Best Starter Pokémon in Sword and Shield

Pokémon Sword and Shield are the most recent iterations in the Pokémon video game franchise. These two games introduced us to Generation VIII and were long-awaited additions to the franchise, more so as they became big hits for the Nintendo Switch console. It started off as a series of video games for the Game Boy console, but soon expanded to other media. In this article, we at Fiction Horizon are going to be discussing the best starter Pokémon of Sword and Shield.

Sobble seems to be the best pick if you want a Pokémon who will be useful to you on a long-term basis. Scorbunny will give you an initial advantage, but Sobble and its evolutions will really do the trick later on and that is why we suggest you pick the Water-type starter.

We are going to introduce you to each of the three starters, tell you something about them and then give a final verdict on which one of them is your best pick for the game. Let us begin!

What are the starter Pokémon in Sword and Shield?

At the beginning of their quest, Trainers are given a starter Pokémon or first partner Pokémon, which follows them throughout their journey. This is a concept introduced in the Generation I games, where the player could choose between three Pokémon. These Pokémon are always of the Fire-, Grass-, and Water-types, although recent generations have introduced some dual types for the starters’ evolutions. The three starter Pokémon from Generation VIII are:

1. Grookey

Grookey is a Grass-type Pokémon that was introduced in Generation VIII of the video game franchise. It can evolve nto Thwackey, which in turn can evolve into Rillaboom. Along with Scorbunny and Sobble, Grookey is one of the starter Pokémon in Pokémon Sword and Shield.

Grookey is a small ape-like Pokémon whose fur is predominantly green in color. It has a yellow decorative mark around its eyes on its face, and the Pokémon’s hands and feet are orange. Grookey has a long brown tail on the back of the body, and his ears are brown and triangular. In its Shiny form, the fur has a yellow-green tone, while the tail and ears have a light purple tone.

There are two leaf-like tufts of hair on the head of the chimpanzee Pokémon, which are stabilized with a stick fixed on them. This is Grookey’s trademark. Grookey lives in larger groups with its conspecifics in wooded areas. It is a particularly good climber and easily climbs houses or tall trees. Its green fur is capable of photosynthesis and converts sunlight into energy.

Grookey’s wooden mallet, which it brings from its home forest, is charged with special skills through contact with this energy. If Grookey drums around with it, it can not only scare away enemies with loud signals, but also gives plants in its environment new strength, which means that withered plants also bloom again. If it comes to a fight, it picks itself up with fast-paced drumming and then hits it with its wooden stick, for example, with a mallet on its counterpart.

Grookey shares the standard Overgrow ability with the Grastt-type starters. If a Pokémon with Overgrow only has a few Hit Points left, the strength of its plant attacks increases. Rarer specimens can have the Grass Generator hidden ability, which creates a field of grass at the start of a fight.

Grookey represents the first part of a three-stage evolution series. It can evolve into Thwackey, which in turn can evolve into Rillaboom. The evolutions are triggered by reaching at least level 16 or 35. Grookey is also capable of a Gigantamax evolution. In the course of its evolution, the Pokémon increases in size and weight significantly, while its color changes from green to dark brown.

2. Scorbunny

Scorbunny is a Fire-type Pokémon introduced as part of Generation VIII of the video game franchise. It can evolve into Raboot and eventually Cinderace. Along with Grookey and Sobble, Scorbunny is one of the starter Pokémon in Pokémon Sword and Shield.

Scorbunny is a rabbit-like, slim-built Pokémon that is predominantly white in color. It has two long ears lying next to each other on its head, which are surrounded by shaggy fur. The color of the ears goes from white to orange to red towards the tip. Scorbunny is characterized by particularly large and powerful hind legs, which, like his face, have yellow, easily inflammatory spots.

In its Shiny form, its fur is gray-brown and the decorative spots are yellow-orange.

Scorbunny is an extremely energetic Pokémon. It runs nimbly through the landscape with the help of its extremely strong legs. The Rabbit Pokémon has a sack of flame in its chest that stores energy in it. If it increases its body temperature by running around, the flame bag is charged with energy and ignites blazing fire, which flows out of the tip of its nose and the ball of the foot.

The soles of his long runs then get red-hot, which Scorbunny uses in fights by means of fiery kicks. In fights, it also confuses its opponent with wild leaps. Scorbunny shares the Blaze ability with the other Fire-type starters. If a Pokémon with Blaze only has a few Power Points left, the strength of its Fire-type attacks increases. Rarer specimens can have the hidden ability Libero, which is the special ability of Scorbunny’s evolutionary series. The Pokémon takes the type of attack it uses.

Scorbunny is the first stage of a three-stage evolutionary series. It can evolve into Raboot, which in turn can evolve into Cinderace. The evolutions are triggered by reaching at least level 16 or 35. Cinderace is also capable of a Gigantamax evolution. In the course of its evolution, the Pokémon increasingly takes on human features and increases significantly in size and weight.

3. Sobble

Sobble is a Water-type Pokémon introduced in Generation VIII of the video game franchise. It evolves into Drizzile, which in turn can evolve into Inteleon. Along with Grookey and Scorbunny, Sobble is one of the starter Pokémon in Pokémon Sword and Shield.

Sobble is a small blue Pokémon that is reminiscent of an amphibian. It has a large yellow comb on its round head, which is decorated with blue skin on the edges. There are two dark blue dots on the cheeks, just below the eyes. The lower half of the face and the chest are light blue. There is a large tail on the abdomen, which the little pocket monster can roll up. The tip of the tail is marked in dark blue.

The four legs of Sobble are narrow and each has two longer ends that run towards each other. In its Shiny form, its body is colored blue-purple while the crest is colored pink.

The water lizard Pokémon Sobble is a cautious and easily intimidated Pokémon who likes to hide. When its skin becomes damp, it can change its color and merge with its surroundings. Accordingly, it is mainly in bodies of water where it is perfectly protected, but it can also produce this effect itself through eager weeping. If it is pushed into a corner, it often begins to cry bitterly. His tears are contagious: anyone who hears it will cry with pity too.

The power is compared to the power of a hundred sliced ​​onions. Then Sobble flees, while the others are distracted. It is also very nimble and agile and can even climb vertical walls. It attacks from a safe distance with splashes of water and shies away from physical confrontation. In addition, it quickly becomes ashamed and easily nervous. Then water comes out of its body like sweat of fear, and it uses it for camouflage.

Sobble shares the standard Torrent ability with the other Water-type starters. If a Pokémon with Torrent has only a few power points left, the strength of its Water-type attacks increases by 50 percent. Rarer specimens can have the Sniper hidden ability, which increases the strength of the attack even more than regular direct hits.

Sobble represents the first stage rt of a three-stage evolutionary series. It can evolve into Drizzile, which in turn can evolve into Inteleon. The evolutions are triggered by reaching at least level 16 or 35. Inteleon is also capable of a Gigantamax evolution. In the course of its evolution, the Pokémon increasingly takes on human features and increases significantly in size and weight.

Which starter should I choose in Pokémon Sword and Shield?

Having presented and evaluated each of the three Starter Pokémon and their evolutions, we can finally come up with a conclusion. Still, before we do it, let us first check out the stats of these Pokémon:

These stats don’t really reveal much, but we’re fairly certain that Sobble, the Water-type starter, is your best pick on a long-term basis. Grookey is your worst possible choice from a tactical perspective, as the Pokémon won’t be of much use to you in later battles, while its type is something that you can easily make up for later in the game. Scorbunny has a good combination of types that might be useful during the beginning of your journey, but later on, he won’t be overly useful, despite being very powerful.

Sobble might be a disadvantage in the beginning, but as you progress on your journey and face new opponents, Sobble’s skills and its specific attacks will allow you to defeat your opponents with more ease. Now, the thing with Sword and Shield is that it is, generally, not that demanding and that you’ll be able to pass the game even if you pick the two other starters without much trouble. This is why, ultimately, you can pick whichever you prefer, but from a purely statistical point of view, Sobble is your best pick.

Can you get all three Starter Pokémon in Sword and Shield?

Just like in all the previous Generations, it is not possible to obtain all three Starter Pokémon in Sword and Shield. Namely, these Pokémon are said to be extremely rare in the wild, which is why they are so special. You won’t ever encounter a wild starter during your game, no matter how hard you look. Having said this, there is a possibility of a player getting all three starters, but it evolves a form of “cheating”, i.e., trading.

Namely, if you have a friend who’s willing to give you his starter and another one to give you the remaining one, you’d theoretically have all three starter Pokémon, but that is a very rare occurrence, albeit not impossible. Another possibility is the Surprise Trade mechanism introduced in recent games, but you have to be very, very lucky to get a Starter via such a trade. In this situation, you put up a Pokémon for trading and the game connects you with a random player who also put up one of their Pokémon up for a trade. It is theoretically possible that the player puts his Starter up for the trade, but – honestly – it is very unlikely.

These are, unfortunately, the only ways to obtain all three starters in one Generation, Sword and Shield included.