Pokemon Sword and Shield Game Guide: A Comprehensive Walkthrough

Latest posts by Jesus Cruz, Lifelong Pokémon Fan (see all)

Generation 8 was strange. It was good for some fans, and for other fans, the game was a disappointment. But we can agree on one thing: Sword and Shield, in terms of story-telling and new mechanics, is incredible. We can’t say the same about the game’s difficulty because, since gen 6, the new Pokémon games are getting easier and easier.

Now there are new implementations that help new players not get lost in the Pokémon battles. But if you still need help with a specific battle, you can count on us!

As we usually say, we would love to write an extensive guide about every single corner of Galar. Still, we are now focusing on the battles to make this guide more dynamic and waiting for you to enjoy the story that Galar and Pokemon Sword and Shield have to offer.

Let’s go!

Prologue: Getting Your Starter

Pokemon Sword and Shield Game

The game starts with you being in your house while your friend, Hop, comes into your home telling you that your brother (and the Pokémon League Champion), Leon, is coming into Postwick, the place where you live.

After meeting with Leon for the first time, both you and Hop will get a Pokémon. You can choose one of these three:

PokemonTypesmovesetAbility
Grookey, Lv. 5grassScratch, GrowlOvergrow
Scorbunny, Lv. 5firetackle, growlBlaze
Sobble, Lv. 5waterPound, Growltorrent

As always, this is an important decision, but let us tell you what you’ll get after choosing your starter, so you can make a better choice:

If you pick Grookey, you’ll get Rillaboom, a solid Grass-type attacker. Rillaboom can hold on to the battle without fainting while sweeping the whole team, thanks to its good stats in HP and in Attack. Its signature move is Drum Beating that deals damage and also reduces the Speed ​​of the objective. It also has a hidden ability named Grassy Surge that generates a Grassy Terrain, a field that has many buffs to the Grass-type Pokémon and their moves.

If you pick Scorbunny, you’ll get Cinderace, mostly known in competitive battles because of its great Speed ​​and Attack, converting it into an excellent sweeper. Its signature move is Pyro Ball that deals damage and has a 10% chance of burning its objective. It also has a hidden ability named Libero, the main reason for Cinderace’s use in competitive battles. This ability changes Cinderace’s type into the type of the move it is using, so, as an example, it is using a Dark-type move; Cinderace will be Dark-type until it uses another move.

If you pick Sobble, you’ll get Inteleon, a really great Special Attacker with an incredible amount of Speed; it is basically another sweeper since it can do a whole team. Its signature move is Snipe Shot, a Water-type move that deals damage and has a high probability of being a critical hit (about 12.5%). It has a hidden ability named Sniper that increases the damage that can deal a critical hit from x1.5 to x2.25.

After this decision, Hop will pick the starter that is weak against yours, and Leon will keep the remaining starter. Then, you’ll have your first fight against Hop.

Don’t be bothered about him having two Pokemon. Its Wooloo is weak against any type of Attack you can do to it, and you’ll get a level up, in which you can learn a strong move against the starter that Hop chooses.

Now, we are gonna explain all the battles against your rival, Hop.

All Battles Against Hop, Explained

All Battles Against Hop

The last battle against Hop in the game will be in the league. There’s no elite four in Galar, you have to beat all the other participants who won all the badges on the tournament, and those will be Marnie, Hop and you.

Hop’s team is weird, but let’s meet it:

PokemonTypesmovesetAbility
Snorlax, Lv. 47NormalHeavy Slam, High Horsepower, Hammer Armthick fat
Pinchurchin, Lv. 47ElectricThunderbolt, Poison Jab, CurseLightning Rod
Dubwool, Lv. 48NormalCotton Guard, Reversal, Body Slam, Zen HeadbuttSteadfast
Corviknight, Lv. 48Flying/SteelSteel Wing, Drill Peck, Scary Face, Swaggerunnerve
His Starter, Lv. 49Fire, Grass or Water
  • Snorlax is always an annoying thing to fight against, but you’ll be okay with a Fighting-type attacker. Don’t try to use Fire or Ice-type attacks on it since it has Thick Fat, and those attacks will only do 50% of its damage.
  • Pinchurchin here is a menace only if you let him use Curse and then Poison Jab. With a Ground or Steel-type Pokémon (like Copperajah), you’ll be fine; it will not be able to attack you.
  • Dubwool is almost the same thing as Snorlax; a Fighting-type attack will get rid of it quickly.
  • Be careful with its Corviknight, don’t use a Fighting-type with it since it will fall easily against it. It is way better if you try to burn it down with a Fire-type Pokémon since it doesn’t have something good against you. Try to get Corviknight down before it uses Swagger because that move will raise your attack but will confuse you, and if it uses it, we will wish you good luck.
  • Lastly, his starter. Even if Hop Dynamax it, you would not have any issue if you use your own starter. It will have a move to try to outplay your starter: Inteleon has an Ice-type move, Rillaboom has a Ground-type move, and Cinderace doesn’t have something special to outplay you, but it has Counter, and it will be an issue if you let it weak after your first attack, but this will not be a problem.

Your Other Rivals and Battles Outside the Gym Challenge, Explained

Pokemon Sword and Shield Game

You’ll not only have to care about Hop since Marnie and Bede will be there to challenge you every time they can.

  • Marnie mostly has Dark-type Pokémon; her only non-Dark-type will be Croagunk (which you can easily outplay with a Corviknight). We recommend you to have a Fighting-type Pokémon to quickly get rid of all her team. Her Grimmsnarl is a big deal, but with a Steel-type (again, we recommend Copperajah) or even learning a Poison-type move, you will have the advantage against her.
  • Bede will have Psychic-type Pokémon through the game, but he changes his team after being chosen as a Gym leader, now he will have a Fairy-type team. You’ll have to try to get him down with some Steel or Poison-type Pokémon, don’t use Dragon-types against him since Fairy-type is immune to it.

First Badge: Milo, Turffield’s Gym Leader

Milo, Turffield's Gym Leader

Milo will be your first gym challenge, he has Grass-type Pokémon, let’s see them:

PokemonTypesmovesetAbility
Gossifleur, Lv. 19grassRapid Spin, Magical Leaf, RoundRegenerator
Eldegoss, Lv. 20grassMagical Leaf, Round, LeafageRegenerator

This battle will be easy if you choose Scorbunny, but if you don’t, you can catch a Rookidee, a Blipbug or even a Vulpix or a Growlithe; you have plenty of options to get Milo down. The battle itself is pretty easy too, but don’t use Sobble if you have it.

Second Badge: Nessa, Hulbury’s Gym Leader

Nessa, Hulbury's Gym Leader

Your second challenge will be Nessa, the Water-type Pokémon trainer. Let’s see her team:

PokemonTypesmovesetAbility
Goldeen, Lv. 22waterWater Pulse, Whirlpool, Horn Attack, AgilitySwift Swim
Arrokuda, Lv. 23waterWhirlpool, Bite, Aqua Jet, Fury AttackSwift Swim
Dreadnaw, Lv. 24Water/RockBite, Headbutt, Razor Shell, Water GunSwift Swim

Once again, if you have Thwackey, this gym will be easy and don’t worry much about that Dreadnaw, you have an x4 effectivity against it, so it will not be a problem for you.

If you don’t haven’t chosen Thwackey, you can find an Electric-type Pokémon like Yamper or a Grass-type Pokémon like Gossifleur that will help you with this gym.

Third Badge: Kabu, Motostoke’s Gym Leader

Kabu, Motostoke's Gym Leader

Now, we will have to get down Kabu, the Fire-type Pokémon trainer, let’s see his team:

PokemonTypesmovesetAbility
Ninetales, Lv. 25fireWill-O-Wisp, Quick Attack, Fire Spin, EmberFlash Fire
Arcanine, Lv. 25fireBite, Agility, Will-O-Wisp, Flame Wheelintimidate
Centiskorch, Lv. 27Fire/BugFlame Wheel, Coil, Bug Bite, SmokescreenFlash Fire

You’ll have it easy here if you have a Drizzile or a Dreadnaw. In fact, Rock-types are effective against Fire-types, so you can do this whole gym with only Dreadnaw. Just go ahead and use your Water-type attacks, and you’ll be done.

Fourth Badge: Bea or Allister, Stow-on-Side’s Gym leaders

Fourth Badge: Bea or Allister, Stow-on-Side's Gym leaders

Here, you will find Bea or Allister depending on what game you are playing right now; if you have Sword, you’ll fight against Bea; if you have Shield, you’ll battle against Allister. Let’s check out their teams:

Bea

PokemonTypesmovesetAbility
Hitmontop, Lv. 34FightingQuick Attack, Counter, Revenge, Triple KickTechnician
Pangoro, Lv. 34Fighting/DarkBullet Punch, Circle Throw, Night Slash, Work UpMold Breaker
Sirfetch’d, Lv. 35FightingRevenge, Swords Dance, Detect, Brutal SwingSteadfast
Machamp, Lv. 36FightingScary Face, Revenge, Knock Off, StrengthGuts

You could use Ghost-types against Hitmontop; it can’t hit you. But be careful with her Pangoro; you can beat it with a Fairy-type or with a Flying-type Pokémon, and don’t let it use Work Up, basically try to sweep it out as fast as possible.

The same thing with Sirfetch’d, don’t let it use Swords Dance and try to get it down with a Psychic-type. Machamp can Gigantamax, but it will not be a problem with your strongest Flying or Psychic-type.

In conclusion: you can trounce Bea with a Psychic-type and try to beat Pangoro down with another Pokémon or use a Flying-type to sweep out all of her team.

Allister

PokemonTypesmovesetAbility
Galarian Yamask, Lv. 34Ground/GhostHex, Disable, Brutal SwingWandering Spirit
Mimikyu, Lv. 34Fairy/GhostBaby-doll Eyes, Shadow Sneak, Slash, Hone Clawsdisguise
Cursola, Lv. 35ghostHex, Curse, Ancient PowerWeak Armor
Gengar, Lv. 36Poison/GhostHex, Venoshock, Hypnosis, PaybackCursed Body

This is a tough battle, starting with the Galarian Yamask; You have to know it has Wandering Spirit, and it will change its ability for the one the Pokemon that attacked it has. It will not be an issue with an Ice-type attack. Mimikyu is a big issue here; it has a Disguise, so it will be immune to damage until you hit it for the first time.

Baby-Doll Eyes can reduce your attack, and Hone Claws can raise its attack and precision, so try to get it down as quick as possible. Use Steel or Ghost-type attacks to get it down.

Cursola can potentially be an issue if you let it use its ability, Weak Armor. It will increase its speed every time you use a Physical attack on it, but its Defense will decrease. It can potentially be a sweeper of your team, just hit it with a Special Ghost-type attack.

Allister’s Gengar can Gigantamax, so be careful with it. Go with your Normal-type, and it couldn’t use its Ghost attack on you. Go with your Dark or Ground-type Pokémon, too, if you just want to sweep it down as quickly as possible.

Cursed Body has a 30% chance to deny the move you used to damage it, so be careful with that too. It is slow, so it can use Payback if it wants to; it will be a strong attack. In conclusion, don’t be afraid; go ahead and give it your best shot.

Fifth Badge: Opal, Ballonlea’s Gym Leader

Fifth Badge: Opal, Ballonlea's Gym Leader

Opal has a curious fight; during the battle, she will ask you three questions, and you have to answer all three correctly to get some buffs for your Pokemon. These are the questions and what you have to answer:

  • Do you know my nickname? The answer is The Wizard.
  • What is my favorite color? The answer is Purple!
  • How old am I? The answer is 16!

With those answers, you’ll get all the buffs. This is Opal’s team:

PokemonTypesMovesetAbility
Galarian Weezing, Lv. 36Poison/FairyTackle, Fairy Wind, Sludgelevitate
Mawile, Lv. 36Steel/FairyCrunch, Draining Kiss, Iron Defense, Astonishintimidate
Togekiss, Lv. 37Fairy/FlyingAncient Power, Draining Kiss, Air SlashSerene Grace
Alcremie, Lv. 38fairyDraining Kiss, Acid Armor, Sweet KissSweet Veil

The Galarian Weezing can avoid one of its weaknesses as it is the Ground-type with Levitate, but you can still use Steel and Psychic-type attacks to get it down. It will try to poison you, just go out with a Steel-type Pokémon, and you’ll disable all of its strategies.

Mawile is hard to battle with; its only weakness is the Ground-type, so go ahead and use Earthquake or Dig on it. If you have a Ground-type Pokémon, Crunch and Draining Kiss will not be an issue. Togekiss is easy, just use your Electric-type on in, and you should be done. It doesn’t have something special to hurt your Electric-type, so you can be confident against it.

Alcremie can Gigantamax, but it doesn’t have a unique move set, let’s explain it: Sweet Veil, its ability, doesn’t let it sleep, just don’t try this on it.  Draining Kiss will drain your HP while it gets healed, Sweet Kiss will confuse you, and Acid Armor will raise its Defense. Your best option here is using a Special Poison or Steel-type attack on it

Sixth Badge: Gordie or Melony, Circhester’s Gym Leader

Sixth Badge: Gordie or Melony, Circhester's Gym Leader

Your next battle will depend, once again, on your game version. If you have Sword, you’ll fight against Gordie, but you’ll battle against Melony if you have Shield. Let’s get this down:

Gordie

PokemonTypesMovesetAbility
Barbaracle, Lv. 40Rock/WaterShell Smash, Rock Tomb, Razor ShellTough Claws
Shuckle, Lv. 40Bug/RockRock Tomb, Power Split, Struggle Bug, Stone Edgecontrary
Stonjourner, Lv. 41rockRock Tomb, Body Slam, Stealth Rock, Wonder RoomPower Spot
Coalossal, Lv. 42Rock/FireRock Tomb, Stealth Rock, Heat Crash, Tar Shotsteam engine

This battle is brutal. Every Pokémon in Gordie’s team has a strategy to counter your Pokémon, so you have to leave Grass, Bug, Flying, Fire, and Ice Pokémon in your house before this battle. Barbaracle has Tough Claws, and its Physical attacks will be buffed. It also has Shell Smash, which is an issue, because it decreases its Defense and Special Defense to buff its Attack, Special Attack, and Speed.

Lastly, it can attack you with Razor Shell and Rock Tomb. We recommend hurting it with Electric or Ground-type attacks before it can use Shell Smash. Shuckle has Contrary, which means that every Status move that can decrease a Shuckle stat will buff it, so you must not try to reduce its Defenses with special moves.

You can try to get it down with a special attack, but it has Struggle Bug, which can decrease your Special Attack, so hit him with your best Ground or Steel-type attack and be prepared to be in a fight with that Shuckle for a long time.

Stonjourner is basically Gordie’s weakest Pokémon. Nonetheless, it can be annoying with Wonder Room. Just go with your Fighting or Steel-type against it, and you’ll be fine.

Now, Coalossal. It can Gigantamax. First of all, don’t use Water or Fire attacks against it because it has Steam Engine, and it will get a Speed buff out of that. It has a move named Tar Shot, which will reduce your speed and make you vulnerable to Fire attacks.

Tar Shot and Heat Crash, an attack that will be stronger depending on the user’s Weigh (and Coalossal is really heavy), is a potent combination. Your only bet here is to attack it with Fighting-type attacks.

Melony

Melony
PokémonTypesMovesetAbility
Frosmoth, Lv. 40Ice/BugIcy Wind, Feather Dance, Bug Buzz, HailShield Dust
Galarian Darmanitan, Lv. 40IceIcicle Crash, Headbutt, Taunt, Fire FangZen Mode
Eiscue, Lv. 41IceIcy Wind, Hail, Amnesia, Freeze-DryIce Face
Lapras, Lv. 42Water/IceIcy Wind, Ice Beam, SurfShield Armor

This battle is way easier than the one with Gordie since here you can make use of your Fire, Steel, Fighting, and Rock moves to get down Melony’s team. Firstly, her Frosmoth, you just can use a Fire-type attack to burn it down since it will do significant damage to it. It doesn’t have a move to outplay your Fire-type neither, so don’t worry and go ahead.

Now, the Galarian Darmanitan has Zen Mode, which means it gets in its Daruma Mode when it is lower than 50% of its HP, Changing it to an Ice/Fire-type Pokémon, that’s why it has Fire Fang. Try to get it down with only a hit, but if you can’t, then you can use a Rock-type attack, and that will hurt it a lot.

Eiscue is an interesting Pokemon. It has Ice Face, which makes it has a block of ice on its head and has a buffed Defense and Special Defense but decreasing its Speed.  A Physical attack will break its Ice Face, which will make it lose its Defense buffs but gaining a lot of Speed. Eiscue has Hail because of its ability since it can recover its Ice Face with it.

Anyway, try to break its Ice Face and attack it with some Fire-type attacks before recovering its Ice Face again.

Lastly, Lapras, that can Gigantamax. Lapras has always been a menace for the trainers, but you can use some Rock-type attacks with it, and it will hurt it a lot. Just try to not use Ground or Dragon-types with it since it has Ice Beam.

You can also hurt Lapras with an Electric-type; it doesn’t have moves to outplay you, so don’t worry and attack it with your best moves.

Seventh Badge: Piers, Spikemuth’s Gym Leader

Seventh Badge: Piers, Spikemuth's Gym Leader

Piers is curious, since he doesn’t like to use Gigantamax, so that’s a good thing for you. This Gym isn’t hard at all. Let’s see Piers’ team:

PokemonTypesmovesetAbility
Crafty, Lv. 44Fighting/DarkFake Out, Sand Attack, Brick Break, PaybackShed Skin
Malamar, Lv. 44Psychic/DarkPayback, Night Slash, Foul Play, Psycho Cutcontrary
Skuntank, Lv. 45Poison/DarkSucker Punch, Screech, Snarl, Toxicaftermath
Obstagoon, Lv. 46Dark/NormalObstruct, Throat Chop, Counter, Shadow ClawGuts

You’ll be hitting hard against Piers with Fairy, Bug or Fighting-types here; that will make this gym way easier. Scrafty is pretty weak against Fairy-types, just use this advantage against it and sweep it in a turn or two. Malamar is weak against bug-types, but be careful since it has Contrary, and since what we saw with Gordie’s Shuckle, this can be an issue. Don’t use moves that can decrease its stats.

Skuntank is the big deal of this team, mainly because of its Aftermath, which can hurt your Pokémon after faint it. Your only bet with it is a Ground-type attack. Use Earthquake, and you’ll be done with it. The Aftermath will probably faint your Pokémon, too, but if you have a Fighting-type Pokémon against Obstagoon, then this will not matter.

Obstagoon is really weak against Fighting-types; you can quickly One Hit-KO it with a strong attack. Do that, and you’ll be done with Piers and its gym.

Last Badge: Raihan, Hammerlocke’s Gym Leader

Raihan will have a double battle against you, and its tactic is to use their Pokémon to release a sandstorm to buff their Dragon-type attackers.

This is Raihan’s team:

PokemonTypesmovesetAbility
Gigalith, Lv. 46rockStealth Rock, Rock Blast, Sand Tomb, Body PressSand Stream
Sandaconda, Lv. 46GroundFire Fang, Protect, Earth Power, GlareSand Spit
Flygon, Lv. 47Rock/DragonThunder Punch, Steel Wing, Crunch, Breaking Swipelevitate
Duraludon, Lv. 48Steel/DragonBody Press, Breaking Swipe, Stone Edge, Iron HeadHeavy metal

First, it will release Gigalith and Flygon, using Gigalith’s ability to buff Flygon. Try to get Gigalith down with a Fighting, Ground or Steel-type attack since it has a Body Press, an attack that calculates its damage with the Defense stats, and Gigalith has a lot of that.

Its Special Defense will be buffed because of the sandstorm, so your best bet is to get it down with Physical attacks.

Also, don’t let it use Stealth Rock. To deal with the Flygon, try to use Ice attacks; Those can deal a lot of damage to it. Flygon will use Breaking Swipe that hits both objectives and reduces their Defense, so Flygon has to be your objective; try to get it down as soon as possible.

Then, Raihan will release Sandaconda. Give it some Ice-type attacks, and you can get it down. Remember that Rock-types get a Defense buff with the sandstorm, so you’ll take a while to get Sandaconda and Gigalith down.

Lastly, Duraludon. Ground-types will hurt it a lot. Remember, you are in a double battle, so if you use Earthquake, you’ll hurt your companion, so we recommend using an Earthquake strat with a Flying-type like Corviknight as your couple or using Dig to not hurt your couple.

Ice-type can be a way to defeat Raihan too, so consider it. After you defeat Raihan, it’s time to get into the League.

Pokemon League

First, you have to do a quick tournament against Marnie and then Hop. We explained these battles before, so let’s get down to the Pokémon League itself.

In this Pokémon League, there’s no Elite Four, but you’ll still have to do four combats before challenging the Champion, Leon. The first battle will be against Bede, explained before. It will use Fairy-types, just prepare your Steel and Poison-types and defeat him.

Now, you’ll have to battle against Nessa, the Water-type gym leader.

Gym Leader Nessa, Water-type

PokemonTypesmovesetAbility
Golisopod, Lv. 51Water/BugShadow Claw, Swords Dance, Liquidation, First ImpressionEmergency Exit
Pelipper, Lv. 51Water/FlyingAir Slash, Roost, Water Pulse, Tailwinddrizzle
Barraskewda, Lv. 52waterLiquidation, Ice Fange, Throat Chop, Drill RunSwift Swim
Seaking, Lv. 52waterWaterfall, Megahorn, Aqua Ring, Smart StrikeSwift Swim
Dreadnaw, Lv. 53Water/RockLiquidation, Rock Tomb, Crunch, Jaw LockSwift Swim

This battle will be easy with a Grass-type helping you, but be careful with Golisopod and Seaking; they have First Impression and Megahorn.  Our recommendation is to use any other Pokémon, letting Golisopod use First Impression and then release your Grass-type.

Another helping type can be the Electric-type, but then be careful with Barraskewda and Drill Run. In this will Gigamax her Dreadnaw, and it also has Jaw Lock; if it uses it, you can’t switch Pokémon until one of those two in combat faints.

Gym Leader Bea or Allister, Fighting or Ghost-type

After that, you’ll have to defeat Bea (only on Sword) or Allister (only on Shield). Let’s see their teams:

Bea

PokemonTypesmovesetAbility
Hawlucha, Lv. 52Fighting/FlyingFlying Press, High Jump Kick, BounceLimber
Grapploct, Lv. 52FightingOctolock, Bind, Submission, Mega PunchLimber
Sirfetch’d, Lv. 53FightingLeaf Blade, Brick Break, Slam, Brutal SwingSteadfast
Falinks, Lv. 53FightingClose Combat, Rock Tomb, Bulk Up, No RetreatBattle Armor
Machamp, Lv. 54FightingFire Punch, Strength, Revenge, Cross ChopGuts

You should use the Flying-type to get rid of all its Fighting-types; you can also use Psychic or even Fairy-types to get the advantage here.

There’s nothing new with Bea’s Team, so you can pretty much help you out with our guides when you battle against her for the first time. Also, you can shock that Hawlucha with an Electric-type.

Allister

Allister
PokemonTypesmovesetAbility
Dusknoir, Lv. 52ghostRock Tomb, Shadow Punch, Disable, Thunder PunchPressure
Chandelure, Lv. 52Ghost/FireWill-O-Wisp, Shadow Ball, Mystical FireFlash Fire
Cursola, Lv. 53ghostAmnesia, Ancient Power, Hex, Strength SapWeak Armor
Polteageist, Lv. 53ghostGiga Drain, Protect, Shadow Ball, Nasty PlotWeak Armor
Gengar, Lv. 54Poison/GhostDark Pulse, Shadow Ball, Sludge bomb, HypnosisCursed Body

Allister is pretty weak against Dark-types, so you should use them instead of some Ghost-types since his Pokemon can outplay you.

This battle isn’t hard if you know how to fight against Ghost-types, and against Gengar, you can use some Ground-types to get it down. That’s pretty much it against Allister.

Gym Leader Raihan, Dragon-type

Here, Raihan will use the same strategy, trying to set the weather to use it as an advantage for his Pokemon, but this time the battle will be one-on-one. So, this is his team:

PokemonTypesMovesetAbility
Torkoal, Lv. 53fireYawn, Gyro Ball, Solar Beam, Lava PlumeDrought
Goodra, Lv. 54dragonSludge Bomb, Thunder, Rain Dance, SurfSap Sipper
Turtonator, Lv. 54Fire/DragonSunny Day, Hydro Pump, Dragon Pulse, CrunchShell Armor
Flygon, Lv. 54Ground/DragonSandstorm, Hydro Pump, Earthquake, Dragon ClawLettivate
Duraludon, Lv. 55Steel/DragonBody Press, Dragon Claw, Stone Edge, Iron HeadHeavy metal

First of all, you have to know Torkoal and Turtonator will use the sunny weather to buff themselves, Torkoal will set it with Drought, its ability, and Turtonator will place it with Sunny Day.

Beam every turn it can do it. This move allows Torkoal to counter its Water, Ground, and Rock-type weaknesses, so your best bet is to try to get it down with a Pokémon that can learn an attacking move of one of those types mentioned before.

Don’t risk your Water or Ground user since you’ll need it later. You can hurt Turtonator with Water, Ground or Rock types Try to get it down with a Fairy-type, too, as well as Goodra. Goodra will set the rain with Rain Dance and will attack you with Thunder and Surf, so don’t let your Flying or Water types out against it. Find an excellent Fairy-type and fight against it with your best shot.

Lastly, both Flygon and Duraludon will set the sandstorm and hit you with solid Rock, Ground and Dragon-type attacks. Use your Ice or your Ground-type here, too, and you’ll be fine.  Flygon can’t handle a single Ice-type attack, and Duraludon will be tough to battle against, but you’ll get it down with a good Earthquake.

Chairman Rose Intermission

You’ll have to battle against Chairman Rose by story successions, this can be a tough battle, but you can handle it with a Fire or Ground-type Pokémon. He doesn’t have a specially good team, but it isn’t bad either.

  • You can faint both Ferrothorn and Escavalier with a single strong Fire-type attack.
  • Perrserker and Klinklang aren’t an issue either, you can handle it with a Fire-type attack, too, and it doesn’t have a single move to outplay you.
  • Copperajah is something else since Chairman Rose can Gigantamax it, and it has High Horsepower, so it’s better if you attack it with a Ground-type attack.

Champion Leon

Champion Leon

After finishing all the story happenings (which we will not spoil), It’s finally time to become the Pokémon champion. Let’s get started; this is Leon’s team:

PokemonTypesMovesetAbility
Aegislash, Lv. 62Steel/GhostShadow Ball, King’s Shield, Sacred Sword, Flash CannonStance Change
Dragapult, Lv. 62Dragon/GhostShadow Ball, Flamethrower, Thunderbolt, Dragon BreathClear Body
Haxorus, Lv. 63dragonOutrage, Earthquake, Poison Jab, Iron TailMold Breaker
Charizard, Lv. 65Fire/FlyingAncient Power, Solar Beam, Air Slash, Fire BlastBlaze

Aegislash will not be a problem if you have a Fire-type Pokémon, hit it hard, and you’ll faint it since it doesn’t have a way to outplay you.

Dragapult and Haxorus can fall in the same way: Ice or Fairy-types. Dragapult will not be an issue, it doesn’t have a thing to outplay your Fairy or Ice users, but the problem here is Haxorus since it has Earthquake, which can damage Ice users and Poison Jab that can hurt Fairy-types.

A good option is trying to get it down with an Ice attack from a non-Ice-type Pokémon. Charizard can be easily beatable with a Rock-type attack since it will hurt it a lot. One Stone Edge can leave Charizard down even if it can Gigantamax.

You’ll wonder why this table only has 4 Pokémon, and it happens that Leon actually will use the starter that he chose at the start of the game, and depending on that starter, he will have a Pokémon to try to complement his starter in its team.

So, these are the two last Pokémon of Leon’s team:

If you chose Grookey:

PokemonTypesmovesetAbility
Seismitoad, Lv. 64Water/GroundDrain Punch, Toxic, Earthquake, LiquidationWater Absorber
Cinderace, Lv. 64fireQuick Attack, Acrobatics, Faint, Pyro BallBlaze

Use a Grass-type attack with Seismitoad; it’s unlikely to handle a good Grass-type attack. Cinderace, on the other hand, can just fall with a Water-type attack, it doesn’t have a move to counter your Water-type, so there’s no problem, just hit it with your best shot.

If you chose Scorbunny:

PokemonTypesMovesetAbility
Mr. Rime, Lv. 64ice/psychicFreeze-Dry, Psychic, Thunderbolt, Toxictangled fee
Inteleon, Lv. 64waterSnipe Shot, Dark Pulse, Tearful Look, Mud Shottorrent

You can hit Mr. Rime with Ghost, Fire, Bug, Steel, Dark and Rock-types. Don’t worry too much about it. Inteleon isn’t an issue either; give it your best Grass-type shot. It has Mud Shot, so if you use Electric-type attacks, be sure you can hit it first, or you can handle a shot of it.

If you chose Sobble:

PokemonTypesMovesetAbility
Rhyperior, Lv. 64Rock/GroundEarthquake, Heat Crash, Stone Edge, Megahornsolid rock
Rillaboom, Lv. 64grassHigh Horsepower, Knock Off, Drum Beating, EndeavorOvergrow

Grass or Water-types will sweep out that Rhyperior. Be careful with your Grass user and Heat Crash; it is better to hit it with Surf or Hydro Pump.

Rillaboom can’t handle Fire or Ice-types, so you can hit it with those moves. It has High Horsepower, so it can hurt your Fire and Ice-type Pokémon, but don’t be afraid; it doesn’t have STAB for that move, so you can be capable of handling it.

Battle Against Leon in a Video:

FAQs

Question: How Hard is Pokemon Sword and Shield?

Answer: Well, this game isn’t hard at all if you are a veteran, but if you are new at Pokemon, then this game can be pretty complex. It has various weird battles and the last battle against Leon can be brutal.

Question: Which is the Hardest Battle in Pokémon Sword and Shield?

Answer: There’s a lot of tough battles in the game, like Gordie’s one, both battles against Raihan, or the battle against Leon. But there are a lot of hard battles in the post-game that can potentially be harder than the ones in the regular game.

Question: Which is the Best Starter in Pokémon Sword and Shield?

Answer: It will always depend on how you like to play. All three starters are really good in Attack and Speed ​​terms, being Cinderace the one that highlights the most in those stats, but Inteleon and Rillaboom can learn good moves to use in the adventure and in the competitive system.

Post-game and Conclusion

Well, you are now the Galar Champion. It has been a rough path, with many brutal battles, but you didn’t give up and get up against all odds. You deserve this victory. Welcome to the Hall of Fame.

You can now go for the Legendaries hunt, the post-game and the DLC’s that have many exciting things and new Pokémon for you to catch and build new teams. Feel free to explore all that you had left in Galar, a wonderful region full of life.

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