Pokémon Sword & Shield The Best Party You Can Put Together Throughout The Main Story

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Pokémon Sword & Shield The Best Party You Can Put Together Throughout The Main Story

It's important in Pokémon Sword & Shield to assemble the best party to tackle the main story. We have you covered with all the Pokémon you need here. Even after the controversial Dexit cut of more than half the total number of existing , Sword and Shield still have plenty of excellent monsters to fill out your roster for the story mode. Unlike competitive Pokémon battling, things like natures and perfect IVs aren't as important as balanced team composition. You'll want to put together that can cover for each other's weaknesses. You never know when a trainer might throw out a Pokémon your ace just isn't prepared to deal with. Luckily, there's a lot of variety for both new and returning Pokémon, so you should have a Hall of Fame-worthy team in no time. Updated by Michael Connor Smith on February 28, 2020: Pokémon Sword and Shield are absolutely massive games filled with countless decisions as you pass by hundreds of beloved Pokémon. You'll be discovering these hundreds of creatures during your adventure through the main story, but which ones have the most potential to take you from zero to hero? This article was updated to include some more Pokémon additions that seem fit for being great choices during the main story of Sword and Shield, as there is such a long list of excellent Pokémon to choose from. The Pokémon added have a focus on accessibility, battle prowess, and longevity during your rise to fame as the Galar Champion. THEGAMER VIDEO OF THE DAY

Your Starter

Picking your starter is one of the most important choices you can make in a Pokémon game. Ever since these three were released to the public, people have been loudly declaring their love for one or another. We doubt anything we say would sway any of the Grookey Gang or Sobble Squad. Luckily, all three starters evolve into excellent Pokémon in their own right, even with their different strengths. Rillaboom has bulky HP and a powerful Attack stat. Cinderace also has a high Attack as well as a high Speed. And Intelleon is a strong Special Attacker, with a high Speed as well. You'll just need to build your team with consideration for your starter's weaknesses.

Grimmsnarl

Grimmsnarl is the final evolution of Impidimp. That weird little goblin has grown up to be this absolute nightmare of teeth and hair. Apparently it wraps itself in its long hair, which work like muscle fibers, boosting its offensive capabilities. This is reflected in its very high Attack stat, and it's even got pretty good HP to balance out its somewhat lower defenses. It also has a totally unique typing: Dark/Fairy, which means Grimmsnarl is an incredible choice for offense. It hits a lot of types extra hard and has few weaknesses.

Sirfetch d

Players of Pokémon Shield may need a friend to help out with this Sword exclusive, but the effort is more than worth it. When landing three critical hits in a row within the same battle with a Farfetch'd holding a Leek, it'll evolve into this gallant swordsman. Farfetch'd can be found on Route 5, making it an early addition to your team that has the potential to carry you until the very end. While its defensive stats leave a bit to be desired, its extremely high critical-hit ratio helps it take down most enemies in a single hit or two, especially when factoring in its wide variety of move types.

Obstagoon

Obstagoon isn't your average early-game evolution like Stoutland or Gumshoos, as Obstagoon remains a threatening force even past the elite four. Galarian Zigzagoon can be found as early as Route 2, so it might even be your second or third Pokémon. Its Dark-Normal typing may be a bit daunting to deal with at first, as it does make it 4x weak to Fighting-types, but it has a stellar selection of abilities to choose from and some particularly damaging attacks to go along with them. Obstagoon is a very well-rounded Pokémon, so it'll fit right at home with any trainer.

Dragapult

Dragapult is this generation's pseudo legendary and it has a very interesting type combination. They're Dragon/Ghost, apparently because they're the spirits of ancient prehistoric sea creatures. Not only do they have the fun gimmick of firing their small children like torpedos, but they also have pretty good stats to back it up. They're very fast, with both a high Attack and Special Attack. Plus, while they have quite a few weaknesses, they have more resistances and even two complete immunities: Normal and Fighting.

Toxapex

Anyone who has delved into competitive Pokémon in some fashion probably has some kind of opinion on Toxapex, one likely filled with hatred and disdain. This negativity isn't unwarranted, though, as Toxapex has been a great battler ever since its introduction into the Pokédex. Mareanie can be found on Route 9 and evolves into Toxapex at level 38. Its hidden ability, Regenerator, paired with some type of healing item turns it into one of the best damage sponges in the game, where it can then dish back some annoying Poison-type attacks.

Gyarados

However, sometimes classic is best. Gyarados has been one of most popular and heaviest hitting Pokémon since way back in Generation I. Its gimmick is that this super powerful sea serpent evolves from Magikarp, a weak joke of a Pokémon that you have to struggle to level up. Once you've paid your dues, you're rewarded with Gyarados. It has a massive and versatile move pool, high offensive stats, and only two weaknesses. Gyarados even holds its own in the competitive metagame. It would be an especially good choice if you didn't pick Sobble and need a strong Water-type.

Dugtrio

This three-pack of buried hot dogs from Kanto look anything but threatening and were often brushed aside in favor of stronger looking Pokémon like Arcanine or Rhydon, but they should be anything but slept on, as they're some of the most formidable Ground-types in the entire game. An extremely viable Speed stat paired with Arena Trap and some damaging moves creates a big threat on the battlefield. If the enemy isn't equipped with a suitable counter, they'll be blocked from retreating and have to face this deadly assassin head-on.

Chandelure

Another familiar face, Chandelure has a great type for offensive coverage. As a dual Ghost/Fire-type, it can hit a lot of different Pokémon right where it hurts. This is doubly true because of its massive Special Attack stat. It's a little fragile, but if it can get off any of its lethal Fire or Ghost-type moves, there's a good chance this little guy is coming away the victor. Plus it's got the Ghost-type immunities to other common offensive Normal and Fighting-type moves. If you didn't choose Scorbunny and need a tough Fire Pokémon, Chandelure's a good bet.

Hatterene

Hatterene has a beastly Special Attack and a respectable Special Defense as well. They tend to be glass cannons, as their HP isn't too high and they have a pretty unfortunate Speed stat, but if they can get off a high level Psychic , they can really lay waste to an opponent's team. They don't have many too many weaknesses, and are particularly useful when facing off against Fighting-type Pokémon, with their 4x resistance.

Grapploct

Speaking , you'll probably want one to help balance out your team. Specifically against Rock and Dark-type Pokémon. And a fun new addition would be Grapploct, the evolution of Clobbopus. This eight-armed cephalopod is pure Fighting-type and has a pretty high Attack stat. Its Speed isn't anything to write home about, but it does have a unique move called Octolock, where it grapples its opponents and lowers their Defense and Sp. Defense every turn.

Conkeldurr

Not only is this steroid-induced construction worker an all-around amazing Pokémon, but it'll also end up being a huge help when dealing with the later gym battles. Whether you're playing Sword or Sheild, they each have an exclusive gym with a weakness to Fighting, and Piers' Dark-types are directly afterward. Timburr can be obtained fairly early into the adventure, being primarily found in the Galar Mine area. With killer offensive stats and an excellent move pool, paired with the amazing ability, Guts, Conkeldurr is a force to be reckoned with on Pokémon teams of all shapes and sizes.

Darmanitan

Galarian Darmanitan is one of the most powerful Ice-type Pokémon you'll find in the game. It's a huge help when facing down Dragon-type Pokémon. These Darmanitan differ from their standard forms because the cold climate has atrophied their internal flame sac and instead they've gained the ability to produce cold air. They're also much more peaceful and timid than the aggressive standard form. If you happen to have a Galarian Darmanitan with its hidden ability, Zen Mode, when it's HP falls below half it will enter Zen Mode. For Galarian Darmanitan, that means its dormant flame sac flares to life, boosting its Attack and giving it a secondary Fire typing.

Corviknight

Corviknight is a great choice for a story-mode team, partially because they're so easy to get. Corviknight is the final form of Rookidee, one of the earliest wild Pokémon available to new trainers. Their Pokédex entry claims they reign supreme in the skies over Galar, and for good reason. As part Steel-type, they boast a lot of resistances and immunities. It also has , making them very useful if you need to wall a heavy-hitting opponent. Just beware of Fire- and Electric-types.

Toxtricity

One of the best and most versatile Pokémon you can add to your party this generation is the Poison/Electric-type Toxtricity. It's got good offensive stats for both physical and special attacks, and its unique typing gives it great coverage. It only has two weaknesses and a grand total of eight resistances. Plus its move pool is great too, with access to powerful Electric and Poison-type moves, utility moves like Toxic, and sound-based moves like Overdrive and Boomburst, which have their damage increased by their Punk Rock ability.