This page covers where to EV Train Special Defense (Sp. Def) in Pokémon Scarlet & Violet. It is recommended that you read through the basics in main Scarlet & Violet EV Training Guide first. You’ll find all of the worthwhile EV training options for training Sp. Def further down on this page, and you can use the Sp. Def EV Counter tool immediately below to keep track of your Sp. Def after you’ve decided what to train against!
Keep Track of Your Sp. Def EVs
Recommended Sp. Def EV Training Spots
The following spots are the recommended spots to EV Train your Pokémon’s Special Defense (Sp. Def) stat, because they are consistent, always available, and require no or little sandwich-making in order to train against. It is broken down by low-level, mid-level, and high-level spots, with low-level spots being ideal for early-game or situations where you don’t want to gain much Exp. Points.
2 base Sp. Def Pokémon are the easiest to train against if you are going for a specific EV amount, such as 160 Sp. Def or 224 Sp. Def, because you get 10 Sp. Def EVs per fight, so in those two examples, you’d need 16 fights and 22 fights with the Power Band equipped respectively (160 Sp. Def and 220 Sp. Def), and then for the 224 Sp. Def example, you can just unequip the Power Band and fight twice (2 Sp. Def EV each) to get to 224 Sp. Def EVs.
Also, any time this guide says “knock out” in regards to gaining EVs, that does not include Auto-Battle and it also does include catching the Pokémon. It’s just easiest to say “knock out” because most of the time that’s what you’ll be doing.
Lastly, if you have a mass outbreak for a Pokémon that gives Sp. Def EVs, that’s a better option, but it’s not consistent—scroll further down to see a lot of all Pokémon that give just Sp. Def EVs and consider any of them if they are in an outbreak.
Floette (high-level, 2 base EV)
One of the best Pokémon for training Sp. Def EVs is Floette, especially as it can be found in a variety of flowery areas. Despite that, you’ll have the best time with Floette if you have access to Area Zero, although other earlier options are available. It gives 2 base Sp. Def EVs, or a total of 10 Sp. Def EVs while holding the Power Band. This means it takes 26 Floette to go from 0 EVs to 252 EVs while holding the Power Band.
Which Food to Eat for Floette
As Floette is a Fairy-type, eating something with Encounter Power: Fairy is strongly recommended, although you won’t even need it in Area Zero. It’s easy enough to get, though, whether you make a sandwich for it or you just buy something pre-made. You can buy either Fruit Punch from Go-for-Broke Grill or the Grilled Rice Balls from Chic Kebab, both in Mesagoza (among other places). Chic Kebab is in the food stands near the center of town. They both give Encounter Power: Fairy Lv. 1, which should be sufficient.
Where to Find Floette
The best place to find Floette is in Area Zero, and you can find it pretty much anywhere above ground, outside of caves, and away from water, although it seems to like to appear near trees in particular, at least from what I’ve experienced. They commonly spawn in packs of five here, too, so you’ll have plenty around, and there aren’t too many other Fairy-type Pokémon around that get affected by the boost. They’re level 55+ and have a lot of Sp. Def themselves, so using Physical-based moves or strong Poison- or Steel-type moves is your best bet for dealing with them.
If you don’t have access to Area Zero just yet, you can also find them just outside of Alfornada in southwest Paldea around level 40 or so. They are also available in a few other places, but those tend to be a bit more out of the way.
Spoink (low-level, 1 base EV)
This little piggy went to market, and this little piggy gives you some Sp. Def EVs! Yes, Spoink is a good, early-game source of Sp. Def EVs, not necessarily because it gives a lot, but because it’s very easy to find. It gives 1 base Sp. Def EV per fight, or 9 Sp. Def EVs with the Power Band equipped. It takes 28 Spoink to go from 0 EVs to 252 EVs in Sp. Def while holding the Power Band.
Which Food to Eat for Spoink
You’ll want to eat something that gives you Encounter Boost: Psychic, so you can either make a sandwich with that power, or you can just swing by Mesagoza (East) by the gate and pick up a Chocolate Churro from the Smoochurros stand right by said gate. That gives you Encounter Boost: Psychic Lv. 1 and is all you need to see plenty of Spoink.
Where to Find Spoink
Did you just finish eating a delicious Chocolate Churro? Well, good news if you did: you can find Spoink frequently immediately outside of the east gate of Mesagoza, so you’re basically already there! …at least, assuming you bought the churro from Mesagoza.
You’ll find plenty of Spoink along the rocky road leading all the way to the Pokémon Center further to the east, and all of them are at a pretty low level, too. There aren’t really any other Psychic types competing for the boost, so that makes it very easy to EV train your Sp. Def here, and it’s arguably faster than going into Area Zero if you don’t need a precise number of EVs.
Gothorita (high-level, 2 base EV)
As an alternative to Floette, you can consider Gothorita instead. You’re probably best with Floette if you’ve beaten the game already, but Gothorita is still worth considering. It’s also very close to a Pokémon Center, which is nice. As with Floette, it gives 2 base Sp. Def EVs each, or 10 Sp. Def EVs per Gothorita while holding the Power Band. It takes 26 Gothorita to go from 0 EVs to 252 EVs while holding the item.
Which Food to Eat for Gothorita
Since Gothorita is a Psychic-type, you can eat the same thing as for Spoink: a Chocolate Churro from Smoochurros right next to the eastern gate of Mesagoza. You can also make a sandwich for Encounter Power: Psychic if you want to go that route.
Where to Find Gothorita
Your best bet is directly on the outskirts of Alfornada in southwest Paldea. They appear close to the town, so don’t wander too far off, but you should find plenty of them. Just watch out for some of the smaller Pokémon that are in the area, such as Klefki and Sinistea, as you might accidentally bump into them while going for a Gothorita.
Hoppip (low-level, 1 base EV)
Lastly, Hoppip is a noteworthy Pokémon that gives Sp. Def EVs. It’s not necessarily any better than Spoink or Floette, but it feels like it’s everywhere (though it’s really just in south and southwestern Paldea), so this is more of a footnote than an actual guide since the other options are recommended. It’s also important to note that only Hoppip gives Sp. Def EVs—neither Skiploom nor Jumpluff do, so don’t fight any of them.
Hoppip gives 1 base Sp. Def EV per knock out, or 9 Sp. Def EVs while holding the Power Band. This means it takes 28 Hoppip to go from 0 EVs to 252 EVs.
Which Food to Eat for Hoppip
As Hoppip is a Grass/Flying-type, you have two options to choose from. Grass is usually a better option, but you have to make a sandwich for that. If you go with Flying, you’ll find other birds or flying creatures, but you can easily buy Encounter Power: Flying Lv. 1 pre-made by going to Barato’s and ordering the Salisbury Steak with Fried Fixings. You can find Barato’s in a few cities, including Mesagoza.
Where to Find Hoppip
You can find Hoppip in South Province (Area One) and South Province (Area Two) fairly commonly. It’s all over the place, really, at least as long as you’re in southern Paldea. You can also fight against any Swablu you find, as they give 1 Sp. Def EV as well.
Pokémon That Give Sp. Def EVs
Unsure of whether the Pokémon you just fought gives you Sp. Def EVs? Want to know if a Pokémon in a mass outbreak gives Sp. Def EVs? Or maybe you’re fighting something that isn’t on the recommended list? Well, this list down below shows all of the Pokémon that give exclusively Sp. Def EVs as well as how many they give, so you can use that as a reference, although where they are located will not be listed here.
| Image | Pokémon | Base EV | Power EV |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Altaria | 2 | 10 |
 | Cryogonal | 2 | 10 |
 | Dragalge | 2 | 10 |
 | Drowzee | 1 | 9 |
 | Eevee | 1 | 9 |
 | Flabébé | 1 | 9 |
 | Floette | 2 | 10 |
 | Florges | 3 | 11 |
 | Goodra | 3 | 11 |
 | Goomy | 1 | 9 |
 | Gothita | 1 | 9 |
 | Gothitelle | 3 | 11 |
| Gothorita | 2 | 10 |
 | Grumpig | 2 | 10 |
| Hoppip | 1 | 9 |
 | Hypno | 2 | 10 |
 | Indeedee (Female) (NOT Male Indeedee!) | 2 | 10 |
 | Mimikyu | 2 | 10 |
 | Misdreavus | 1 | 9 |
 | Oranguru | 2 | 10 |
 | Skrelp | 1 | 9 |
 | Sliggoo | 2 | 10 |
 | Slowking | 2 | 10 |
| Spoink | 1 | 9 |
 | Swablu | 1 | 9 |
 | Sylveon | 2 | 10 |
 | Tinkatink | 1 | 9 |
 | Tinkaton | 3 | 11 |
 | Tinkatuff | 2 | 10 |
 | Toedscool | 1 | 9 |
 | Toedscruel | 2 | 10 |
 | Umbreon | 2 | 10 |
 | Venonat | 1 | 9 |
