Nature Breeding: Complete Guide to Natures

What Are Natures?

Nature is a Pokemon characteristic introduced in Generation 3 that modifies two of its stats. Each Nature increases one stat by 10% and decreases another by 10%. Five Natures are "neutral" (Bashful, Docile, Hardy, Quirky, Serious) and affect no stats -- they increase and decrease the same stat, resulting in no net change. The remaining 20 Natures create a 10% increase in one stat and a 10% decrease in another. Stat modification applies to the base stat before EV investment, making Nature one of the most significant factors in a Pokemon's final performance.

The Nature is determined when an Egg is created or a Pokemon is encountered in the wild. Unlike IVs, Nature cannot be changed through normal gameplay. Mints, introduced in Generation 8, change the stat effects of a Pokemon's Nature for calculation purposes but do not change the displayed Nature, meaning the Nature still passes down through breeding as the original value. For serious competitive breeding, getting the correct natural Nature from the start is essential.

Everstone: Guaranteed Nature Inheritance

The Everstone is the single most important item for Nature breeding. When a Pokemon holds an Everstone and is placed in the Day Care or Nursery, there is a 100% chance that its Nature will be passed down to the offspring. This makes Everstone breeding completely deterministic -- you always know what Nature the Egg will have. Since Generation 6, if both parents hold Everstones, each parent's Nature has an equal 50% chance of being inherited.

The Everstone also works when breeding with Ditto. If Ditto holds an Everstone, the Nature is guaranteed to match Ditto's. This is the standard method for breeding competitive Pokemon: catch or obtain a Ditto with the desired Nature (Adamant, Modest, Jolly, or Timid are the most common), give it an Everstone, and pair it with the Pokemon you want to breed. Since Everstone inheritance does not conflict with Destiny Knot IV inheritance, you can use both items simultaneously -- one parent holds Everstone for Nature, the other holds Destiny Knot for IVs.

Complete Nature Chart

Competitive Nature Selection by Role

The right Nature depends on the Pokemon's role and moveset. Physical attackers should use a Nature that boosts Attack and lowers the unused Special Attack (Adamant, Jolly, or Brave for Trick Room). Special attackers should boost Special Attack and lower Attack (Modest, Timid, or Quiet). Speed is the most important stat in competitive Pokemon, so Jolly and Timid are often preferred over Adamant and Modest when the Pokemon needs to outspeed key threats. For example, Jolly Garchomp outspeeds Timid Heatran and Modest Magnezone, while Adamant Garchomp does not.

Defensive Pokemon choose Natures that boost their primary defensive stat while lowering the attacking stat they do not use. Bold (Defense+, Attack-) is standard for physically defensive Pokemon like Slowbro and Toxapex. Calm (Sp. Defense+, Attack-) is standard for specially defensive walls like Blissey. For mixed defenses, Careful (Sp. Defense+, Sp. Attack-) or Impish (Defense+, Sp. Attack-) is typical. Trick Room teams invert Speed priorities, making Brave, Quiet, Relaxed, and Sassy essential for slow but powerful Pokemon that need to move first under Trick Room.

Synchronize: Wild Nature Manipulation

The Synchronize Ability, available on Pokemon like Ralts, Abra, Munna, and Umbreon, gives a 50% chance that wild Pokemon encountered will have the same Nature as the Synchronize Pokemon leading the party. This is the most efficient way to obtain Ditto with competitive Natures. Before hunting Ditto in max raids or wild areas, lead with a Synchronize Pokemon of the desired Nature. The same technique works for catching any wild Pokemon with the right Nature for breeding stock.

To build a complete Nature collection, you need at least one Synchronize Pokemon of each competitive Nature. The most efficient method is to catch a male Ralts in Generation 3 with Trace, breed it with a Ditto of each Nature, and evolve the resulting Ralts into Kirlia then Gardevoir with Synchronize. Keep one of each Nature in a labeled box. This box of Synchronizers becomes the foundation of all future breeding projects. Building this collection takes a few hours but saves countless hours in the long run.

Mints and Nature Changes in Modern Games

Generation 8 introduced Mints (Adamant Mint, Modest Mint, etc.) that change a Pokemon's stat modifiers without changing its underlying Nature. A Pokemon with a Hardy Nature that uses an Adamant Mint will have +Atk/-SpA stat calculations, but its displayed Nature remains Hardy. This means that Mints do not pass down through breeding -- the original Nature is what gets inherited. Mints are purchased at the Battle Tower for 50 BP each and are a convenient alternative for Pokemon that are already shiny or hard to breed.

For competitive players, the best approach is to breed the correct Nature naturally and use Mints only for legendary or mythical Pokemon that cannot be bred. The Everstone remains the most efficient tool for Nature control in breeding. For full Nature charts and competitive recommendations, visit Bulbapedia's Nature guide and Wikipedia's breeding page for detailed stat modification tables. The Pokemon Fandom Nature wiki also lists competitive Nature recommendations for top species.