Best Pokemon Tier List For Ranked Battle | Pokemon Sword and Shield

This is our tier list for the strongest Pokemon for Ranked Battle in the games Pokemon Sword and Shield. If you're planning on getting into Ranked Battle, but don't know what Pokemon to start with, this list will get you started in the right direction. Mimikyu, Dragapult, Wash Rotom - these are the names you'll get familiar with. Read on for details about which Pokemon the strongest trainers are using in online play.

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Best Pokemon Tier List For Ranked Battle

Click a Pokemon to jump to their explanation.

Tier 1
Mimikyu		Dragapult
Tier 2
Wash Rotom	Gyarados	Ferrothorn	Heat Rotom
Galarian Corsola	Corviknight	Excadrill	Togekiss
Tier 3
Grimmsnarl	Rillaboom	Hydreigon	Tyranitar
Galarian Darmanitan	Duraludon	Mamoswine	Arcanine
Cloyster	Toxapex	Snorlax	Durant
Tier 4
Galarian Weezing	Dracovish	Sylveon	Hippowdon
Haxorus	Orbeetle	Cramorant	Dracozolt
Aegislash	Whimsicott	Charizard	Ditto

Best Pokemon - Tier 1

The current metagame is ruled by fast Physical attackers, and Tier 1 is no exception. Both Mimikyu and Dragapult use high Speed and Attack to their advantage to power up and sweep the opposing team.

Mimikyu

Best Build for Mimikyu
Nature	Jolly (+Spd, -SpAtk)
EV Spread	Atk. 252 / Spd. 252 / HP 4
Ability	Disguise
Held Item	Life Orb
Moveset	・Swords Dance ・Play Rough ・Shadow Sneak ・Shadow Claw

Mimikyu's Strong Points

If there's one Pokemon from the Sword and Shield Metagame you should know about, it's Mimikyu. Mimikyu crurently appears in about 99% of parties in Ranked Battle. If you're not sure about which Pokemon you should use in your team, you can't go wrong with Mimikyu.

With its ability Disguise, Mimikyu is able to take one attack with damage equal to just 10% of its maximum HP, allowing it to pull off a Swords Dance without fail. With its Attack boosted by 2 stages for free at the onset, there's few and far between a foe that can take its Dynamax attacks head on. Mimikyu's power to confidently take out at least one of its opponent's Pokemon is what makes it a must on competitive teams.

Dragapult

Best Build for Dragapult
Nature	Naive (+Spd, -SpDef)
EV Spread	Atk. 252 / Spd. 252 / HP 4
Ability	Clear Body
Held Item	Focus Sash / Choice Scarf / Choice Band / Weakness Policy
Moveset	・Dragon Darts ・Phantom Force ・Fire Blast ・Steel Wing

Dragapult's Strong Points

Dragapult is one of the few Pokemon appearing in Sword and Shield with total Base Stats in the 600+ range. In addition to the recommended Moves above, it's also capable of Thunderbolt, Shadow Ball, Will-o-Wisp, and other moves to trip up your opponent. Dragapult's strength is found in its unpredictability.

Best Pokemon - Tier 2

Although they can't top Mimikyu and Dragapult's elite status, the Pokemon in Tier 2 are essential to Ranked Battle. Even after about you've played about 200 online battles, Pokemon like Wash Rotom and Gyarados remain foes which all players must beware of in battle. When using these Pokemon, you'll understand the power that makes them belong in Tier 2.

Wash Rotom

Best Build for Wash Rotom
Nature	Modest (+SpAtk, -Atk) or Timid (+Spd, -Atk)
EV Spread	HP 252 / Sp.Atk. 252 / Def. 4 or Sp.Atk. 252 / Spd. 252 / HP 4
Ability	Levitate
Held Item	Choice Specs / Choice Scarf / Sitrus Berry
Moveset	・Discharge ・Volt Switch ・Hydro Pump ・Will-o-Wisp ・Trick ・Dark Pulse

Wash Rotom's Strong Points

Wash Rotom has carried on its legacy as a strong contender from previous games. With its powerful combination of the Water and Electric types, and its Levitate ability to rid itself of its Ground weakness, Wash Rotom's power is easy to understand. With a Timid Nature, it can boost its Base Speed as high as 156, and with a Choice Scarf on deck, it can reach a higher Speed than Dragapult and use a powerful Volt Switch first.

Gyarados

Best Build for Gyarados
Nature	Jolly (+Spd, -SpAtk)
EV Spread	Atk. 252 / Spd. 252 / HP 4
Ability	Moxie
Held Item	Lum Berry
Moveset	・Waterfall ・Bounce ・Power Whip ・Dragon Dance

Gyarados's Strong Points

A Pokemon beloved since Pokemon Red & Blue, Gyarados is back for more in Sword and Shield. With its ability Moxie and its Dynamax Move Max Airstream (from Bounce), Gyarados can get an effect equivalent to Dragon Dance.

Against a weak party, Gyarados is known to sweep the whole team alone. And now that it can learn Power Whip, it can fare well against Wash Rotom as well, securing its place in Tier 2.

Ferrothorn

Best Build for Ferrothorn
Nature	Relaxed (+Def, -Spd)
EV Spread	HP 252 / Def. 252 / Atk. 4
Ability	Iron Barbs
Held Item	Leftovers
Moveset	・Gyro Ball ・Leech Seed ・Protect ・Knock Off

Ferrothorn's Strong Points

Ferrothorn is without a doubt the most frequently found Tier 3 Pokemon. With its effective type combination of Grass and Steel, it's only weak to Fire and Fighting type moves.

If it seems like the opponent will use a Gyarados or Wash Rotom, stacking a Ferrothorn in your team is a no-brainer. By sapping the foe's HP with Iron Barbs and Protect, use Knock Off to get rid of the foe's Held Item.

Heat Rotom

Best Build for Heat Rotom
Nature	Timid (+Spd, -Atk)
EV Spread	Sp.Atk. 252 / Spd. 252 / Atk. 4
Ability	Levitate
Held Item	Choice Scarf / Choice Specs
Moveset	・Overheat ・Discharge ・Volt Switch ・Trick ・Dark Pulse

Heat Rotom's Strong Points

Heat Rotom plays an equivalent role in Tier 3 to that played by Wash Rotom in Tier 2. If you find your party to be weak to the likes of Ferrothorn and Rillaboom, you might be better off including Heat Rotom over Wash Rotom in your team.

On a flat-out attacking basis, Heat Rotom's Overheat is more powerful than Wash Rotom's Hydro Pump. And since you can switch between Rotom's forms at any time, you don't need to spend time raising a whole new Pokemon just to change one out for the other in your team.

Galarian Corsola

Best Build for Galarian Corsola
Nature	Bold (+Def, -Atk)
EV Spread	HP 252 / Def. 252 / Sp.Def. 4
Ability	Cursed Body
Held Item	Eviolite
Moveset	・Will-o-Wisp ・Strength Sap ・Night Shade ・Curse

Galarian Corsola's Strong Points

Galarian Corsola makes its first appearance in Sword and Shield. With its already capable Defense and Special Defense boosted further by Eviolite, Galarian Corsola is a tough opponent to deal with for any matchup.

Galarian Corsola can use Will-o-Wisp and Strength Sap to lower the opponent's attacking power further. With a foe this frustrating in the game, some players may be tempted to break their Switch after losing.

Corviknight

Best Build for Corviknight
Nature	Impish (+Def, -SpAtk)
EV Spread	HP 252 / Def. 252 / Sp.Def. 4
Ability	Mirror Armor
Held Item	Rocky Helmet
Moveset	・Roost ・Iron Head ・Taunt ・Drill Peck

Corviknight's Strong Points

With Corviknight's high HP and Defense, it's great for taking heavy Physical hits. Its effective combination of Flying and Steel types keep its weakness count down to two, only Fire and Electric.

With its Ability Mirror Armor, it can ignore the Defense drop caused by Max Phantasm. As its Steel typing also makes it invulnerable to Toxic, it's an ideal tank Pokemon for your team.

Excadrill

Best Build for Excadrill
Nature	Jolly (+Spd, -SpAtk)
EV Spread	Atk. 252 / Spd. 252 / HP 4
Ability	Mold Breaker
Held Item	Focus Sash / Assault Vest / Choice Scarf / Choice Band / Life Orb
Moveset	・Earthquake ・Iron Head ・Rock Tomb ・Horn Drill ・Fissure ・Stealth Rock

Excadrill's Strong Points

Excadrill is known as a powerful counter for Mimikyu and Rotom. With its ability Mold Breaker, it can break through Mimikyu's Disguise and Rotom's Levitate to hit both of their weak spots.

With a base Speed of 88, it's slightly higher than Rotom, so making sure Excadrill is as fast as possible is a must. With Rock Tomb, Excadrill can keep supporting the team even after being defeated, and with Horn Drill, it has a chance of defeating foes that it normally wouldn't be able to handle.

Togekiss

Best Build for Togekiss
Nature	Timid (+Spd, -Atk)
EV Spread	HP 244 / Spd. 236 / Sp.Atk. 30
Ability	Serene Grace
Held Item	Weakness Policy
Moveset	・Air Slash ・Fire Blast ・Dazzling Gleam ・Nasty Plot

Togekiss's Strong Points

Togekiss is revered for its ability to cause flincing with a 60% rate using its ability Serene Grace together with Air Slash.

It also has a good balance of Base Stats, making it generally easy to use.

When Dynamaxed, it can use Max Airstream to boost its Speed, making even more effective at outspeeding and causing flinching.

Best Pokemon - Tier 3

The Pokemon in Tier 3 are used frequently as counters to those in Tiers 1 and 2. There's no shortage of Excadrills brought out to counter Mimikyus. Grimmsnarl is an exquisite match to handle Dragapult. Rillaboom, on the other hand, is just plain tough.

Grimmsnarl

Best Build for Grimmsnarl
Nature	Adamant (+Atk, -SpAtk)
EV Spread	HP 252 / Atk. 252 / Def. 4
Ability	Prankster
Held Item	Sitrus Berry
Moveset	・Bulk Up ・Sucker Punch ・Substitute ・Play Rough

Grimmsnarl's Strong Points

Grimmsnarl is a holder of the rare ability Prankster. With its combination of the Dark and Fairy types, it's an ideal counter for Dragapult.

Prankster allows it to use Bulk Up first without fail, allowing it to raise its Defense before taking a hit, while Sucker Punch and Play Rough are great for taking down opponents.

Rillaboom

Best Build for Rillaboom
Nature	Adamant (+Atk, -SpAtk)
EV Spread	HP 252 / Atk. 252 / Spd. 4
Ability	Overgrow
Held Item	Assault Vest
Moveset	・Drum Beating ・Wood Hammer ・Earthquake ・Knock Off

Rillaboom's Strong Points

Rillaboom is the only Pokemon out of the three Starters to make it into the Tier List. With a strong balance and high overall stats, its powerful signature move Drum Beating, and even getting Knock Off as a bonus, Rillaboom is a great all-rounder for your team.

Rillaboom can handle a wide variety of opponents, and even Mimikyu and Dragapult will need to switch out when faced with it. Even in less favorable matchups, Rillaboom can get off a few Drum Beatings before getting knocked out, supporting his team even after dropping out of the fight.

Hydreigon

Best Build for Hydreigon
Nature	Timid (+Spd, -Atk)
EV Spread	Sp.Atk. 252 / Spd. 252 / HP 4
Ability	Levitate
Held Item	Choice Specs / Choice Scarf
Moveset	・Draco Meteor ・Fire Blast ・Hydro Pump ・Dark Pulse

Hydreigon's Strong Points

Like Dragapult and Tyranitar, Hydreigon has 600+ total Base Stats. As a powerful Special Attacker with Choise Specs, Hydreigon can put the pressure on the opponent with powerful attacks.

With a base Speed of 98, it's faster than Mimikyu, so Hydreigon can't help but bring the pain with its fast attacks. With attacks available in a variety of types, it's a great Pokemon to consider Dynamaxing.

Tyranitar

Best Build for Tyranitar
Nature	Adamant (+Atk, -SpAtk)
EV Spread	HP 252 / Atk. 252 / Spd. 4
Ability	Sand Stream
Held Item	Weakness Policy
Moveset	・Stone Edge ・Iron Tail ・Fire Punch ・Superpower

Tyranitar's Strong Points

Like Dragapult, Tyranitar is a rare Pokemon with 600+ total Base Stats. With its strong fortitude combined with the boost acquired from its Weakness Policy, Tyranitar is a force to be reckoned with when Dynamaxed. Even when fighting an opponent with a type advantage, Tyranitar can often break through and deal substantial damage, leading to its common use as a Lead Pokemon. Don't underestimate it!

Galarian Darmanitan

Best Build for Galarian Darmanitan
Nature	Jolly
EV Spread	HP 4 / Atk. 252 / Spd. 252
Ability	Gorilla Tactics
Held Item	Choice Scarf / Choice Band
Moveset	・Flare Blitz ・Icicle Crash ・U-turn ・Stone Edge ・Superpower ・Earthquake

Galarian Darmanitan's Strong Points

Galarian Darmanitan's ability, Gorilla Tactics, gives it an immediate one-stage Attack boost. If it wears a Choice Item as well, the positive effects of the two will stack, and as the negative effects are the same, you can use them both for the price of one. This allows Galarian Damanitan to to opt for the Choice Scarf and outspeed many opponents while dealing heavy damage thanks to Gorilla Tactics.

Duraludon

Best Build for Duraludon
Nature	Timid (+Spd, -Atk)
EV Spread	Sp.Atk. 252 / Spd. 236 / HP 20
Ability	Light Metal
Held Item	Choice Scarf
Moveset	・Draco Meteor ・Flash Cannon ・Thunderbolt ・Solar Beam

Duraludon's Strong Points

Duraludon is blessed with the useful Dragon/Steel type combination, with only two weaknesses, Fighting and Ground.

Armed with the Choice Scarf, it can outspeed a number of fast opponents, including Jolly Dragapult.

Mamoswine

Best Build for Mamoswine
Nature	Jolly (+Spd, -SpAtk)
EV Spread	Atk. 252 / Spd. 252 / HP 4
Ability	Thick Fat
Held Item	Focus Sash
Moveset	・Earthquake ・Ice Shard ・Icicle Crash ・Stone Edge

Mamoswine's Strong Points

As a Ice/Ground type, Mamoswine is able to get STAB on two types which are super effective against nine other types combined.

With the priority move Ice Shard, it can hit faster than speedy Dragon types like Dragapult for super effective damage.

Arcanine

Best Build for Arcanine
Nature	Jolly (+Spd, -SpAtk)
EV Spread	Atk. 252 / Spd. 252 / HP 4
Ability	Intimidate
Held Item	Life Orb / Expert Belt
Moveset	・Flare Blitz ・Close Combat ・Wild Charge ・Extreme Speed

Arcanine's Strong Points

Arcanine has become much stronger than previous games in Sword and Shield. With the moves Flare Blitz, Close Combat, and Wild Charge, it can hit a wide variety of Pokemon super effectively in Ranked Battle.

Moves like Flare Blitz and Wild Charge that deal damage back to Arcanine can have their negative points reversed by Dynamaxing Arcanine and refilling his HP.

With a strong balance, high Base Stats and wide movepool, Arcanine is useful across the board.

Cloyster

Best Build for Cloyster
Nature	Jolly (+Spd, -SpAtk)
EV Spread	Atk. 252 / Spd. 180 / HP 78
Ability	Skill Link
Held Item	Focus Sash
Moveset	・Shell Smash ・Icicle Spear ・Rock Blast ・Ice Shard

Cloyster's Strong Points

Cloyster is able to learn the powerful stat boosting move Shell Smash.

It also has the ability Skill Link, which allows it to land five hits for all multi-hit moves. This completely changes the reliability factor of these moves, allowing Cloyster to use moves like Icicle Spear reliably to take down threats and pierce through Mimikyu's Disguise.

Toxapex

Best Build for Toxapex
Nature	Bold (+Def, -Atk)
EV Spread	HP 252 / Def. 252 / Sp.Atk. 4
Ability	Regenerator
Held Item	Black Sludge
Moveset	・Recover ・Baneful Bunker ・Scald ・Haze

Toxapex's Strong Points

With its high Defense, Toxapex is a mainstay of physical Defenders on Ranked Battle teams.

Its ability Regenerator also helps in this regard as it makes Toxapex's HP much easier to manage.

Snorlax

Best Build for Snorlax
To Be Announced

Snorlax's Strong Points

With its high Sepcial Defense, it plays a useful role as a sponge for Special attacks.

It also plays an important role on teams as a Normal type to throw off the dominance of Ghost-type Moves.

Durant

Best Build for Durant
Nature	Jolly (+Spd, -SpAtk)
EV Spread	Atk. 252 / Spd. 252 / HP 4
Ability	Hustle
Held Item	Life Orb
Moveset	・Iron Head ・X-Scissor ・Thunder Fang ・Superpower

Durant's Strong Points

By Dynamaxing, it can rid itself of the accuracy drop of its Hustle ability while retaining the Attack boost.

With a Speed of 109, it can outspeed a wide range of opponents.

Best Pokemon - Tier 4

When Tier 4 Pokemon come out, we can start to see a bit of individuality in each team. The presence of these Pokemon shows what Tier 1 or 2 Pokemon the user is afraid of. Tier 4 boasts Pokemon who are strong on their own, those who are strong against those in Tiers 1 to 3, and those who are a pain to deal with for all other Pokemon.

Galarian Weezing

Best Build for Galarian Weezing
To Be Announced

Galarian Weezing's Strong Points

Although it's in Tier 4, Galarian Weezing is quite capable against Tier 1's Mimikyu and Dragapult, as it can hit Mimikyu with STAB Poison-type Moves and Dragapult with STAB Fairy-type Moves.

It's also highly proficient at inflicting status conditions using attacks such as Toxic and Will-o-Wisp.

Dracovish

Best Build for Dracovish
Nature	Jolly
EV Spread	Spd. 252 / Atk. 252 / HP 4
Ability	Strong Jaw
Held Item	Choice Scarf
Moveset	・Fishious Rend ・Draco Meteor ・Ice Fang ・Crunch

Dracovish's Strong Points

Dracovish's combination of Water and Dragon type is incredibly defensive, with Dragon and Fairy as its only weaknesses.

With its ability Strong Jaw, together with the already-powerful Fishious Rend, makes for one attack with an unbelievable high Base Power.

Sylveon

Best Build for Sylveon
To Be Announced

Sylveon's Strong Points

Sylveon's Pixilate ability turns Hyper Voice into a STAB move with a 30% power boost as icing on the cake.

Its incredible Special Defense allows it to handle moves from powerful Special attackers without breaking a sweat.

Hippowdon

Best Build for Hippowdon
To Be Announced

Hippowdon's Strong Points

Hippowdon can use Yawn to force a switch, which can be an opportunity to set up Stealth Rock.

With its high Defense, it's also capable of taking hits from the variety of physical attackers in the metagame.

Haxorus

Best Build for Haxorus
To Be Announced

Haxorus's Strong Points

Haxorus's Mold Breaker Ability combined with Iron Tail can take down Mimikyu in one hit.

With its sky-high attack, it disallows easy switch-ins even for type advantaged Pokemon, allowing it to control the flow of battle.

Orbeetle

Best Build for Orbeetle
To Be Announced

Orbeetle's Strong Points

Orbeetle's use of the powerful Reflect and Light Screen make it an effective ally.

It can also use Calm Mind and Iron Defense, allowing it to withstand both Physical and Special attacks and use the opportunity to stack more boosts.

Cramorant

Best Build for Cramorant
To Be Announced

Cramorant's Strong Points

Cramorant's ability Gulp Missile allows it to deal damage back whenever it is attacked.

However, because of its low Base Stats, it's a bit difficult to use effectively.

Dracozolt

Best Build for Dracozolt
To Be Announced

Dracozolt's Strong Points

With the disappearance of Mega Ampharos, Dracozolt is the only Electric/Dragon dual-type Pokemon in existence.

With its ability Volt Absorb, it can throw off the dominance of an Electric-type sweeper.

Its accuracy comes into question, but its ability Hustle allows it to deal heavy damage, and the accuracy drop can be removed by Dynamaxing.

Aegislash

Best Build for Aegislash
Nature	Quiet
EV Spread	HP 252 / Sp.Atk. 252 / Sp.Def. 4
Ability	Stance Change
Held Item	Weakness Policy
Moveset	・Shadow Ball ・Sacred Sword ・Shadow Sneak ・King's Shield

Aegislash's Strong Points

By switching between its Blade Forme and Shield Forme, Aegislash's stat total of 500 effectively becomes 680, as it can avoid ever being damaged in Blade Forme.

As its Shield Forme has incredible Defense and Special Defense, it can hold its own against a variety of opponents.

Also, its access to Fighting-type Moves provides it with a wide movepool.

Whimsicott

Best Build for Whimsicott
To Be Announced

Whimsicott's Strong Points

Whimsicott can use a powerful stall combo of Leech Seed → Substitute with its ability Prankster, allowing Status Moves to always move first.

It can also prevent the stall from being an opportunity for the opponent to stat boost by forcing the opponent to repeat a move with Encore.

Charizard

Best Build for Charizard
To Be Announced

Charizard's Strong Points

When it Dynamaxes, Charizard can use Max Airstream to boost its Speed, increasing its sweeping potential.

It can also use Max Flare when Dynamaxed to cause intense sunlight, activating its ability Solar Power to boost its Special Attack.

Ditto

Best Build for Ditto
To Be Announced

Ditto's Strong Points

With Choice Scarf, Ditto can move faster than the Pokemon it has copied.

This is especially important to in battles where Speed is of the essence, such as against Dragapult.

Trends of the Current Metagame

Mimikyu and Dragapult are featured on most teams

In the current Ranked Battle metagame environment, it's the going standard for most teams to feature both Mimikyu and Dragapult. These two Pokemon are both extremely difficult to withstand in their Dynamax forms, and it's necessary to have Pokemon who can counter them on your team. Pokemon who are able to fend these two off, such as Duraludon and Grimmsnarl, rise in the tier ranks accordingly.

Most teams take advantage of Dynamax

The boost which Dynamaxing provides to HP, as well as the effects of each Max Move are taken heavily into consideration when planning teams for Ranked Battle. The Move Max Airstream, with its effects increasing Speed, is particularly popular, and Pokemon who can use it effectively, such as Gyarados and Corviknight, gain popularity as a result.

Weakness Policy has become increasingly useful

The advent of Dynamax has allowed Pokemon who normally would faint in one hit from moves to survive, thanks to the HP boost it provides. This grants new potential for the item Weakness Policy, which activates when a Pokemon is hit by a super effective move and grants a two-stage Attack and Special Attack boost. Pokemon who otherwise would not have been able to survive a super effective hit now have the potential to hit back harder than ever.

Weakness Policy Effects and How to Obtain It

Physical Attackers are ever-present

In the current metagame, physical attackers appear significantly more frequently than special attackers. This makes Pokemon such as Galarian Corsola and Toxapex, who can withstand heavy physical damage, all the more essential to have in your party.

Summary

And that's our latest Tier List of the Best Pokemon for Ranked Battle as of December 2019. There are many other Pokemon we'd like to introduce, but we'll keep it at these for now.

If you're thinking of getting into competitive play, or if you're having trouble winning online, some of the Pokemon in this article might be just what your team needs.

Here's hoping you can have as much fun playing online as we have. Check back soon as we continue updating with tier upsets, new additions and more individual Build pages!

Related Links

All Competitive Builds for Ranked Battle

Strategies for New Pokemon
Dragapult	Galarian Corsola	Toxtricity
Galarian Darmanitan	Corviknight	Dracovish
Grimmsnarl	Rillaboom	Duraludon
Strategies for Returning Pokemon
Mimikyu	Wash Rotom	Gyarados
Ferrothorn	Aegislash	Excadrill
Tyranitar	Hydreigon	Heat Rotom
Arcanine	Mamoswine	Toxapex
Togekiss	Cloyster	Durant
Snorlax	-	-