The Lax nature increases a Pokémon’s Defense stat by 10% and decreases its Special Defense stat by 10%. Like all natures in the Pokémon games, Lax has been part of the series since Generation III and applies its stat changes automatically as your Pokémon levels up.
How the Lax Nature Changes Stats
Every nature in Pokémon modifies two stats: one goes up by 10%, and one goes down by 10%. For Lax, the boosted stat is Defense (the stat that reduces damage from physical moves like Earthquake or Close Combat), while the penalized stat is Special Defense (the stat that reduces damage from special moves like Thunderbolt or Flamethrower). This means a Lax Pokémon takes physical hits slightly better but folds a bit more easily to special attacks.
The 10% modifier applies to the final calculated stat, not to base stats or effort values. So if your Pokémon would normally have 200 Defense, a Lax nature bumps it to 220. If it would have 200 Special Defense, Lax drops it to 180. That 40-point swing can matter in close battles.
Berry Flavor Preferences
Natures also determine which berry flavors a Pokémon likes and dislikes. A Lax Pokémon likes sour flavors and dislikes bitter flavors. This comes into play with certain berries that restore HP but cause confusion if the Pokémon dislikes the taste. If your Lax-natured Pokémon eats a bitter berry (like the Aguav Berry in some contexts), it will become confused. Sour berries, on the other hand, work without any drawback.
Why Lax Is Rarely Used Competitively
In competitive play, Lax is generally considered a poor nature choice. The problem is straightforward: most Pokémon that want a Defense boost are defensive walls, and defensive walls don’t want to lose Special Defense. Natures like Impish (which boosts Defense while lowering the usually less important Special Attack) give you the same physical bulk without weakening your ability to take special hits. Bold does the same thing for specially oriented defenders.
The Lax nature only makes sense in very specific situations where a Pokémon needs both its Attack and Special Attack stats untouched. A few niche examples have appeared over the years:
- Landorus-Therian used Lax in older generations on defensive sets that ran a special move (Hidden Power Ice) alongside physical attacks. Dropping Special Defense instead of Attack or Special Attack preserved damage output while still hitting relevant speed benchmarks.
- Assault Vest Hoopa could run Lax because Hoopa’s Special Defense was already high enough that even a 10% cut was manageable, while the Defense boost helped patch its much weaker physical side.
- Forretress occasionally ran Lax on mixed sets or to manipulate its own HP threshold for activating certain items like the Custap Berry more reliably.
- Pyukumuku used Lax in Generation 8 as a dedicated counter to Regieleki, where the Defense boost let it survive physical attacks while its ability (Innards Out) handled the KO.
These are exceptions, not the rule. For the vast majority of Pokémon, another nature will serve you better.
How to Get or Pass Down a Lax Nature
When you catch or hatch a Pokémon, its nature is randomly selected from the 25 available options. If you want to breed a Lax Pokémon specifically, have a parent with the Lax nature hold an Everstone while breeding. From Black 2 and White 2 onward, this guarantees the offspring inherits the Lax nature 100% of the time. If both parents hold Everstones, the baby has a 50/50 chance of getting either parent’s nature.
If you already have a Pokémon you want to use but it has the wrong nature, you can use a Lax Mint. Available in Sword and Shield, Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, Legends: Arceus, and Scarlet and Violet, the Lax Mint changes a Pokémon’s stat modifiers to match the Lax nature without actually changing its nature. This means the Pokémon gets the Defense boost and Special Defense penalty, but its berry preferences and any other nature-linked traits stay the same. The mint only affects stats.
Lax Compared to Similar Natures
Five natures boost Defense, each lowering a different stat in exchange. Here’s how they compare:
- Bold: +Defense, -Attack. The go-to for special attackers or walls that don’t use physical moves.
- Impish: +Defense, -Special Attack. Ideal for physical walls that only use physical attacks.
- Relaxed: +Defense, -Speed. Used on slow Pokémon, especially those benefiting from moving last (like Trick Room teams).
- Lax: +Defense, -Special Defense. Preserves all offensive stats but weakens your special bulk.
Lax is the only Defense-boosting nature that doesn’t sacrifice an offensive stat or Speed. That’s its one advantage, and it’s the reason those niche competitive sets exist. If your Pokémon needs every offensive stat and Speed intact while still gaining some physical bulk, Lax is technically the only option. In practice, that situation rarely comes up, which is why Lax remains one of the least popular natures in the game.