Special
Attacker
80Speed · Above Avg

Masquerain Best Moveset

Bug/Flying at 100 Sp. Atk and 80 Speed with AbilityIntimidate lowering opposing Attack on entry. Held ItemFocus Sash guarantees surviving one hit. NatureModest pushes the special output. The moveset combines Intimidate support with special offense from an unusual typing. 82 Sp. Def provides some special bulk between pivots.

SABCDEFECEEEERuby, Sapphire & EmeraldIIIRS/EDiamond, Pearl & PlatinumIVDP/PtPEAKBlack & White / B2W2VBW/B2W2THE FALLX & Y / ORASVIXY/ORASSun & Moon / USUMVIISM/USUMScarlet & Violet / Legends Z-AIXSV/LZACURRENT
Gen III — Ruby, Sapphire & EmeraldE

Changed from Bug/Water to Bug/Flying on evolution in Gen III (Ruby & Sapphire). Lost Water typing, gained Stealth Rock weakness. 100 Sp. Atk from 80 Speed was mid.

Received Intimidate
SRCMOVETYPECATPWRPOPROLE
Egg
Hydro Pump
Water110COMMONCoverage
TM18
Rain Dance
WaterCOMMONUtility
Lv 40
Stun Spore
GrassCOMMONUtility
TM14
Blizzard
Ice110COMMONCoverage
TM19
Giga Drain
Grass75RARECoverage
TM13
Ice Beam
Ice90RARECoverage
Experimental
Special Attacker
Ability
Intimidate
Item
LeftoversSUSTAIN
Best Nature for Masquerain
Modest+SPA
EVs

Special Attacker Moveset

  • Hydro Pump
  • Rain Dance
  • Stun Spore
  • BlizzardCoverage
Gen IV — Diamond, Pearl & PlatinumC

Intimidate on a special attacker was the surprise in Gen IV (Diamond & Pearl). Softened physical hits on switch-in, but 62 Defense crumbled anyway.

Physical/Special split overhauled move damage

Best Moves

SRCMOVETYPECATPWRPOPROLE
Lv 47
Air Slash
Flying75COMMONSTAB
Tutor
Agility
PsychicCOMMONSetup
Tutor
Baton Pass
NormalCOMMONUtility
Egg
Hydro Pump
Water110COMMONCoverage
Lv 61
Bug Buzz
Bug90COMMONSTAB
TM89
U-turn
Bug70RARESTAB
TM90
Substitute
NormalRAREUtility

Best Build

Experimental
Special Setup Sweeper
Ability
Intimidate
Item
Focus SashSURVIVAL
Best Nature for Masquerain
Modest+SPA

Masquerain best EVs are Sp. Atk and Speed

EVs

Special Setup Sweeper Moveset

  • Air SlashSTAB
  • AgilitySetup
  • Baton Pass
  • Hydro Pump
Gen V — Black & White / B2W2E

Quiver Dance boosted Sp. Atk, Sp. Def, and Speed in Gen V (Black & White). On 62 Defense, one physical hit ended the dance before it started.

Gained Unnerve as hidden abilityHidden Abilities became available
SRCMOVETYPECATPWRPOPROLE
Lv 68
Quiver Dance
BugCOMMONSTAB
Lv 61
Bug Buzz
Bug90COMMONSTAB
Lv 47
Air Slash
Flying75COMMONSTAB
TM55
Scald
Water80COMMONCoverage
TM13
Ice Beam
Ice90COMMONCoverage
Tutor
Giga Drain
Grass75RARECoverage
Experimental
Special Setup Sweeper
Ability
Intimidate
Item
Focus SashSURVIVAL
Best Nature for Masquerain
Modest+SPA
EVs

Special Setup Sweeper Moveset

  • Quiver DanceSTAB
  • Bug BuzzSTAB
  • Air SlashSTAB
  • ScaldCoverage

Recommended Teammates

Gen VI — X & Y / ORASE

Bug/Flying cost 25% from Stealth Rock in Gen VI (X & Y). Quiver Dance required surviving a setup turn Masquerain often couldn't afford.

Fairy type added to the gameMega Evolution became available
SRCMOVETYPECATPWRPOPROLE
Lv 38
Air Slash
Flying75COMMONSTAB
Tutor
Sticky Web
BugCOMMONSTAB
Lv 26
Stun Spore
GrassCOMMONUtility
TM89
U-turn
Bug70COMMONSTAB
Lv 52
Quiver Dance
BugRARESTAB
Experimental
Wall
Ability
Intimidate
Item
Focus SashSURVIVAL
Best Nature for Masquerain
Calm+SPD
EVs

Wall Moveset

  • Air SlashSTAB
  • Sticky WebSTAB
  • Stun Spore
  • U TurnSTAB
Gen VII — Sun & Moon / USUME

Intimidate was the only reason to consider Masquerain in Gen VII (Sun & Moon). 100 Sp. Atk wasn't threatening enough to close games.

Speed raised from 60 to 80Z-Moves became available
SRCMOVETYPECATPWRPOPROLE
Lv 42
Bug Buzz
Bug90COMMONSTAB
TM13
Ice Beam
Ice90COMMONCoverage
Lv 38
Air Slash
Flying75COMMONSTAB
Lv 52
Quiver Dance
BugCOMMONSTAB
Tutor
Sticky Web
BugCOMMONSTAB
Tutor
Giga Drain
Grass75RARECoverage
TM55
Scald
Water80RARECoverage
Experimental
Special Setup Sweeper
Ability
Intimidate
Item
Choice ScarfSPEED
Best Nature for Masquerain
Modest+SPA
EVs

Special Setup Sweeper Moveset

  • Bug BuzzSTAB
  • Ice Beam
  • Air SlashSTAB
  • Quiver DanceSTAB
Gen IX — Scarlet & Violet / Legends Z-AE

Six gens and a type change that hurt in Gen IX (Scarlet & Violet). Bug/Water as Surskit would have been better. Bug/Flying brought Stealth Rock misery.

Terastallization became available
SRCMOVETYPECATPWRPOPROLE
Xfer
Sticky Web
BugCOMMONSTAB
Lv 52
Quiver Dance
BugCOMMONSTAB
Lv 32
Air Slash
Flying75COMMONSTAB
Lv 44
Bug Buzz
Bug90RARESTAB
TM135
Ice Beam
Ice90RARECoverage
TM160
Hurricane
Flying110RARESTAB
Experimental
Special Setup Sweeper
Ability
Intimidate
Item
Focus SashSURVIVAL
Best Nature for Masquerain
Modest+SPA
EVs

Special Setup Sweeper Moveset

  • Sticky WebSTAB
  • Quiver DanceSTAB
  • Air SlashSTAB
  • Bug BuzzSTAB

Masquerain Weakness

Masquerain is weak to Rock, Fire, Electric, Ice, and Flying. Watch out for Rock attacks, those deal 4x damage. On the flip side, it's immune to Ground-type moves entirely. Masquerain leans toward special offense (base 100 Sp.Atk) instead of trying to wall anything.

Masquerain Weakness and Resistance Chart
DamageTypes
4x (Critical)Rock
2x (Weak)Fire, Electric, Ice, Flying
0.5x (Resist)Bug
0.25x (Resist)Grass, Fighting
0x (Immune)Ground

What is Masquerain Weak Against

Vulnerable
5Weak
3Resist
1Immune
Score-4
4xCritical
½xResist
¼xResist
0xImmune

What is Masquerain Strong Against

5Strong
1Resisted
0Immune
Score+4
½xResisted
0xImmune
None

Best Pokemon Against Masquerain

Evolution

Masquerain is what Surskit becomes. Breed it for Surskit eggs (quick to hatch). Plenty of partners for breeding via two egg groups. Eggs are quick to hatch. The evolution from Surskit pushed Masquerain to 454 total stats. Sp.Atk saw the largest single gain at +50. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.

How to Evolve

2 Forms
Stat Comparison 2 Stages
Surskit
BugWater
Masquerain
BugFlying
HP
40
70+30
ATK
30
60+30
DEF
32
62+30
SP.ATK
50
100+50
SP.DEF
52
82+30
SPE
65
80+15
BST
269D-Tier
454C-Tier+185
ROLE
Balanced
Attacker
TYPE
Special
Special

Breeding

Very Easy

Breed with Masquerain to get Surskit eggs easily using 91 partners from the Bug and Water1 egg groups.

Egg Groups
Gender
50.0%50.0%
Hatch Time
15 cycles·3,855 steps
Quick~4 min with Flame Body
Breed With (best first)
azumarillflygondrapionblastoisegolduckferaligatrkingdraswampertslowbroslowkingoctilleryludicolo

How to Get Masquerain

All 14 games

moderate rates for Masquerain across 16 locations in mid-game routes. Nothing complicated. Check the sorted list below, compare the top few options, and head to whichever is closest.

Where To Catch Masquerain in SV

The path to Masquerain starts with Surskit at Lv. 7-60 via walking encounters. 2 catchable stages total, with locations listed for each one below.

  1. Surskit
    Step 1Catch Surskit
    South Province (Area Five) - Lake
    Lv.8-23Overworld
    Rate 36%
    South Province (Area Five) - River
    Lv.8-23Overworld
    Rate 36%
    South Province (Area One) - Lake
    Lv.8-23Overworld
    Rate 36%
    South Province (Area One) - River
    Lv.8-23Overworld
    Rate 36%
    Kitakami Wilds
    Lv.7-60Overworld
    Mossfell Confluence
    Lv.7-60Overworld
    Oni Mountain
    Lv.7-60Overworld
    Paradise Barrens
    Lv.7-60Overworld
    Timeless Woods
    Lv.7-60Overworld
  2. Masquerain
    Step 2Masquerain
    The Great Crater of Paldea
    Lv.23-60Overworld
    Rate 12%
    Kitakami Wilds
    Lv.22-60Overworld
    Mossfell Confluence
    Lv.22-60Overworld
    Oni Mountain
    Lv.22-60Overworld
    South Province (Area Five) - Lake
    Lv.23-56Overworld
    Rate 8%
    South Province (Area Five) - River
    Lv.23-56Overworld
    Rate 8%
    South Province (Area Four) - Lake
    Lv.23-56Overworld
    Rate 8%
    South Province (Area Four) - River
    Lv.23-56Overworld
    Rate 8%
    or evolve from Surskit (Step 1)

Base Stats

Nothing fancy in Masquerain's spread. It leans special with Sp. Atk out front. And you'll get 2 Sp. Atk and Sp. Def EVs per KO for it. Follows a medium-fast 1M XP curve.

Base Stats
Above
HP70
C
Attack60
C
Defense62
C
Sp. Atk100
B
Sp. Def82
C
Speed80
C
Total454
Details
Catch Rate
Challenging75 / 255
Growth Rate
Medium Fast1M XP
Height0.8 m
Weight3.6 kg
Base XP159
Abilities
Intimidate
Lowers opponents' Attack one stage upon entering battle.
UnnerveHidden Ability
Prevents opposing Pokémon from eating held Berries.
EV Yield
HPAtkDefSpA+1SpD+1Spe
Special Attack training target
Pokedex Entry

The antennae have distinctive patterns that look like eyes. When it rains, they grow heavy, making flight impossible.

Pokemon Violet

Masquerain Guide

  • Masquerain looks average on paper at 454 BST. But Intimidate is why it sees play. Build around that and it pulls its weight. C-Tier attacker on our tier list.

  • Masquerain's biggest threats include Tyranitar (Rock), Blaziken (Fire), and Jolteon (Electric), all carrying super-effective STAB moves. Tyranitar is the most dangerous since Rock moves deal 4x damage. Ice and Flying-type attackers are also a problem. With 5 weakness types, most competitive teams carry at least one counter.

  • Masquerain gets Intimidate and Unnerve. But Intimidate is the one that matters. It's the centerpiece of every viable set. Build around that.

  • Masquerain is a special attacker with base 100 Sp. Atk. Enough bulk to take a hit or two, too. Speed tells the real story. Base 80 Speed is workable. Faster than some, slower than many. Fits the attacker role.

  • The core moveset is Sticky Web, Quiver Dance, Air Slash, and Bugbuzz. Sticky Web leads at 0% usage. This set covers the attacker role with a mix of damage and utility.

Game Availability

Debuting in Ruby & Sapphire, Masquerain appears in 14 games across 8 generations. A reliable presence in a solid number of games, typically found through wild encounters.

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