Gotta Pokemon GO Fast
Speed is one of the most important stats in the mainline Pokemon games.
For casual Pokemon players, speed is practically a nonissue. After all, it’s easy to level a slow Pokemon and outspeed enemies regardless of its innate speed. Once you get into the competitive scene, speed is literally the difference between victory and defeat. Attacking first is enormously important, especially for Pokemon hoping to sweep the enemy team. Also consider that offensive Pokemon typically load their EVs into their offensive stats, so a strong attack from a faster offensive Pokemon can easily one-hit KO its enemy into the ground.
Technically, any Pokemon can be fast. Even Clodsire can theoretically outspeed Pikachu if you invest EVs into its speed stat. A Pokemon’s moves and abilities can also make it faster, such as Espathra with the Hidden Ability Speed Boost. That said, in a competitive environment, you only want to increase a Pokemon’s speed to make it move faster than Pokemon in a specific speed tier. At more than 100 base speed, you’ll move faster than the vast majority of Pokemon by default. After 110 base speed, your Pokemon can genuinely be considered “fast.” Remember, even the fastest Pokemon is useless if it can’t score KOs and gets knocked out immediately.
With that in mind, here are the fastest Pokemon in Scarlet & Violet when only considering their base speed stats. Make sure to plan accordingly if you see these Pokemon on the battlefield.
10: Kilowattrel and Weavile
Kilowattrel and Weavile are both tied with each other at 125 base speed, so it would be unfair to kick one off the list when they merely tie. Having said that, Weavile may not be as popular nowadays since a newly introduced Pokemon outclasses it handily. We’ll get to that later.
9: Talonflame
The bravest of brave birds Talonflame edges out the last two Pokemon ever so slightly. Though its other base stats are relatively low, Talonflame’s 126 base speed can make it threatening under the right circumstances. It can even augment its speed further with its hidden ability Gale Wings, which gives +1 priority to any Flying-Type attack it uses.
8: Jolteon
Jolteon has been outspeeding most of its competition since Generation 1, and Generation 9 continues this trend. With an outstanding 130 base speed, Jolteon has ample opportunity to blast enemies with its respectable 110 special attack. If you want to take its speed even further, it innately learns the move Agility. It also has the Hidden Ability Quick Feet, which boosts its speed by 50% if it suffers from a status condition.
7: Koraidon and Miraidon
It’s only fair to tie Koraidon and Miraidon, even though the next two Pokemon on this list have identical speed stats of 135. These title Legendary Pokemon technically share their stats; the only difference that Koraidon swaps Miraidon’s special attack and special defense for its attack and defense.
As you might expect, Koraidon and Miraidon have the highest base stats in the game by a significant margin. While non-legendary Pokemon cap at a total of 600 base stats, Koraidon and Miradon go all the way to 670. This makes them a great pick for Tera Raid battles if you’re still building the rest of your Pokemon.
6: Chien-Pao
Here it is: the cooler Weavile. Perhaps it’s not fair to compare the two since Chien-Pao is classified as Legendary and is banned from certain competitive formats. That said, Chien-Pao’s typing matches Weavile and it has almost wholesale better stats aside from its special defense.
Furthermore, Chien-Pao’s ability Sword of Ruin lowers the defense of all other Pokemon on the field by 25%, which effectively boosts its offense even higher in Singles games. This combined with Chien-Pao’s 135 base speed makes it truly terrifying to fight.
5: Flutter Mane
A Paradox Pokemon was bound to pop up on this list, and Flutter Mane is a choice one. We’ve already seen it get used as a top pick for Tera Raids, and its Ghost/Fairy Typing means only two Types deal Super Effective damage to it. With 135 base speed and a special attack stat to match, it’s easy to see why Flutter Mane is one of the more dangerous Pokemon from The Great Crater of Paldea.
4: Iron Bundle
Not to be outdone by its prehistoric Paradox counterpart, Iron Bundle is an incredible force to be reckoned with. At 136 base speed, it edges out the previous picks by a hair while still dealing significant damage with its 124 special attack stat. This is doubly scary given its Ice/Water Typing, since it will likely outspeed Ground and Grass Pokemon to deal Super Effective damage before these threats can get their moves off.
Some never thought we’d see the day where Delibird technically becomes a top-tier Pokemon, but here we are.
3: Barraskewda
Barraskewda is a glass cannon that guarantees someone on the battlefield will get KO’d fast. With 136 base speed, it matches Iron Bundle’s ability to outspeed Pokemon that are objectively fast in their own right. This is good, because its other stats are slight outside of its 123 base attack.
It notably possesses the ability Swift Swim to double its agility in the rain, which makes it incredibly deadly with how few Pokemon can outspeed it in this state.
2: Dragapult
Dragapult is frankly a bit ridiculous. Its stats are already high as a pseudo-legendary Pokemon. Yet with 142 base speed, Dragapult is the fastest Pokemon you’ll see in competitive battles.
Its defensive stats are relatively middling, so it can be KO’d by a Pokemon that can hit any of its five weaknesses. That said, it’ll take a coordinated strategy to bring Dragapult down without getting swept under the rug first.
1: Electrode
That’s right, the fastest Pokemon in Scarlet & Violet hails all the way from Generation 1. At 150 base speed, Electrode is in the absolute excesses of speed. In fact, it’s so fast that all of its other stats are almost embarrassingly low to balance it out.
This doesn’t make Electrode useless. Its high speed helps speed-based attacks like Electro Ball compensate for its relatively low special attack. It can also set up supporting moves like Light Screen and Protect reliably before it gets knocked down. Still, it’s important to realize that a Pokemon needs to play to its strengths to be truly powerful. Even a Pokemon as fast as Electrode needs to play its cards right to succeed.
