The Gen 8 Pokemon games were the first new generation of the series to debut on the Nintendo Switch and followed up the Island Trials of Gen 7 with a return to traditional Gyms. Gen 8's Pokemon Sword and Shield are typically considered to be some of the easier games in the series but they do feature their own set of unique challenges that players will need to overcome. As such, there are several mons available in these games that make for the ideal team for players looking to complete the Gen 8 games as smoothly as possible.

In the Gen 8 games, Mega Evolution and Z-Moves were removed and replaced with Dynamaxing and Gigantamaxing, which allowed mons to grow massively in size and gain temporary access to Max Moves and G-Max Moves. While all mons can Dynamax, only certain ones can Gigantamax, and both can only do so in certain locations such as Gyms. Most major battles in Pokemon Sword and Shield will require players to deal with a Dynamaxed or Gigantamaxed opponent, so their team will need to compensate accordingly.

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With the Gen 7 Pokemon games putting a twist on the series' established formula, players will want the ideal team for tackling these new challenges.

The Best Pokemon Team for a Successful Gen 8 Playthrough

The Galar Region's Pokedex is fairly large due to the Wild Area giving players access to a much more diverse population of critters than other generations. While Pokemon Sword and Shield were the first games to receive DLC rather than a third, definitive version, this team setup will only take the base games into consideration. Additionally, these games were the first in the series to feature version-exclusive Gym Leaders, so the ideal Gen 8 playthrough team will need to account for both sets of Gym Leaders.

Cinderace

The best starter to choose for a Gen 8 playthrough is Scorbunny, due mostly to the fact that it will give players the advantage against the first Gym Leader, Milo, and his Grass types. Pokemon Sword and Shield's first three Gym Leaders are Grass, Water, and Fire-type trainers respectively, so all starter choices will have an advantage against one of the early-game gyms. However, not only is Scorbunny great against the very first Gym, but Cinderace can help in fights against Pokemon Shield's Ice-type Gym Leader Melonie, as well as against the Steel types used by Chairman Rose.

Corviknight

Corviknight is one of the best early-game Flying types in the series thanks to the fact that it gains the Steel type once it's fully evolved. Catching a Rookidee early on can be helpful against Milo's Grass types as well, but having Corviknight on the team becomes especially useful later in the game when players will have to take on the Fairy types used by Gym Leader Opal and Marnie's Grimmsnarl. Corviknight is especially useful for Pokemon Sword players since it can help deal with Gym Leader Bea's Fighting types, as well as Gym Leader Gordie's Rock types.

Boltund

With Scorbunny being the starter of choice for this team, players are going to want to catch a mon that can deal with Nessa's Water types in the second Gym. Boltund is a great choice since Yamper can be caught early on, and evolves at level 25, which is right around the level players should be heading into Nessa's Gym. Additionally, Boltund has a high Speed stat, making it great in several of the battles against Hop, as well as against Melonie's Lapras in Pokemon Shield's Circhester Gym battle and Leon's Inteleon in the championship battle.

Barraskewda

Like Boltund, catching a Barraskewda will be a huge help in the fight against the third Gym Leader, Kabu, and his Fire types. Arrokuda can be caught by fishing in Hulbury, and evolves into Barraskweda at level 26, making it accessible at the perfect time to be useful against Kabu's Fire types. Not only will Barraskweda be a huge help in this fight, but its great Speed and Attack stats mean it will be useful throughout the playthrough, helping to deal with Gordie's Rock types in Pokemon Shield, as well as several of Raihan's mons like Sandaconda and Flygon and Leon's Gigantimax Charizard that he uses as his ace.

Grimmsnarl

The Dark/Fairy typing gives Grimmsnarl a huge advantage against many of the Gen 8 games' biggest threats, making it a must-use mon on any playthrough. Impidimp can be caught in the Wild Area or Glimwood Tangle, and players would be wise to catch one as soon as possible since it will be incredibly helpful in battles against Bede's Psychic types, Marnie's Dark types, as well as against Gym Leader Piers' Dark types and Pokemon Shield's Gym Leader Allister's Ghost types. Grimmsnarl's utility doesn't end there, as its Fairy typing will give it the advantage over Raihan's Dragon types, as well as the Dragapult and Haxorus used by Champion Leon.

Falinks

Another type that is incredibly useful in the Gen 8 games is the Fighting type, and Falinks is the mon that is best suited to fill this role on any Gen 8 team. Falinks has great stats all around and is widely accessible in both versions of the game as it can be found as a random grass encounter or special overworld encounter on Route 8. This location makes Falinks perfect to grab before heading to Circhester since it will gain the advantage against either version's Gym Leader, and it will also be very useful in several late-game battles against Marnie and Piers' Dark types, Raihan's Duraludon, Leon's Mr. Rime, and the entirety of Chairman Rose's team.

Pokemon Sword and Shield

Franchise

Pokemon

Platform(s)

Switch

Released

November 15, 2019

Developer(s)

Game Freak

Publisher(s)

Nintendo

Genre(s)

RPG

ESRB

E for Everyone: Comic Mischief, Mild Cartoon Violence

How Long To Beat

25½ Hours

Metascore

80

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