Glass cannons are Pokémon with incredible attack and speed stats that can be used to deal massive damage or one-shot opponents. Of course, their offensive prowess is tempered by low defense stats— hence the term glass cannon— and they, like all Pokémon, are susceptible to type weaknesses.
They may not be able to take many hits because of their low HP, but that's not what glass cannons are for. Their role is to quickly dish out devastating damage to down the opponent; perhaps even the entire opposing team. An important part of any team, there are a number of quality glass cannon Pokémon to choose from.
10 Shiftry Has The Attack, Speed, And Frailty Of A Glass Cannon
Shiftry has a lot of type weaknesses (7), but its Attack of 100, Special Attack of 90, and Speed of 80 place it firmly in the glass cannon category. From its portly appearance, one might think it has some bulk, but its 90 for HP and 60 for defensive stats say otherwise.
It knows Leaf Blade from level 1 which can inflict massive Grass damage, and it can learn the TM Solar Blade, which charges up solar energy before unleashing it on the next turn.
9 Accelgor Has One Of The Highest Base Attack Stats Of All Pokémon
With 145 for base Speed, Accelgor is in the top ten when it comes to the speediest Pokémon. Add to that a Special Attack of 100 and it becomes a formidable glass cannon.
With 80 for HP, 40 for physical Defense, and 60 for Special Defense, Accelgor's going to be relying on its Speed, but with a move like Hyper Beam, with 150 power, Accelgor is capable of one-shotting one opponent after another.
8 Jynx Is An Ice Queen Glass Cannon
Don't be fooled by Jynx's appearance. She has a Special Attack of 115 and Speed of 95, and is a great option for an Ice-Type glass cannon.
Moves like Blizzard, with 110 for power, dish out incredible Ice damage; as long as it hits with its 70% accuracy (changed from 90% in gen I). Jynx is weak to six different types but against Flying, Grass, Ground, or Dragon types, Jynx would be an effective glass cannon to use.
7 Alakazam Is The Quintessential Psychic-Type Glass Cannon
Alakazam could be said to be the poster child of Psychic-Type glass cannons. With a base Special Attack stat of 135 and Speed of 120, its Psychic move can deal huge damage or outright take foes outright at the beginning of a battle.
Particularly effective against Fighting-Types, moves such as Psycho Cut, Shadow Ball, and Future Sight are just some of the heavy-hitting moves Alakazam can learn. It can also Mega Evolve to increase its stats.
6 Absol Is An Absolutely Devastating Dark-Type Glass Cannon
With 130 for base physical Attack and the ability to Mega Evolve, Absol can be a very effective glass cannon. The charged move Giga Impact delivers 150 damage, and Body Slam is a powerful move that has a 30% chance of paralyzing the target.
Its Dark typing leaves it vulnerable to Fairy, Bug, and Fighting-Types, but if it's up against a Dark-Type, Absol's Justified Ability will increase its Attack by one stage after being hit.
5 Sharpedo Is As Much Of A Glass Cannon As Can Be
As a shark should be, Sharpedo is incredibly fast and powerful. Its devastating Attack (120), Special Attack, and Speed (both 95), counteracted by its lackluster HP (70), Defense, and Special Defense (both 40) make it a typical glass cannon.
Its Crunch move does 80 damage and has a 20% of lowering the target's Special Defense by one stage, and it can use Agility to raise its Speed further by two stages. Sharpedo can also Mega Evolve.
4 Sceptile's Incredible Speed Makes It A Rapid Grass Glass Cannon
Sceptile's Speed of 120, coupled with its attack of 85 and 105 for Attack and Special Attack respectively, make it a dangerous glass cannon. Its signature move, Leaf Blade, inflicts 90 damage and has an increased critical hit ratio.
As if it wasn't fast enough already, Sceptile's Hidden Ability Unburden doubles its Speed stat when it loses its held item. It becomes even more of a glass cannon when it Mega Evolves, its Special Attack stat increasing to 145, along with its Speed.
3 Breloom Is An Unassuming Glass Cannon Helped By Its Hidden Ability
With its 130 for base Attack, Breloom is up there with some extremely strong Pokémon like Ho-oh, Scizor, and Garchomp. The Mushroom Pokémon may not learn the most powerful moves by leveling up, but its Hidden Ability Technician powers up moves with a power of below 60 by 50%.
It does have some heavy-hitting moves in its arsenal, however, such as Headbutt, Dynamic Punch, and Sky Uppercut, which can hit Pokémon during moves like Fly, Bounce, and Sky Drop.
2 Blaziken Is A Formidable Fire/Fighting Glass Cannon
Blaziken is an out-and-out powerhouse, with a base physical Attack of 160 and Special Attack of 130. It's no slouch either, with 80 for Speed. Counter and Overheat are powerful moves that can one-shot opponents, and the Fire/Fighting Pokémon can Mega Evolve.
Its typing makes it weak to Flying, Ground, Water, and Psychic-Types, and as a glass cannon its bulk stats aren't great, with 80 HP and 70 for Defense and Special Defense, but its Speed Boost Ability compensates for this by raising its Speed by one stage at the end of each turn.
1 Gengar Has The Stats & Moves To Make It The Greatest Ghostly Glass Cannon
Gengar's rotund appearance belies its Speed, which stands at 110. A Special Attack of 130—which rises to 170 in its Mega Evolved form—makes it a devilish Ghost/Poison glass cannon. It can learn Shadow Claw, a powerful Ghost-Type move with 100% accuracy and an increased critical hit ratio.
Alternatively, Shadow Ball inflicts 80 damage with a 20% chance of lowering the target's Special Defense by one stage. Its base HP and Defense (both 60) help to classify it as a glass cannon, with Gengar's role simply being to deal out as much damage as possible as quickly as possible.