We all love a bit of Pokemon here at Retro Dodo, which is why you can trust our judgement on the best starter in Pokemon Sword & Shield!
After all, we’ve put a lot of hours into this game and played with every starter multiple times, so I guess you could say that we’re the experts!
Over the course of this article, you’ll discover just why picking an initial starter can be so tough, you’ll be introduced to the contenders for the head of your team, and you’ll finally discover our top choice!
Get ready to pick the perfect friend for your Sword and Shield adventure!
Table of Contents
The Importance Of Picking The Right Starter
I think that choosing your Pokemon Starter could be the most stressful part of any game, ever. Not only do you feel instantly bad for not picking one of the other two characters, but this decision you make will make things harder or easier for you at some point through the game.
And, in the long run, this choice decide which critters you’re battling against in the end of the game.
There is an argument for just picking your favourite Pokemon and calling it a day. Still, this has its own problems, and any old DMG users will attest to that.
I remember how tough it was to beat Misty in Pokemon Blue after picking Charmander as a starter… Starmie beat me every time, and that was only the second Gym leader.
Thankfully, by the time he turned into Charmeloen, fire moves were proving more useful against the Gym leaders.
In contrast, Brock is a piece of cake if you use Squirtle as your starter, but those gym battles get harder when you get to Lt. Surge!
As you can see, there are pros and cons to each starter Pokemon, and it’s been the same all the way throgh each of the main Pokemon games (excluding Pokemon Yellow where only Pikachu is available to use).
So, let’s find out a little bit out each of the critters on offer in this epic Switch title and find out who is the best starter in Pokemon Sword & Shield!
1. Scorbunny
I’m not going to lie; I always tend to go for the best fire type Pokemon starters in Pokemon games. They’re just the coolest, and who doesn’t want to wield moves like Fire Spin or Flamethrower in battle?
Scorbunny might look cute, but both its middle moody evolution ‘Raboot’ and its final evolution ‘Cinderace’ mean some serious business.
Let’s talk stats.
Scorbunny comes in hard with great attack and speed stats from the offset, bringing 71 and 69 respectively. Unfortunately, its 40 Defence isn’t amazing, and neither is its 40 Sp. Attack stat.
Scorbunny only has 40 when it comes to Sp. Defence too, which while not immediately a problem, is certainly going to become a nuisance once you start fighting the more advanced Gym leaders later in the game. This transfers all the way through to Cinderace too, so it doesn’t get much better from here on out!
2. Sobble
Sobble is up next in our best starter in Pokemon Sword and Shield, and it’s the best choice for those wanting to dish out pain with Sp. Attacks.
I know that looking at it in the picture above, Sobble looks incapable of pulling off any kind of attack or scaring anyone, but trust me, this little guy is a trainer brute in disguise!
Unfortunately, Sobbles best stats are its 70 Sp. Attack and 70 speed, with everything else falling a little by the wayside. I’m talking 50 HP, 40 Attack, and 40 Defence.
And, as you progress through to Drizzile and eventually Inteleon, the stats just don’t get strong enough for me to say that Sobble is a strong starter choice.
As I said above; if Sp. Attack is what you want to base your choice on, then go completely wild with Sobble. If you’re looking for more of an all-round choice when it comes to stats, however, then maybe hold off with Sobble on your first play through.
3. Grookey
Last, but by no means least, we’ve got the cheeky little Grookey. Just look at him, for crying out loud; it’s the cutest thing I think any of us have ever seen!
If you’re not used to Pokemon games and need the most HP to take those hits that are undoubtedly coming in battle, then Grookey ends up having the highest HP out of the bunch, which is sure to make you feel a little more relaxed.
He’s the best starter in Pokemon Sword & Shield when it comes to a healthy all-round HP, Attack and Speed stat, and that only gets better as you evolve the little guy.
By the time you’ve got to Thwackey and then the mighty Rillaboom, that HP is going to skyrocket, making this little dude the perfect crash-test dummy for working your way through Pokemon Sword & Shield.
Who Is The Best Starter In Pokemon Sword & Shield
In our opinion, Grookey is the best starter in Pokemon Sword & Shield due to its eventual high HP when you evolve it into Rillaboom and the ability to get you easily through the first few gyms while you’re finding your feet.
The first two gyms will prove a piece of cake, and by the time the third comes around, there’s a strong chance that you’ll have trained other Pokemon types alongside it in order to bolster your team in areas where Grookey is weak.
And as I said above, once you get to Rillaboom, no one (bar Scorbunny or Charizard) is going to stand in your way.
That being said, it is important to play these game through with all three starters in order to truly experience everything that Pokemon Sword and Shield have to offer.
If you’re wanting things to get easier at the end of the game, then Scorbunny makes those last few gym battles a piece of cake. If, however, you want an all-out challenge, then the Sobble to Intelion route is your best bet.
Who is your favourite starter Pokemon in Sword & Shield? Let us know on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!
