Finizen and Palafin are unique species of Pokemon — on paper, their stats look kinda awful, and the mono-Water typing doesn’t inspire a lot of confidence. But dig a little deeper into their unique ability, Zero To Hero, and Palafin becomes a juggernaut with a base stat total of 650, exceeding that of pseudo-legendaries. If you want to build this titan properly, you need to know the best Nature for Finizen and Palafin in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.
What is the best nature for Finizen and Palafin?
Palafin (Hero Form) has an absolutely ridiculous stat spread. 100 HP, 160 (yes, a hundred and sixty) Attack, 97 Defense, 106 Special Attack, 87 Special Defense and 100 Speed. To put this into perspective, Palafin has a higher Attack, Special Defense and Speed than Buzzwole, an Ultra Beast focused on physical attacks. You can theoretically run Adamant if you want, but this could be overkill — instead, we believe you will want to run Jolly to more reliably trigger Zero To Hero.
Palafin’s best ability and moves in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet
Let’s talk about Zero To Hero for a second, as that is what Palafin relies on to become swole. Zero To Hero only triggers if Palafin “switches out,” per the ability description. Just your luck too, because Palafin gets access to Flip Turn, a move that forcibly swaps the user out after dealing damage. This is why we recommend Jolly as a Nature — outspeed your opponent, Flip Turn out, and safely trigger Zero To Hero. Just be wary of priority moves like Prankster Thunder Wave.
As far as move selection goes, you want to take heavy advantage of Palafin’s massive 160-base Attack. Not to say that 106 Special Attack isn’t good, because it is, but you only have three move slots due to Flip Turn being mandatory. Other options include Jet Punch, Ice Punch, Outrage, Close Combat, Bulk Up, Drain Punch, Zen Headbutt, Iron Head, Draining Kiss, and Liquidation. At first glance, this might seem limited, but Palafin hits plenty hard enough to make up for it. A good starting set would be Flip Turn, Bulk Up, Drain Punch, and Jet Punch or Liquidation, depending on if you need priority coverage or not.
