Pokemon Sword and Shield: Which Starter Should You Choose?

Pokemon Sword and Shield is on the way so you will undoubtedly be wondering what starter you should choose?! Well, we're hoping to help you out a bit with this quick look at them and what they will be bringing to the table in this new set of games for the Nintendo Switch.

We're using some leaked information from the game right now, so if you don't want any spoilers on how these Pokemon will look as they evolve you should turn back!

Which Starter to Choose?

Largely, it's up to personal preference and how you want to play the game. All starters are relatively strong, so I would base my choice on which one you liked the look of the best. That goes for the full evolutions, because while all of them are initially cute, they change greatly as they evolve. Here's a look at each of them in all of their evolution states.

Grookey Evolutions

• Category: Chimp Pokemon
• Type: Grass
• Height: 1'
• Weight: 11 lbs.
• Ability: Overgrow

Scorbunny Evolutions

• Category: Rabbit Pokemon
• Type: Fire
• Height: 1'
• Weight: 9.9 lbs.
• Ability: Blaze

Sobble Evolutions

• Category: Water Lizard Pokemon
• Type: Water
• Height: 1'
• Weight: 8.8 lbs.
• Ability: Torrent

Final Evolution Moves & Stats

If the moves and stats are what's going to make your decision easier, here's a look at what each Pokemon will end up with at level 50.

Cinderace Stats & Moves

Inteleon Stats & Moves

Rillaboom Stats & Moves

According to a poll, the most popular choice right now is Sobble. So if you want to counter Sobble, you should pick Grookey. There was some backlash behind the look of the Inteleon evolution, so if you don't like it you might want to choose one of the others.

If you're looking to start out strong, then Fire is usually a good pick in the beginning. You tend to end up fighting a lot of Grass type Pokemon in the early game. There's also a forest area you'll be exploring early in the game which would make Scorbunny a strong pick. This shouldn't be a huge consideration though, because all of the starters end up strong throughout the game. Fire types can also be a bit rare, and you usually only find them later in the game.

It should be known that based on leaks, each starter will be a monotype in their end evolution. When it comes to some starters, they will split their types as they go through their evolutionary chain. This does not look like it will be the case with these, so if you want to continue to use one of these in your lineup, make sure not to pick one that conflicts with another Pokemon you have your eye on!

Overall, there's no real right pick when it comes to starters right now. We'll be able to delve deeper into this subject once the game is fully released and we have more information on stats on moves! For now, pick which one you like best based off of their types and evolution looks!