Haxorus Movesets and Best Builds

Haxorus Movesets in Other Games
SV	SWSH

This is a guide to movesets and best builds for using Haxorus in competitive play for the games Pokemon Scarlet and Violet (SV). Read on for tips on the best Nature, EV spreads, Movesets, Tera Type, and Held Items to use with Haxorus, as well as its strengths and weakness.

Haxorus Base Stats, Type, Ability and Weakness

Paldea #157 Blueberry #142		Type
Haxorus
		Abilities
		Mold Breaker Rivalry Unnerve (Hidden)
Weak to:
	(2x)
Damaged Normally By:	(1x)
Resists:	(0.5x)

What is Type Effectiveness?

Base Stats

Best Nature for Haxorus

What are Natures?

Singles Movesets for Haxorus

Taunt Support Moveset & Best Build

Nature	Jolly (+Spe, -Sp.Atk)
EV Spread	Atk 252 / Sp.Def 4 / Spe 252
Final Stat Values	HP 151 / Atk 199 / Def 110 / Sp.Def 91 / Spe 163
Ability	Mold Breaker
Tera Type
Held Item	Life Orb
Moveset	・ Taunt ・ Earthquake ・ Rock Slide ・ Outrage

Summary

Haxorus is one of the few Pokemon that have the Mold Breaker Ability that can also learn the move Taunt. This gives it a niche in the current metagame as one of the few Pokemon that can inflict Taunt on Gholdengo and Garganacl who are otherwise immune thanks to their Abilities.

Mold Breaker bypasses Good as Gold and Purifying Salt High Attack stat and great physical movepoolg Ground Tera Type gives it Ground-type STAB

Ability and Held Item

Mold Breaker is the best Ability for this Haxorus build, allowing it to bypass the opposing Pokemon's Ability. Apart from being able to use Taunt on Gholdengo and Garganacl, Moldbreaker also bypasses Abilities like Sturdy or Dragonite's Multiscale.

Life Orb increases the damage of Haxorus' moves by 30% and is the best item for this build since it lacks a boosting move.

Moves Breakdown

Taunt allows Haxorus to threaten defensive Pokemon by preventing them from using Status moves for three turns. Thanks to its Moldbreaker Ability, this move bypasses Abilities such as Good as Gold, Purifying Salt, and Oblivious.

Earthquake is this build's main STAB move one it terastallizes into a Ground-type and hits both Gholdengo and Garganacl for super effective damage. Rock Slide has near perfect coverage when used alongside Earthquake, hitting Flying-types such as Iron Jugulis for super effective damage.

Outrage is its last STAB move and hits hard with a Life Orb boost against opposing Dragon-types such as Baxcalibur and Garchomp.

Best Tera Type

Ground is the best Tera type for this build to give it STAB on Earthquake. It also allows Haxorus to stay on the field against Fairy and opposing Dragon-types. As a physical attacker, a Jolly Nature is best so that it can outspeed slower defensive Pokemon.

EV Spread and Nature

Full Attack and Speed EV investment is necessary so that Haxorus can hit hard and can outrun slower attackers, with the remaining 4 EVs in Special Defense to round off its bulk.

A Jolly Nature ensures Haxorus has an effective 163 Speed stat at Lv. 50.

Other Viable Moves

Key Damage Calculations

The following calculations take into account Haxorus's Offensive EV spread with a Jolly Nature, a Life Orb boost, and the damage boost from Ground Tera.

Damage Dealt by Haxorus
207 HP｜200 Sp. Def Defensive EV Investment: HP 252 | Def 252 (Impish) Item: Leftovers	Earthquake 148-174 (71.4 - 84%) Guaranteed 2HKO
169 HP｜106 Def No Defensive EV Investment: HP 0 | Def 0 (Timid) Item: Choice Specs	Rock Slide 138-164 (81.6 - 97%) Guaranteed 2HKO
183 HP｜115 Def No Defensive EV Investment: HP 0 | Def 0 (Jolly) Item: Leftovers	Outrage 307-361 (167.7 - 197.2%) Guaranteed OHKO

Swords Dance Attacker Moveset & Best Build

Nature	Jolly (+Spe, -Sp.Atk)
EV Spread	Atk 252 / Sp.Def 4 / Spe 252
Final Stat Values	HP 151 / Atk 199 / Def 110 / Sp.Def 91 / Spe 163
Ability	Mold Breaker
Tera Type
Held Item	Life Orb
Moveset	・ Swords Dance ・ Iron Head ・ Close Combat ・ Outrage

Summary

Haxorus can further boost its already high Attack with Swords Dance and, coupled with its Mold Breaker Ability, allows it to take on Pokemon that rely on Abilities to boost their survivability such as Dragonite's Multiscale.

High Attack stat and great physical movepool Swords Dance makes it difficult to switch into Mold Breaker nullifies opposing Pokemon's Abilities

Ability and Held Item

Mold Breaker is the best Ability for this Haxorus build, allowing it to bypass the opposing Pokemon's Ability. Apart from being able to use Taunt on Gholdengo and Garganacl, Moldbreaker also bypasses Abilities like Sturdy or Dragonite's Multiscale.

Life Orb increases the damage of Haxorus' moves by 30% and is the best item for this build since it lacks a boosting move.

Moves Breakdown

Swords Dance gives Haxorus a +2 Attack boost, increasing the power of its moves and making it very difficult to switch into thanks to its naturally high Attack stat. Iron Head becomes its secondary STAB move once it terastallizes into a Steel-type and allows it to check Fairy-types such as Flutter Mane.

Close Combat rounds off the build by providing strong Fighting-type coverage, while Outrage allows it to take on opposing Dragon-types.

Best Tera Type

Steel is the best Tera type for this build to increase the power of Iron Head while also giving it STAB. It's also useful defensively as Haxorus can now stay on the field against Fairy and Dragon-types that lack a coverage move.

As a physical attacker, a Jolly Nature is best so that it can outspeed slower defensive Pokemon.

EV Spread and Nature

Full Attack and Speed EV investment is necessary so that Haxorus can hit hard and can outrun slower attackers, with the remaining 4 EVs in Special Defense to round off its bulk.

A Jolly Nature ensures Haxorus has an effective 163 Speed stat at Lv. 50.

Other Viable Moves

Key Damage Calculations

The following calculations take into account Haxorus's Offensive EV spread with a Jolly Nature, Life Orb and Swords Dance boost, and the damage boost from Steel Tera.

Damage Dealt by Haxorus
164 HP｜183 Def Defensive EV Investment: HP 252 | Def 252 (Impish) Item: Leftovers	Iron Head 257-304 (156.7 - 185.3%) Guaranteed OHKO
197 HP｜189 Def Defensive EV Investment: HP 252 | Def 252 (Impish) Item: Booster Energy	Close Combat 250-294 (126.9 - 149.2%) Guaranteed OHKO
198 HP｜116 Def Defensive EV Investment: HP 252 | Def 4 (Adamant) Item: Leftovers	Outrage 603-712 (304.5 - 359.5%) Guaranteed OHKO

Doubles Movesets for Haxorus

Tera Fire Attacker Moveset & Best Build

Nature	Adamant (+Atk, -Sp.Atk)
EV Spread	Atk 252 / Sp.Def 4 / Spe 252
Final Stat Values	HP 151 / Atk 218 / Def 110 / Sp.Def 91 / Spe 149
Ability	Mold Breaker
Tera Type
Held Item	Life Orb
Moveset	・ Swords Dance ・ Tera Blast ・ Breaking Swipe ・ Rock Slide

Summary

Swords Dance Haxorus has an easier time setting up in Doubles thanks to redirection support from the likes of Amoonguss, Toedscruel, and Pachirisu.

Terastallizing it into a Fire-type also allows it to safely switch into Steel-types such as Gholdengo and retaliate with STAB Fire Tera Blast.

Moves Breakdown

Fire-type Tera Blast allows Haxorus to expand its coverage, hitting bulky Steel and Grass-types for super effective damage.

Breaking Swipe is its main Dragon-type STAB that hits both targets in Doubles while also lowering their Attack by one stage. Rock Slide rounds off its coverage and the move also has a 30% chance to cause the target to flinch.

Best Tera Type

Fire is the best Tera type for this Haxorus build. Not only does it expend its coverage and allows it to stay on the field against Fairy-types, it also gives Haxorus immunity to burns from Will-O-Wisp.

As a physical attacker, an Adamant Nature is best to maximize Haxorus' damage output.

EV Spread and Nature

Full Attack and Speed EV investment is necessary so that Haxorus can hit hard and can outrun slower attackers, with the remaining 4 EVs in Special Defense to round off its bulk.

Since it's easier to outpace faster Pokemon in Doubles through redirection or Tailwind support, an Adamant Nature to give Haxorus an effective 218 Attack stat at Lv. 50.

Other Viable Moves

Key Damage Calculations

The following calculations take into account Haxorus's Offensive EV spread with a Jolly Nature, Life Orb and Swords Dance boost, and the damage boost from Fire Tera.

Damage Dealt by Haxorus
194 HP｜161 Def Defensive EV Investment: HP 252 | Def 252 (Bold) Item: Leftovers	Tera Blast 291-346 (150 - 178.3%) Guaranteed OHKO
192 HP｜101 Def Defensive EV Investment: HP 252 | Def 4 (Timid) Item: Heavy-Duty Boots	Breaking Swipe 260-307 (135.4 - 159.8%) Guaranteed OHKO
192 HP｜120 Def Defensive EV Investment: HP 252 | Def 0 (Modest) Item: Leftovers	Rock Slide 182-216 (94.7 - 112.5%) 68.8% Chance to OHKO

How to Use Haxorus Effectively

Take Advantage of Mold Breaker and Taunt

Haxorus is one of the few Pokemon with access to both Mold Breaker and Taunt, bypassing Gholdengo and Garganacl's Abilities and preventing them from using status moves.

Unlike other Taunt users, Haxorus is an offensive threat that can also KO defensive Pokemon once it sets up with Swords Dance.

How to Build a Team with Haxorus

Haxorus competes with other offensive-oriented Pokemon for a spot in both Singles and Doubles as main attacker. As a result, it's often best used as an offensive lead or backup attacker in balanced teams.

Sample Singles Team

Offensive Lead	Special Attacker	Pivot
Haxorus	Flutter Mane	Toxapex

Since most players readily assume that lead Haxorus is a setup sweeper, leading with Taunt Haxorus can surprise usual leads that rely on entry hazards and other status moves. Once afflicted with Taunt, they are forced to switch out or risk getting worn down by Haxorus' Life Orb-boosted moves.

Flutter Mane is this team's main Special Attacker and provides strong Ghost and Fairy-type STAB, while Toxapex provides utility with Toxic and Chilling Water support.

Sample Doubles Team

Lead Attacker	Redirection Support
Haxorus	Toedscruel
Special Attacker	Offensive Pivot
Sandy Shocks	Wash Rotom

Haxorus can safely setup Swords Dance and provide team utility with Breaking Swipe, with Toedscruel providing Rage Powder support to redirect attacks. It can also use Spore to shut down opposing setup sweepers and defensive Pokemon.

Sandy Shocks serves as this team's Special Attacker and provides strong Electric and Ground-type STAB with Thunderbolt and Earth Power. Wash Rotom serves as this team's offensive pivot, providing Will-O-Wisp support and has great defensive synergy with Toedscruel.

Counters for Haxorus

Outspeed it with a Faster Attacker

Haxorus' high Attack stat is offset by its rather mediocre Speed stat which, while not low, is still lower than several new and returning Pokemon in the current metagame.

Haxorus' low bulk also means that it can't take super effective hits well, and it's possible to KO it easily with the right move.

Best Pokemon to Use

Pokemon	Description
Flutter Mane	Ranking: ★★★★★ ・Naturally outspeeds Haxorus and is immune to Dragon-type moves. ・Easily KOs Haxorus with Choice Specs-boosted Moonblast even when it terastallizes into a Ground-type. ▶️Flutter Mane Best Movesets
Iron Valiant	Ranking: ★★★★★ ・Naturally outspeeds Haxorus and is immune to Dragon-type moves. ・Easily KOs Haxorus with STAB Choice Band-boosted Spirit Break or STAB Close Combat when it terastallizes into a Steel-type. ▶️Iron Valiat Best Movesets
Sandy Shocks	Ranking: ★★★★ ・Naturally outspeed Haxorus and can inflict paralysis with Thunder Wave. ・Easily KOs Fire-type Haxorus with Choice Specs-boosted STAB Earth Power. ▶️Sandy Shocks Best Movesets

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