Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl have various Pokémon types for trainers to use on their journey to become Champion of the Sinnoh region, including Shieldon and Bastiodon, two herculean creatures with substantial defenses.

We’ve listed the best Natures for Shieldon and Bastiadon below:

  • Relaxed (+Defense, -Speed)Impish (+Defense, -Special Attack)

Shieldon and Bastiodon are defenders, first and foremost. They excel at stalling enemy Pokémon, though they’re not excellent at much else. Ultimately you’ll want to select a nature that boosts the Defense of these two Pokémon while retaining a solid Special Defense stat. Either of these Natures is tolerable, but we went with Impish Nature, as the only thing Shieldon and Bastiodon use less than Speed is Special Attack.

While Shieldon and Bastiodon don’t have exceptional Attack, it’s better than their Special Attack and serves as the only option for these defensive Pokémon. Trainers building around these Pokémon will have to get creative, as their weaknesses are hard to cover. For a list of optimal move sets for these Pokémon, head over to the Smogon Pokémon page.

Do not use a Shieldon or Bastiodon with Lonely, Naughty, Lax, Naive, Rash, or Gentle Natures. Each of the aforementioned lowers either Defense or Special Defense the greatest strengths of these Pokémon.

For more on Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, be sure to visit some of our other guides, like How to soft reset Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl here on Pro Game Guides.