Physical
Balanced
340Low
60Moderate
DTier

Pawniard sits at the start of its evolution line — not yet at full power, but that changes fast. Most trainers push through to Kingambit as fast as possible. Known as the Sharp Blade Pokemon. Built to hit on the physical side.

Pawniard's spread isn't flashy. Attack leads, Sp. Atk trails, 1 stats clear the bar. Common in the wild and worth 1 Attack EV, on a medium-fast 1M XP curve.

Base Stats
340Avg
HP45
D
Attack85
C
Defense70
C
Sp. Atk40
D
Sp. Def40
D
Speed60
C
Total340
Low <60
Avg 60-89
High 90-149
Top 150+
EV YieldDefeating Pawniard yields +1 Atk
HPAtk+1DefSpASpDSpe
Details
Catch120ModerateMedium Fast1M XP0.5m / 1'08"10.2kg / 22.5 lbs68Base XP
Pokedex Entries

Blades comprise this Pokémon’s entire body. If battling dulls the blades, it sharpens them on stones by the river.

Black

They fight at Bisharp’s command. They cling to their prey and inflict damage by sinking their blades into it.

White

Pawniard Weakness

Excellent

Pawniard is weak to Fighting, Fire, and Ground-type moves. Watch out for Fighting attacks, those deal 4x damage. On the flip side, it's immune to Poison and Psychic-type moves entirely. 9 resistances give it solid defensive coverage on top of that. Pawniard's physical bulk (base 70 Def) helps cushion physical weakness hits, but special attackers are the bigger threat.

Gen V Type Chart
  • Fairy type does not exist — Dragon has fewer checks
  • Physical / Special split now per-move (introduced Gen IV)
3Weak
9Resist
2Immune
Scorei+9
SpikesGrounded — up to 25%
4x Fighting — Close Combat, Drain Punch, Focus Blast
Abilities
DefiantRaises Attack two stages upon having any stat lowered.
Inner FocusPrevents flinching.
PressureHAIncreases the PP cost of moves targetting the Pokémon by one.

Pawniard is the start of a three-stage chain. It evolves into Bisharp first, then eventually reaches Kingambit. For breeding, average hatch time with plenty of partners via one egg group. Evolving adds up to 210 stat points total.

How to Evolve

2 Forms
Stat Comparison 2 Stages
Pawniard
DarkSteel
Bisharp
DarkSteel
HP
45
65+20
ATK
85
125+40
DEF
70
100+30
SP.ATK
40
60+20
SP.DEF
40
70+30
SPE
60
70+10
BST
340C-Tier
490A-Tier+150
ROLE
Balanced
Wallbreaker
TYPE
Physical
Physical
Breeding
Very Easy

Breed Pawniard easily with 53 breeding partners from the Humanshape egg group. Pass egg moves like Headbutt, Mean Look, Psycho Cut and 4 more to offspring.

Egg Groups
Humanshape
Gender
50.0%50.0%
Hatch Time
20 cycles·5,140 steps
Quick~5 min with Flame Body
Egg Moves
7moves
Breed With (best first)
gardevoirinfernapegalladelopunnycacturnevolbeatillumisemonfernospindabunearycacneachimchar

Best Build

No build content available for this Pokemon in Gen 5.

Try selecting a different game/generation filter, or check back later.

The TM pool is where it gets interesting. Coverage across 10 types means almost nothing walls Pawniard cleanly, with Iron Head and Night Slash anchoring the STAB side. Matchup flexibility isn't a problem.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1
Scratch
4010035Normal
Lv 6
Leer
10030Normal
Lv 9
Fury Cutter
209520Bug
Lv 14
Torment
10015Dark
Lv 17
Feint Attack
6020Dark
Lv 22
Scary Face
10010Normal
Lv 25
Metal Claw
509535Steel
Lv 30
Slash
7010020Normal
Lv 33
Assurance
5010010Dark
Lv 38
Metal Sound
8540Steel
Lv 41
Embargo
10015Dark
Lv 46
Iron Defense
15Steel
Lv 49
Night Slash
7010015Dark
Lv 54
Iron Head
8010015Steel
Lv 57
Swords Dance
30Normal
Lv 62
Guillotine
305Normal

TM Moves

Src
TM40
Aerial Ace
6020Flying
TM45
Attract
10015Normal
TM31
Brick Break
7510015Fighting
HM01
Cut
509530Normal
TM28
Dig
8010010Ground
TM32
Double Team
15Normal
TM63
Embargo
10015Dark
TM42
Facade
7010020Normal
TM54
False Swipe
4010040Normal
TM56
Fling
10010Dark
TM21
Frustration
10020Normal
TM86
Grass Knot
10020Grass
TM10
Hidden Power
6010015Normal
TM01
Hone Claws
15Dark
TM47
Low Sweep
6010020Fighting
TM66
Payback
5010010Dark
TM84
Poison Jab
8010020Poison
TM17
Protect+4
10Normal
TM18
Rain Dance
5Water
TM44
Rest
10Psychic
TM67
Retaliate
701005Normal
TM27
Return
10020Normal
TM69
Rock Polish
20Rock
TM94
Rock Smash
4010015Fighting
TM39
Rock Tomb
609510Rock
TM48
Round
6010015Normal
TM37
Sandstorm
10Rock
TM65
Shadow Claw
7010015Ghost
TM95
Snarl
559515Dark
TM90
Substitute
10Normal
TM87
Swagger
9015Normal
TM75
Swords Dance
30Normal
TM12
Taunt
10020Dark
TM46
Thief
6010010Dark
TM73
Thunder Wave
10020Electric
TM41
Torment
10015Dark
TM06
Toxic
9010Poison
TM81
X-Scissor
8010015Bug

Egg Moves

Src
Egg
Headbutt
7010015Normal
Egg
Mean Look
5Normal
Egg
Psycho Cut
7010020Psychic
Egg
Pursuit
4010020Dark
Egg
Revenge-4
6010010Fighting
Egg
Stealth Rock
20Rock
Egg
Sucker Punch+1
801005Dark

Tutor Moves

Pawniard can't learn any Tutor moves

6 encounter spots for Pawniard at decent spawn rates starting from late-game routes. Best and Earliest sort options below help narrow down your approach based on odds vs. Accessibility.

Best Locations

6 spots to find Pawniard at Lv. 31-50 via walking. Not all of them exist in both Black and White versions, so filter by your copy below.

Route 9
BlackGrassLv.31-34UncommonLateRouteAny
EASY
Route 9
WhiteGrassLv.31-34UncommonLateRouteAny
EASY
Route 9
WhiteGrassLv.36-39UncommonLateRouteAnyDouble grass
EASY
Route 9
BlackGrassLv.36-39UncommonLateRouteAnyDouble grass
EASY
Route 11
BlackGrassLv.50RarePostRouteAny
CHALLENGING
Route 11
WhiteGrassLv.50RarePostRouteAny
CHALLENGING
  • Pawniard isn't fully evolved, so it's not built for competitive play. You'll want to evolve it into Bisharp to unlock its full potential. At 340 BST, it's a stepping stone rather than a team anchor.

  • Pawniard's biggest threats include Conkeldurr (Fighting), Volcarona (Fire), and Rhydon (Ground), all carrying super-effective STAB moves. Conkeldurr is the most dangerous since Fighting moves deal 4x damage.

  • Pawniard evolves into Bisharp at level 52. Pawniard is the base form in a 3-stage evolutionary line.

  • Defiant is the go-to ability for Pawniard. It raises Attack two stages upon having any stat lowered. Its hidden ability Pressure can work in specific setups. Inner Focus is the other option — pick based on what your team needs.

  • Pawniard fills the balanced role. It's a physical attacker with base 85 Attack. At base 60 Speed, it won't be moving first often. And it's fragile — can't afford to take many hits.

  • Pawniard appears in 8 games, including Black & White, Black 2 & White 2, and X & Y.

Introduced in Black & White, Pawniard has appeared in 8 games across 5 generations. Later debuts mean fewer total appearances, but it's been a consistent presence since its introduction.