The Strongest Galar Pokemon In Pokemon Sword & Shield

Generation 8's Pokemon Sword & Shield heralded 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.

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As they journeyed across the United 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 the strongest 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).

35 Copperajah

It's Built Like A Wall, But It Breaks 'Em

The first thing that trainers who catch Copperajah will 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, in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet, Copperajah's access to Terastallization can 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.

34 Arctozolt

Its Limited Uses Are No Match For Its Unique Typing

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 given the popularity in the Sword & Shield meta for Water types like Toxapex and Swampert, Arctozolt may come in handy.

33 Galarian Slowbro

Slowking's Counterpart Trades Special Stats For Balance

Many players might be drawn to Galarian Slowbro simply for having 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.

32 Obstagoon

This Rock Star Has Guts

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.

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By  Madie Bostwick

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.

31 Dracozolt

It Doesn't Out-Do Other Electric/Dragon Types, But It Has Other Pros

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 Dracozolt without a sandstorm user like Hippowdown or 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.

30 Toxtricity

Its Unique Typing Rocks

What Toxtricity boasts 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.

29 Galarian Zapdos

This Bird Is A Choice Physical Attacker

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.

28 Pincurchin

Don't Underestimate This Little Guy

One might take a look at Pincurchin and 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.

27 Galarian Weezing

Weezing Has Never Looked So Fancy

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 Weezing becomes 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.

26 Galarian Moltres

This Moltres Makes For A Solid Special Attacker

Galarian Moltres has 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.