Kartana Best Moveset
181 Attack is the highest in the entire game. Grass/Steel TermStab with AbilityBeast Boost raising Attack after each KO creates a snowballing physical moveset that becomes more dangerous with every knockout. 109 Speed outruns most threats. S-tier because no other Pokemon matches this combination of offensive power and Speed.
Beast Boost raised Attack after each KO in Gen VII (Sun & Moon). 181 Attack with Leaf Blade and Sacred Sword. The highest Attack stat of any non-Mega Pokemon. Top tier on debut.
Best Moves
Best Build
Kartana best EVs are Attack and Speed
Physical Revenge Killer Moveset
- Leaf Blade
- Sacred Sword
- Knock Off
- Smart Strike
Recommended Teammates
Two gens at the top in Gen VIII (Sword & Shield). 181 Attack snowballed through teams after one KO. Grass/Steel typing resisted 9 types. Swords Dance was rarely even needed.
Physical Revenge Killer Moveset
- Leaf Blade
- Sacred Sword
- Knock Off
- Smart Strike
Recommended Teammates
Kartana Weakness
Type-wise, Kartana takes extra damage from Fire and Fighting. Watch out for Fire attacks, those deal 4x damage. Poison moves do nothing thanks to a full immunity. 9 resistances give it solid defensive coverage on top of that. Kartana's physical bulk (base 131 Def) helps cushion physical weakness hits, but special attackers are the bigger threat.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 4x (Critical) | Fire |
| 2x (Weak) | Fighting |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Normal, Water, Electric, Psychic, Rock, Dragon, Steel, Fairy |
| 0.25x (Resist) | Grass |
| 0x (Immune) | Poison |
What is Kartana Weak Against
ExcellentBest Pokemon Against Kartana
Tapu Lele's Moonblast hits Kartana for 47-56%.
B | ||
Recommended Build AbilityNatural Cure ItemEviolite NatureBold Moves View Chansey builds →
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B | ||
Recommended Build AbilityPsychic Surge ItemTerrain Extender NatureTimid Moves
Damage vs Kartana View Tapu Lele builds →Moonblast47-56% Psychic45-53% Psyshock40-47% | ||
B | ||
Recommended Build AbilityPrankster ItemLightclay NatureCareful Moves View Grimmsnarl builds →
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B | ||
Recommended Build AbilitySand Stream ItemChoice Band NatureAdamant Moves
Damage vs Kartana View Tyranitar builds →Knock Off37-43% Stone Edge28-33% | ||
C | ||
Recommended Build AbilityOwntempo ItemFocus Sash NatureJolly Moves View Smeargle builds →
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Evolution
No chain, no eggs. Kartana is a standalone Grass/Steel type with 570 stats that falls outside normal breeding mechanics. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
How to Get Kartana
Kartana doesn't appear in Sword & Shield. Transfer it from Sun & Moon or Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon to add it to your collection. Check the source games below for encounter details.
Kartana 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.
Kartana is a fixed encounter, not a random spawn. Walk up to it, interact, and the battle starts immediately. Head to Ultra Space when your team is ready for the fight.
How to Get Kartana in Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon
A few locations for Kartana with moderate rates across endgame routes. The sort toggle below swaps between best odds and earliest access, so you can approach it based on where you are in the game.
Best Locations to Catch Kartana in Sun & Moon
Base Stats
Kartana's all-in on Attack at the expense of Sp. Def. The physical lean is obvious from the bars. Yields 3 Attack EVs and follows a slow 1.25M XP grind.
Although it’s alien to this world and a danger here, it’s apparently a common organism in the world where it normally lives.
Kartana Guide
Kartana has a 570 base stat total and ranks as B-Tier: a solid choice for the right team. It works best as a sweeper. Base 181 Attack is where it shines.
Beast Boost is the go-to ability for Kartana. It raises this Pokémon's highest stat by one stage when it faints another Pokémon. It's Kartana's only ability.
Kartana fills the sweeper role. It's a physical attacker with base 181 Attack. Base 109 Speed lets it outrun most of the field. And it's enough bulk to take a hit or two.
The core moveset is Leafblade, Sacredsword, Smartstrike, and Knock Off. Leafblade leads at 0% usage. This set covers the sweeper role with a mix of damage and utility.
Game Availability
Introduced in Sun & Moon, Kartana has appeared in 3 games across 4 generations. Later debuts mean fewer total appearances, but it's been a consistent presence since its introduction.
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 5BW
Black & White - Gen 5B2W2
Black 2 & White 2 - Gen 6XY
X & Y - Gen 6ORAS
Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire - Gen 7SMDebut
Sun & Moon - Gen 7USUM
Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon - Gen 7LGPE
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