Pokémon come in all shapes and sizes, and each one brings a unique suite of moves, stats, typing, and abilities into battle. Novice trainers may focus solely on damage dealers, and it can indeed be tempting to focus on pocket monsters with the highest possible Attack and Special Attack stats.
However, defensive Pokémon play an essential role in any competitive team. While their combat style may not be flashy, these creatures often excel at taking hits, healing damage from themselves, and dealing out devastating status conditions that set the stage for their teammates to finish the battle.
Doublade – 150 Defense
Doublade earns points for being the only Pokémon in the top tier of Defense rankings that’s not a fully evolved monster, surpassing that of even its own evolution, Aegislash. it is, of course, lacking in other areas as a result, but its position as a middle evolution gives it unique access to one of the best defensive items in the game – Eviolite.
This best-in-class item boosts the Defense and Special Defense of its holder by 50% with the caveat that the Pokémon cannot be fully evolved. This fits perfectly with Doublade, making it even more challenging to knock out than it otherwise would be.
Ice Rider Calyrex – 150 Defense
Calyrex on its own may be fairly unassuming, but when paired with its Ice or Ghost-type steed, it becomes a great addition to any competitive team. While the shadow form is more focused on Speed and Special Attack, Ice Rider Calyrex gets great Defense and Attack stats.
Ice Ride Calyrex may be slightly less defensive than its stats imply due to Ice having so many weaknesses, but this is balanced by this Pokémon’s great suite of attacks and offensive buffs, including Glacial Lance and Sword Dance, respectively.
Carbink – 150 Defense
Carbink may be small and look relatively unintimidating, but its stone and gem body grant it top-notch Defense and Special Defense stats (which are equal at 150). Furthermore, Carbink also has access to the Steel type move Iron Defense, which raises the user’s Defense stat by two levels.
This makes Carbink tough for most attackers to chew threw, and even if they do, Carbink can use Rest to heal back up to full. This Pokémon may lack further utility or offensive options, which keeps it from being a top-tier competitive combatant, but Carbink is still a fun defensive wall to include where one is needed.
Toxapex – 152 Defense
Not all Pokémon have visual designs that accurately represent their stat spreads, but Toxapex certainly does. This Poison and Water type Pokémon may have a small and vulnerable interior body, but it’s protected by a strong, spiked shell that gives it fantastic Defense.
Toxapex is also fairly unique in that one of its moves, Baneful Bunker, poisons physical attackers while also preventing damage to Toxapex. This means that opponents’ HP will slowly drain as Toxapex remains largely safe (and likely heals from Toxic Sludge).
Deoxys – 160 Defense
Deoxys is a mythical Pokémon that was first released in Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire. While it may not be one of the Pokémon with the most forms in the franchise, it is notable for being one of a select few that can shift between four different versions of itself. While each Deoxys form has the same total stats, each specializes in one combat role.
Defense Form Deoxys has 160 points in both Defense and Special Defense, so it can tank hits from most Pokémon with relative ease. Unfortunately, its average HP of 50 holds it back from being a genuinely intimidating defensive staple.
Onix – 160 Defense
Onix is one of the original 150 Pokémon species, and it’s still one of the most popular monsters in the franchise. Because of Onix’s featured role early in the anime and Pokémon Red and Blue, this giant stone snake was one of the first Pokémon that many early fans saw.
While Onix’s colossal size and intimidating silhouette may lead some to believe that he’s capable of dealing serious damage, its highest stat is its 160 Defense. Unfortunately, this impressive number is counteracted by its abysmal special defense (45), attack, 45), and HP (35).
Bastiodion – 168 Defense
Every mainline game except for Pokémon Gold and Silver features fossil Pokémon. These prehistoric monsters must be revived from fossils, and each of them draws visual inspiration from real-world extinct animals. Bastiodon was added to the franchise in the fourth generation, and its design appears to draw inspiration from Triceratops and other Ceratopsian dinosaurs.
Bastiodon’s base defense is 168, and it also sports a respectable Special Defense of 138. Bastiodon’s Steel and Rock typing gives it a few solid resistances, though players will want to steer clear of any Fighting-type attacks.
Aggron – 180 Defense
Aggron is one of the strongest Pokémon from the Hoenn region, and he’s remained a fan-favorite monster since his initial release. This hulking Steel and Rock-type is the final evolutionary stage of Aron, and its impressive Attack (110) and Defense (180) stats help it deal damage almost as well as it takes it.
It’s unfortunate for Aggron that Mega Evolutions have not made a return to the franchise, as Mega Aggron possessed an even more fantastic Defense of 230. However, Aggron is a solid Pokémon that’s still competitively viable even in its base form.
Cloyster – 180 Defense
Cloyster was originally a fairly weak Pokémon in the first generation games, but this spiky shellfish saw an incredible increase in competitive usage once it received the devastating Skill Link ability. This ability ensures that all multi-hit moves land the maximum number of times.
With access to a wide array of multi-hit moves such as Icicle Spear and Rock Blast, Cloyster is capable of taking out even the strongest opponents. Despite Cloyster’s offensive prowess, it also boasts an impressive Defense of 180. Unfortunately, its ability to take a hit is mitigated by its penchant for opening with Shell Smash.
Avalugg – 184 Defense
Avalugg is amazing when it’s able to focus on what it wants to do. Its Defense stat is a monstrous 184, and its HP is higher than average at 95. When Avalugg is able to ensure that it only takes physical hits from neutral or resisted attack types, it’s almost impossible to knock out this ice-type wall.
Unfortunately, Avalugg ranks low among Ice-types due to how bad it is at everything besides tanking physical attacks. With a Speed of 28 and a Special Defense of 46, it’s generally not difficult for opponents to hit it hard with many of the types that are super-effective against Ice.
Hisuian Avalugg – 184 Defense
Adding regional Pokémon forms was one of the best decisions Game Freak ever made with the franchise. This allowed them to revisit older monsters and show how they may have evolved in a different environment. All of them, including Hisuian Avalugg (from Pokémon Legends: Arceus), also get new stat distributions.
This version of Avaligg loses some Special Attack and Special Defense (which it rarely used anyway) in favor of a bit more Speed and Attack. Thankfully, it keeps its base form’s impressive 184 Defense, though players should note that its added Rock secondary typing adds several new weaknesses and resistances.
Regirock – 200 Defense
There are currently six Regi Pokémon, each based on a different Pokémon type. While all of them boast serviceable Defense stats, Regirock’s is by far the most impressive. This pure Rock-type has a Defense of 200, which is the highest of any Legendary Pokémon to date.
Regirock is the polar opposite of Regice, with each Pokémon’s Attack, Special Attack, Defense, and Special Defense oppositely mirrored. While Regirock’s stats are impressive, it’s slightly held back by its typing. While Rock is super-effective when attacking Fire and Flying, five common attack types are super-effective against Rock.
Steelix – 200 Defense
Onix has one of the highest Defense stats in the Pokémon franchise, so it makes sense that its evolved form is even more impressive. Steelix trades Onix’s primary Rock typing for Steel (while keeping the secondary Ground type), and it boasts a Defensive stat of 200.
While trainers can currently catch this metal land snake in the Wild Area of Pokémon Sword and Shield, trade is the only way to evolve one from an Onix. Thematically, the traded Onix must be holding a Metal Coat during the trade to evolve.
Stakataka – 211 Defense
Ultra Beasts’ designs range from amazing to terrible, and Stakataka is undoubtedly one of the strangest-looking Pokémon that the franchise has introduced. The alternatively-named UB Assemble appears to be a moving tower made of several bricks. This Ultra Beast has the second-highest Defense stat of all Pokémon at 211.
This is made even more impressive by Stakataka’s ability, Beast Boost, which boosts the Pokémon’s highest stat by one each time it knocks out another Pokémon. While it’s harder for Stakataka to land knockouts than offensively-oriented monsters, it quickly becomes nearly unbeatable if it’s able to get a few boosts.
Shuckle – 230 Defense
By looking at it, few people would guess that Shuckle has the highest Defense stat in the entire Pokémon franchise. This tiny monster resembles a turtle or some sort of worm in a rock, but its Defense is an amazingly high 230. Equally impressive is that its Special Defense is equally high.
It’s unfortunate, though, that Shuckle is rendered almost useless by its other stats. Most notably, Shuckle’s base HP is only 20. This means that Shuckle can still be taken out fairly quickly despite its high Defense and Special Defense.
