Competitive Information for Inkay [Sword/Shield]
Dark / Psychic
Abilities:
If this Pokemon has a stat stage raised it is lowered instead, and vice versa.
Moves ignore substitutes and foe's Reflect/Light Screen/Safeguard/Mist/Aurora Veil.
This Pokemon cannot be forced to switch out by another Pokemon's attack or item.
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Movesets for Singles
Looking for a competitive moveset for Inkay? These builds are optimized for Sword/Shield Single Battles. The movesets and EVs are designed to maximize damage against common opponents and threats in the Sword/Shield metagame. Check out the expert movesets below to boost your battle performance and dominate your opponents!
Meet Inkay, an outstanding Pokémon ready to dominate with its Dark and Psychic typing! Inkay is not a Pokémon anyone usually expects to see on the battlefield. It can be quite a contender in the LC tier (Little Cup). Its only type-related weaknesses are Bug and Fairy. Want to master Inkay's movesets? Dive into our detailed strategies below!
Item: Focus Sash / Tanga Berry
Ability: Contrary
Nature: Adamant (+Atk, -SpA)
EVs: 184 Hp / 252 Atk / 8 Def / 64 SpD
Moveset:
- Knock Off / Night Slash
- Psycho Cut
- Superpower
- Slash / Facade
For those intense single battles, Inkay is a superior Physical Sweeper. The intention of this moveset is to take down the opponent's team with intense physical power. Focus Sash helps protect Inkay from being one-shotted and allowing it to atleast use a crucial move when brought out. With Contrary, if Inkay has a stat stage raised it is lowered instead and vice versa. Facade's damage doubles when the user has a status affliction. With a Tanga Berry equipped to it, halves damage taken from a supereffective bug-type attack then the Tanga Berry gets consumed.
◆ Night Slash is a physical STAB-boosted 70-base power Dark-type move (high critical hit ratio).
◆ Psycho Cut is a physical STAB-boosted 70-base power Psychic-type move (high critical hit ratio).
◆ Superpower is a physical 120-base power Fighting-type move (increases your Inkay's attack and defense by 1 stage).
◆ Slash is a physical 70-base power Normal-type move (high critical hit ratio).
◆ Facade is a physical 70-base power Normal-type move (power doubles if Inkay is burn/poison/paralyzed).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/maa2ae
Movesets for Doubles
Need a strong doubles moveset for Inkay? These builds are perfect for VGC (Pokémon Video Game Championship) and other competitive Sword/Shield Double Battles. The VGC is the ultimate test of strategy and skill, and these movesets and EVs are designed to excel against multiple opponents at once while providing essential support to your team. Dominate the Sword/Shield metagame with these expert-crafted setups!
Item: Focus Sash / Tanga Berry
Ability: Contrary
Nature: Adamant (+Atk, -SpA)
EVs: 184 Hp / 252 Atk / 8 Def / 64 SpD
Moveset:
- Knock Off / Night Slash
- Psycho Cut
- Rock Slide
- Superpower
Inkay shows a top-notch Physical Sweeper prowess in double battles. This build is crafted to overwhelm foes with overwhelming physical moves. Focus Sash helps protect Inkay from being one-shotted and allowing it to atleast use a crucial move when brought out. With Contrary, if Inkay has a stat stage raised it is lowered instead and vice versa. With a Tanga Berry equipped to it, halves damage taken from a supereffective bug-type attack then the Tanga Berry gets consumed.
◆ Night Slash is a physical STAB-boosted 70-base power Dark-type move (high critical hit ratio).
◆ Psycho Cut is a physical STAB-boosted 70-base power Psychic-type move (high critical hit ratio).
◆ Rock Slide is a physical 75-base power Rock-type move (30% chance to make the foes flinch).
◆ Superpower is a physical 120-base power Fighting-type move (increases your Inkay's attack and defense by 1 stage).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/naa2ae
Item: Focus Sash / Tanga Berry
Ability: Contrary
Nature: Sassy (+SpD, -Spe)
Nature: Relaxed (+Def, -Spe)
EVs: 252 Hp / 100 Def / 156 SpD
Moveset:
- Knock Off / Night Slash
- Psycho Cut
- Superpower
- Trick Room
Inkay excels as an exceptional Defensive Trick Roomer during single battles. Focus Sash helps protect Inkay from being one-shotted and allowing it to atleast use a crucial move when brought out. With Contrary, if Inkay has a stat stage raised it is lowered instead and vice versa. With a Tanga Berry equipped to it, halves damage taken from a supereffective bug-type attack then the Tanga Berry gets consumed.
◆ Night Slash is a physical STAB-boosted 70-base power Dark-type move (high critical hit ratio).
◆ Psycho Cut is a physical STAB-boosted 70-base power Psychic-type move (high critical hit ratio).
◆ Superpower is a physical 120-base power Fighting-type move (increases your Inkay's attack and defense by 1 stage).
◆ Trick Room is a status move (goes last. For 5 turns, turn order is reversed).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/nba2ae
Movepool
Want to know what moves Inkay can learn? Check out the full list of moves available in the Pokemon Sword/Shield generation.
Sort and organize the learnset by type, category, accuracy, and power. Moves in bold get the same-type attack bonus (STAB) when used by Inkay.
Damage Modifiers:
Combo List
These are a list of several common move combinations Inkay can perform in Sword/Shield. Not every combo going to be game-changing, but some can be pretty fun to play with. Sometimes these can be easily overlooked or forgotten, hence why we find and list them here. Discover what items, abilities, and moves this Pokemon can use in combination with each other to gain a strategic advantage in competitive battles.
Competitive SS Move and Ability Combos for Inkay
- Moves: Swagger + Flatter
- Moves: Swagger + Foul play
- Moves: Swagger + Psych up
- Moves: Flatter + Psych up
- Moves: Rest + Sleep talk
- Moves: Rest + Snore
- Moves: Nasty plot + Stored power
- Moves: Stored power + Acupressure
- Moves: Stored power + Psych up
- Ability: Contrary + Move: Superpower
- Move: Swagger + Item: Mirror Herb
- Move: Fling + Item: King's Rock
- Move: Facade + Item: Flame Orb
- Move: Facade + Item: Toxic Orb
- Moves with Priority: Ally Switch, Endure, Protect
- Moves that inflict status: Hypnosis, Toxic
Moves that boost Inkay's stats
- Acupressure
- Calm Mind
- Nasty Plot
- Note:This Pokemon can also learn Stored Power.
Most notable and possible best moves for Inkay
- Baton Pass
- Destiny Bond
- Knock Off
- Light Screen
- Protect
- Reflect
- Rest
- Stored Power
- Taunt
- Toxic
Common Effort Values for Inkay in Sword and Shield
- Adamant Nature ( 0/252/0/0/0/252 )
- Modest Nature ( 0/0/0/252/0/252 )
- Jolly Nature ( 0/252/0/0/0/252 )
- Timid Nature ( 0/0/0/252/0/252 )
- Bold Nature ( 252/0/252/0/0/4 )
- Calm Nature ( 252/0/0/0/252/4 )
- Relaxed Nature ( 252/0/88/0/168/0 )
- Sassy Nature ( 252/0/4/0/252/0 )
- Optimize Inkay's Defensive EV-spread for Pokemon Sword and Shield
Usage Data
Explore the latest analytical usage data for this Pokémon from various VGC and online competitions. We use this data to develop our strategies and movesets. The data is categorized by competition and skill level: top-ranking trainers, mid-level players, and entry-level players.
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