Even before the release of Pokémon Sword & Shield, fans were talking a lot about the Pokédex. The fact that some Pokémon had been cut from the Pokédex was a huge bummer for a lot of fans. But, quite a few really powerful Pokémon were still in the game and some awesome new ones had been added. Because of this, it helped us to get over the fact that we lost some of our favorites to the cuts.

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So, which of the Pokémon still in the game are the strongest? Today, we'll be taking a look at the Generation VIII Pokédex to find out which Pokémon have the highest base Attack stats. We'll be skipping over all the Pokémon that you can only collect trough special events like Pokémon HOME or special events, so we can keep this list attainable and helpful for when you're trying to build up your party.

To see 10 of the strongest Pokémon still in Sword & Shield, keep reading!

10 Escavalier

Escavalier is a Pokémon that was introduced in Generation V of the Pokémon franchise. This Pokémon is one of many that evolves by being traded through special circumstances and is a pretty powerful one to have in your party. This Pokémon is a dual-type Bug/Steel Pokémon, which means that it's strong against quite a few other Pokémon.

With a base Attack stat of 130, this Pokémon is one that can be leveled up and will only get more and more powerful. Although this Pokémon isn't super fast, it can learn some powerful moves and is good to have in your party.

9 Excadrill

Excadrill is yet another example of dual-type Pokémon that tend to be pretty powerful. Having two different types means that there's a wide variety of moves that this Pokémon can learn and it's powerful against multiple different Pokémon because of the two types. Excadrill is a dual-type Ground/Steel Pokémon that was introduced in Generation V.

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This Pokémon can be found in multiple different places in the game, including appearing during Max Raid Battles. Excadrill has a base Attack stat of 135 and is pretty fast with a base Speed stat of 88.

8 Gigalith

Gigalith can be found in the Dusty Bowl area of both Sword and Shield. This Pokémon was introduced in Generation V and is the final evolutionary form of Roggenrola. This Rock-type Pokémon is one that evolves when traded, so it can be more difficult to get a hold of, but is definitely worth it.

This Pokémon has a base Attack stat of 135. Although it's pretty slow with a base Speed stat of only 25, it makes up for it by having a Defense of 130 and 85 base HP. Because of that, this Rock-type Pokémon is definitely a powerful one to take into battle.

7 Wishiwashi

Wishiwashi is a Water-type Pokémon that was introduced in Generation VII and often gets overlooked by many Pokémon trainers. But, this Pokémon is definitely not weak like other Water-type Pokémon like Magikarp.

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Wishiwashi is able to use its Schooling ability after it reaches a certain level that makes it even more powerful. In its Solo Form, Wishiwashi's base Attack stat is only 20. While that's really low, it's definitely good to keep this Pokémon around and level it up because its base Attack stat when its in School Form is 140.

6 Aegislash

Aegislash was introduced in Generation VI and is the final evolutionary form of Honedge. This Pokémon is a really unique one because, depending on the moves it uses, it will either be in Blade Form or Shield Form. When in Shield Form, this this dual-type Steel/Ghost Pokémon's Defense is 140, while its Attack is only 50.

But, if this Pokémon uses a move that does damage and switches back to Blade Form, those stats reverse. Its Defense may drop down to 50, but its Attack stat will raise up to 140. Not bad! These two Forms can definitely be used to the trainer's advantage.

5 Conkeldurr

Conkeldurr is the final evolutionary stage of Timburr. It's a Fighting-type Pokémon that was introduced in Generation V. There are a ton of really tough Fighting-type Pokémon in the game, so who's surprised that Conkeldurr is one of the strongest Pokémon in Sword & Shield?

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In general, this Pokémon's base stats are all pretty good. Even before you evolve it up to a high level, it's already pretty powerful and can take some serious damage from other Pokémon. It has a base HP of 105, a Defense stat of 95, and its base Attack is 140.

4 Rhyperior

Rhyperior is a Pokémon that was introduced in Generation IV and is the final evolutionary phase of Rhyhorn. This Pokémon is a dual-type Ground/Rock Pokémon, meaning that it's definitely bound to be a pretty strong, solid choice to put in your party.

Although this Pokémon's base Speed stat is pretty low, it's still definitely a good one for laying down damage and taking attacks from your opponent's Pokémon. It has a base HP of 115, a base Defense stat of 130, and a base Attack of 140.

3 Haxorus

After taking a look at Haxorus' stats, it's pretty easy to see why Leon keeps one in his party. This Pokémon is a Dragon-type Pokémon that was introduced in Generation V and is the final evolutionary phase of Axew.

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This speedy Pokémon may have a slightly lower base HP than some of the other Pokémon on this list, but its high base Attack and Defense make it a solid choice to put into your party. It has a base Attack of 147 and base Defense of 90.

2 Galarian Darmanitan (Zen Mode)

Darmanitan is a unique Pokémon. When it was introduced in Generation V, it was introduced as a Fire-type Pokémon. But, in the Galar region, it has an Ice-type regional form. If that wasn't cool enough, it's also able to use a special ability called Zen Mode, depending on its HP.

When Galarian Darmanitan uses its Zen Mode ability, this Pokémon's base Attack stat jumps so high. It's already fairly powerful with a base Attack of 140, but entering Zen Mode raises its Attack to 160 and its Speed from 95 to 135. Entering Zen Mode also changes it to a dual-type Ice/Fire Pokémon.

1 Zacian (Crowned Sword Form)

Zacian is the mascot of Pokémon Sword and appears on the box art. It's the Legendary Pokémon for that half of the pair of games and it has two different forms. In its Hero of Many Battles Form, this Pokémon is a Fairy-type, but when it changes to its Crowned Sword Form, it becomes a dual-type Fairy/Steel Pokémon.

Being a Legendary Pokémon, we all know that this Pokémon is already going to be pretty powerful, right? But, when this Pokémon enters its Crowned Sword Form, it goes from pretty powerful to really powerful. This Pokémon's base Attack goes from 130 to 170 when it changes into this form.

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