Pokemon Sword and Shield has about 400 Pokemon in the Galar Pokedex. Quite a few of these are pretty tough but if you’re going to compete against other players, then you’ll need to have some real hard hitters on you. During our playthrough of Pokemon Sword and Shield, we’ve found some real winners so we’ve prepared this guide of the best competitive Pokemon in Pokemon Sword and Shield games.
Pokemon Sword and Shield Best Competitive Pokemon
Keep in mind that overall Pokemon with weather setting abilities are the most impactful and strong ones, like with the ability of Drizzle, Sandstorm, Snow or Drought as well as those who can take advantage of those weather conditions as well and attack accordingly. So keep an eye for those Pokemon as the best competitive Pokemon.
We should note that these are our own personal picks. There can be some of your personal favorites that you might not find on this list. We’ve based our selections based on stats, abilities and how well the Pokemon handles itself against other types.
Dragapult
- HP: 88
- Attack: 120
- SP Attack: 100
- Defense: 75
- SP Defense: 75
- Speed: 142
This Dragon/Ghost Type Pokemon is excellent against Fire, Water, Grass, Electric, Poison, Bug, Normal and Fighting types such as Silvally, Gyarados and Milotic. This helps it go toe to toe with a variety of different opponents.
Clear Body makes it immune to any effects that other Pokemon may have on its stats. Dragapult can break through enemy barriers and attacks with the Infiltrator ability so it can handle itself well. Once it gets a Power Herb, it is supremely overpowered.
Haxorus
- HP: 76
- Attack: 147
- Defense: 90
- Special Attack: 60
- Special Defense: 70
- Speed: 97
This monster/dragon type Pokemon can do insane amounts of damage. The Rivalry ability makes it more competitive so that it deals more damage to Pokemon of the same gender, but less to Pokemon of the opposite gender.
Not to mention it can one shot enemies with Outrage.
Aegislash
- HP: 60
- Attack: 50
- Defense: 140
- Special Attack: 50
- Special Defense: 140
- Speed: 60
This Steel / Ghost Pokemon can use Stance Change to put itself into a defensive stance in which it uses its steel body and a force field to lessen the amount of damage you take from an attack. It can then use these same spectral abilities to manipulate Pokemon.
This Pokemon has gotten somewhat nerfed in this game in terms of its stats and abilities but it’s still one of the best competitive pokemon that exist.
Toxapex
- HP: 50
- Attack: 63
- Defense: 152
- Special Attack: 53
- Special Defense: 142
- Speed: 35
This is a Poison /Water type Brutal Star Pokemon. As you can tell by the stats, it is a tank and it can use the Recover move to help itself in the midst of a dangerous battle. So if you have a defensive playstyle and like to explore the move of opponent, Toxapex is definitely one of the best competitive Pokemon to have in Sword and Shield
Ferrothorn
- HP: 74
- Attack: 94
- Defense: 131
- Special Attack: 54
- Special Defense: 116
- Speed: 20
This Grass Steel type is strong against most other types of Pokemon. It’s only weak against fighting and fire types, but it makes up for this with its tank-level stats. Especially its 94 Attack stat. This makes it supremely competitive.
Its Anticipation ability allows it to sense the opponent’s dangerous moves.
Cinderace
- HP: 80
- Attack: 116
- Defense: 75
- Special Attack: 65
- Special Defense: 75
- Speed: 119
This fire-type Pokemon is great for both offence and defense and a natural fit to be a best competitive pokemon. It can juggle a pebble with its feet and turn it into a scorching soccer ball known as the Pyro Ball. If you strike your opponent with this attack, it will hit them with insane speed.
This is amplified with the Charcoal that Leon gives you. The Blaze ability kicks in when HP is low so that Fire-type moves get powered up.
Tyranitar
- HP: 100
- Attack: 134
- Defense: 110
- Spacial Attack: 95
- Special Defense: 100
- Speed: 61
Tyranitar has the title of the premium Sand Storm setter of the Pokemon Sword and Shield so far and its Sand Stream ability is very deadly. It is a Dark and Rock type Pokemon and as you can see it has a great special defense and that is also because of its Sand Stream ability.
Gigalith
- HP: 85
- Defense: 130
- Special Defense: 50% boost
- Low speed stat: 25
- Great Attack: 135
It is a rock type Pokemon and lately it has also gained the Sand Stream ability which made it a very dangerous Pokemon as well. It has one of the strongest defenses in the Pokemon Sword and Shield.
Dugtrio
- HP: 35
- Attack: 100
- Base speed: 120
- Defense: 50
- Special defense: 70
So it is not a very strong Pokemon if you look at the stats and defense is very weak but when it comes to be a competitive abilities, it has Sand force up its sleeves to use and it makes it extremely fast and powerful. Its ability Arena Trap which traps opponent’s Pokemon using sand force.
Excadrill
- HP: 110
- Attack: 135
- Speed: 88
Excadrill is a savior for sand teams and its Ground and Steel type make it extremely effective in combat plus its ability Sand Rush is a real deal here. Due to its steel type it can counter the Fairy attacks that would otherwise knockout any other legendary Pokemon but Exacdrill can block those attacks as well as use its own weather attack to KO opponent’s Pokemon.
Abomasnow
- HP: 90
- Attack: 92
- Defense: 75
- Special Attack: 92
- Special Defense: 85
It is a great attacker and its ice and grass type does a lot of damage to other Pokemon but that is all for this one as it has a very weak defense and is weak to almost all other types. So better use it, you can pair it with a defensive type Pokemon.
Vanniluxe
- HP: 71
- Defense: 85
- Special Defense: 95
- Special Attack: 110
An Ice type Pokemon and only the second one able to set the Hail weather in Pokemon Sword and Shield, and as you can see it is also not very good with defense but can give very strong blizzards and can be highly effective against Fairy and Fire type Pokemon.
Beartic
- HP: 95
- Attack: 130
- Defense: 80
- Special Attack: 70
- Special Defense: 80
- Speed: 50
It is called as The Freezing Pokemon, also got some buffs in all of its stats. It has a very offensive presence in the field and will be in its form when hail and slush rush are activated. It is also very defensive when compared with other Pokemon of its type and can take hits from any type of Pokemon but it does lake in speed so keep that in mind.
Ninetales
- HP: 73
- Attack: 76
- Defense: 75
- Special Attack: 81
- Special Defense: 100
- Speed: 100
It is a fire type Pokemon with strong boosted flamethrower attack. It is fast, agile and very effective in competitive combat.
Torkoal
- HP: 70
- Attack: 85
- Defense: 140
- Special Attack: 85
- Special Defense: 70
- Immersive Stat: 20
Torkoal has the ability of weather setting of Drought, where it can set upon the harsh sunlight over the fighting arena and is the premier sunsetter in the Pokemon Sword and Shield.
Heliolisk
- HP: 62
- Attack: 55
- Defense: 52
- Special Attack: 109
- Special Defense: 94
- Speed: 109
Heliolisk is a dual Electric and Normal type Pokemon with some impressive competitive abilities. It is quick with lots of base speed and comes with some special moves to lower opponent’s Special attack, like Eerie Impulse.
Vileplume
- HP: 75
- Attack: 80
- Defense: 85
- Special Attack: 110
- Special Defense: 90
- Speed: 50
It is quite a simple Pokemon with no special abilities but Vileplume does stand out due to one of its abilities called Chlorophyll. It is the season’s prime chlorophyll user.
Shiftry
- HP: 90
- Attack: 100
- Defense: 60
- Special Attack: 90
- Special Defense: 60
- Speed: 90
It is a generation III dual Dark and Grass type Pokemon and also a prime user of Chlorophyll. It works very good and competitive in a combat when paired with an offensive Pokemon.
Pelipper
- HP: 60
- Attack: 50
- Defense: 100
- Special Attack: 95
- Special Defense: 70
- Speed: 65
It is very special due to the fact that it is the only known rain setter in the Pokemon Sword and Shield yet.
Sandaconda
- HP: 72
- Attack: 107
- Defense: 125
- Special Attack: 65
- Special Defense: 70
- Speed: 71
It is a pure Ground type Pokemon and is known as Sand Snake throughout the Galar region. Its signature ability is to Sand spit and it has incredible competitive combat skills and speed.
Barraskewda
- HP: 61
- Attack: 123
- Defense: 60
- Special Attack: 60
- Special Defense: 50
- Speed: 136
It is water-type Pokemon so it has incredible speed under water, way more than anything on the ground you will ever see. This speed makes it 14th fastest Pokemon in the National Pokedex.
Drednaw
- HP: 90
- Attack: 115
- Defense: 90
- Special Attack: 48
- Special Defense: 68
- Speed 74
This one is a new addition to water and rock type Pokemon list. It is a very strong and tough Pokemon, its ability to Swift Swim makes it the deadliest Pokemon under water due to the addition of its rock type.
Arcanine
- HP: 90
- Attack: 110
- Defense: 80
- Special Attack: 100
- Special Defense: 80
- Speed: 95
This is the generation I original Fire Type and you can see it has quite brilliant stats as well. It has a very vast range of attacks and diverse style makes it very deadly in competitive combat.
Gyarados
- HP: 95
- Attack: 125
- Defense: 79
- Special Attack: 60
- Special Defense: 100
- Speed: 81
It used to be one of the weakest Pokemon in the game as Magikarp, but after the evolution it has highly improved its abilities and stats. It uses the Intimidate ability and has fierce temper and destructive tendency.
Hitmontop
- HP: 50
- Attack: 95
- Defense: 95
- Special Attack: 35
- Special Defense: 110
- Speed: 70
It is a fighting type pokemon and when you add those stats plus the Intimidating ability to Hitmontop, those all things combined makes it a very deadly pokemon.
Scrafty
- HP: 65
- Attack: 90
- Defense: 115
- Special Attack: 45
- Special Defense: 115
- Speed: 58
It is a dark and fighting type pokemon and with the special ability of Intimidate. It is considered Galar region’s best Intimidate user so far, and its defense stats rival and beat all other intimidate users.
