Best grass-type Pokémon in Scarlet & Violet

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Grass-Type Pokemon are often in a weird position. On one hand, you can typically get Grass-Type Pokemon early and use them against threats like Ground-Type and Rock-Type Pokemon. On the other hand, they only hit three Types for Super-Effective damage while being vulnerable to five, which can make them risky to use.

Still, if you can build your team around them, Grass-Type Pokemon can absolutely excel in many encounters. In fact, some Grass-Type Pokemon bring unique traits to the table that no other type offers! If you’re looking to add a strong Grass-Type Pokemon to your team, consider one of these options.

Quick disclaimer: Like our previous lists, there are no “Best Pokemon.” All are viable to beat the game, so use the ones you love. This list also does not consider competitive battling, since the best Pokemon will change as the metagame does. The Pokemon below have been selected for their ease of use and the unique strategies they bring to your team.

Meowscarada

This evolved form of Sprigatito is a fascinating Grass/Dark-Type physical attacker. On one hand, its seven weaknesses make it difficult to use Meowscarada as an all-rounder to lead your team. On the other hand, it has great offensive capabilities out the box and will outspeed nearly anything with its phenomenal speed. Its signature move Flower Trick is particularly fantastic, since it bypasses any accuracy-down debuffs and always hits for critical damage. This type of consistent damage lets Meowscarada excel in any fight it is viable in.

Mewoscarada will naturally learn Grass, Dark, and Fairy type moves for impressive coverage. That said, you can also give it moves like Thunder Punch, Brick Break, or Acrobatics to round it out.

Arboliva

Arbolivia checks nearly every box a Grass-Type should for your adventure. This is the fully evolved form of Smoliv, who can be found immediately after you finish the tutorial at the academy. Furthermore, it has great Special Attack and surprising bulk to make up for its lack of speed. Additionally, its signature move and ability have fantastic synergy with each other.

Arboliva activates Seed Sower and plants Grassy Terrain on the battlefield after it takes damage. This alone is a great perk that boosts the damage of Grass-Type moves, but Arboliva also has Terrain Pulse in its movepool. While this is a mere 50 base power by itself, its power doubles under an active terrain and its type will correspond to the field. This means Arboliva can deal consistent 100 base power Grass-Type attacks with the terrain bonus, which is monstrous. You’ll probably want to teach it Giga Drain to recover from incoming damage, but it learns Mega Drain naturally to help with the early and mid-game.

Flapple

If you don’t feel like raising a Pokemon like Smoliv until it evolves, Flapple is a compelling Grass-Type. Its base form Applin can be found relatively early in the game, though you’ll likely need to make a sandwich that boosts the appearance rate of Dragon-Type Pokemon if you’re on the hunt for it. While Applin itself is very weak, it can evolve instantly with the use of a Tart Apple. This can be purchased from a Delibird Presents after winning 3 Gym Badges.

Yes, this is a Grass/Dragon-Type Pokemon, which synergizes well with the grass type. While its super weak against Ice Pokemon, the Dragon-Type gives Flapple greater resistance to Water, Grass, and Electric Pokemon while also making it neutral to Fire-Type attacks. What’s more, its signature move Grav Apple is strong without any setup and it naturally learns Flying and Dragon-Type attacks to fill out its move pool. If you want Flapple to sweep foes, give it Dragon Dance to simultaneously boost its Attack and Speed stats.

Toedscruel

Defensive Pokemon like Toedscruel are typically more trouble than they’re worth for clearing the main game. It isn’t until you enter the competitive metagame that you might want to stall your opponent. That said, Toedscruel has one major exception that sets it apart from the competition: Spore.

This move inflicts sleep with 100% accuracy, which is a huge help when trying to catch Wild Pokemon. What’s more, Toedscruel’s ability Mycelium Might allows status moves to hit Pokemon that are normally immune to them. This has the awkward side effect of forcing Toedscruel to move last when using a status move, but an item like Leftovers should help keep it healthy with the hits it will take. Toedscruel’s Special Attack isn’t shabby either, and it naturally learns a slew of powerful Grass and Ground-Type attacks to boot. If you’re on a quest to catch ‘em all, strongly consider Toedscruel for your team.