Generation VIII's Pokemon Sword & Shield heralded the series’ first mainline entry on a home console. It’s controversial for its National Pokedex cuts and not really pushing any of Nintendo Switch’s power, but it’s been a barnstorming success for storied developers Game Freak.
As they journeyed across the new United Kingdom-inspired land of Galar, of course, fans discovered a bumper crop of new Gen VIII Pokemon. Players were keen to try them out and see which are likely to be meta mainstays going forward. Here are some of the strongest and most effective Pokemon that were introduced in Generation VIII.
Updated September 24, 2022, by Tom Bowen: The Galar region has won plenty of trainers over with its beautiful scenery, quirky characters, and fascinating history and culture. The region has plenty of things going for it, one of the biggest being the wide variety of region-exclusive Pokemon that roam the land. The Gen VIII games brought in a number of old favorites while adding some regional variants to the mix. All of these Pokemon have their share of strengths and weaknesses that might draw in different trainers. This group stands out as the best Pokemon in Sword & Shield and they're ones that trainers will definitely want to transfer over once Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are released in a few months' time.
22 Centiskorch
- Type: Fire/Bug
- Ability: Flash Fire / White Smoke
- Weaknesses: Flying (2x), Rock (4x), Water (2x)
It can be difficult to fit a Bug-type Pokemon into one's team due to their poor type effectiveness. Centiskorch makes this task a lot less daunting, however, with its fire-typing making it a much more viable option than some of its bug-type peers. Sure, Rock-type moves are super effective against it and it doesn't fare too well against Flying or Water-types either, but it more than makes up for this with its impressive list of resistances.
Fighting, Bug, Steel, Ice, and Fairy-types will all deal 50% damage to Centiskorch, while the effectiveness of Grass-type attacks will be reduced by a whopping 75%. It has fairly decent base stats too, with its 525 total placing it just below the final forms of the three Gen 8 starters. It boasts an impressive 115 Attack stat, allowing it to dish out some serious physical damage, though, sadly, it does come up a little short in the Speed department (65).
21 Regidrago
- Type: Dragon
- Ability: Dragon's Maw
- Weaknesses: Ice (2x), Dragon (2x), Fairy (2x)
Though it's arguably the worst of the Legendary Titans, Regidrago is still a solid choice for those looking for a solid Dragon-type Pokemon to balance out their teams. Its 580 base stat total also makes it one of the strongest Pokemon in Sword & Shield on paper, with its monstrous 200 HP stat helping it to survive even the toughest of onslaughts.
Granted, it is weak to Ice, Fairy, and other Dragon-types, but it more than makes up for this with its resistance to Fire, Water, Grass, and Electric-type attacks. Its low defenses can make it a little difficult to work with, however, particularly when it's up against a Pokemon that can attack one of its weaknesses. With this in mind, there are several better Dragon-types in Gen 8.
20 Inteleon
- Type: Water
- Ability: Torrent
- Weaknesses: Grass (2x), Electric (2x)
Sobble might be the most awkward looking of the three Galar Starters, but it certainly comes out of its shell once it evolves into Inteleon. The Water-type starter has plenty going for it both design-wise and in battle.
Inteleon’s high Speed and Special Attack make it a great glass cannon for any party. Its signature move, “Snipe Shot”, will increase the chance of getting a crit in battle. This makes it one of the most useful signatures of the generation, and something any trainer can put to good use.
19 Dragapult
- Type: Dragon/Ghost
- Ability: Clear Body / Infiltrator
- Weaknesses: Ghost (2×), Ice (2×), Dragon (2×), Dark (2×), Fairy (2x)
Dragon/Ghost isn’t a common typing in Pokemon, which is part of what makes Dragapault so interesting. It is the final form of Dreepy, coming right after Drakloak. Trainers will need to put in a decent amount of time if they wish to add this Pokemon to their party, as Drakloak only evolves at level 60.
Though its defensive stats are somewhat lacking, Dragapault makes up for it in other ways. It has 100+ Attack, Special Attack, and Speed and manages pretty well with a base HP of 88. Its various weaknesses should worry trainers, as it will likely need to be used situationally in order to avoid OHKOs.
18 Urshifu
- Type: Fighting/Dark or Fighting/Water
- Ability: Unseen Fist
- Weaknesses: Fighting (2×), Flying (2×), Fairy (4×) (Single Strike) / Flying (2×), Grass (2×), Electric (2×), Psychic (2×), Fairy (2×) (Rapid Strike)
Urshifu was introduced as part of The Isle of Armor expansion, playing a huge role in the player’s journey throughout. As with any legendary, Urshifu has various traits that makes it one of the more desirable Pokemon out there.
What stands out most about Urshifu is that it can be either Fighting/Dark or Fighting/Water. Trainers get to choose the second typing depending on which tower their Kubfu is trained at. The Tower of Darkness gives it the secondary Dark typing, while the Tower of Waters gives it a secondary Water typing.
17 Zarude
- Type: Dark/Grass
- Ability: Leaf Guard
- Weaknesses: Fighting (2×), Flying (2×), Poison (2×), Bug (4×), Fire (2×), Ice (2×), Fairy (2×)
Even among Galarian Pokemon, Zarude stands as one of the newest additions to the franchise. It was first introduced during Pokemon Day 2020 and has caught the interest of all sorts of trainers ever since.
Zarude doesn’t have many flaws statistically. Its relatively low Attack is balanced out by its Physical-heavy learnset, and the rest of its base stats are well above average. What will probably scare trainers away are its seven different type weaknesses, including a quadruple disadvantage to the typically inconsequential Bug-type.
16 Grimmsnarl
- Type: Dark/Fairy
- Ability: Prankster / Frisk
- Weaknesses: Poison (2×), Steel (2×), Fairy (2×)
One might not expect a Pokemon as intimidating as Grimmsnarl to be a Fairy-type, but it is. Half Dark and Half Fairy, Grimmsnarl seems like a perfect mix between the two; with features both mystical and intimidating.
Despite its daunting appearance, Grimmsnarl won’t scare off many challengers with its low base Defense and Special Defense. High Attack, Special Attack, and HP help balance this out, though its low-Speed stat put it in danger against most opponents.
15 Sirfetch’d
- Type: Fighting
- Ability: Steadfast
- Weaknesses: Flying (2×), Psychic (2×), Fairy (2×)
The poor, much-snarked Farfetch’d was one of the worst Gen I Pokemon (from a gameplay standpoint). Its reputation really didn’t improve in the two decades since, Until the new concept of Galarian forms finally gave it a chance to do something.
Galarian Farfetch’d has a decent Attack stat, is Fighting-type, and evolves into the majestic Sirfetch’d. Its defenses and speed are still sub-par, but its base 135 Attack is formidable (higher than powerhouses like Garchomp). It’s tough to use, but props to Farfetch’d for making something of itself.
14 Polteageist
- Type: Ghost
- Ability: Weak Armor
- Weaknesses: Ghost (2×), Dark (2×)
The people of the United Kingdom are known to be pretty darn fond of drinking tea. As a result, Sword & Shield features a tea-based Pokemon as an homage to this fact: Sinistea and its evolved form Polteageist.
These unique Ghost-types have unusual stat spreads, making them tough to fit into specific team roles. Polteageist, in particular, is sorely lacking in HP, Attack, and Defense, and has middling Speed, but its Special Attack and Special Defense are very high (base 124 and 114 respectively). It’s quite limited in terms of coverage and its lopsided stats, but if players manage to pull off a Shell Smash against a worn-down team, Polteageist is capable of single-handedly cleaning up.
13 Hatterene
- Type: Psychic/Fairy
- Ability: Healer / Anticipation
- Weaknesses: Poison (2×), Ghost (2×), Steel (2×)
Hatterene, too, has a super awkward stat spread. It has reasonable Attack and Defense, above-average Special Defense, Special Attack on par with Polteageist’s, and Speed even lower than Snorlax’s.
In short, it's a perfect Trick Room setter (a very strong Psychic/Fairy Pokemon) that can also cause some havoc of its own once the move is set up. It’s a darn scary thing to face, as the Pokedex explains. Having said that, it’s very vulnerable if Trick Room isn’t successful or expires.
12 Corviknight
- Type: Flying / Steel
- Ability: Pressure / Unnerve
- Weaknesses: Fire (2x), Electric (2x)
Corviknight has great typing, top-notch Hidden Ability in Mirror Armor (which reflects negative stat drops back at the opponent that inflicted them and is excellent against the very powerful Intimidate Ability), and access to great supportive moves like Defog and Tailwind.
It's never really reliable, though. Its stats are all very solid, but it doesn’t excel in any one area. It needs momentum from things like Dynamax moves’ positive effects and suffers quite a lot without it. The Crown Tundra also saw the Ultra Beasts added back to the game, with fellow Steel/Flying Pokemon Celesteela stealing much of Corviknight's thunder.
11 Regieleki
- Type: Electric
- Ability: Transistor
- Weaknesses: Ground (2x)
Veteran Pokemon fans already know that the Legendary Golems, or the Regi, all share some particular traits in common: they have a lot of HP, high defenses/one or the other high defense and they’re rather darn slow. This was the case until the Crown Tundra expansion, anyway, because Regieleki refuses to conform to any of this.
This odd-looking, shocking Electric-type is found in the Split-Decision Ruins. The choice between it and Regidrago is a tough one, but this speedster just clinches it for some with its lightning-fast speed. In fact, at base 200 Speed, it’s the fastest Pokemon ever (so far). It has solid-yet-unspectacular offenses, but its Transistor Ability boosts its STAB damage to frightening levels. In return, though, it has meager defenses and precious little coverage.
10 Galarian Articuno
- Type: Psychic/Flying
- Ability: Competitive
- Weaknesses: Rock (2×), Ghost (2×), Electric (2×), Ice (2×), Dark (2×)
In truth, any of the Galarian forms of the Legendary birds is a worthy pick. Galarian Zapdos is a speedy and powerful physical attacker with rare Fighting/Flying typing, the handy Defiant Ability, and a very nice signature move in Thunderous Kick (which reduces the target’s Defense). The Dark/Flying Galarian Moltres, meanwhile, has proven a very popular pick too, with its AoE signature move Fiery Wrath, and the chance to gain an automatic sneaky Special Attack boost when its HP is reduced to half (thanks to Berserk).
Galarian Articuno, however, may be one of the strongest Pokemon in Sword & Shield. This Psychic/Flying critter boasts the only non-Ice-type move with a chance to Freeze (Freezing Glare), while its Competitive Ability lets it get a huge Special Attack buff from stat drops (which are often inflicted by Max moves). A Special Attacker not to be underestimated, those again not at the very cream of the crop when it comes to damage output.
9 Duraludon
- Type: Steel/Dragon
- Ability: Light Metal / Heavy Metal
- Weaknesses: Fighting (2x), Ground (2x)
Lots of super-strong Pokemon were introduced in Generation VIII (Dracovish and its Fishious Rend shenanigans, for instance), but when it comes to the all-around package, Duraludon could be one of the very best. Its excellent Steel/Dragon typing gives it nine resistances and only two weaknesses, and with its high defenses, it can stick around for a long time.
Dynamax and Gigantamax Duraludon magnifies these traits, also boosting its stats and its allies' further just by attacking (as can any other Dynamax Pokemon, of course). With base 120 Special Attack, it’s certainly no offensive slouch either. It’s been a very popular competitive pick so far, and rightly so. There are still some even mightier critters of the Galar region that have it beaten, though.
8 Barraskewda
- Type: Water
- Ability: Swift Swim
- Weaknesses: Grass (2x), Electric (2x)
When they fished up Arrokuda quite early in their Sword & Shield adventure, fans would be forgiven for having underestimated it. It’s a little generic-looking, as far as fishy Pokemon go, and that’s not really something veterans need any more of in their lives.
Looks can be deceiving, though. Arrokuda soon evolves into Barraskewda, which is one heck of a spinny-tailed powerhouse to deal with. Its defenses are very low, but its base 123 Attack, 136 Speed, great coverage, and Swift Swim Ability make it a real nightmare to face, especially under rain. Its paper-thin defenses certainly hold it back, but it can be monstrously effective. It also has the option of the Propeller Tail Ability, preventing opposing support Pokemon from redirecting its attacks in doubles matches.
7 Rillaboom
- Type: Grass
- Ability: Overgrow
- Weaknesses: Flying (2×), Poison (2×), Bug (2×), Ice (2×) Fire (2x)
Of course, Rillaboom is a Pokemon that will be familiar to almost all players. After all, it’s the final evolution of Grookey, the adorable Grass-type addition to the latest trio of starter Pokemon. Rillaboom rose to become a competitive mainstay, however, after its Hidden Ability was released.
With Grassy Surge, it automatically sets Grassy Terrain, which offers passive healing as well as a significant buff to the damage of its Grass-type moves. Couple this with Rillaboom’s base 125 Attack (the highest physical Attack of any starter to date) and the new Isle of Armor tutor move, Grassy Glide (which has priority while the grass is on the field) and this beast is a tremendous physical threat with solid bulk to boot. It’s rather predictable and has limited coverage, however, which holds it back a bit.
6 Zamazenta
- Type: Fighting and Fighting / Steel (Crowned Shield)
- Ability: Dauntless Shield
- Weaknesses: Flying (2×), Psychic (2×), Fairy (2×) or Fighting (2×), Ground (2×) Fire (2×) (Crowned Shield)
Zamazenta is one of the strongest Pokemon in Shield, as all mascot Legendary Pokemon are, but it falls a little short in terms of sheer competitive presence compared to its counterpart Zacian. It’s more defensively oriented (easily surmised from the fact that... well, it's got a huge shield where its face should be).
A Fighting/Steel Pokemon (in Crowned Shield form) with base 145 defenses, it can take a lot of punishment. Its attack power takes a hit in return, though, and it doesn’t have reliable healing or any major support moves. It’s a great Pokemon, but in terms of raw impact on a match, it struggles to compete with the very top of the Galar pops.
5 Galarian Darmanitan
- Type: Ice and Ice/Fire (Zen Mode)
- Ability: Gorilla Tactics
- Weaknesses: Fighting (2×), Rock (2×), Steel (2×), Fire (2×) or Fighting (2×), Ground (2×), Rock (4×), Water (2×) (Zen Mode)
Like Farfetch’d, Darumaka was given a Galarian form and a matching evolution in Sword & Shield. Darmanitan, however, had already existed in its familiar fiery form since Generation V. It’s always been a powerhouse (usually seen sporting a Choice Scarf and flattening foes with its base 140 Attack), but Galarian Darmanitan really is a cut above.
This whimsical-looking Ice-type has exactly the same base stats as its Unovan counterpart, but has a secret weapon: Gorilla Tactics. Powerful Pokemon’s Abilities can sometimes be hit and miss, but this excellent one has the same effect as a Choice Band: Galarian Darmanitan is given a 50% damage boost, but can’t switch moves. This actually stacks with a Choice Band itself, giving this critter truly terrifying stopping power. It’s a bit one-dimensional as it’s really only its Attack that stands out, but this Pokemon is truly among Galar’s very strongest. Only the most elite Legendaries in the game (and one competitive mainstay) really outrank it overall.
4 Cinderace
- Type: Fire
- Ability: Blaze
- Weaknesses: Water (2x), Ground (2x), Rock (2x)
With the sheer strength of Pyro Ball and its incredible new Hidden Ability, some fans have claimed that Scorbunny is Game Freak’s favorite Galar starter. Whatever the truth may be with regards to that debate, Cinderace certainly has a lot of unique assets.
It also has a second unique move: Court Change. This interesting Status move exchanges the effects on one side of the field with the other side’s (if the opponent has set Stealth Rock or Reflect, say, the hazard will affect their team, while the defensive barrier will benefit the other side of the field instead). This is very situational, as battlers might have set up some of these effects themselves, but it can pay dividends. Cinderace’s Hidden Ability, meanwhile, is Libero, which grants it STAB on everything just like Protean. Fans know how powerful that effect is on a Pokemon as offense-oriented as Cinderace. This beastly bunny has been tearing up the metagame for some time now. Its only real drawbacks are its vulnerability if speed control isn't on its side, as well as the fact that it can't cover everything with its four move slots.
3 Ice Rider Calyrex
- Type: Psychic/Ice
- Ability: As One
- Weaknesses: Rock (2×), Bug (2×), Ghost (2×), Steel (2×), Fire (2×), Dark (2×)
In this case, too, it’s very difficult to separate Ice Rider and Shadow Rider Calyrex. Both, along with Calyrex, Glastrier (Ice-type), and Spectrier (Ghost-type) themselves, were introduced in the Crown Tundra expansion. While the enigmatic Calyrex has super underwhelming stats of its own, it becomes a completely different prospect when combined with its noble steed using the Reins of Unity.
Ice Rider Calyrex is Psychic- and Ice-type, while Shadow Rider Calyrex is Psychic/Ghost. Both have incredible base stat totals of 680 (as befits a mascot Legendary Pokemon) and are absurdly strong, but the former’s stat distribution is just silly. Competitive players have found Glastrier to be a huge roadblock due to its power and bulk (Trick Room nicely compensates for its low Speed), and this form just emphasizes these traits further. With 100 base HP, 150 base Defense, and 130 base Special Defense, it’s incredibly tanky, and 165 base Attack makes it astonishingly powerful too. Its Speed and common weaknesses (Psychic and Ice is a horrible defensive combination) can let it down in a big way, however.