This section details real teams which reached high positions in the Master Ball tier of Ranked Battle in the game Pokemon Sword and Shield. Read on for these teams' Rental codes, and to learn more about why these teams are effective in the Pokemon metagame.

Competitive Pokemon Battle Guides
Singles Tier List		Best Builds		Series 12 List of Contenders
Doubles Tier List		Team Building		Rental Teams

About these Teams

All the teams explained here are available as Rental Teams. Even players who are new to competitive play can try out any of these teams for themselves.

These team builds and explanations come from top ranking players in Japan. This information was previously available exclusively on our Japanese site.

The Twitter account or other relevant link for each player is provided, so take a look and be sure to follow to find out more about their battle strategies.

Master Ball Tier Top-Ranked Teams

Best Durant Team for Ranked Battle

Rental Code	0000 0004 F7L1 3M
Twitter	＠fin_pkmn
Reputation	Reached #1 position in Master Ball Tier

This is the team that made Durant, a minor Pokemon unseen in the metagame, into a superstar. Even ignoring all the trends, it's notable for its highly aggressive attacking style.
Best Durant Team for Ranked Battle

Best Arcanine Team for Ranked Battle

Rental Code	0000 0003 G23B R0
Twitter	@Winday77
YouTube	Channel Battle Switch
Reputation	Reached #1 position in Master Ball Tier

Born from one player's love of one Pokemon, Arcanine, this team takes advantage of Arcanine's already-high Base Stats, supported by Assault Vest to make it a powerful player both offensively and defensively.

In addition to Arcanine, this team features a host of other surprises, such as a Pressure Corviknight, a Special Attack-using Tyranitar, and a stall-ready Mimikyu, that might change your preconceptions about the competitive scene as a whole.

Best Arcanine Team for Ranked Battle

Best Go-to Team for Ranked Battle from a former World Top 3 Player

Rental Code	0000 0004 0M8P P6
Twitter	Top Secret
Reputation	Former World Top 3 player

This is the primary set used by a former World Top 3 from a previous game in the series. Despite that daunting promise, it's an easy set to use for beginners, as the order to use Pokemon and which moves should be used are readily apparent. Not only that, but the set is carefully sculpted to be highly effective and dangerous even in the upper echelons of the Master Ball tier.
Best Team for Ranked Battle from a World Top 3 Player

Best Standard Doubles Team for Ranked Battle

Rental Code	0000 0003 TYWM GG
Twitter	Top Secret
Reputation	Reached #1 position in Master Ball Tier (July 2020)

This is a balanced offensive doubles team with interchangeable focusing on two main lead attackers - Gyarados and Gengar.

With Tailwind and Redirection support, it's an easy and straightforward team to use for doubles beginners.
Best Standard Doubles Team for Ranked Battle

Sample Rain Team for Ranked Battle

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Rental Code	0000 0000 0RWL 1N

Rain Dance teams are the easiest weather-centric teams to use as Water-types have great bulk and there are many moves and abilities that benefit from the weather effect.

This is a team that lets Kyogre and its' teammates takes advantage of these boosts to go on the offensive.
Sample Rain Team for Ranked Battle

How to Use Rental Teams

1	Select "VS" from the Menu screen
2	Select "Rental Team"
3	Select "Manage teams you're renting"
4	Select "An Open slot for renting"
5	Enter the Rental Code
6	Confirm that the party you want to rent is correct
7	Press "OK" and you're ready to battle!

You can rent another player's team using the steps above. All of the parties described in this guide are available for battle using the Rental Codes listed with each.

How to Build the Best Team

Pictured: Not the best team.

After you've gotten some experience playing with Rental Teams in Ranked Battle, it's time to bring your own Pokemon into the fray. Our guides below detail how to construct an effective team for online play. Even if your Pokemon are strong, they won't hold up without a well-structured team composition!

All Competitive Team Building Guides

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