Ice-type Pokémon have been freezing opponents in their tracks since the series started. Ice types are weak to Fire-, Fighting-, Rock-, and Steel-type attacks but are strong against Flying-, Grass-, Ground-, and Dragon-type Pokémon, making them a great type fighting some of the more difficult and powerful trainers in the game. If you’re looking for some help in choosing what Ice-type you should include in your party, then you’ve come to the right place. Below is our list of the best Ice-type Pokémon in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.
The Best Ice Types in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet
Cryogonal
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Cryonogal is an Ice-type Pokémon that does not have any prior or succeeding evolutions. It can be found roaming snowy areas around Glaseado Mountain. While it has low Attack and Defense stats, it has very high Special Defense, as well as high Speed and Special Attack stats. It also has Levitate — an ability that renders it immune to Ground-type moves (one of its weaknesses) and spikes, as if it were a Flying type.
Players who include Cryogonal in their party will do well to take advantage of its Special Defense and Speed, giving it strong Special moves like Ice Beam or Freeze-Dry, or using it to setup other Pokémon in double battles. Terastallizing it with Ice as its Tera Type will further enhance Cryogonal’s offensive capabilities, but choosing Fire will reduce its weaknesses.
Cetitan
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Cetitan is a pure Ice-type Pokémon that evolves from Cetoddle using an Ice Stone. It is tanky and possesses very high base HP, and also has high physical Attack stats. And while its defensive stats are quite low, it compensates for these by having abilities that can either halve the damage it receives from Fire- and Ice-type moves (Thick Fat), or double its Speed during a hailstorm (Slush Rush).
Players can take advantage of its strong attacks by setting its Nature to Adamant, or significantly increase its Speed by setting its Nature to Jolly and using Slush Rush as its ability. Players can also bump up Cetitan’s tankiness by Terastallizing it with Fire as its Tera Type, doing away with its weakness to Fire-type moves while expanding coverage with Tera Blast — this works best with a Slush Rush build. Selecting Flying as its Tera Type can throw opponents with Earthquake off, eliminating one of its weaknesses altogether.
Glaceon
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Glaceon is an Ice-type Pokémon that evolves from Eevee using an Ice Stone. It has low HP, Attack, and Speed stats, but it has high Defense, Special Attack, and decent Special Defense. These stats mean players should focus on turning it into a Special Attacker, with Modest as its Nature. Glaceon can be an effective fighter capable of taking a few blows with its hard-hitting moves like Freeze-Dry and Blizzard augmenting its decent defenses.
Glaceon’s Speed might be low, but its abilities Snow Cloak and Ice Body make it more evasive or heal HP in a hailstorm, making Glaceon a great pick for a weather team.
Cloyster
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Cloyster, the final evolution of Shellder, is a Water/Ice-type Pokémon that has been in the series since it started. It is still one of the most formidable Ice-types in the games, possessing super high Defense stats to compensate for its low HP and Special Defense. Andm while it has a number of weaknesses, its ability Shell Armor protects it from critical hits.
The great thing about Cloyster is that it’s not just good at taking hits — it also possesses decent Attack. Couple high attack with its signature move Icicle Spear and ability Skill Link, which makes Icicle Spear always hit five times, and Cloyster can take on most enemies in the field, tanking enemy damage while infliciting pain right back.
Chien-Pao
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Chien-Pao is a Dark/Ice-type legendary Pokémon that’s member of the four Treasures of Ruin in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. Players will only be able to catch it after exploring the southwest of Paldea, finding the eight Yellow Ominous Spikes, and then proceeding to Icerend shrine once it opens. Chien-Pao is a powerful physical attacker with high Attack and Speed stats. What’s more, it can learn False Swipe, which makes it a good choice for hunting and catching Pokémon.
While Chien-Pao has more weaknesses than resistances, it has a very helpful ability called Sword of Ruin, which lowers opponents’ Defense stat by 25%. While there aren’t that many powerful physical Ice attacks, Chien-Pao can learn Ice Spinner and Icicle Crash, giving it some potent same-type attack bonus (STAB) attacks. Its signature move Ruination allows it to immediately halve its opponent’s remaining HP.
Iron Bundle
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Iron Bundle is an Ice/Water-type Paradox Pokémon resembling Delibird. As a Paradox Pokemon, it is only found in the wild in the endgame Area Zero. It is exclusive to Pokémon Violet, however, and Pokémon Scarlet players will have to make a trade in order to include it in their party.
It possesses very high Speed, as well as high Special Attack and Defense. Iron Bundle is the fastest Pokémon in Scarlet and Violet, allowing it to outspeed any other creature in battle before stat changes. Teaching it powerful Special STAB moves like Blizzard or Hydro Pump let it hit hard and fast, while Freeze-Dry allows it to hit super effectively against Water-types. If you want to go even faster, holding a Booster Energy or entering into Electric Terrain activates its Quark Drive ability, enhancing its monstrous Speed by a further 50%. It can also learn Agility to further increase its already ludicrous Speed.
Baxcalibur
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Baxcalibur is a Dragon/Ice-type Pokémon that evolves from Arctibax at level 54, and is the final form of Frigibax. While it has a number of weaknesses and zero immunities, it is a fantastic Ice-type because of its offensive strength and staying power in battle. It is very powerful and tanky, possessing very high Attack, and high HP and Defense. It also has Ice Body, an ability that allows it to heal in a hailstorm, making it tough to beat.
Baxcalibur’s other ability, Thermal Exchange, renders it immune to burns, and increases its already high Attack every time it is hit by a Fire-type move. Baxcalibur is best trained to become an attacker, with its Nature set to Adamant to maximize Attack stat growth. It can learn many strong Ice- and Dragon-type moves as it levels up, but players will do well to retain the Take Down move as it is a powerful Normal-type attack that’s useful against most enemies.
And that’s it for our list of the best Ice-type Pokémon in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. Players should keep in mind that their choices regarding moves, Natures, and held items also determines the strength of their Pokémon in battle. For more information/guides on Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, check out our comprehensive beginner’s guide to competitive Pokémon battles.
