Pokémon Sword and Shield Starter Guide: Which Pokémon To Choose

Pokemon Sword/Shield were the first games to introduce fans to Generation VIII Pokemon. As with every other title in the franchise, three unique Pokemon were given to players at the start of the game to choose from. Grookey, Scorbunny, and Sobble make their appearance for the first time, offering the classic choice between Fire, Grass, and Water.

But, like all Pokemon games, deciding which one is right for you can be difficult. Let’s break down each one and see which Pokemon will lead the way to you becoming the Pokemon Champion. 

Grookey

Grookey is a Grass-Type Pokemon that evolves into Thwackey and Rillaboom. It has the highest Defense out of the other two starters but doesn’t excel in other categories. However, it is often agreed upon by fans that Grookey is the best starter in the game. While it’s not as offensive as Scorbunny, its evolutions are considered the best and played in competitive matches.  

Grookey will be strong against the second Gym leader and resistant to the first. This makes them an excellent choice for your starting Pokemon. But let’s also take a look at its stats, moves, etc., to get a better idea of Grookey’s potential.     

Stats

Stats	Base	Lvl. 50	Lvl. 100
HP	50	110 – 157	210 – 304
Attack	65	63 – 128	121 – 251
Defense	50	49 – 112	94 – 218
Sp. Atk	40	40 – 101	76 – 196
Sp. Def	40	40 – 101	76 – 196
Speed	65	63 – 128	121 – 251
Overall	310	365 – 727	698 – 1416

Effectiveness

Damage	Type
Damage	Normal, Fighting, Rock, Ghost, Steel, Psychic, Dragon, Dark, Fairy
Weak	Flying, Poison, Beg, Fire, Ice
Immune	None
Resistant	Ground, Water, Grass, Electric

Moves

Level	Move	Type	Category	PP
1	Scratch	Normal	Physical	35
1	Growl	Normal	Status	40
6	Branch Poke	Grass	Physical	40
8	Taunt	Dark	Status	20
12	Razor Leaf	Grass	Physical	25
17	Screech	Normal	Status	40
20	Knock Off	Dark	Physical	20
24	Slam	Normal	Physical	20
28	Uproar	Normal	Special	10
32	Wood Hammer	Grass	Physical	15
36	Endeavor	Normal	Physical	5

TM Moves

TM	Moves	Type	Category	PP
TM001	Take Down	Physical	Physical	20
TM007	Protect	Normal	Status	10
TM012	Low Kick	Fighting	Physical	20
TM014	Acrobatics	Flying	Physical	15
TM018	Thief	Dark	Physical	25
TM020	Trailblaze	Grass	Physical	20
TM025	Facade	Normal	Physical	20
TM032	Swift	Normal	Special	20
TM033	Magical Leaf	Grass	Special	20
TM043	Fling	Dark	Physical	10
TM047	Endure	Normal	Status	10
TM049	Sunny Day	Fire	Status	5
TM056	Bullet Seed	Grass	Physical	30
TM057	False Swipe	Normal	Physical	40
TM060	U-turn	Bug	Physical	20
TM066	Body Slam	Normal	Physical	15
TM070	Sleep Talk	Normal	Status	10
TM071	Seed Bomb	Grass	Physical	15
TM073	Drain Punch	Fighting	Physical	10
TM081	Grass Knot	Grass	Special	20
TM085	Rest	Psychic	Status	5
TM087	Taunt	Dark	Status	20
TM088	Swords Dance	Normal	Status	20
TM103	Substitute	Normal	Status	10
TM111	Giga Drain	Grass	Special	10
TM119	Energy Ball	Grass	Special	10
TM137	Grassy Terrain	Grass	Status	10
TM146	Grass Pledge	Grass	Special	10
TM159	Leaf Storm	Grass	Special	5
TM168	Solar Beam	Grass	Special	10
TM171	Tera Blast	Normal	Special	10
TM181	Knock Off	Dark	Physical	20
TM190	Solar Blade	Grass	Physical	10
TM191	Uproar	Normal	Special	10
TM194	Grassy Glide	Grass	Physical	20

Scorbunny

Scorbunny is a Fire-Type Pokemon that evolves into Raboot and Cinderace. Like most other Fire-Types, Scorbunny has high offensive stats, with its Attack and Speed being the main attraction. This also transfers to its evolved forms and end-game capabilities, as it will deal more damage than the other two starting Pokemon.    

Stats

Stats	Base	Lvl.50	Lvl.100
HP	50	110 – 157	210 – 304
Attack	71	68 – 135	132 – 265
Defense	40	40 – 101	76 – 196
Sp. Atk	40	40 – 101	76 – 196
Sp. Def	40	40 – 101	76 – 196
Speed	69	66 – 133	128 – 260
Overall	310	364 – 728	698 – 1417

Effectiveness

Damage	Type
Damage	Normal, Fighting, Flying, Poison, Ghost, Electric, Psychic, Dragon, Dark
Weak	Ground, Rock, Water
Immune	None
Resistant	Bug, Steel, Fire, Grass, Ice, Fairy

Moves

Level	Move	Type	Category	PP
1	Tackle	Normal	Physical	35
1	Growl	Normal	Status	40
6	Ember	Fire	Special	25
8	Quick Attack	Normal	Physical	30
12	Double Kick	Fighting	Physical	30
17	Flame Charge	Fire	Physical	20
20	Agility	Psychic	Status	30
24	Headbutt	Normal	Physical	15
28	Counter	Fighting	Physical	20
32	Bounce	Flying	Physical	5
36	Double-Edge	Normal	Physical	15

TM Moves

TM	Moves	Type	Category	PP
TM001	Take Down	Normal	Physical	20
TM004	Agility	Psychic	Status	30
TM007	Protect	Normal	Status	10
TM008	Fire Fang	Fire	Physical	15
TM012	Low Kick	Fighting	Physical	20
TM014	Acrobatics	Flying	Physical	15
TM020	Trailblaze	Grass	Physical	20
TM024	Fire Spin	Fire	Special	15
TM025	Facade	Normal	Physical	20
TM032	Swift	Normal	Special	20
TM038	Flame Charge	Fire	Physical	20
TM039	Low Sweep	Fighting	Physical	20
TM047	Endure	Normal	Status	10
TM049	Sunny Day	Fire	Status	5
TM060	U-turn	Bug	Physical	20
TM070	Sleep Talk	Normal	Status	10
TM072	Electro Ball	Electric	Special	10
TM085	Rest	Psychic	Status	5
TM087	Taunt	Dark	Status	20
TM102	Gunk Shot	Poison	Physical	5
TM103	Substitute	Normal	Status	10
TM118	Heat Wave	Fire	Special	10
TM125	Flamethrower	Fire	Special	15
TM130	Helping Hand	Normal	Status	20
TM132	Baton Pass	Normal	Status	40
TM134	Reversal	Fighting	Physical	15
TM141	Fire Blast	Fire	Special	5
TM144	Fire Pledge	Fire	Special	10
TM157	Overheat	Fire	Special	5
TM165	Flare Blitz	Fire	Physical	15
TM171	Tera Blast	Normal	Special	10
TM183	Super Fang	Normal	Physical	10
TM195	Burning Jealousy	Fire	Special	5

Sobble

Sobble is a Water-Type Pokemon that evolves into Drizzile and Inteleon. This small blue lizard is the least popular among the Generation VIII starters. However, this doesn’t mean that Sobble is a bad choice, only that Grookey or Scorbunny will offer more in terms of damage, health, and versatility through evolution. For Water-Type fans, Sobble may struggle a bit more during Gym Battles, but with a balanced team, there should be no issues.   

Stats

Stats	Move	Lvl.50	Lvl.100
HP	50	110 – 157	210 – 304
Attack	40	40 – 101	76 – 196
Defense	40	40 – 101	76 – 196
Sp. Atk	70	67 – 134	130 – 262
Sp. Def	40	40 – 101	76 – 196
Speed	70	67 – 134	130 – 262
Overall	310	364 – 728	698 – 1416

Effectiveness

Damage	Type
Damage	Normal, Fighting, Flying, Poison, Ground, Rock, Bug, Ghost, Psychic, Dragon, Dark, Fairy
Weak	Grass, Electric
Immune	None
Resistant	Steel, Fire, Water, Ice

Moves

Level	Moves	Type	Category	PP
1	Pound	Normal	Physical	35
1	Growl	Normal	Status	40
6	Water Gun	Water	Special	25
8	Bind	Normal	Physical	20
12	Water Pulse	Water	Special	20
17	Tearful Look	Normal	Status	20
20	Sucker Punch	Dark	Physical	5
24	U-turn	Bug	Physical	20
28	Liquidation	Water	Physical	10
32	Soak	Water	Status	20
36	Rain Dance	Water	Status	5

TM Moves

TM	Move	Type	Category	PP
TM001	Take Down	Normal	Physical	20
TM007	Protect	Normal	Status	10
TM011	Water Pulse	Water	Special	20
TM022	Chilling Water	Water	Special	20
TM025	Facade	Normal	Physical	20
TM032	Swift	Normal	Special	20
TM035	Mud Shot	Ground	Special	15
TM047	Endure	Normal	Status	10
TM050	Rain Dance	Water	Status	5
TM060	U-turn	Bug	Physical	20
TM070	Sleep Talk	Normal	Status	10
TM074	Reflect	Psychic	Status	20
TM075	Light Screen	Psychic	Status	30
TM077	Waterfall	Water	Physical	15
TM085	Rest	Psychic	Status	5
TM103	Substitute	Normal	Status	10
TM110	Liquidation	Water	Physical	10
TM123	Surf	Water	Special	15
TM142	Hydro Pump	Water	Special	5
TM145	Water Pledge	Water	Special	10
TM171	Tera Blast	Normal	Special	10
TM174	Haze	Ice	Status	30
TM193	Weather Ball	Normal	Special	10

Best Option 

While most people will tell you to choose either Grookey or Scorbunny, the truth is that no starter is bad. The best option will always be to choose the one you like based on its stats, play style, or design. Some players are biased and always choose the same Pokemon type in each game. Your starter doesn’t have to stay on your team the entire playthrough, as there are much better Pokemon to catch during the game.