Utility
Pivot
CTier
115Speed · Fast

Stats & Training

Everything pushes toward mixed damage here. Persian's Speed does the work, Defense pays the price. But you're still getting 2 Speed EVs per KO. Moderately hard to find, on a medium-fast 1M XP curve.

Base Stats
Above
HP65
C
Attack70
C
Defense60
C
Sp. Atk65
C
Sp. Def65
C
Speed115
B
Total440
Details
Catch Rate
Challenging90 / 255
Growth Rate
Medium Fast1M XP
Height1.0 m
3'03"Small
Weight32.0 kg
70.5 lbsLight
Base XP154
Average
Abilities
LimberRare
Prevents paralysis.
TechnicianTop Pick
Strengthens moves of 60 base power or less to 1.5× their power.
UnnerveHA
Prevents opposing Pokémon from eating held Berries.
EV Yield
HPAtkDefSpASpDSpe+2
Speed training target
Pokedex Entries

The round face of Alolan Persian is considered to be a symbol of prosperity in the Alola region, so these Pokémon are very well cared for.

Persian Weakness

Fighting moves hit Persian for super-effective damage. The upside? Ghost-type moves can't touch it at all. At base 115 Speed, Persian outspeeds most threats and doesn't need to tank what it can outrun.

Persian Weakness and Resistance Chart
DamageTypes
2x (Weak)Fighting
0x (Immune)Ghost
Type ChartGood
1Weak
0Resist
1Immune
Score+1
4xCritical
None
2xWeak
Fighting
½xResist
None
¼xResist
None
0xImmune
Ghost
STAB
No super-effective STAB
How to Beat Persian in Sword & Shield (Best Counters)

In Sword & Shield, Cobalion can KO Persian with Close Combat (171-201%). Lucario threatens a KO with Aura Sphere (119-140%).

Cobalion
Cobalion
SteelFighting
A
Recommended Build
AbilityJustified
ItemRocky Helmet
NatureJolly
Moves
  • Close Combat
  • Swords Dance
  • Iron Head
  • Stealth Rock
Damage vs Persian
Close Combat 2x
171-201%KO
View Cobalion builds →

Sword & Shield Evolution

Persian is what Meowth becomes. Breed it for Meowth eggs (average hatch time). A massive partner pool for breeding via one egg group. Eggs are average hatch time. The evolution from Meowth pushed Persian to 440 total stats. HP saw the largest single gain at +25. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.

How to Evolve

2 Evolutions
Meowth
#052Meowth
Persian
#053PersianHigh Friendship
Alola PersianAlola
#053Alola PersianHigh Friendship
Stat Comparison 3 Stages
Meowth
Normal
Persian
Normal
Alola Persian
Normal
HP
40
65+25
65+25
ATK
45
70+25
70+25
DEF
35
60+25
60+25
SP.ATK
40
65+25
65+25
SP.DEF
40
65+25
65+25
SPE
90
115+25
115+25
BST
290C-Tier
440C-Tier+150
440C-Tier+150
ROLE
Balanced
Pivot
Pivot
TYPE
Utility
Physical
Physical

Breeding

Very Easy

Breed with Persian to get Meowth eggs easily using 152 partners from the Ground egg group. Notable egg moves include Covet, Flail, Hypnosis and 3 more.

Egg Groups
Ground
Gender
♂50.0%♀50.0%
Hatch Time
20 cycles·5,140 steps
Quick~5 min with Flame Body
Egg Moves
6moves
Breed With (best first)
raichupikachunidokinggolduckrhydonshiftryexploudquagsiremawilenidorinofarfetchdloudred
12 of 152·

Sword & Shield Persian Best Moveset

The build revolves around U-turn for safe pivoting. Technician and Focus Sash support Persian's hit-and-run approach, with max Attack and Speed EVs making sure each pivot actually threatens. Utility options adds versatility.

Best Build

Experimental
Physical Sweeper
Ability
Technician
Item
Focus SashSURVIVAL
Best Nature for Persian
Jolly+SPE

Persian best EVs are Attack and Speed

EVs

Physical Sweeper Moveset

  • Fake OutSTAB
  • HypnosisUtility
  • U Turn
  • Dark Pulse

Recommended Teammates

Machamp
MachampDecent
Skarmory
SkarmoryDecent
Alakazam
AlakazamDecent

Moves

Need something that threatens multiple types? Persian's movepool delivers. Coverage across 11 types plus STAB from Giga Impact and Hyper Beam gives it answers for most defensive cores you'll run into.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1
Fake Out+3
D4010010Normal
Lv 1
Feint+2
—3010010Normal
Lv 1
Growl
——10040Normal
Lv 1
Power Gem
D8010020Rock
Lv 1
Scratch
—4010035Normal
Lv 1
Switcheroo
C—10010Dark
Lv 12
Pay Day
—4010020Normal
Lv 16
Bite
D6010025Dark
Lv 20
Taunt
C—10020Dark
Lv 24
Assurance
—6010010Dark
Lv 31
Fury Swipes
—188015Normal
Lv 36
Screech
B—8540Normal
Lv 42
Slash
A7010020Normal
Lv 48
Nasty Plot
A——20Dark
Lv 54
Play Rough
D909010Fairy

TM Moves

TM
TR17
Amnesia
C——20Psychic
TM58
Assurance
—6010010Dark
TM31
Attract
C—10015Normal
TR01
Body Slam
C8510015Normal
TM29
Charm
C—10020Fairy
TR58
Dark Pulse
D8010015Dark
TM15
Dig
D8010010Ground
TR26
Endure+4
C——10Normal
TM39
Facade
C7010020Normal
TR81
Foul Play
C9510015Dark
TM09
Giga Impact
B150905Normal
TR73
Gunk Shot
C120805Poison
TM08
Hyper Beam
B150905Normal
TR42
Hyper Voice
C9010010Normal
TM27
Icy Wind
D559515Ice
TR31
Iron Tail
D1007515Steel
TR68
Nasty Plot
A——20Dark
TM02
Pay Day
—4010020Normal
TM57
Payback
D5010010Dark
TR90
Play Rough
D909010Fairy
TR63
Power Gem
D8010020Rock
TM25
Protect+4
C——10Normal
TM33
Rain Dance
C——5Water
TM21
Rest
C——10Psychic
TM79
Retaliate
C701005Normal
TM76
Round
D6010015Normal
TM16
Screech
B—8540Normal
TR59
Seed Bomb
D8010015Grass
TR33
Shadow Ball
D8010015Ghost
TM65
Shadow Claw
A7010015Ghost
TR27
Sleep Talk
C——10Normal
TM24
Snore
—5010015Normal
TR20
Substitute
A——10Normal
TM34
Sunny Day
C——5Fire
TM40
Swift
D60—20Normal
TR37
Taunt
C—10020Dark
TM23
Thief
D6010025Dark
TR95
Throat Chop
D8010015Dark
TR09
Thunder
D1107010Electric
TR08
Thunderbolt
D9010015Electric
TM56
U-turn
D7010020Bug
TR35
Uproar
C9010010Normal
TR85
Work Up
D——30Normal

Egg Moves

Egg
Egg
Covet
C6010025Normal
Egg
Flail
D—10015Normal
Egg
Hypnosis
C—6020Psychic
Egg
Last Resort
B1401005Normal
Egg
Spite
D—10010Ghost
Egg
Tail Whip
——10030Normal

Tutor Moves

Tut
Tutor
Lash Out
D751005Dark
Tutor
Skitter Smack
D709010Bug

How to Get Persian in Sword & Shield

Persian doesn't appear wild. Catch Meowth instead, it shows up at solid rates. Evolve it with high friendship to get Persian. The 2-stage line is mapped in the step cards below.

How to Obtain Persian in Sword & Shield

Meowth is your first catch on the way to Persian. You'll find walking encounters from Lv. 13-16 across 4 total spots in the chain.

  1. Meowth
    Step 1Catch Meowth
    Route 4
    ShieldGrass Lv.13-15 Route
    35%Early
    All Weather
    Route 4
    SwordGrass Lv.13-15 Route
    35%Early
    All Weather
    Route 4
    ShieldOverworld Lv.14-16 Route
    23%Early
    All Weather
    Route 4
    SwordOverworld Lv.14-16 Route
    23%Early
    All Weather
  2. Persian
    Step 2Persian ✓

Persian Guide

  • In Sword & Shield, watch for Hitmonlee (Fighting) when using Persian. They all hit it super-effectively with STAB. Only 1 weakness means fewer dedicated counters to worry about. Persian's base 115 Speed lets it outpace many threats and strike first, which matters more than trying to tank hits.

  • In Sword & Shield, Meowth evolves into Persian by leveling up. Persian is the final evolution in a 4-stage line starting from Meowth. It sits at 440 BST in its evolved form.

  • For Sword & Shield, it depends on your team. Persian at 440 BST isn't a powerhouse, but the Normal coverage might be exactly what you're missing.

  • In Sword & Shield, Persian looks average on paper at 440 BST. But Technician is why it sees play. Build around that and it pulls its weight. C-Tier pivot on our tier list. Fakeout with Focus Sash is the standard set.

  • Persian gets Technician, Limber, and Unnerve. But Technician is the one that matters. It's the centerpiece of every viable set. Build around that.

Game Availability

Available since Red & Blue, Persian appears in 21 games spanning 10 generations. Beyond its original form, it gained an Alolan form in Generation 7.

Click a game to view version-specific details

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