Since Ruby and Sapphire were introduced in Pokemon’s third generation, natures have been an important part of constructing a team. A nature determines which stat gets a slight boost, and which takes a slight hit. Since min/maxing your Pokemon’s stats is crucial to competitive success, those few stat points can make the difference between winning or losing a battle.
Most natures have some use depending on the Pokemon and set you are running. Some are more or less useful, however, and some are downright useless, so this list will break down which natures serve the most purpose on your journey through the Hisui region.
10. Brave (+Atk, -Spe)
The Brave nature is best used on the slow, physical attackers of the Hisui region such as Ursaluna or Avalugg. It raises a Pokemon’s Attack stat while lowering its speed, which is no problem considering slow attackers don’t need much anyway. It is also good for trick room teams, as being slower is a benefit. The only thing holding this nature back is the fact that other natures accomplish the same thing while sacrificing even more useless stats than speed.
9. Quiet (+SpA, -Spe)
Quiet Pokemon receive a boost to Special Attack while losing points in speed. Similar to the Brave nature, Quiet is best for slow Pokemon in a trick room, albeit this time special. Pokemon like Magnezone and Sylveon don’t need much speed, but could surely use the boost to their Special Attack power. Again, the reason Quiet isn’t higher is that other abilities further down the list accomplish the same thing but without the hit in speed.
8. Bold (+Def, -Atk)
The Bold nature is perfect for bulky special attackers, lowering the Attack stat while raising Defense. A Pokemon like Gardevoir would benefit from a boost in Defense given that its special bulk is already so great, and the ding in attack doesn’t hurt at all. Bulky can also be useful for special attackers who already have great physical bulk, to bolster it even further, such as Magneton.
7. Calm (+SpDef, -Atk)
Calm Pokemon receive a boost in Special Defense at the expense of some Attack. Again perfect for bulky special attackers, this nature is more suited for ‘mons needing a little bulk in the special department or ones who are already strong and want to specialize further. In Hisui, Bronzong benefits greatly from this nature, making it a pain for opponents to KO.
6. Impish (+Def, -SpA)
The Impish nature is better than the previous couple simply because physical attackers are more likely to be bulky and therefore benefit from a Defence bump. Impish Pokemon receive a boost to Defense and a hit to Special Attack, perfect for bulky attackers like Bastiodon and Garchomp whose already stellar Defense will now be unstoppable. Specially bulky attackers with weak Defense, although rare, can also benefit.
5. Careful (+SpDef, -SpA)
Pokemon with a Careful nature have a boosted Special Defence and lowered Special Attack. It is more useful than Impish because physical attackers are more likely to be lacking in the Special Defense department. Overqwil is a perfect example of this, a strong physical attacker with a great Defense stat but lackluster special bulk. Fixing that issue makes Overqwil a great switch-in to any threat, physical or special.
4. Timid (+Spe, -Atk)
Now we are getting into the truly elite natures, with Timid being perfect for glass cannon Special attackers looking to get an edge in their speed tier. Speed is probably the most crucial stat in competitive Pokemon, as getting off a powerful move first could seal a battle before it barely begins. Pokemon like Hisuian Typhlosion or Gengar can sometimes be found running a timid nature in competitive for this very reason.
3. Jolly (+Spe, -SpA)
Jolly Pokemon tend to be physical attackers with already high speeds who need to compete with the other speedsters in their tier. Sneasler, a hard-hitting, speedy physical attacker will almost always be Jolly, just one example of the nature’s competitive use. You could also run Jolly on a Pokemon that is usually not terribly fast to surprise your opponents.
2. Modest (+SpA, -Atk)
These last two natures are the cream of the crop, the most widely used natures in competitive for good reason. You will almost never find a special attacker who also invests EVs into Attack, so getting rid of the excess in that stat does no harm. Modest gives the Special Attack boost of the Quiet nature without the loss in speed. There is almost no reason to use another SpA boosting nature over Modest besides in a trick room, making it the ultimate nature for special attackers.
1. Adamant (+Atk, -SpA)
It was a toss up between Adamant and Modest for the number one spot, however Adamant gets the edge for just how common it is in competitive. Physical attackers are everywhere in Hisui, and the vast majority of them would be seen running Adamant in the metagame.
