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.
Pawniard will fearlessly challenge even powerful foes. In a pinch, it will cling to opponents and pierce them with the blades all over its body.
Any chips in its blades would prove fatal for it. After each battle, it diligently maintains its blades using its favorite sharpening stone.
Pawniard Weakness
ExcellentPawniard 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.
Pawniard is the start of a three-stage chain. It evolves into Bisharp first, then eventually reaches Kingambit. For breeding, average hatch time with a decent partner pool via one egg group. Evolving adds up to 210 stat points total.
How to Evolve
Breed Pawniard easily with 49 breeding partners from the Humanshape egg group. Pass egg moves like Headbutt, Mean Look, Quick Guard and 1 more to offspring.
One boost from Swords Dance and Pawniard gets dangerous fast. The Adamant nature targets a spread EV build, and Defiant backs the whole approach. Ironhead and the remaining moves handle most of what's left standing.
Best Build
Best Pawniard Moveset
- Iron Head
- Sucker Punch
- Swords Dance
- Stealth Rock
Recommended Teammates
Breeding opens up real options for Pawniard. Headbutt and Mean Look come exclusively from egg moves, and they're worth the effort. The rest of the kit covers basics through Steel Beam and Foul Play and coverage across 9 types.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
A solid number of locations for Pawniard with high spawn rates across mid-game 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
16 walking encounters at Lv. 22-65 for Pawniard across Scarlet and Violet. A few locations are version-exclusive, so your copy of the game affects what's available.
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.
- Gen IY
Yellow - Gen IRB
Red & Blue - Gen IIGS
Gold & Silver - Gen IIC
Crystal - Gen IIIRS
Ruby & Sapphire - Gen IIIFRLG
FireRed & LeafGreen - Gen IIIE
Emerald - Gen IVPt
Platinum - Gen IVHGSS
HeartGold & SoulSilver - Gen IVDP
Diamond & Pearl - Gen VBWDebut
Black & White - Gen VB2W2
Black 2 & White 2 - Gen VIXY
X & Y - Gen VIORAS
Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire - Gen VIIUSUM
Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon - Gen VIISM
Sun & Moon - Gen VIILGPE
Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee - Gen VIIISwSh
Sword & Shield - Gen VIIIPLA
Legends: Arceus - Gen VIIIBDSP
Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl - Gen IXSV
Scarlet & Violet - Gen IXLZA
Legends: Z-A