Summary
Generation 8’sPokemon Sword & Shieldheralded the series’ first mainline entry on a home console. While the game was controversial for its National Pokedex cuts and not really pushing any of Nintendo Switch’s power, there are still plenty of Pokemon new to the game who have caught the attention of the strongest trainers.
As they journeyed across theUnited Kingdom-inspired land of Galar, of course, fans discovered a bumper crop of new Gen 8 Pokemon. Players were keen to try them out and see which were likely to be meta mainstays going forward. For those curious, here are some of thestrongest and most effective Pokemon that were introduced in Generation 8.
Updated March 13th, 2025, by Blaise Santi:Lots of Pokemon fans were understandably upset when Pokemon Sword & Shield were first announced, due to the decision by Game Freak to make certain existing Pokemon unavailable to catch in the eighth generation games. Nevertheless, Sword and Shield are the second best-selling titles in the franchise, behind the original Pokemon Red and Blue, surpassing even their successors, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, which released three years later. There’s been no news yet whether a new Pokemon generation will be coming anytime soon, which means that fans of the series may be going backwards after completing the Scarlet and Violet DLC to replay Sword and Shield for the first time in years. In case you’ve forgotten about the Pokemon that were introduced in this generation, have no fear, for this list has an additional five entries of the best Pokemon from the Galar region (as well as the Crown Tundra and Isle of Armor).
HP, Attack
Learned Moves
Heavy Slam, Iron Head, Rollout, High Horsepower, Superpower, Play Rough, Stomp
Pokedex Entry
They came over from another region long ago and worked together with humans. Their green skin is resistant to water.
The first thing that trainers who catchCopperajahwill notice about its stats is the absolutely disgusting base HP and Attack it has. Though it lacks Speed, its incredible offense will do wonders as a wallbreaker, especially when paired with an Assault Vest and stacked with powerful STAB moves that, given its pure Steel-typing, will make it a major threat for normally dominant Fairy types.
Of course, inPokemon Scarlet & Violet,Copperajah’s access to Terastallizationcan help it overcome weaknesses to Fire-type and Fighting-type Pokemon. Additionally, its ability Sheer Force is an incredibly useful skill that boosts any attack with a secondary effect at the cost of nullifying the effect, which is especially handy given that many Steel types are sent out with the flinch-causing Iron Head.
Attack
Thunder Shock, Bolt Beak, Avalanche, Icicle Crash, Ancient Rock, Pluck, Echoed Voice
This Pokémon lived on prehistoric seashores and was able to preserve food with the ice on its body. It went extinct because it moved so slowly.
Much like Dracozolt, Arctozolt is only useful when it’s paired with its Hidden Ability, Slush Rush, in Hail, doubling its base Speed from a measly 55 to a strong 110. With STAB moves like Bolt Beak and Blizzard in its arsenal as well, Arctozolt can be incredibly threatening, albeit its biggest con is that it’s weak to four popular types: Fighting, Ground, Rock, and Fire.
The best way to utilize Arctozolt is to prioritize its need for physical Attack and Speed EVs and IVs — and to supplement its weakness to Ground and Rock by giving it Heavy-Duty Boots for switch-ins. There may only be a few situations in which Arctozolt is useful, but giventhe popularity in theSword & Shieldmeta for Water typeslike Toxapex and Swampert, Arctozolt may come in handy.
Attack, Special Attack
Acid, Side Shell Arm, Zen Headbutt, Psychic, Surf, Curse, Slack Off
A Shellder bite set off a chemical reaction with the spices inside Slowbro’s body, causing Slowbro to become a Poison-type Pokémon.
Many players might be drawn to Galarian Slowbro simply forhaving the Hidden Ability Regenerator, which heals the Pokemon every time it switches out. However, compared to Galarian Slowking, Slowbro’s stats are much more balanaced across both Attack and Special Attack, giving players a lot more options in terms of including this Pokemon in their teams.
Some players might take advantage of Galarian Slowbro’s decent move coverage to give it status-inflicting moves like Scald, but don’t ignore its signature move, Side Shell Arm. This powerful move calculates whether it would deal more damage as a physical or special attack, and deals whichever is higher. This makes Galarian Slowbro an especially unpredictable ‘mon for opponents.
Defense, Speed
Night Slash, Obstruct, Fury Swipes, Double-Edge, Sand Attack, Cross Chop, Pin Missile, Rest, Lick, Baby-Doll Eyes
It evolved after experiencing numerous fights. While crossing its arms, it lets out a shout that would make any opponent flinch.
The unique Dark/Normal typing that Obstagoon has makes it especially interesting to competitive players, given its full immunity to both Ghost and Psychic-type attacks. This makes it a serious threat to even Uber Pokemon like Calyrex or Lunala, though its average stats might lead to many players preferring older Pokemon like Marshadow.
Nevertheless, there are definitely viable ways to use Obstagoon, such as pairing it with a Flame Orb, which will activate its ability Guts and give it 1.5x power on all physical attacking moves. After getting burned, players can use Switcheroo to hand their Flame Orb over to opponents, then get some decently strong STAB off a move like Knock Off, as well as a 140 base-powered Facade.
Thunder Shock, Bolt Beak, Dragon Tail, Dragon Rush, Ancient Power, Aerial Ace, Slam
In ancient times, it was unbeatable thanks to its powerful lower body, but it went extinct anyway after it depleted all its plant-based food sources.
Don’t even think about using Dracozolt without its Hidden Ability, Sand Rush, which doubles its Speed in a sandstorm, which is especially needed given that the Pokemon has pretty below-average Speed without it. This will be especially useful for Dracozolt’s signature move, Bolt Beak, which doubles in power if the Pokemon moves first, which is pretty much not a guarantee without sandstorm.
Because of this, it’s impossible to get good usage of Dracozoltwithout a sandstorm user like Hippowdownor Tyranitar, so the best approach is for Dracozolt’s moves to help counter any of these Pokemon’s checks. A Fighting-type move like Low Kick, which can be learned via TM, will help against Tyranitar’s opponents, but as for pure Ground types, Dracozolt might be out of lock in its coverage.
Overdrive, Shock Wave, Poison Jab, Acid Spray, Shift Gear, Taunt, Boomburst
As it scatters toxic sweat and emits electricity, a melody that sounds like it came from a guitar reverberates through the surrounding area.
WhatToxtricityboasts over all other Pokemon is its incredibly unique Electric/Poison-typing. This makes it weak to only two types: Ground and Psychic, although with the addition of Terastallization in Gen 9, this can be overcome by using Tera Blast in Ghost or Water. Plus, it has a strong enough Special Attack stat to become a decent speedy Special Attacker competitively.
As for preferable movesets, Toxtricity can pair well with Throat Spray, which boosts the Special Attack stat after the Pokemon uses a sound-based move, of which Toxtricity has many options, including the STAB-effective Overdrive. It can also overcome its mediocre Speed stat with the move Shift Gear, which sharply raises Speed and Attack.
Attack, Speed
Close Combat, Thunderous Kick, Drill Peck, Pluck, Ancient Power, Agility, Focus Energy
When its feathers rub together, they produce a crackling sound like the zapping of electricity. That’s why this Pokemon is called Zapdos.
Galarian Zapdos, design-wise, varies a lot from the original Zapdos. However, its stats also turn it into a completely different Pokemon, trading its high Special Attack for physical Attack. Paired with the ability Defiant, which boosts its Attack every time another stat is lowered, Galarian Zapdos can easily become for physical attackers what Zapdos is for special attackers.
The best way to get the most out of Galarian Zapdos is by pairing it with a Choice Scarf or Choice Band, which will boost its Speed or Attack in exchange for only selecting one move until they switch out. Giving it powerful STAB moves like Close Combat, Brave Bird, or Thunderous Kick is another way to make sure Galarian Zapdos is dealing as much damage as possible.
Zing Zap, Spark, Poison Jab, Bubble Beam, Curse, Peck, Recover
This Pokemon generates electricity when it digests food. It uses its five hard teeth to scrape seaweed off surfaces and eat it.
One might take a look atPincurchinand write it off as a forgettable, rarely-used Pokemon. However, it can be incredibly helpful for competitive play as a terrain setter, given that one of its abilities is Electric Surge. Paired with the Terrain Extender item, which makes Electric Terrain last 8 turns, Pincurchin can be a great set-up Pokemon for certain team builds.
Its movepool also includes a lot of useful support moves, such as Scald, Spikes, Toxic Spikes, and Pain Split. Plus, as a pure Electric-type, Pincurchin doesn’t have many weaknesses and even resists popular competitive types like Fairy, Steel, and Fighting.
Attack, Defense
Belch, Clear Smog, Fairy Wind, Strange Steam, Memento, Destiny Bond, Haze, Heat Wave, Defog, Explosion
Long ago, during a time when droves of factories fouled the air with pollution, Weezing changed into this form for some reason.
Poison/Fairy is a good type for many reasons, especially because it gains resistance to one of Fairy’s biggest weaknesses. Plus, by having Levitate as an ability, this Pokemon completely negates one of Poison’s biggest weaknesses: Ground-type. With access to moves like Will-O-Wisp, Flamethrower, and Dark Pulse, it can cover for most of its other weaknesses.
As a result,Galarian Weezingbecomes a very strong choice for a defensive option in teams, clearing terrain with Defog or confusing targets with Strange Steam. It doesn’t, however, have any difference in stats from regular Weezing, meaning it doesn’t benefit from a better stat distribution away from just physical Defense.
Fiery Wrath, Payback, Hurricane, Air Slash, Ancient Power, Agility, Endure
This Pokemon’s sinister, flame-like aura will consume the spirit of any creature it hits. Victims become burned-out shadows of themselves.
Galarian Moltreshas a slight but noticeable difference in base stats from regular Moltres, with higher Special Defense in exchange for lower Attack and Special Attack. It can serve as a pretty great speedy Special Attacker when given moves like Nasty Plot or Agility. Plus, its weaknesses include Rock and Ice, both of which are rarely used in competitive play.
An item like Weakness Policy can also do wonders for Galarian Moltres, raising both its Attack and Special Attack by two stages if it’s hit by a supereffective attack. Even its signature move, Fiery Wrath, deals a decent amount of damage with a strong chance of flinching.
