Choosing your Pokemon team is one of the hardest decisions to make in any Pokemon game. I guess the average player is like me and chooses the Pokemon they find the most aesthetically pleasing. Archeduke was slow as hell Pokémon Sun and Moon, but I kept him in my party throughout my Moon playthrough.
Nonetheless, not all Pokémon are created equal; some are undoubtedly better than others; few have better individual value (AKA IV), effort value (AKA EV), nature, and overall stats. For example, a Charizard with electric vehicles and fantastic electric vehicles is above that of a normal Caratroc. We go into more detail on what IVs are and even explain how to get The Pokemon with The perfect IVs.
Pokémon Sword and Shield has made the process of upgrading your IV vehicles and EVs much more convenient. Drugs that increase specific EVs in a Pokemon have become much cheaper. You can now send The Pokémon for The tasks that will improve a particular stat for any group of Pokémon of your choice. Games have made getting your perfect Pokemon all the more convenient.
Despite the simplicity of EV and IV training, there is still a disparity between a few Pokemon selections and the vast majority of them. You can max out your personal Caratroc, but no matter how hard you try, your perfect Caratroc will never beat a Tyranitar that has an accurate nature and stats. Which leads to the question - what are the best Pokémon in Sword and Shield?
Top 10 The Best Pokémon in Sword and Shield
Determining which Pokémon are the best to use usually comes down to your preference, so take this list as you will. Overall, the Pokemon listed below are considered the best due to their high average stats and high potential with EV training.
Related: How to Get Manzai, Goinfrex, Mime Jr., Babimanta, and Okeoke in Pokémon Sword and Shield
Leviator
Gyarados has a base stat of over 540, with high attack and special defense, making Gyarados a formidable offensive fighter. He can learn a lot of moves that can cause a lot of physical damage. He has Moxie's hidden ability, which increases his attack stats every time he knocks out an opponent. If you teach a Gyarados Dragon Dance, a move that also increases attack stats, the Gyarados can cause some of the most damaging physical attacks in full games. If you train for maximum speed, Gyarados can be unstoppable.
Snorlax
Snorlax is the ultimate Pokémon Tank in the series. With one of the highest base HP in games, as well as the best special defense, Snorlax can take a lot of hits before it goes down. The real downside to Snorlax is the weak stats in everything else aside from attacks. Despite this, Snorlax can learn a variety of good moves that help overcome these impressive ones. He can even know moves that aren't of the genre, like High Horsepower and Hammer Arm.
Pyrobut
In the Pokémon Sun and Moon, the base stats for The starters final evolutions were not correct. All three starters in those games had terrible speed and other issues. In Sword and Shield, however, the final evolutions for all three starters are pretty good. It's hard to say if Pyrobut, Flambino's latest evolution, is truly one of the "best" Pokémon games. But there's something special about having your first Pokémon from the most powerful category. Pyrobut's high offense and speed make him a trainable opponent, and with the right training he can potentially become one of the fastest attackers on your team.
Gorythmic
It might not be as fast as Pyrobut, but it's more of a heavy hitter. Gorythmic, the final evolution of the Ouistempo Climber, has high attack stats. It's better if you train him to have stronger special attack and special defense to make Gorythmic stronger. Drum Beating is an essential asset in his pool of moves. It may not be a powerful hit, but beating the drum lowers the speed of the Pokemon hit, which helps Gorythmic overcome its low speed.
Salarsen
Salarsen is primarily on this list because of its unique typing. Salarsen, an electric and toxic type, is able to learn a wide variety of very useful moves. Her Poison moves make her a key asset against The Fairy typing, and her Electric moves allow her to paralyze enemies. He has very high special attack stats, which is good because many of the best electric and poison moves are special moves. The downside to Salarsen is that he is extremely vulnerable to ground moves, which can be the cure if you train his Defense and Special Defense.
Lugulabre
Chandelure is a pretty amazing Pokémon. It's a ghost Pokemon possessing luster - what's not to love? An incredible combination of ghosting and shooting and impressive special attack stats. The special combination type allows Chandelure to learn many special attack moves such as Flamethrower, Overheat, and Shadow Ball. You can train him to overcome his weaknesses, like low HP and attack stats. You can also max out stats where he already specializes, like his special attack.
Lanssorien
Pseudo-Legendary Pokémon are Pokémon evolution lines where the final evolution has a base stat of 600. They are generally the strongest non-legendary Pokémon in games and each generation introduces at least one new pseudo-line. Lanssorien is the new nickname debuting in Sword and Shield. He has high speed and attack stats, and his unique strike makes him effective against opponents. A dragon- and ghost-type, Lanssorian is immune to all combat and normal moves. He can also learn a lot of effective moves, like the Dragon Dance and Phantom Force.
Tyranocif
Tyranitar is a pseudo-legendary Dark and Rock-type Pokémon featured in Pokémon Gold and Silver. He has excellent attack and special defense stats. He can learn great moves such as Earthquake, Stone Edge, and Crunch. Its Sandstorm ability summons a sandstorm that damages all Pokémon on the battlefield that aren't ground or rock. If you train him to reach the fastest speed possible, Tyranitar can be one of the best heavy hitters to use in battles. Unfortunately, Tyranitar's evolution line is only available in Pokémon Shield. Luckily, Pokémon Sword earns the Pokémon directly below.
Trioxhydre
Hydreigon is another nickname, this time dark and dragon-like. It has very high attack and special attack stats, with decent stats in everything else. This is perhaps the most balanced nickname of the two games. He suffers due to his type weaknesses, as he is four times weaker against fairies. But its large move pool and incredible stats make it a Pokémon to own. EV trains for maximum speed in most battles and hits hard with everything you have.
Zacian and Zamazenta
It might seem inexpensive to include Legendaries on this list, since they're supposed to be very hot Pokémon, but that's not always the case. Regigigas, a fourth-generation legendary, is terrible because his ability halves his attack and speed for the first five turns.
Zacian and Zamazenta are useful, however, with amazing stats and good moves that make them handy. Their signature moves, Behemoth Blade and Behemoth Bash, cause extra damage to Max Dyna Pokémon. These become valuable moves during raid battles, where you have to face Dynamax Pokémon with a group of trainers. They both have very few weaknesses and they can be trained to have even higher stats going beyond their base stats. Their abilities increase their stats and defense at the start of each battle, respectively. Zacian and Zamazenta are perhaps two of the most useful Legendaries in the entire franchise.
