Sawk Best Moveset
Where Throh tanks, Sawk attacks. 125 Attack at 85 Speed fires Fighting TermStab on fast-ish cooldowns with serious force per hit. 75/75/75 balanced defenses hold briefly. The moveset is a straightforward physical attacker trading Throh's durability for pace and power.
Sturdy plus Close Combat in Gen V (Black & White). 125 Attack hit hard, and Sturdy guaranteed one hit from full. Mold Breaker ignored defensive abilities.
Physical Revenge Killer Moveset
- Close Combat
- Ice Punch
- Stone Edge
- Earthquake
Recommended Teammates
Rose in Gen VI (X & Y). Knock Off removed items alongside 125 Attack Close Combat. Pure Fighting with Sturdy was a reliable lead.
Best Moves
Best Build
Sawk best EVs are Attack and Speed
Physical Sweeper Moveset
- Close Combat
- Ice Punch
- Poison Jab
- Knock Off
Recommended Teammates
Between tiers in Gen VII (Sun & Moon). 85 Speed wasn't fast enough, and Fairy-types walled the Fighting STAB. Sturdy guaranteed one action but couldn't guarantee results.
Utility Moveset
- Endure
- Pain Split
- Toxic
- Protect
Recommended Teammates
Fell to the bottom in Gen VIII (Sword & Shield). 125 Attack with 85 Speed and pure Fighting was outclassed by everything faster or bulkier.
Physical Sweeper Moveset
- Earthquake
- Throat Chop
- Power Up Punch
- Reversal
Recommended Teammates
Sawk Weakness
Sawk's Fighting typing leaves it vulnerable to Flying, Psychic, and Fairy. With 75 HP and balanced defenses, Sawk can afford to eat a neutral hit or two.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 2x (Weak) | Flying, Psychic, Fairy |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Bug, Rock, Dark |
What is Sawk Weak Against
AvgBest Pokemon Against Sawk
Mimikyu threatens a KO with Play Rough (101-119%).
 Hatterene PsychicFairy | A | |
Recommended Build Moves
Damage vs Sawk View Hatterene builds →Nuzzle5-7% | ||
 Mimikyu GhostFairy | B | |
Recommended Build Moves
Damage vs Sawk View Mimikyu builds →Play Rough 2x101-119%KO Shadow Sneak23-27% | ||
 Talonflame Fire | C | |
Evolution
What you see is what you get. Sawk sits outside any evolution chain, so focus on the egg moves and plenty of partners from one egg group. Eggs take an average time to hatch. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
Breed Sawk with 70 breeding partners from the Human-Like egg group.
Shiny Sawk
Sawk's blue karate uniform gets the same nothing-treatment as Throh's red one. The blue fighting guy stays blue. It's like Game Freak made Throh and Sawk as a pair and then gave them matching lazy shinies to keep things symmetrical. At least they're consistent in their mediocrity.
Shiny Sawk Evolution
Does Not EvolveShiny Sawk Odds & Hunting Methods
8 of 8 VerifiedHow do we research these odds?
We check every game where a shiny is possible, then rank each one by the best method available in that game, so the row at the top is the fastest route overall.
Odds marked verified are cross-checked against multiple independent sources before we publish them. Where a rate is not yet confirmed we mark the row pending rather than guess a number.
Read our full methodologySawk Locations
Sawk trains throughout Lumiose's Wild Zones as a disciplined Fighting-type, the karate Pokemon appearing as an overworld encounter in a narrow band from level 26 to 28.
Best Locations to Catch Sawk in Legends: Z-A
Sawk starts showing up in mid-game routes at moderate rates across 6 encounter spots. The list below is sorted so you can pick what fits your current progress without scrolling through everything.
Best Locations to Catch Sawk in Sword & Shield
You can catch Sawk through 6 walking and trade encounters from Lv. 22-43, but availability differs between Sword and Shield. Some spots are exclusive to one version.
No wild encounters for Sawk in Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon. It can be transferred in from Black & White, Black 2 & White 2, or Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire.
Sawk is not available as a wild encounter in this game.
Also Obtainable In:
Pokemon transfers only go forward through generations, never backward. Direct cross-gen trades aren't supported.
Sawk can't be caught in Sun & Moon. Transfer one in from Black & White, Black 2 & White 2, or Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire.
Sawk is not available as a wild encounter in this game.
Also Obtainable In:
Pokemon transfers only go forward through generations, never backward. Direct cross-gen trades aren't supported.
Base Stats
The stat bars tell the story: Attack carries everything and Sp. Atk's dead weight. But this Karate Pokemon still yields 2 Attack EVs per fight on a medium-fast 1M XP curve.
If you see a Sawk training in the mountains in its single-minded pursuit of strength, it’s best to quietly pass by.
Sawk Guide
Use Sawk as a cannon. Physical side carries the damage. Speed is middling, Reversal is the primary attack.
Run Jolly on Sawk. +Speed is what matters, and the -Sp. Atk cut doesn't hurt this set. Fits the cannon role.
Game Availability
Since Black & White, Sawk has been obtainable in 8 games. A Generation 5 debut means a shorter history, but Sawk has appeared steadily across every generation since.
Click a game to view version-specific details
- Gen 1RB
Red & Blue - Gen 1Y
Yellow - Gen 2GS
Gold & Silver - Gen 2C
Crystal - Gen 3RS
Ruby & Sapphire - Gen 3E
Emerald - Gen 3FRLG
FireRed & LeafGreen - Gen 4DP
Diamond & Pearl - Gen 4Pt
Platinum - Gen 4HGSS
HeartGold & SoulSilver - Gen 5BWDebut
Black & White - Gen 5B2W2
Black 2 & White 2 - Gen 6XY
X & Y - Gen 6ORAS
Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire - Gen 7SM
Sun & Moon - Gen 7USUM
Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon - Gen 7Let's Go
Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee - Gen 8SwSh
Sword & Shield - Gen 8BDSP
Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl - Gen 8PLA
Legends: Arceus - Gen 9SV
Scarlet & Violet - Gen 9LZA
Legends: Z-A - Gen 10WW
Winds & Waves
Explore
Where to go next after Sawk.
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