Brute Bonnet, the Paradox Pokémon. It is possible that the creature listed as Brute Bonnet in a certain book could actually be this Pokémon. It bears a slight resemblance to a Pokémon described in a dubious magazine as a cross between a dinosaur and a mushroom.

Overview

The primeval version of Amoonguss, Brute Bonnet is a surprise second new mushroom line introduced that is also an expy of an existing Pokémon. Brute Bonnet’s unusual circumstances aside, it stands out from its inspiration with all the power you would expect from a dinosaur mushroom. First and foremost, like any mushroom Pokémon, Brute Bonnet gets the amazing Spore. The only reliable Sleep move in the game, Spore’s ability to warp games around it is well known and Brute Bonnet is well positioned to capitalize on the openings Spore creates. Base 127 Attack is potent and Brute Bonnet backs this power up with Protosynthesis for truly brutal blows. Its new Dark subtyping is quite the boon as well, allowing Brute Bonnet to mix utility with powerful offense in the form of STAB Knock Off as well as an answer for its horrid speed in STAB Sucker Punch. Add in always useful Grass STAB for the many Ground and Water weak physical walls along with Close Combat and Stomping Tantrum to cover what Brute Bonnet’s STABs don’t and it is a terror offensively. Brute Bonnet is still an ersatz Amoonguss first and foremost and is incredibly bulky as a result. In fact, Brute Bonnet has greater base bulk than Amoonguss with only slightly lower HP and considerable higher defenses along with recovery in Synthesis allowing Brute Bonnet to play the long game.

At least that would be the ideal. In execution, Brute Bonnet falls short of Amoonguss severely in terms of staying power. Typing is the big issue here. While Poison is horrible offensively, Grass-Poison is one of the better defensive type combinations in the game. The same cannot be said for Grass-Dark which is one of the worst defensive type combos in the game. With almost half the type chart hitting Brute Bonnet for super effective damage, Brute Bonnet struggles to wall anything without one of its many weaknesses being exploited. It isn’t just typing where Brute Bonnet falls short. In terms of staying power, Brute Bonnet just has Synthesis to its name, its poor Special Attack making Giga Drain a waste and lacking the Regenerator that makes Amoonguss seemingly immortal. All these issues cut into Brute Bonnet’s durability, durability Brute Bonnet desperately needs to function given its poor Speed. These flaws means that Brute Bonnet must compete with its inspiration for a team slot and if going by pure utility and staying power, Amoonguss readily wins out. Brute Bonet’s bulk isn’t so bad as to be unusable and its lack of passivity is invaluable in checking what Amoonguss can’t.
Positives
Base 127 Attack is potent even before considering Protosynthesis, allowing Brute Bonnet to hit hard regardless of investment.
111/99/99 defenses are fairly good, allowing Brute Bonnet a degree of hit taking.
Spore is one of the best disruptive moves in the game.

Negatives
Grass-Dark is littered with numerous weaknesses that compromise Brute Bonnet’s hit taking ability.
Base 55 Speed is poor, forcing Brute Bonnet to tank hits before acting in most instances.
Can't get a Speed boost with Protosynthesis.

Movesets

Mesozoic Mushroom

-Spore
-Seed Bomb
-Crunch
-Synthesis
Ability: Protosynthesis
Item: Leftovers
EVs and Nature:
252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SDef
Adamant Nature

Brute Bonnet acts in much of the same way as Amoonguss does, just with more physical and Dark typed offense. Spore is the star of the set, allowing for free switches as a pseudo-slow pivot or for Brute Bonnet to wail on a target freely making excellent use of Brute Bonnet’s low speed for the guaranteed lost turn to sleep. Spore also dissuades and punishes otherwise would be counters like Koraidon and Ho-oh who could otherwise tank Brute Bonnet’s offense with ease, sending them to dream land. As for the offense, Seed Bomb is invaluable for the number of prominent Grass weak targets running around like Kyogre, Ting-Lu, Dondozo, Urshifu-Rapid, Alomomola, Ursaluna, Primarina, and more. Crunch is invaluable into the many restricted Psychic types namely the Calyrex-Riders, and Lunala. What is more important is that Crunch is a strong neutral hit against opposing Spore immune Grass types that few are going to naturally resist, ensuring that Brute Bonnet isn’t dead weight against such Pokémon. Synthesis gives Brute Bonnet badly needed longevity, so that it can continue to tank attacks, get Spores off and tear apart opposing Pokémon.

Tera Types:
With how volatile Grass-Dark is as a defensive typing and Brute Bonnet being a defensive Pokémon first and foremost, Brute Bonnet is very reliant on Terastalization to stand up to its targets. In formats dominated by Calyrex-Shadow Rider, Tera Normal is actually a popular option. While the shared Fighting weakness is a downside, the immunity to Astral Barrage is invaluable and lack of exploitable weaknesses aside from Fighting makes Brute Bonnet a tough nut to crack while reliably 2HKO’ing with a neutral Seed Bomb if not outright OHKOing with Crunch. Being a solid option into other prominent Ghost types like Lunala, Gholdengo and Flutter Mane doesn’t hurt either. Otherwise like most Grass types, Tera Fire and Tera Water are strong options, both giving valuable resistances to Fire and Ice. Tera Fire offers more defensively to Brute Bonnet given the additional resistances to Bug and Fairy, but Brute Bonnet in return starts struggling against the Ground and Water types it normally checks. Tera Water maintains Brute Bonnet’s positive matchups into such Pokémon, but greatly worsens its matchup into opposing Grass types, already a common switch into Brute Bonnet for its Spore. If Calyrex-Shadow Rider isn’t a concern, Tera Ghost is a powerful option, granting an immunity to Fighting and resistances to Poison and Bug though it greatly worsens Brute Bonnet’s matchup against opposing Dark types if not running Close Combat.

EVs and Items:
Max HP and Attack are recommended, giving Brute Bonnet extra bulk and power, as without an external factors, it must rely on its base attack to beat opponents down. However, defensive investment can be prudent to help Brute Bonnet survive assaults so it can successfully Spore or heal. In more extreme cases one can fully invest in either Special Defense or Defense to have Brute Bonnet better handle special or physical attackers respectively. Special Defense is generally preferred given Brute Bonnet is a rare defensive Dark type and thus a good answer to the specially offensive Ghost types like Flutter Mane, Calyrex-Shadow Rider and Brute Bonnet, as well as better handle Kyogre. Fully maximizing Special bulk with a Careful nature turns Kyogre’s Ice Beam into a guaranteed 3HKO. Conversely, a more balanced spread of 164 Defense and 92 Special Defense allows for more general walling, allowing Brute Bonnet to avoid the OHKO from non-Banded Chien-Pao as well as Urshifu without requiring Terastalizing or a Sun boost. It should be noted if Brute Bonnet has an Attack boosting nature, it will always get the Attack boost from Protosynthesis, so do take care in what nature Brute Bonnet has as that largely determines what boost Brute Bonnet gets. Leftovers is largely recommended as every bit of healing counts and Brute Bonnet can easily generate extra turns of healing with Spore. Heavy-Duty Boots is another strong consideration so that Brute Bonnet isn’t compromised upon switch in due to hazards and can tank the attacks it is meant to.

Partners:
: Sun setters should always be considered for Brute Bonnet. Not only is the stat boost invaluable in Brute Bonnet’s walling and attacking efforts, but the boost Sun provides to Synthesis gives Brute Bonnet considerably more longevity than it would otherwise have. Koraidon is a premier sun Setter that loves Brute Bonnet’s matchups into Ghost and Psychic types that can be awkward for it and loves the free turns that Spore generates for setup. Brute Bonnet in turn enjoys the Fighting and Fire coverage Koraidon provides into opposing Dark and Steel types, especially when Brute Bonnet can’t afford to fit the coverage for such Pokémon itself. Groudon can work to similar, if lesser effect than Koraidon, as does Torkoal for this role. Brute Bonnet makes a natural partner for Bulky Water types like Alomomla and Dondozo. Forming a solid Water-Grass core, they cover each other’s weaknesses fairly well, though both fare better with specially defensive Brute Bonnet given their high Defense. Alomomola provides more direct support for Brute Bonnet, offering meaty wishes that keep Brute Bonnet healthy when pivoting in and can even form a pseudo pivot duo with Brute Bonnet’s own spore if not help Brute Bonnet break opponents with its Tickle Support. Contrastingly, Dondozo benefits far more from Brute Bonnet’s Spore support, gleefully taking advantage of the free turns for setup or Fissure rolling while checking the boosting Sweepers that would overwhelm Brute Bonnet.

Other Options:
Payback is generally a stronger alternative to Crunch, given Brute Bonnet’s low Speed, though less effective against Sleeping targets. Clear Smog allows Brute Bonnet to answer boosting attackers before they get out of hand. Sucker Punch is a powerful priority option, especially against Calyrex Shadow Rider that bypasses Brute Bonnet’s paltry speed.

Doubles and VGC Options

When Brute Bonnet was first introduced, people viewed it as a knock off Amoonguss, boasting many of the same traits that have made Amoonguss a Doubles staple but held back by its horrid typing and lack of Regenerator. Cue the community’s partial shock where both 2026 World Finalists brought Brute Bonnet to the finals and to great effect at that. Spore and Rage Powder are just as game warping on Brute Bonnet as they are on Amoonguss given Brute Bonnet’s excellent bulk and making it a reliable counter pick for Trick Room teams. However, Brute Bonnet managed to excel over Amoonguss for a few reasons. First and foremost, Brute Bonnet is far from passive, an issue that can cause Amoonguss trouble when everything has been put to sleep, making it an active contributor to its team’s win condition. This gets even more valuable when one considers all the Psychic type Trick Room setters that Brute Bonnet actively threatens in addition to other Trick Room staples like Ursaluna and Dondozo. Immunity to Prankster Taunt is another bonus, making Brute Bonnet much harder to disrupt than Amoonguss and even when Taunted Brute Bonnet still has its good attack to fall back on. Protosynthesis is a powerful ability in its own right as well and when active allows Brute Bonnet to survive brutal blows that Amoonguss can’t. What truly allowed Brute Bonnet to excel must be Terastalization. The ability to shed so many of its weaknesses makes it much harder to remove than Amoonguss, and the mind games caused by potential Terastalization can make opponents misplay. This is a rather volatile way to use what is predominantly a defensive set piece which makes Brute Bonnet a very difficult Pokémon to get the most out of. The payoff, however, cannot be denied.

World’s Champignon

-Spore
-Rage Powder
-Sucker Punch
-Seed Bomb
Ability: Protosynthesis
Item: Sitrus Berry
Tera Type: Water
EVs and Nature:
252 HP / 164 Def / 92 SDef
Impish Nature

Largely based on both worlds finalists Brute Bonnets, though I admit the EVs are speculative. Spore is the reason to be using Brute Bonnet, as losing turns in faced paced Doubles matches is ruinous. Rage Powder providers valuable utility in redirection, forcing opponents to strike the absurdly durable Brute Bonnet instead of its frailer teammates. Sucker Punch is where Brute Bonnet starts deviating from the Amoonguss formula, instead making excellent use of its immense base Attack to threaten opponents. Indeed, Sucker Punch is fantastic into popular restricted picks Calyrex-Shadow Rider and Lunala regardless of active speed control, suppressing them and preventing them from exercising there own offense, while being a good clean up tool for Pokémon hanging on by Focus Sash, such as Chien-Pao, or Flutter Mane. Seed Bomb is a reliable Grass STAB, fantastic into Kyogre, Ursaluna, and the many Pokémon that use Tera Water as a defensive Tera type.

EVs are to bolster Brute Bonnet’s Defense with Protosynthesis, invaluable against opposing Koraidon, as with the Protosynthesis boost and Tera Water, Koraidon struggles to break through Brute Bonnet. The Defense investment and Tera Water is also useful against Chien-Pao, and Zacian-Crowned. The remaining Special Defense investment is enough to ensure that Psychic and Astral Barrage are 3HKOs against a Terastalized Brute Bonnet. Sitrus Berry provides Brute Bonnet some badly needed healing and while counter intuitive for a Pokémon meant to handle Calyrex-Shadow Rider, Brute Bonnet is excellent at forcing Shadow Rider out and enabling the berry.

Preferred Partners:
Sun setters like Koraidon, Groudon and Torkoal are invaluable for Brute Bonnet with the Protosynthesis Boost making it that much more durable and stick around longer to Spore the opposing team to sleep. All of them love Brute Bonnet for threatening Calyrex-Shadow Rider with Sucker Punch given their unimpressive Special Defense while Groudon and Torkoal value Brute Bonnet’s excellent matchup into opposing Water types. They in turn offer valuable Fire coverage against the Spore and Rage Powder immune Grass types as well as Steel types that Brute Bonnet can struggle to break through. Fellow Sun abuser Chi-Yu also works well with Brute Bonnet for similar reasons. Ghost types also make for good partners in crime with Brute Bonnet. Ghost types can pivot into Fighting attacks sent Brute Bonnet’s way while Brute Bonnet is great at absorbing the Ghost and Dark attacks that threaten such Pokémon. Flutter Mane is especially notable given that it is another Pokémon that flourishes in the sun, building on pre-existing synergies. Calyrex-Shadow Rider loves Brute Bonnet’s ability to threaten Trick Room teams, a notable bad matchup for it otherwise. Covert Cloak is worth considering, preventing Tera Water Brute Bonnet from being ruined by a Flare Blitz or Sacred Fire burn from Incineroar, Koraidon or Ho-oh as well as prevent Incineroar from nullifying Brute Bonnet’s Spore with Fake Out. Rocky Helmet is another powerful option, given how Koraidon, Incineroar and the Urshifus like launching Close Combats and Flare Blitzs into Brute Bonnet with the chip damage adding up quickly, to say nothing of breaking Chien-Pao’s Focus Sash. Crunch is reliable Dark STAB that cannot be played around like Sucker Punch, though the loss of utility from priority is noticeable. Protect is the best move in Doubles, with endless utility to the point that Pokémon without Protect can feel frail and vulnerable to double ups.

Countering Brute Bonnet

While Brute Bonnet is a nightmarish Amoonguss that applies offensive pressure in addition to Spore, its much worse base typing really holds it back.

It cannot be denied that Pokémon immune to Spore are invaluable in dealing with Brute Bonnet as that cannot be compromised by Spore to become setup fodder for its teammates. Gliscor is a good non Grass pick once Poison Heal is active, able to place Brute Bonnet on a timer with Toxic while easily outlasting it with Protect and Safeguard. Garganacl needs to Terastalize, but otherwise does much of the same, placing Brute Bonnet on a timer with Salt Cure while Purifying Salt blocks Spore. Ironically Amoonguss makes one of the best Brute Bonnet checks, its Poison STAB and access to Pollen Puff quickly dealing with Brute Bonnet while Brute Bonnet struggles against Amoonguss and its endless healing. While Rillaboom can’t OHKO Brute Bonnet without a boosting item, U-Turn is wonderful at all but OHKOing Brute Bonnet and easily removing a chipped one. Meowcarada easily OHKOs with U-Turn and can OHKO with Triple Axel while vitally resisting both of Brute Bonnet’s STABs, fearing only the rare Pollen Puff or Close Combat. For that is the tricky part about Brute Bonnet is that it can usually deal significant damage to Grass types in return and frailer attackers are not reliable in answering it due Brute Bonnet’s access to Suck Punch. Tera Grass Pokémon can work as a result, but they need some physical bulk to survive Brute Bonnet’s sucker punches.

The other best way of dealing with Brute Bonnet’s Spore is to knock it out before it can use it. While outspeeding Brute Bonnet is a simple chore, its good defenses all but require exploiting its many weaknesses to surmount. Attackers with Bug moves like the many users of U-Turn, Slither Wing, and Scizor all remove Brute Bonnet without much fanfare. Other attacks like Life Orb Flutter Mane, Zacian Crowned, Sneasler, Ho-oh, Max Attack neutral Nature Iron Valiant are just a small sample of the many attackers that can pull of an OHKO against an unboosted Brute Bonnet. However, Terastalization can flip the script in an instant, turning an OHKO into a forced Sleep that Brute Bonnet can take advantage of. Additionally these Pokémon only do well against Max HP Brute Bonnet, as defensive investment and a Protosynthesis Boost can completely change the result.

Anime Appearences

Brute Bonnet has yet to appear in the animated series # -English Episode Name- -Jp. Episode Name- Pics