The Ultimate POKEMON Roster for the Generation VIII
A few weeks ago, Nintendo released Pokémon Sword and Shield. This meant that there were new Pokémon to explore and get to know, plus, with not all Pokémon available in-game, fans are getting the chance to experiment with new monsters. So, out of the new 81 Pokémon, which are the strongest? I decided to look at each new Pokémon’s base stats and used those to determine the best Pokémon in each stat, so here we go!
In order to qualify, the Pokémon had to be new to the Galar region, and legendaries were not allowed.
HP: COPPERAJAH
The pure Steel-type elephant has the highest HP stat of the generation, which was a little surprising at only 122. However, this Pokémon has the ability to Gigantamax and a high Attack stat to help its offensive capabilities.
Recommended Moves:
Heavy Slam: STAB and with Copperajah weighing in at 1,433 lbs, he’s the 16th heaviest Pokémon meaning you’re likely to do a ton of damage. If your Copperajah has the Heavy Metal hidden ability, that weight is doubled meaning even more damage.
Iron Head: A strong attack with STAB and a with the Sheer Force ability, the power is increased. You won’t miss the possibility of flinching though, because Copperajah’s really slow.
Earthquake: This is just a really powerful attack.
Iron Defense: Copperajah’s Defense isn’t anything special, so being able to improve it is always a great idea. The only catch is that some opponents will be focusing more on their Special Attack.
Rollout: With the ability to grow stronger over five turns, this is a great attack. The only catch is that you’re stuck with it until you miss or the five turns are over.
Screech: Since you’ll probably be using Copperajah’s Attack stat, this will increase your effectiveness in battle.
Attack: SIRFETCH’D
Coming in as a Fighting-type instead of Flying-type is Sirfetch’d’s new evolution. If you’re able to get one with the Scrappy hidden ability, you’ll even be effective against Ghost-type Pokémon, making Sirfetch’d even more dangerous.
Recommended Moves:
Meteor Assault: STAB and an iconic move for Sirfetch’d. It’s really powerful but does force you to do nothing your next turn.
Leaf Blade: If you don’t have Scrappy, this is a strong attack that’ll let you hit ghosts. Also, with an increase in critical hits, what’s not to love?
Brick Break: STAB, decent strength, and will take out moves like Light Screen and Reflect.
Fury Cutter: This is an attack that gets stronger with each successive hit, and it’s super-effective against Psychic-type Pokémon. Plus, it’s a personal favorite of mine.
Swords Dance: Why not take your strong Attack stat and make it even better? This will have your opponents a little more worried about facing off against you.
Defense: RUNERIGUS
This is a new evolution for Yamask and is a Ground/Ghost dual-type Pokémon. For offensive attacks, you’ll want to focus more on the Attack stat and not the Special Attack stat.
Recommended Moves:
Shadow Claw: STAB with a higher chance for critical hits makes this a worthy move.
Earthquake: Not only is this a powerful move, but Runerigus gets STAB with this attack for even more strength!
Phantom Force: I do wish this was a little stronger, but it’s still got a decent strength plus STAB. In addition, you’ll be safe for a turn and Protect won’t save them.
Iron Defense: Make your strong defenses even more impenetrable!
Special Attack: HATTERENE
A Psychic/Fairy-type Pokémon is always powerful. Its Magic Bounce hidden ability is especially useful as status effects backfire on your opponent. Plus, Hatterene is another Pokémon that can Gigantamax.
Recommended Moves:
Psychic: Strong move with STAB and the chance to lower Special Defense. What’s not to love?
Dazzling Gleam: Decent strength with STAB. Pretty straightforward.
Draining Kiss: I thought about choosing Giga Drain instead, but thanks to STAB they deal the same amount of damage but Draining Kiss will restore more health.
Trick Room: Hatterene has a slow Speed of 29, so why not take advantage and try to go first.
Mystical Fire: Decent strength and the ability to lower your opponents Special Attack. If you want some variety, this is a decent choice.
Special Defense: CURSOLA
Cursola is really the best for Special Attack and Special Defense, but I could only put it in one category, so I chose Special Defense. This also means that Cursola is a force not to be taken lightly unless your opponent is using physical attacks.
Recommended Moves:
Power Gem: This is an attack with decent strength.
Brine: Here’s a move that’s great later in the battle as it does double damage once a target is below 50% health.
Shadow Ball: Decent strength, STAB, and will lower the Special Defense. A pretty solid move.
Iron Defense: This will help a little when facing off against physical opponents.
Confuse Ray: Always a decent move to confuse opponents.
Speed: DRAGAPULT
This generation’s pseudo-legendary had to make the list! It has decent stats all around, but really shines with its Speed at 142. I also really like the Dragon/Ghost typing.
Recommended Moves:
Dragon Dance: Why wouldn’t you want to increase both your Attack and your Speed stats?
Phantom Force: STAB and the ability to hit Pokémon using Protect. The only catch is that it’s a two-turn move.
Reflect/Light Screen: If you’re wanting to boost your defenses these can be great. Just choose if you want stronger Special Defense or Defense.
Dragon Claw: STAB and decent strength to boot.
Shadow Ball/Dragon Pulse: Dragapult is better with Attack than Special Attack, but its Special Attack isn’t bad, so you may want to switch things up. These are two great STAB moves. Dragon Pulse is a little stronger, but Shadow Ball can lower Special Defense, so it’s really up to you.