Highlights
- Pokemon Scarlet and Violet introduce Paradox Pokemon, time-displaced pocket monsters that roam the Paldea region. These new additions offer unique designs and abilities.
- The Future Paradox forms of familiar Pokemon like Hydreigon and Cobalion, called Iron Jugulis and Iron Crown, have new typings that slightly change their strengths and weaknesses.
- Paradox Pokemon like Iron Moth and Iron Treads offer powerful statistics, with high attack and defense stats, making them formidable additions to any team in Pokemon Violet.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet bring a host of changes to the classic Pokemon formula. From raiding the bases of Team Star to battling gigantic Titan Pokemon, the two Gen 9 entries have shaken the format that fans are used to in a number of different ways.
One surprising addition is the inclusion of Paradox Pokemon, a collection of time-displaced pocket monsters that run rampant throughout the Paldea region. Pokemon Violet brings a selection of Future Paradox Pokemon to do battle with, catch and collect. Here are our rankings of each one of them.
Updated on August 22, 2023, by Kendall Cunningham: Pokemon Scarlet & Violet have seen their fair share of support since launch, with announcements of upcoming DLC along with new Pokemon being added to the games via Tera Raids. This includes a few new Paradox Pokemon, and while we may not have the DLC just yet, we can still make a few updates to our list of Future Paradox Pokemon.
10 Iron Jugulis
Iron Jugulis is the Future Paradox version of Hydreigon, and it truly shows in its design. Sporting a pink and black coloring as opposed to Hydreigon's normal blue, black, and burgundy look, this futuristic form has three digitized heads, an elaborate body design, and slimmer wings than Hydreigon.
The main thing holding back Iron Jugulis' potential is the fact that its new Dark and Flying typing is a downgrade from Hydreigon's Dark and Dragon combo. While the present day version of this Pokemon sports a host of type advantages, Pokemon Violet's time-displaced version has far less advantageous matchups. Thankfully, it still sports a strong stat line, highlighted by its Special Attack and Speed.
9 Iron Crown
It's easy to tell that Iron Crown is the Future Paradox form of Cobalion at a glance. It's essentially a robotic version of the legendary Sword of Justice Pokemon, with the same color scheme and design principles. It may not be the most startling departure, but an already strong design doesn't need much alteration.
On the combative side, we know that Iron Crown will be a Steel/Psychic-type, sharing a few weaknesses with Cobalion but trading the Fighting-type weakness for a vulnerability to the less common Dark and Ghost types. Iron Crown is also equipped with the signature move Tachyon Cut, which hits twice and never misses.
8 Iron Thorns
Fan-favorite Pokemon Tyranitar is a Pokemon Scarlet exclusive, but its Paradox form, Iron Thorns, is only found in Pokemon Violet. This new version of Tyranitar is almost Kaiju-esque in appearance, with black plates adorning its body and a glowing neon liquid coursing through its more exposed segments.
Iron Thorns is an extremely physical Rock and Electric type with high Attack and Defense stats, making it a good Pokemon for landing big, heavy blows. It also has a solid number of common type advantages, which helps to somewhat balance out its negligible Special Defense and Speed.
7 Iron Moth
Like Pokemon Scarlet, Pokemon Violet features a Paradox version of Volcarona, with the future version of the majestic Pokemon appearing as Iron Moth. This version of the fiery moth has a similar design to Volcarona, with an appropriate metallic finish and an amazing set of detached wings floating around its body.
Iron Moth is a Fire and Poison type, making it extremely resistant to a number of other types. Its stats are surprisingly similar to that of Volcarona, albeit with the boosted numbers of a Paradox Pokemon — it's a Pokemon whose best categories are its tremendous Special Attack, along with Special Defense and Speed.
6 Iron Treads
Iron Treads is Pokemon Violet's variant of Donphan. This Paradox form is entirely metallic, sporting a small, round face that's completely separated from its large red trunk. Iron Treads' striking red eyes stand out, but its design is definitely a downgrade from its original form.
Thankfully, Iron Treads makes up for this by being an absolute juggernaut. With its Ground and Steel typing, it is a defensive powerhouse, with a huge list of type advantages and high Defense, Attack HP, and Speed stats to boot. Iron Treads is certainly one of the most imposing Paradox Pokemon of them all.
5 Iron Leaves
Iron Leaves is the Paradox form of Virizion, one of the three Swords of Justice. It was made attainable to players via Tera Raid after Pokemon Violet's 1.2.0 patch. While you can instantly tell what Pokemon Iron Leaves is based on, its design still spices things up a bit with futuristic adornments and trinkets that help distance this version from its modern-day form.
In combat, Iron Leaves has a whole host of weaknesses, with a particular vulnerability to Bug types, due to its Grass/Psychic dual typing. Still, it's able to bring a lot to battles offensively, and it's also able to use Psyblade, a physical Psychic attack that shoots up to 120 damage when used on Electric Terrain.
4 Iron Hands
The Future Paradox form of Hariyama, Iron Hands sports one of the game's coolest redesigns. It's instantly recognizable, although its color variation, armor-like body, and glowing yellow palms and adornments make it stand out. It strikes the right balance between subtle and noticeably different.
While Iron Hands is slow and has a low Special Attack, it also sports an appropriately strong Attack stat for its Fighting and Electric typing, along with the most HP of any Paradox Pokemon in the game. Pair this with its solid Defense, and this is a Pokemon that can hit extremely hard while handling a great deal of punishment and resisting a few dangerous Attack types, such as Dark and Steel.
3 Iron Bundle
Iron Bundle is easily one of the most straightforward Paradox Pokemon designs, being instantly recognizable as a futuristic version of Delibird. The Pokemon's metallic body, digital eyes, and the water-filled orb that replaces its typical sack are the primary features separating it from its Santa Claus-inspired original form.
Although it's aesthetically similar to Delibird, Iron Bundle is a clear improvement over the original when it comes to stats. The Paradox version's Special Attack and Speed in particular are remarkable, able to outpace even its Paradox Pokemon peers to deliver heavy-hitting blows.
2 Iron Valiant
Iron Valiant is one of the most unique Paradox Pokemon present in either game. Rather than being a variant of either Gardevoir or Gallade, this robotic warrior is a combination of the two, with elements like Gallade's arm blades and Gardevoir's flowing skirt-like appendages. What results is one of the coolest-looking Paradox Pokemon by far.
Fortunately, it's not all about aesthetics when it comes to Iron Galliant. With tremendous stats in both Attack and Special Attack categories, as well as solid Defense and Speed, this Pokemon can pack a powerful punch in just about any situation. Add to that the offensively dominant Fairy and Fighting typing, and you have one of the best Paradox Pokemon available.
1 Miraidon
Your mount throughout Pokemon Violet is the legendary Pokemon Miraidon, the majestic purple lizard referred to as the "Iron Serpent." That nickname becomes appropriate after you learn that this Pokemon is the Paradox form of Cyclizar, with an upgraded look that includes jet boosters, a glowing neon underbelly, and digitized eyes. Also, it actually uses its wheels.
Miraidon is just as powerful as you might expect, with tremendous stats across the board but a particular advantage regarding Special Attacks and Speed. The Electric and Dragon-type combination gives it a fair shot against most Pokemon you'll run into, making Miraidon a great addition to any Pokemon champion's lineup.