- Greetings, Pokefans!
Michael here, and
Pokemon Sword and Shield,
like any new
generation of Pokemon
have introduced a batch
of totally new Pokemon.
Almost any Pokemon
fan would wanna know,
which of these Pokemon
are the most impressive,
so today, I'm gonna
be counting down
the top 20 strongest new
Pokemon in Sword and Shield.
A few things I should clarify
before I get started though.
The first is that this
ranking will be done
based solely on the
Pokemon's base stat totals.
This is what I've
done for every ranking
the top strongest
Pokemon in the past.
Plus, I like doing
it this way because
it's a numerical
way of ranking it
rather than a subjective one.
Any ties will be
broken by which Pokemon
has the highest offensive stat.
In other words,
if two Pokemon have the
same base stat total,
the stronger one is
the one whose attack
or special attack
is the highest.
I'm doing it this way because
people tend to
associate strength
with how hard they can hit.
If they are still tied,
then the second tiebreaker
is head-to-head type matchup.
Galarian forms do
count as new Pokemon,
and if a Pokemon
has multiple forms
with different base stat totals,
only the form with the
higher base stat total
will be included on this list.
It'd be lame if
one Pokemon species
took up multiple entries.
Also in case it wasn't obvious,
this video will be
full of spoilers.
So without further ado,
don't forget to leave
a like on the video
and let's get started
with number 20,
which is a four-way tie,
because of course it is.
Pokemon Sword and Shield
introduced the most unique
fossil Pokemon to date.
Rather than simply
getting a certain fossil
that you then revived
into a certain Pokemon,
you get fossil halves
that you then revive
together in pairs.
There are two top half fossils
and two bottom half fossils
resulting in four
different combinations
and therefore, four
different Pokemon.
Side note, I am very happy
that they finally
stopped the trend
of making every single
fossil Pokemon a rock type.
I always thought that was dumb.
Like, oh, just because it
was revived from a fossil
it's now a rock type,
even though it probably
wasn't a rock type Pokemon
millions of years ago.
Like Archeops, nothing about
Archeops has to do with rocks,
so I'm glad they
stopped doing that.
Anyways, the four
possible fossil Pokemon
are Dracozolt, Arctozolt,
Arctovish, and Dracovish.
They are wild, ridiculous,
mismatched creatures,
and I love the
creativity of them.
But as I said, this
entry is a four way tie,
because all four of
these fossil Pokemon
have a base stat total of 505.
So to break that tie,
we go to the one that has
the highest offensive stat.
Neither Dracovish nor
Arctovish are the strongest,
because their base attack stats
of 90 are not high enough.
Dracozolt and Arctozolt
are tied however,
because they both have
an attack stat of 100.
That means I have to go to
the secondary tiebreaker,
which is head-to-head matchup.
Since Dracozolt is an
electric Dragon type,
and Arctozolt is an
electric ice type,
Arctozolt would be
more likely to win
based purely on
type effectiveness,
so therefore, Arctozolt is
the strongest of these four
and therefore the 20th
strongest Pokemon.
Now on to number 19,
which is Sirfetch'd.
Sirfetch'd has a base
stat total of 507,
a very respectable
base stat total.
Its HP, special attack, and
speed are pretty underwhelming,
but its defenses are
a good chunk better.
Where it really shines though
is in its physical attack stat,
which is a devastating 135.
In case you needed
something to compare it to,
that is five points
higher than Garchomp's.
Sirfetch'd is a very
respectably strong Pokemon,
and definitely a huge upgrade
in the stat department
from Farfetch'd.
Both regular and
Galarian Farfetch'd
only have base
stat totals of 377,
which was extremely
poor for a Pokemon
that for so long
couldn't evolve.
The next strongest Pokemon
has a base stat total
that's only one point
higher than Sirfetch'd,
that being number
18, Polteageist.
Polteageist has a base
stat total of 508.
While its HP, attack, defense,
and speed are just okay,
its special stats really shine.
Its special defense is 114,
and its special attack
stat is an excellent 134.
Polteageist may not seem
like a particularly
imposing Pokemon,
but I think it's gonna
end up being really good.
It's got access to Shell
Smash and Weak Armor,
which can improve
its mediocre speed,
and also dramatically
increases the power
of its stored power move.
I think it's gonna be a
force to be reckoned with.
The next several entries
are actually a five way tie,
because there are five Pokemon
that have base
stat totals of 510.
Just a reminder, the
tie will be broken
based on their highest
offensive stat.
Because of this
tiebreaker method,
number 17 ends up
being Coalossal.
Coalossal has 80 as
both its base attack
and special attack stats,
which is okay but not great,
hence, why it ended
up as the lowest
of all the base 510 Pokemon.
That doesn't mean it's
a pushover though,
since Coalossal definitely
fulfills more of a tank role.
It's very slow,
but it makes up for that
with very good defenses,
having base 110 HP,
120 physical defense,
and 90 special defense.
Unfortunately, its typing
isn't great defensively,
since Rock, Fire has two
different four times weaknesses,
but with access to some
pretty strong moves
like Heat Crash or Gyro Ball,
plus having access to Tar Shot
which can make its enemies
weaker to fire-type moves,
I think it can end up
being kinda decent.
The next 510 base
stat total Pokemon
is number 16, Sandaconda.
Its tiebreaker stat is its
physical attack which is 107,
which, I think is pretty solid.
Sandaconda is in a similar
situation to Coalossal,
where it tends to be better
on the defensive front.
It's best stat is
its physical defense,
which is actually
higher than Coalossal's,
and it's also much faster.
But in exchange for the
higher physical attack,
physical defense, and speed,
it ends up with lower special
attack, special defense,
and much lower HP
than Coalossal.
Sandaconda is an
interesting, cool Pokemon,
but I have trouble
believing that it will make
much of a name for itself
in the competitive scene.
Its attack and physical
defense are very solid,
but the rest of its stats,
I don't think are good enough
for it to make a
real name for itself.
Maybe it'll be good
on Sandstorm teams,
but it doesn't even get
access to Sand Stream.
It gets access to Sand Spit,
which is just worse Sand Stream,
because it has to take a hit
before the Sandstorm
will be activated.
Like I said, I like
Sandaconda, I think it's cool,
but I'm not sure how
good it's gonna be.
Next is number 15, Grimmsnarl,
the first ever fully evolved
dark fairy type Pokemon
and one heck of a
horrifying monster.
I kinda like it.
Grimmsnarl's best stat
is its base 120 attack,
which landed it in third place
among this base 510 total tie.
Its next best stats are
its HP and special attack,
both of which are 95,
and the rest of its
stats are mediocre.
Grimmsnarl isn't
the fastest Pokemon,
but with its access
to Prankster,
which gives priority to
utility status type moves,
I think it could actually
end up being somewhat useful
either in an offensive or
a priority utility role.
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to bring you a
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Next up is number 14, Hatterene.
This psychic fairy
type Pokemon is
kind of a strange
one to me because,
is it just supposed to
be a lady wearing a hat?
Like what is the design
inspiration for this?
I don't know.
If you know, tell
me in the comments,
'cause right now, all I've
got is hat wearing woman.
(bell ding)
Hatterene has an incredible
special attack stat of 136,
which is how it got to be the
14th strongest new Pokemon.
Its defenses are
pretty solid too,
having 95 base defense and
103 base special defense.
Also, its physical
attack isn't horrible,
coming in at base 90.
Where Hatterene really falls
short is its base HP of 57,
and its horrendous
base speed of only 29.
Despite its poor speed though,
I foresee Hatterene
being pretty solid
in the competitive scene,
especially in the
doubles format.
It'd be amazing on
a Trick Room team,
plus, it's got a new
move called Life Dew,
which heals both itself and
allies, which is really cool,
and it's got the ability healer,
which only works
in double battles.
So, I think Hatterene
will be pretty solid.
And the final base 510 new
Pokemon is number 13, Cursola,
the evolution for
Galarian Corsola.
Cursola actually
has a pretty similar
stat spread to Hatterene.
Its speed stat is
one point higher,
its HP is three points higher,
its physical attack
is five points higher,
and its special
attack, its best stat,
is nine points higher,
coming in at the
absurd number of 145.
Where they differ
is that Cursola
took a chunk of points
in physical defense
and moved them to
special defense,
resulting in a very high
special defense of 130.
I'm really interested to see
how viable Cursola
ends up becoming.
Like Hatterene, it'll be
incredible on Trick Room teams,
but other than that,
I'm not really sure.
Its terrible speed combined
with poor physical defense
could mean that it
ends up being KO'd
before it even has
the chance to attack.
I actually think
there's a decent chance
it'll end up being used less
than its pre-evolution
Galarian Corsola,
which ends up with
spectacular defenses
if it holds an Eviolite.
So we'll have to see.
All right, that finally
finishes up the five way tie
between the base
510 total Pokemon,
so next up we have,
another freaking tie.
Thankfully though, this tie
is only between two Pokemon,
and they both have a
base stat total of 520.
The bottom member of this
tie is number 12, Obstagoon.
Obstagoon's best offensive
stat is its physical attack,
which is base 90.
This is pretty solid,
but it's actually only
Obstagoon's third-best stat,
behind its base 93 HP and
base 101 physical defense.
Its other stats are
a low special attack
which is completely fine,
a solid base 81 special defense,
and a quite good base 95 speed.
This makes Obstagoon's
stats pretty balanced
because it's worst
stat in Special Attack
is one that it's probably
not gonna use anyways.
I really think the only thing
holding Obstagoon
back is its typing,
since Dark, Normal isn't
that great defensively.
But who knows, maybe it
could be really amazing.
I hope it is, 'cause
that'd be cool to see.
The other base 520 total
Pokemon is number 11, Mr. Rime.
The evolution of
Galarian Mr. Mime.
This ice psychic type Pokemon
has a special
attack stat of 110,
which of course beat out
Obstagoon's physical
attack stat of 90.
Mr. Rime has pretty good
special defense of 100,
and the rest of its
stats are pretty balanced
in the 70 to 85 range.
I personally think
that if Mr. Rime
ends up being a really
highly used Pokemon,
it'll be as a utility Pokemon.
Because it gets access
to a lot of really
good utility moves,
like Baton Pass, screens,
terrains, and Rapid Spin,
which if you didn't know
was buffed like crazy
this generation.
Not only was its
power increased,
but it also gives the
user a Speed Boost.
So expect to see
Rapid Spin a lot more.
Next up is number
10, Centiskorch.
This new bug Fire-type Pokemon
has a base stat total of 525.
It's got an impressive
physical attack stat of 115
combined with a
great HP stat of 100.
Its special attack and special
defense are pretty solid,
but its physical
defense and speed
leave a bit more to be desired.
I think Centiskorch is
a really cool Pokemon,
so, I really hope it
ends up being good.
It's got some really
good abilities
and Flash Fire and White Smoke,
but it is a bit on
the slower side,
so I think it'll find success
as a Choice Scarf user.
Also, shout out to
Centiskorch and Salazzle
for finally being Pokemon
other than Heatmor
to get access to Fire Lash.
Numbers nine, eight, and
seven are another tie,
this time a three-way tie
between the fully
evolved Galar Starters,
Rillaboom, Cinderace,
and Inteleon.
Based on my tie-breaking method,
number nine ends
up being Cinderace
because its best offensive stat,
its base 116 physical attack,
is lower than Rillaboom
and Inteleon's
best offensive stats.
Cinderace's best stat is
its speed, a blistering 119.
The rest of its stats besides
attack are underwhelming,
but that's okay since
Cinderace's role
will definitely end up being
a fast physical sweeper.
Cinderace being the
lowest ranked starter
is proof that my tie-breaking
method is somewhat flawed.
Because in reality,
Cinderace will probably end up
being the best
starter competitively
because of its Hidden Ability.
Its Hidden Ability is Libero,
an ability that is
currently not available
but probably will
be in the future,
and it functions
just like Protean.
And we saw what Protean did
to Greninja's viability.
For the next two starters,
we have another situation
like Dracozolt and Arctozolt,
where their best
offensive stats are equal.
Rillaboom's physical
attack is 125,
and Inteleon's
special attack is 125.
So we do the type matchup,
head-to-head matchup,
and of course
Rillaboom wins out.
So therefore, number
eight is Inteleon.
Inteleon is another fast
sweeper like Cinderace,
actually being faster and
hitting harder than Cinderace,
but being a bit frailer.
As of now, I think it has
the edge over Cinderace
in regards to viability,
but once their hidden
abilities become available,
Cinderace will
definitely get the edge
because Libero is much
better than sniper.
And next of course is
number seven, Rillaboom.
Rillaboom is much slower
than the other two starters,
but is far bulkier,
having base 100 HP stat,
90 defense, and 70
special defense.
Plus, it's not
super slow either.
Base 85 speed is
nothing to scoff at.
Its hidden ability
is Grassy Surge,
which will certainly
be quite useful
once it's made available,
because that's basically
a free power-up
to all of Rillaboom's
Grass-type moves.
Next is number six, Duraludon.
It has a base stat total of 535,
and the stats in which it
excels are physical defense,
which is base 115, and special
attack, which is base 120.
Its physical attack is base 95
which is still pretty solid,
and its base speed
is a decent 85.
Unfortunately, its
base HP is only 70,
and its based special
defense is only 50,
so it would not handle
a strong Earth Power
or Focus Blast very well.
Notice how I specified
those two moves though,
because fighting and ground are
Duraludon's only weaknesses,
two types that tend
to be more physical.
Dragon steel is just a
fantastic defensive typing,
only having those two
weaknesses that I mentioned
and then having nine
resistances plus an immunity.
With Duraludon's great stats,
I find it hard to
believe that Duraludon
isn't gonna end up being
a really great Pokemon
in the competitive scene.
We have finally made
it to the top five,
and number five is one that
you may not even
have known existed,
that being Zen Mode
Galarian Darmanitan.
Darumaka and Darmanitan
got ice type Galarian forms
in Sword and Shield and kept
the same base stat totals
as their original forms,
those being 315 and
480 respectively.
However, recall that
Darmanitan's hidden ability
is Zen mode,
which causes it to change
into this form that's
basically a statue when
its health gets below half.
For regular Darmanitan,
its Zen Mode form
is fire psychic type
and has a base 540 stat total.
For Galarian Darmanitan,
its Zen Mode also has
a base 540 stat total,
but instead of gaining
the psychic type,
it gains the fire type,
making Zen Mode
Galarian Darmanitan
the first ice fire type
Pokemon to ever exist.
Ice fire is a type
combo that I wanted
so desperately to
be in the game,
but I must admit
I'm disappointed
that it's only a
hard-to-access alternate form
that isn't even as viable
as not having that form.
If you didn't know,
Galarian Darmanitan's normal
ability is Gorilla Tactics.
Spelled like the animal,
not like the actual
guerrilla tactics,
which is basically a built-in
automatic Choice Band.
So if you combine that
with a Choice Band,
Galarian Darmanitan
hits crazy hard.
So you're almost never
gonna want to have
a Zen Mode Galarian Darmanitan.
So it kind of stinks
that the ice fire type is
stuck on a form that
no one is gonna use.
Number four is the last
non-legendary on this list,
because it's a pseudo-legendary,
that being Dragapult.
This Dragon ghost type, like
every other pseudo-legendary,
has a base stat total of 600.
It's got an absurdly
high speed stat of 142.
Which is the 14th
highest base speed
of any Pokemon form ever.
If you remove the Pokemon
who are not available
in Sword and Shield,
it has the fourth highest speed.
That speed pairs excellently
with its base 120 attack
and usable base
100 special attack.
Its bulk is of course
nothing amazing,
but it's certainly not terrible.
Combine that with its clear body
that will prevent it from being
slowed down or intimidated,
and you've got a Pokemon
that is definitely gonna
be a meta defining threat
in the Sword and Shield
competitive scene.
We're now up to number
three, which is Eternatus.
Now those of you who have
done a bit of extra research
may be confused as to why
Eternatus is number three
and not number one.
Before I get into why
it's number three,
I should explain to those
of you who don't know
why some might think it
should be number one.
Normally, Eternatus has
a base stat total of 690,
a very good base stat total.
It's 10 points higher than
most buff legendaries,
like Mewtwo or Zekrom.
It boasts incredible HP,
special attack, and speed,
which are 140, 145,
and 130 respectively.
The rest of its stats
are quite solid as well,
with its lowest stat
being physical attack,
the stat it is far
less likely to use.
It's a very strong
legendary Pokemon
that will of course be banned
in most battling formats.
However, Eternatus
also has another form,
that being its Eternamax form.
This form has the absolutely
disgusting base
stat total of 1125,
the highest base stat
total ever in Pokemon.
Its HP, defense, and special
defense, are all at least 250.
Then its special attack
and speed are 125 and 130,
and just to sweeten the
deal, its attack is 115.
It is by far the strongest
Pokemon to ever exist,
but it's also not real.
Okay, I don't know if
real is the best word.
Maybe usable is better,
because Eternamax
Eternatus is not usable.
As of right now, no
player can ever use
an Eternamax Eternatus
against an enemy Pokemon.
The only time the form is
ever even seen in battle
is in the climactic battle
atop Hammerlocke Stadium.
That's the only place it is.
It's nowhere else.
Also this stat
spread is misleading,
because the battle
you fight it within
is a four on one battle.
This base stat total was
given to this Eternatus form
to make the battle more
like a Max Raid Battle.
You never have to
fight it one on one.
This base stat total is in
the code for a boss fight,
not for any normal
Pokemon battle.
Therefore, I don't think
Eternamax Eternatus
should count as the
strongest new Pokemon,
much less the strongest
Pokémon of all time.
Every other Pokemon
I've ever discussed
in the top strongest
Pokemon series
has been one that you
yourself could use in battle.
Including a Pokemon form that is
only there for a
singular boss battle
that is basically
a Max Raid Battle,
that just didn't
make sense to me.
But I wanted to address this
because I know so
many of you know
that Eternamax Eternatus exists.
So I knew if I didn't talk
about it you'd be wondering
why I didn't talk about it.
With that covered,
that leaves normal
Eternatus left
as the third
strongest new Pokemon.
Like I said, it's
very, very good,
but it's also a
legendary Pokemon,
so it'll probably be banned
in most competitive formats.
But it should be fun to
use in Max Raid Battles.
Now it's time for
the last two Pokemon
which you've probably
figured out by now.
Those being the
box art legendaries
Zacian and Zamazenta.
Both of these Pokemon
actually have two forms,
their Hero of many Battles forms
and their Crowned Sword
and Crowned Shield forms.
As I said at the beginning,
a Pokemon with multiple forms
will only count as one entry,
and whichever one
is the stronger one
is the one that matters,
assuming the stronger form can
actually be used in battle.
Of course Eternatus, you know
we're not counting that one.
These two Pokemon's hero forms
have base stat totals of 670.
That's very good,
but it is less than the base
stat total for Eternatus.
Their crowned forms are
substantially stronger,
having base stat totals of 720.
That means they are
tied with Arceus
for the seventh
highest base stat total
of all Pokemon and all forms,
including megas and primals
but excluding
Eternamax Eternatus.
But that also means
that they are tied,
so I have to do the
tie-breaking method
that I've done throughout
this whole video,
the highest offensive stat.
As you've probably predicted,
Zamazenta is more defensive,
while Zacian is more offensive,
so therefore, Zamazenta
is number two.
Zamazenta's best
stats are of course
it's defense and
special defense,
which are an
incredible 145 each.
Its physical attack and
speed are also excellent,
being 130 and 128 respectively.
Its HP is a solid 92,
and its special attack
is a mediocre 80,
but you wouldn't be
using special attacks
on this Pokemon anyways.
Like with Eternatus,
this is an OP legendary,
so most competitive formats
will ban it from the start.
However, it'll still
be pretty fun to use
within your own game and
especially in Max Raid Battles.
So that leaves number one,
the strongest new Pokemon
in Sword and Shield,
Zacian Crowned Sword Form.
Zacian's defenses are
substantially lower
than Zamazenta's,
being 115 instead of 145.
Its HP and special
attack are the same,
but in exchange for the
drop to its defenses,
its physical attack and speed
are substantially higher.
It's got an incredible
base 148 speed,
and an absolutely insane
physical attack stat of 170.
If you exclude Mega
Evolutions and Primal forms,
the only Pokemon with
higher physical attack stats
are Kartana and
Deoxys attack form.
They do really seem
to like power creeping
the new legendaries
every generation,
but on the bright side,
they're legendaries.
They weren't gonna impact
the competitive scene
to begin with.
So just enjoy kicking butt
with it in your own game
and in Max Raid Battles
and stuff like that.
So that wraps up the top
20 strongest new Pokemon
in Sword and Shield.
Don't forget to pick up a Coffee
It's Super Effective shirt
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And if you want
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of my fun Pokemon content
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I recommend this video here.
All right, that's
all I have for now.
So till next time, Pokefans,
gotta catch 'em all.
