Jolly Nature Guide: What It Does and When to Use It

Introduction

Jolly nature boosts a Pokémon’s Speed by 10% and lowers its Special Attack by 10% at level 100. This guide covers what Jolly nature means, which Pokémon benefit from it, how it compares to similar natures, and how to get it reliably through breeding, Synchronize, and Mints.

Quick Answer: Jolly nature raises Speed by 10% and cuts Special Attack by 10%. It works best on physical attackers that rely on outspeeding opponents but do not use Special Attack moves.

What Is Jolly Nature in Pokémon?

Each nature increases one stat by 10% and decreases another by 10% by the time the Pokémon reaches level 100. Jolly is one of 25 available natures introduced in Generation 3 (Ruby and Sapphire). Pokemon Database

Jolly gives +10% Speed and -10% Special Attack. It is the inverse of Quiet nature. veekun

The Speed boost is meaningful in competitive play. Outspeeding by even one point determines who attacks first, and that often decides the whole match.

How Jolly Nature Affects Stats

The stat changes apply permanently through leveling. At level 100, a Pokémon with Jolly nature hits its Speed stat 10% higher than a neutral nature would give it.

The penalty only hurts if the Pokémon uses Special Attack moves. For pure physical attackers, losing Special Attack costs nothing in practice.

Pokémon with Jolly nature like Sweet-flavored berries and dislike Dry-flavored berries. This affects berry mechanics and the Battle Palace, but has no effect on standard battles. veekun

Jolly Nature vs Other Speed-Boosting Natures

Four natures raise Speed. Jolly is the most commonly used one for physical attackers.

Timid suits Special attackers the way Jolly suits physical ones. Hasty and Naive sacrifice bulk, which makes them less consistent in competitive formats. For most physical-attacking Pokémon builds, Jolly is the go-to Speed nature.

Which Pokémon Benefit Most From Jolly Nature?

Jolly fits Pokémon that attack physically and need to outspeed threats. Competitively, Incineroar, Rillaboom, Excadrill, and Koraidon run Jolly most often. The Speed boost fits their role, and the Special Attack penalty barely affects their game plan. RankedBoost

The best candidates share these traits:

• High base Attack, low reliance on Special Attack moves
• Need to outspeed specific threats in the current format
• Sit at a Speed tier where 10% makes a meaningful difference

If a Pokémon already runs very fast base Speed, Adamant (Attack+ / Speed-) sometimes wins out because the bulk of threats are already outsped without the nature boost. It depends on the format’s speed tiers.

Jolly Nature vs Adamant Nature

This is the most common choice players face for physical attackers.

Jolly gives Speed and Adamant gives power. There is no universal best. The right call depends on the Pokémon’s base stats and the common threats in the format being played. RankedBoost

A simple way to decide: list the Pokémon it needs to outspeed. If Jolly lets it outspeed them and Adamant does not, pick Jolly. If the speed tier does not change, Adamant usually hits harder for better results.

You can also look at this through a complete Pokémon nature guide to compare all natures side by side.

How to Get Jolly Nature

There are three reliable methods. Each one suits a different situation.

1. Breeding with an Everstone

Breeding with an Everstone is the most reliable approach since Gen 5. The parent holding it passes its nature to every offspring. RankedBoost

1. Get a Pokémon with Jolly nature (catch one or use the methods below first).
2. Give it an Everstone to hold.
3. Place it in the Day Care or Picnic setup with a compatible partner.
4. Every egg will inherit the Jolly nature.

This is the best method when breeding for competitive IVs at the same time.

2. Synchronize Ability

Lead with a Jolly Pokémon that has the Synchronize ability. Wild Pokémon will match its nature. This works from Generation 3 onward. Ralts, Abra, and Espeon are common Synchronize users to keep in your party for hunting. RankedBoost

3. Jolly Mint (Generation 8 Onward)

Use a Jolly Mint to change stat effects to Jolly. The original nature name stays but stats change. RankedBoost

Mints are available from the Battle Tower in Sword and Shield and equivalent facilities in later games. They cost Battle Points. This is the fastest fix when you already have a high-IV Pokémon with the wrong nature.

Note: Mint stat effects do not pass through breeding. The offspring uses the parent’s actual nature, not the Mint’s effect.

Common Mistakes When Using Jolly Nature

Putting Jolly on a Special attacker. If the Pokémon’s best moves are Special-based (like Thunderbolt or Flamethrower), losing 10% Special Attack actively hurts damage output. Use Timid instead.

Ignoring the speed tier. Some Pokémon already outspeed the relevant threats without Jolly. In those cases, Adamant gives extra damage at no real cost.

Using a Mint without checking IVs first. A Jolly Mint fixes the nature but does nothing for Individual Values. Sort out IVs through breeding before spending Battle Points on a Mint.

Forgetting Mint effects in breeding. If the parent’s actual nature is still something else and only the Mint effect is Jolly, the offspring will not inherit Jolly. The actual nature must be Jolly for breeding to work correctly.

Is Jolly Nature Good?

Yes, for the right Pokémon. For the right Pokémon, Jolly is one of the best natures available. The 10% Speed boost changes matchups, and the Special Attack drop costs nothing on a physical attacker. RankedBoost

It is not universally good. Applied to the wrong Pokémon or format, it underperforms compared to Adamant or a defensive nature. The key is matching the nature to the Pokémon’s role and moveset.

If you want to explore how other natures stack up, the Pokémon nature chart breaks down all 25 options clearly.

Conclusion

Jolly nature is a solid, well-understood choice for physical attackers that need to win the speed race. It raises Speed by 10% and lowers Special Attack by 10%. Use it on Pokémon with physical movesets, get it through breeding with an Everstone, Synchronize, or a Jolly Mint, and always check the speed tiers in your format before locking it in.