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As great of a Pokemon as it is, Blastoise could struggle to defeat opponents in Pokemon Sword and Shield without the right IVs.
The issue with Blastoise is that base 85 Special Attack really isn’t going to get the job done. It's decent, but it's not like Alakazam or anything. Blastoise is a great Pokemon because of its bulk. Yes, it can fire off strong attacks, but it won’t one-hit KO everything.
Thankfully, in Pokemon Sword and Shield, Gigantamax serves as a great way to make Blastoise even more bulky, as well as increase its damage output. These are the best IVs to get the most out of Blastoise.
Note: This article is subjective and reflects the opinion of the writer.
The best IVs for Blastoise in Pokemon Sword and Shield
By far the most important stat to check IVs for with Blastoise is Special Attack. If a trainer is only going to check IVs for one stat, it should be this one. The reason is, if Blastoise has a low number of Special Attack IVs with a nature that doesn’t boost Special Attack, it will struggle to KO things.
Yes, Fire-type Pokemon will still drop to a Hydro Pump, but there will be situations where Blastoise should be expected to do lots of damage and it will just fall short. Nobody wants to click a Hydro Pump or Ice Beam on something only for it to survive with plenty of health.
The good news for Blastoise is that in Pokemon Sword and Shield, there are some ways to increase its Special Attack in battle. Shell Smash can be a great move to increase Blastoise’s Special Attack and Speed at the same time. It’s risky though, because Blastoise loses Defense and Special Defense in the process.
There is also, of course, Gigantamax, which will allow Blastoise to issue strong G-Max Cannonades. Either way, though, Blastoise needs a strong Special Attack stat to back that up.
While that should be priority number one, it’s certainly not the only IVs Blastoise needs. Since it is so bulky, it also appreciated strong defensive IVs to improve its durability. Blastoise won’t need a full 31 IVs in these stats, but they can’t have low IVs. It would be a shame to get a Blastoise with poor defensive IVs that has trouble taking hits.
That being said, Special Defense is the one in particular that really needs good IVs. The reason for this is that Blastoise has several ways to raise its Defense, so it can afford to not have lots of Defensive IVs (it shouldn’t have a low amount either though).
Blastoise gets access to Iron Defense, which will practically guard it from all physical attacks. Since it learns Flash Cannon, the Pokemon can also Gigantamax and use Max Steelstrike to raise defense.
The base Special Defense for Blastoise is 105, which is great. Blastoise can’t really buff this stat though. It doesn’t learn Calm Mind, Amnesia, or any moves like that. The only way it can raise that stat is teaching it Earthquake and using Max Quake in Gigantamax form. If that isn’t going to happen, then Blastoise is going to need that stat to be naturally large before it goes into battle.
