Pokemon Scarlet & Violet: All Pokemon That Give Special Defense EVs and Where to Train

Are you EV training your Pokemon in Special Defense? Check out the following lists to find all the Pokemon in Scarlet and Violet that give Special Defense EVs when they’re defeated.

Where is the Best Place to EV Train Special Defense in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet

The best place to EV train for Special Defense in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet is just outside Alfornada, beside the Pokemon Center. There aren’t a lot of Pokemon that give Special Defense EVs in Scarlet and Violet, but two that do are helpfully found right outside Alfornada.

The Pokemon you’re looking for here are Gothorita and Gothitelle. Gothorita gives 2 Special Defense EVs (or 10 if your Pokemon is holding a Power Band), while its evolution Gothitelle gives 3 Special Defense EVs (or 11 with a Power Band). Gothitelle is pretty rare, but it’s helpful to know that it’s a valid target for EV training Special Defense when it does make an appearance.

You may want to increase the number of Gothorita and Gothitelle you can find here, as well as clear out some of the smaller Pokemon nearby that are easy to accidentally run into and battle while EV training. In that case, you can prepare a Smoky Sandwich for the Encounter Power: Psychic effect. The ingredients you’ll need to make a Smoky Sandwich are:

• Smoked Fillet (1)
• Watercress (1)
• Vinegar (1)
• Pepper (1)
• Salt (1)

If you’re in Blueberry Academy, the entire Gothitelle evolutionary line also appears in the Torchlit Labyrinth, with Gothita giving 1 Special Defense EV (or 9 with a Power Band).

An alternative place to EV train for Special Defense is in Area Zero. Floette and Altaria both give 2 Special Defense EVs (or 10 with a Power Band), and Floette is especially common outside of caves. Keep in mind, though, that because of their typings and the lack of Pokemon that give Special Defense EVs overall, using Encounter Power sandwiches won’t make EV training any easier in this area. For example, using Encounter Power: Flying will attract Corviknight (3 Defense EVs) just as much as it will attract Altaria.

Where to Get the Power Band Item (and What it Does)

You can buy the Power Band item from any of the Delibird Presents stores across Paldea, including three in Mesagoza, one in Levincia, and one in Cascarrafa. Each Power Band costs 10,000 Poke Dollars.

The Power Band gives the attached Pokemon 8 Special Defense EVs in addition to the EVs received from defeating or catching another Pokemon. It’s highly recommended to equip this item onto all of your Pokemon that you want to EV train in Special Defense to speed up the process, unless you intend to give a certain Pokemon only 4 Special Defense EVs.

All Pokemon in Scarlet and Violet That Give Special Defense EVs

Have you strayed a bit far from your EV training spot and are starting to see different Pokemon? Or do you see an outbreak and want to know if you can EV train off it? Use Ctrl/Cmd + F to see if they give Special Defense EVs. If the Pokemon isn’t on this list, check if it gives Attack, Defense, Special Attack, Speed, or HP EVs instead. If it doesn’t appear on any of these lists, that means it gives more than one stat in EVs and generally isn’t ideal for EV training with.

The following tables do not include Pokemon that give EVs of multiple stats, nor do they include Pokemon that give Special Defense EVs but aren’t found in the wild, such as Scarlet and Violet’s starter Pokemon and legendary Pokemon. Pokemon that appear only as special Tera Type Pokemon in the wild also aren’t listed, since you can’t OHKO them and are thus not practical for EV training.

List of Pokemon that Give 3 Special Defense EVs

List of Pokemon that Give 2 Special Defense EVs

List of Pokemon that Give 1 Special Defense EV

If you’re new to EV training in general, check out our primer on EV training in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet to learn how the process works and how many EVs you should give to your Pokemon.