Pokemon Shield: 10 Pokemon worth adding to your Party

Pokemon Sword and Shield have their exclusivities just like every other Pokemon game. Pokemon Sword and Shield features only 400 Pokemon in the Galar Pokedex although it is believed more are being added. Although the games are relatively easy, you'll still need a strong team in your line up especially if you plan to compete online.

Depending on the starter you have chosen, there are a number of Pokemon that can synergize very well with your starter. Here are 10 Pokemon in Shield that are worth adding to your team. Check out our suggestions for 10 Pokemon worth adding in Sword as well.

#10 Croagunk/Toxicroak

Type: Poison/Fighting

Available in the below locations (Croagunk)::

Bridge Field
Dusty Bowl
Galar Mine No. 2
Giant's Cap
Motostoke Outskirts (Wild Area)
Stony Wilderness
Max Raid Battles

Croagunk/Toxicroak were introduced in Generation 4 and they are only weak to Ground, Flying and 4x to Psychic. Although they can be vulnerable to Psychic Types, these Pokemon have a very high Attack and Special Attack.

They are not the best Pokemon when it comes to Defense but they can really pack a punch with Poison and Fighting Type moves. Croagunk and Toxicroak are exclusive to Pokemon Shield.

#9 Pidove/Tranquill/Unfezant

Type: Normal/Flying

Available in the below locations (Pidove):

East Lake Axewell
North Lake Miloch
Rolling Fields
Watchtower Ruins

Available in the below locations (Tranquill):

Bridge Field
Giant's Mirror
Giant's Seat
Stony Wilderness

Pidove/Tranquill/Unfezant are just vanilla Normal/Flying Types and they were Generation 5's introduction of that type. A Flying-Type Pokemon without too many weaknesses of its secondary type is probably best. Pokemon like Drifloon and Swoobat are vulnerable to Dark and Ghost types in addition.

Unfezant has a high attack stat and its other stats are relatively ok just like most Flying-Type Pokemon. If you're looking for a Flying-Type to your team, Pidove/Tranquill/Unfezant are your best bets in Pokemon Shield.

#8 Oranguru

Type: Normal/Psychic

Available in the below locations:

Glimwood Tangle

Oranguru was released in Sun/Moon and its unique typing only makes it weak to Dark-Type Pokemon. Although Oranguru has a slow Speed and Attack, its Special Attack and Special Defense make it a very well rounded Pokemon in both offense and defense. Its a little hard to find in Glimwood Tangle but its a strong Psychic-Type addition to your Team.

#7 Lotad/Lombre/Ludicolo

Type: Water/Grass

Available in the below locations (Lotad):

Route 2
Dappled Grove
Rolling Fields
West Lake Axewell

Available in the below locations (Lombre):

Route 5
Dappled Grove
Giant's Cap
Giant's Seat
South Lake Miloch

Lotad/Lombre/Ludicolo have such a unique typing and any Pokemon game they've been in have made them a no-brainer choice. Ludicolo has a high Special Defense and Special Attack which makes it hard to defeat and its dual-typing gives it a bonus on many moves. You'll need a Water Stone to evolve Lombre to Ludicolo, just like previous games.

#6 Solosis/Duosion/Reuniclus

Type: Psychic

Available in the below locations (Solosis):

Giant's Cap

Available in the below locations (Duosion):

Dusty Bowl

Introduced in Generation 5, Solosis and its evolutions are just vanilla Psychic Types but they also have one of the strongest Special Attack stats in the entire game. They can learn a lot of different moves from TMs and TRs as well which also makes these Pokemon quite diverse in terms of moveset. Solosis, Duosion and Reuniclus are exclusive to Shield.

#5 Joltik/Galvantula

Type: Bug/Electric

Available in the below locations (Joltik):

Route 4
Dappled Grove
East Lake Axewell
Giant's Cap
Giant's Mirror
North Lake Miloch
Rolling Fields
South Lake Miloch
West Lake Axewell

Joltik and Galvantula are probably one of the best dual-type Bug Pokemon to come from Generation 5. They're more fun than your normal Electric Types and they also have above average stats, high Speed and a high Special Attack. They can be quite vulnerable. Joltik is found in many locations and Galvantula can also be found walking around in Wild Areas.

#4 Corsola/Cursola

Type: Ghost

Available in the below locations (Corsola):

Giant's Mirror

Generation 2's Corsola received a Galarian form and its pretty depressing. Fans speculate Corsola and its new evolution Cursola are a representation of global warming on corals in the real world. Corsola and Cursola have extremely poor Defense stats but they also have some of the highest Special Attack and Special Defense stats in the game.

#3 Tympole/Palpitoad/Seismitoad

Type: Water/Ground

Available in the below locations (Tympole):

Dappled Grove
North Lake Miloch
South Lake Miloch
Watchtower Ruins
West Lake Axewell

Available in the below locations (Palpitoad):

Bridge Field
Dusty Bowl
Giant's Cap
Giant's Mirror
Giant's Seat
Hammerlocke Hills
North Lake Miloch

A Water/Ground Typing means that Tympole and its evolutions are only vulnerable to Grass Type Pokemon which are not all that strong. Palpitoad and Seismitoad have great stats and a lot of good moves that can help defeat all kinds of Pokemon Types.

#2 Ponyta/Rapidash

Type: Psychic/Fairy

Available in the below locations (Ponyta):

Glimwood Tangle

Dubbed the "My Little Pony" versions of the classic Pokemon, the Galarian versions of Ponyta and Rapidash are a fairly diverse Psychic/Fairy Type which have a fairly strong statline and can deal with a number of Pokemon effectively. The normal Fire-Type Ponyta/Rapidash is available in the game as well if that suits you better.

#1 Larvitar/Pupitar/Tyranitar

Type: Rock, Rock/Dark

Available in the below locations:

Lake of Outrage

Tyranitar i a "pseudo legendary", which means that it has strong stats and abilities like a Legendary Pokemon without being one. It can be painful to get Tyranitar, which evolves only at Level 55 from Pupitar but it's without a doubt one of the strongest Pokemon in the game. Although vulnerable to many types, Tyranitar is capable of learning a huge number of moves which can counter Types it is weak against.

Edited by A. Ayush Chatterjee