December 27, 2022, by Blaise Santi: The release of Pokemon Scarlet & Violet for Nintendo Switch has introduced many new special attackers to the competitive meta. Additionally, it’s never been easier for players to boost their Pokemon’s Special Attack stat, by utilizing items like Feathers and Bottle Caps, or by defeating wild Pokemon like Girafarig or Zoroark. Unfortunately, as was made evident in Pokemon Sword & Shield, some Pokemon would be absent from future installments of the series, including some significant entries on this list. Although these three new entries are available in Scarlet & Violet, they’re not all the easiest to obtain either. Nevertheless, it’d be worthwhile to add them to your team if you need a strong Special Attacker.
13 Kilowattrel
In the early days of Pokemon Scarlet & Violet's release, competitive players began to dub Kilowattrel as a replacement for Zapdos, who isn't available in either game yet. The extremely fast Pokemon is Electric/Flying-type, giving it immunity to Electric's one weakness: Ground-types. However, its moveset can also take advantage of its speed.
For instance, the move Electro Ball not only gives Kilowattrel a STAB bonus but also hurts more the slower a Pokemon is. Pairing this with an Electric Tera type would be advantageous, although it would lose the frail Kilowattrel its immunity to Ground-type. Nevertheless, it still may be a great option for players seeking a speedy Electric-type.
12 Gholdengo
Gholdengo has an impressive Special Attack, that's no secret. Its other stats are also fairly decent compared to most Pokemon, but that's not its biggest draw. Its biggest draw isn't even its typing — Steel/Ghost — that makes it immune to three common competitive types. No, players are flocking to Gholdengo due to its signature move: Make It Rain.
The Steel-type Special Attack deals 120 base damage, which has the drawback of lowering the user's Special Attack. Given Gholdengo's stat starts off strong, however, this can be negligible, especially when switching out. Its ability, Good as Gold, also makes it immune to status moves, meaning its stats cannot be lowered in any other circumstance.
11 Gardevoir
Gardevoir has consistently been a strong Special Attacker in the competitive meta. It was particularly useful after Generation 6 when its Psychic-typing was supplemented with the all-new Fairy-typing. Although in that generation, Gardevoir also boasted a Mega Evolution, which took its already great Special Attack and overshot it.
Nevertheless, non-Mega Gardevoir has enough positives to make it a decent addition to any team. It has versatile access to moves like Mystical Fire and Grass Knot, making it a good all-around Special Attacker. Although its Defense stat is mediocre, it has enough Special Defense and Speed to keep it alive long enough to deal massive damage.
10 Gengar
Gengar is one of the most iconic Pokemon from the first generation. As a Ghost/Poison-type, it boasts an incredible typing with immunity to Normal and Fighting and strength against Fairy-types and Grass-types. However, its real advantage comes with its staggering 130 base Special Attack stat. It's especially useful against dominant Fairy-type walls.
When paired with moves like Nasty Plot that give Special Attack boosts, Gengar becomes an extremely powerful wallbreaker in the metagame. Its only downside is its fragile Defense and Special Defense stats, meaning it should be used wisely. For players wanting to add Gengar to their team, trade a Pincurchin to an NPC with a Haunter in Levincia City.
9 Zapdos
This Generation 1 legendary boasts great stats all-around, with Special Attack being the best. Its usage competitively has also found it placed in the OU tier, making it a frequent (albeit predictable) threat. Its Electric/Flying-typing also grants it immunity to Ground-type moves, which increases its potential against Electric-type's greatest weakness.
With great Special Attack, Zapdos is best used with defensive strategies that boost its other impressive stats, such as Speed or Physical Defense. Moves like Volt Switch can take advantage of its Electric STAB bonus while also allowing it to switch to stronger sweeper Pokemon. It also boasts powerful abilities like Static and Pressure.
8 Kyogre
Kyogre is one of the most popular Uber-tier Pokemon in the current Sword & Shield meta. Its Special Attack and Special Defense stats are, for lack of a better word, godly, at 150 and 140, respectively. Its ability Drizzle summons Rain, which boosts Kyogre's STAB moves and makes it an incredibly strong offensive threat.
Fortunately, Kyogre has a lot of options when it comes to powerful Water-type Special Attacks. Scald is a great option that could inflict opponents with Burn, while Water Spout and Origin Pulse also boast strong attack power. It also has access to other powerful Special moves like Thunder, Ice Beam, and Hyper Beam.
7 Heatran
Heatran has been a consistent member of the OU tier for several generations of Pokemon games. While it's 4x weak to Ground-type attacks, its Fire/Steel-typing gives it immunity to Poison and resists a total of nine other types that are common in the competitive meta, including Fairy, Flying, and Ice-types.
Often, Heatran is paired with an Air Ballon as its held item, which allows it to avoid getting OHKO'd by a Ground-type move on switch-in. It also has access to Solar Beam, which when paired with Sunny Day can be a solid option against threatening Ground-types. Its Ability, Flame Body, also makes it a threat to Pokemon with moves that make contact.
6 Volcarona
Like Heatran, Volcarona is also a solid OU Fire-type with access to Flame Body. Its Special Attack is also incredibly strong, with impressive Special Defense and Speed to boot. These stats only increase even more when Volcarona learns Quiver Dance, which boosts all three stats. Furthermore, Volcarona's pre-evolution, Larvesta, can be caught in Asado Desert.
If a player can manage to pull off a couple of Quiver Dances, Volcarona becomes a speedy Special Attacking sweeper. Its access to the move Giga Drain can also heal HP while also dealing with threatening Water-type Pokemon. It can also utilize powerful Special moves with STAB like Flamethrower, Bug Buzz, and Fire Blast.
5 Volcanion
It's surprising that Volcanion, who debuted as a Mythical Pokemon in Pokemon X & Y, is the first Fire/Water-type Pokemon. However, its immunity to Water-type moves with its Ability and resistance to Steel, Fire, and Fairy makes it a great defensive option. Finally, it boasts powerful physical Attack and Special Attack stats that offer variety in its movepool.
In terms of Special moves to take advantage of, there's no shortage in Volcanion's learnset. There's its signature Water-type move, Steam Eruption, which is both powerful and can inflict Burn, like a more powerful Scald. Moves like Earth Power also help counter Electric-type threats, while its STAB moves also cover its Ground and Rock weaknesses.
4 Blacephalon
While the Fire/Ghost-type Blacephalon may be visually horrifying, competitively it has a lot of benefits. Its Attack stat is above average but pales in comparison to its staggering 151 Special Attack. This Special Attack becomes even more monstrous when paired with its Ability, Beast Boost, which increases this stat every time it KO's a Pokemon.
Fortunately, racking up KO's with Blacephalon won't be difficult with access to Special moves like Shadow Ball, Flamethrower, and even non-STAB moves like Dark Pulse, Psychic, and Solar Beam. It can even benefit from an item like Choice Scarf, which boosts its Speed while only letting it select one move.
3 Galarian Slowking
Galarian Slowking is exclusive to Crown Tundra, the DLC expansion of Pokemon Sword & Shield. Its Poison/Psychic-typing is unique among the entire Pokedex, allowing it resistance to Fighting, Poison, Fairy, and Grass-type attacks. Its access to the Ability Regenerator will also restore health when withdrawn, making it a useful ally to keep around in battle.
Slowking doesn't have as beefy Special Attack stats as some other Pokemon on this list, with only a 110 base stat. However, it has a very versatile movepool, with STAB moves like Sludge Bomb and Future Sight, and non-STAB moves like Ice Beam, Hex, Grass Knot, and Muddy Water. Overall, it makes for a powerful attacker that fits on a variety of teams.
2 Shadow Rider Calyrex
Calyrex is the mascot Legendary for Crown Tundra. While normally Psychic/Grass, it can fuse with the equestrian Legendary Pokemon Glastrier or Spectrier, increasing its Physical or Special Attack, respectively. Fusing with Spectrier nets Calyrex a form with a base 165 Special Attack, one of the highest in the game.
Its meaty Special Attack also goes hand-in-hand with its base 150 Speed, making it one of the fastest and strongest Special Attackers in even the Uber tier. It also makes it a prime candidate for Choice Specs or Choice Scarf, to make it utilize its powerful stats to come in and demolish an opponent with just one move, like the signature move Astral Barrage.
1 Regieleki
Regieleki, along with Regidrago, also debuted in the Crown Tundra DLC. It is currently placed in the OU tier, even though its Attack and Special Attack stats are only a decent base 100 stat. However, Regieleki's real strength is its Speed stat, at an absolutely monstrous base 200, outspeeding even Deoxys.
With Speed like this, Regieleki can take advantage of some pretty incredible Special moves, like Thunder, Thunderbolt, Electro Ball, and Ancient Power. The only downside to Regieleki's viability as a Special Attacker is its equal potential as a physical Attacker, with moves like Explosion, Bounce, and Wild Charge.