Pokémon Sword and Shield starters Sobble, Scorbunny and Grookey - evolutions, base stats and which starter is best?

Everything we know about Pokémon Sword and Shield's three starter Pokémon.

Guide by Lottie Lynn Guides Editor

Updated on Nov. 29, 2019

Grookey, Scorbunny and Sobble were the first Pokémon to be revealed for Pokémon Sword and Shield when the game was first properly announced in early 2019. They also happen to be the three starter Pokémon for the new Gen 8.

Now that the game has been released, we know about the second and third evolution for each starter Pokémon, along with the base stats for each one. We also know more about the abilities each starter Pokémon has.

Hopefully this will help you find the right starter Pokémon for you!

On this page:

Which is the best starter Pokémon in Pokémon Sword and Shield?
Pokémon Sword and Shield starter Pokémon Grookey: evolutions, base stats and movesets
Pokémon Sword and Shield starter Pokémon Scorbunny: evolutions, base stats and moveset
Pokémon Sword and Shield starter Pokémon Sobble: evolutions, base stats and movesets

Which is the best starter Pokémon in Pokémon Sword and Shield?

Picking your Starter Pokémon is by far one of the most important choices you make in any Pokémon game. It determines the early formation of your team or for the entire play-through if you decide to keep it in your party. This means that you'll want to know which starter in Pokémon Sword and Shield is the best.

The answer is - it's completely subjective. (Sorry...)

Since the first three Pokémon gyms are focused around Grass, Water and Fire, in that order, there is no definitive starter Pokémon who can easily walk you through the three gyms. The decision becomes harder as well when you remember that certain gyms leaders are different depending on whether you're playing Pokémon Sword or Shield.

You could pick Scorbunny for a quick walk through the first gym, but then you'll have to find an electric or grass-type Pokémon to help you out in the second. Or you could Sooble and focus on building up your whole Pokémon party, before you face a gym that you truly have an advantage over.

The choice is completely up to you. Though, if you're having trouble picking, we recommend planning out your Pokémon type in advance - that way you'll be able to build your own perfect, balanced, Pokémon type. We've got guides on both the entire Pokémon Sword and Shield Galar Regional Pokédex and all the new Gen 8 Pokémon to help you out!

If you want to know what each final evolution looks like, then check out this video made by ProsafiaGaming. Keep in mind this does contain spoilers for both the starter and legendary Pokémon:

Pokémon Sword and Shield starter Pokémon Grookey: evolutions, base stats and movesets

Grookey is the Grass-type starter for Pokémon Sword and Shield, taking the number one slot in the Pokémon Sword and Shield Regional Pokédex, as the Grass-type starters always do.

Grookey evolves into Thwackey at Level 16, which will then evolve into Rillaboom at Level 35.

Each one knows the ability, Overgrow. This ability powers up grass-type moves when the Pokémon using them has a low HP.

If you're looking for a powerful physical attacker with a high amount of HP to keep it in the fight, then Grooky is your starter of choice.

Once you reach Grooky's final evolution, Rillaboom, it will have the highest HP base stat out of all three starter Pokémon. This means that Rillaboom can survive some powerful hits from your opponents Pokémon. Match this with its high Attack base stat and you've got a Pokémon that can both survive deadly moves and deal them out.

Below you'll find the base stats (HP, Attack, etc.) for Grookey and each of its evolutions if you want to know more.

Thank you to AnonBB21 from reddit for the help with this information.

Grookey, Thwackey and Rillaboom's Base Stats:

Pokémon	HP	Attack	Defence	Sp. Attack	Sp. Defence	Speed
Grookey	50	65	50	40	40	65
Thwackey	70	85	70	55	60	80
Rillaboom	100	125	90	60	70	85

Below you'll find the movesets for Grookey, Thwackey and Rillaboom:

Grooky Moveset:

Level Learned	Move Name	Type	Move Category	Attack	Accuary	PP	Effect
N/A	Scratch	Normal	Attack	40	100	35	N/A
N/A	Growl	Normal	Status Effecting	N/A	100	40	N/A
6	Branch Poke	Grass	Attack	40	100	40	N/A
8	Taunt	Dark	Status Effecting	N/A	100	20	N/A
12	Razor Leaf	Grass	Attack	55	95	25	N/A
17	Screech	Normal	Status Effecting	N/A	85	40	N/A
20	Knock Off	Dark	Attack	65	100	20	N/A
24	Slam	Normal	Attack	80	75	20	N/A
28	Uproar	Normal	Special Attack	90	100	10	N/A
32	Wood Hammer	Grass	Attack	120	100	15	N/A
36	Endeavor	Normal	Attack	???	100	5	N/A

Thwackey Moveset:

Level Learned	Move Name	Type	Move Category	Attack	Accuary	PP	Effect
N/A	Scratch	Normal	Attack	40	100	35	N/A
N/A	Growl	Normal	Status Effecting	N/A	100	40	N/A
N/A	Branch Poke	Grass	Attack	40	100	40	N/A
N/A	Taunt	Dark	Status Effecting	N/A	100	20	N/A
Evolve	Double Hit	Normal	Attack	35	90	10	N/A
12	Razor Leaf	Grass	Attack	55	95	25	N/A
19	Screech	Normal	Status Effecting	N/A	85	40	N/A
24	Knock Off	Dark	Attack	65	100	20	N/A
30	Slam	Normal	Attack	80	75	20	N/A
36	Uproar	Normal	Special Attack	90	100	10	N/A
42	Wood Hammer	Grass	Attack	120	100	15	N/A
48	Endeavor	Normal	Attack	???	100	5	N/A

Rillaboom Moveset:

Level Learned	Move Name	Type	Move Category	Attack	Accuary	PP	Effect
N/A	Scratch	Normal	Attack	40	100	35	N/A
N/A	Growl	Normal	Status Effecting	N/A	100	40	N/A
N/A	Branch Poke	Grass	Attack	40	100	40	N/A
N/A	Taunt	Dark	Status Effecting	N/A	100	20	N/A
N/A	Double Hit	Normal	Attack	35	90	10	N/A
N/A	Grassy Terrain	Grass	Status Effecting	N/A	101	10	N/A
N/A	Noble Roar	Normal	Status Effecting	N/A	100	30	N/A
Evolve	Drum Beating	Grass	Attack	80	100	10	1
12	Razor Leaf	Grass	Attack	55	95	25	N/A
19	Screech	Normal	Status Effecting	N/A	85	40	N/A
24	Knock Off	Dark	Attack	65	100	20	N/A
32	Slam	Normal	Attack	80	75	20	N/A
38	Uproar	Normal	Special Attack	90	100	10	N/A
46	Wood Hammer	Grass	Attack	120	100	15	N/A
54	Endeavor	Normal	Attack	???	100	5	N/A
62	Doomburst	Normal	Special Attack	140	100	10	N/A

Pokémon Sword and Shield starter Pokémon Scorbunny: evolutions, base stats and moveset

Scorbunny is the Fire-type starter for Pokémon Sword and Shield, occupying the fourth slot in the Sword and Shield Regional Pokédex.

Scorbunny evolves into Raboot at Level 16, which evolves into Cinderace at Level 35.

Each one knows the ability, Blaze, which powers up fire-type moves when this Pokémon's HP is low.

Cinderace has the highest Special Defence base stat out of all the final evolutions for the starter Pokémon, which allows it to survive some of the more dangerous moves you might encounter during your Pokémon journey.

Cinderace is also a powerful attacker as well, thanks to its high Attack and Speed base stat. This combination gives Cinderace a better chance of being able to use its strong fire-type moves first in any round of a Pokémon battle, making this Pokémon incredibly deadly to any opponents who is especially weak to fire-type, such as grass-type Pokémon.

Below you'll find the base stats (Attack, Defence, etc.) for Scorbunny and each of its evolutions.

Thank you to AnonBB21 from reddit for the help with this information.

Scorbunny, Raboot and Cinderace's Base Stats:

Pokémon	HP	Attack	Defence	Sp. Attack	Sp. Defence	Speed
Scorbunny	50	71	40	40	40	69
Raboot	65	86	60	55	60	94
Cinderace	80	116	75	65	75	119

Below you'll find the movesets for Scorbunny and its evolutions:

Scorbunny Moveset:

Level Learned	Move Name	Type	Move Category	Attack	Accuary	PP	Effect
N/A	Tackle	Normal	Attack	40	100	35	N/A
N/A	Growl	Normal	Status Effecting	N/A	100	40	N/A
6	Ember	Fire	Special Attack	40	100	25	0.1
8	Quick Attack	Normal	Attack	40	100	30	N/A
12	Double Kick	Fighting	Attack	30	100	30	N/A
17	Flame Charge	Fire	Attack	50	100	20	1
20	Agility	Psychic	Status Effecting	N/A	101	30	N/A
24	Headbutt	Normal	Attack	70	100	15	0.3
28	Counter	Fighting	Attack	???	100	20	N/A
32	Bounce	Flying	Attack	85	85	5	0.3
36	Double-Edge	Normal	Attack	120	100	15	N/A

Raboot Moveset:

Level Learned	Move Name	Type	Move Category	Attack	Accuary	PP	Effect
N/A	Tackle	Normal	Attack	40	100	35	N/A
N/A	Growl	Normal	Status Effecting	N/A	100	40	N/A
N/A	Ember	Fire	Special Attack	40	100	25	0.1
N/A	Quick Attack	Normal	Attack	40	100	30	N/A
12	Double Kick	Fighting	Attack	30	100	30	N/A
19	Flame Charge	Fire	Attack	50	100	20	1
24	Agility	Psychic	Status Effecting	N/A	101	30	N/A
30	Headbutt	Normal	Attack	70	100	15	0.3
36	Counter	Fighting	Attack	???	100	20	N/A
42	Bounce	Flying	Attack	85	85	5	0.3
48	Double-Edge	Normal	Attack	120	100	15	N/A

Cinderace Moveset

Level Learned	Move Name	Type	Move Category	Attack	Accuary	PP	Effect
N/A	Tackle	Normal	Attack	40	100	35	N/A
N/A	Growl	Normal	Status Effecting	N/A	100	40	N/A
N/A	Ember	Fire	Special Attack	40	100	25	0.1
N/A	Quick Attack	Normal	Attack	40	100	30	N/A
N/A	Feint	Normal	Attack	30	100	10	N/A
Evolve	Pyro Ball	Fighting	Attack	120	90	5	0.1
12	Double Kick	Fighting	Attack	30	100	30	N/A
19	Flame Charge	Fire	Attack	50	100	20	1
24	Agility	Psychic	Status Effecting	N/A	101	30	N/A
30	Headbutt	Normal	Attack	70	100	15	0.3
38	Counter	Fighting	Attack	???	100	20	N/A
46	Bounce	Flying	Attack	85	85	5	0.3
54	Double-Edge	Normal	Attack	120	100	15	N/A
62	Court Charge	Normal	Status Effecting	N/A	100	10	N/A

With it finally in the wild, here's how to start the Crown Tundra DLC and our full Pokémon Crown Tundra walkthrough. Plus, here's how to catch Calyrex, Glastrier and Spectrier, the Regieleki and Regidrago puzzle solution and Regirock, Regice, Registeel locations, details on how to catch Legendary Birds Articuno, Zapdos and Moltres in the Crown Tundra, the Ultra Beasts and Necrozma adventure, Dynamax Adventures, including the legendries you can catch on these adventures, and the new Crown Tundra Pokédex and returning Pokémon explained. For Isle of Armor players, here's how to find the Slowpoke, where to find Max Mushroom locations, and how to get Kubfu, become best friends and evolve it, plus all Diglett locations too! For the base game, here's info on the ability to transfer Pokémon to Pokémon Home, the Wild Area, lists of all TM locations and TRs, all Galarian forms and finally our main Pokémon Sword and Shield walkthrough for the whole game.

Pokémon Sword and Shield starter Pokémon Sobble: evolutions, base stats and movesets

Sobble is the Water-type starter for Sword and Shield, and is the seventh Pokémon in the Pokémon Sword and Shield Regional Pokédex.

Sobble evolves into Drizzile at Level 16 and, finally, Inteleon at Level 35.

Each one knows the ability Torrent, which will make their water-type moves stronger, the lower their HP falls.

Sobble has the highest Special Attack base stat out of all the starter Pokémon and this continues as it evolves. When you reach its final evolution, Inteleon, it will also have the highest Speed base stat.

This makes up for Inteleon's relatively low HP and Defence base stat, allowing it to deal some very powerful moves. Inteleon may not be able to stay in the Pokémon battle for very long, but, while its there, it can certainly cause a lot of damage.

Below you'll find the base stats (Defence, Special Attack, etc.) for Sobble and it's evolutions.

Thank you to AnonBB21 from reddit for the help with this information.

Sobble, Drizzile and Inteleon's Base Stats:

Pokémon	HP	Attack	Defence	Sp. Attack	Sp. Defence	Speed
Sobble	50	40	40	70	40	70
Drizzile	65	60	55	95	55	90
Inteleon	70	85	65	125	65	120

Below you'll find the movesets for Sobble, Drizzile and Inteleon:

Sobble Moveset:

Level Learned	Move Name	Type	Move Category	Attack	Accuary	PP	Effect
N/A	Pound	Normal	Attack	40	100	35	N/A
N/A	Growl	Normal	Status Effecting	N/A	100	40	N/A
6	Water Gun	Water	Special Attack	40	100	25	N/A
8	Bind	Normal	Attack	15	85	20	1
12	Water Pulse	Water	Special Attack	60	100	20	0.2
17	Tearful Look	Normal	Status Effecting	N/A	101	20	1
20	Sucker Punch	Dark	Attack	70	100	5	N/A
24	U-Turn	Bug	Attack	70	100	20	N/A
28	Liquidation	Water	Attack	85	100	10	0.2
32	Soak	Water	Status Effecting	N/A	100	20	N/A
36	Rain Dance	Water	Status Effecting	N/A	101	5	N/A

Drizzile Moveset:

Level Learned	Move Name	Type	Move Category	Attack	Accuary	PP	Effect
N/A	Pound	Normal	Attack	40	100	35	N/A
N/A	Growl	Normal	Status Effecting	N/A	100	40	N/A
N/A	Water Gun	Water	Special Attack	40	100	25	N/A
N/A	Bind	Normal	Attack	15	85	20	1
12	Water Pulse	Water	Special Attack	60	100	20	0.2
19	Tearful Look	Normal	Status Effecting	N/A	101	20	1
24	Sucker Punch	Dark	Attack	70	100	5	N/A
30	U-Turn	Bug	Attack	70	100	20	N/A
36	Liquidation	Water	Attack	85	100	10	0.2
42	Soak	Water	Status Effecting	N/A	100	20	N/A
48	Rain Dance	Water	Status Effecting	N/A	101	5	N/A

Inteleon Moveset:

Level Learned	Move Name	Type	Move Category	Attack	Accuary	PP	Effect
N/A	Pound	Normal	Attack	40	100	35	N/A
N/A	Growl	Normal	Status Effecting	N/A	100	40	N/A
N/A	Water Gun	Water	Special Attack	40	100	25	N/A
N/A	Bind	Normal	Attack	15	85	20	1
N/A	Acrobatics	Flying	Attack	55	100	15	N/A
Evolve	Snipe Shot	Water	Special Attack	80	100	15	N/A
12	Water Pulse	Water	Special Attack	60	100	20	0.2
19	Tearful Look	Normal	Status Effecting	N/A	101	20	1
24	Sucker Punch	Dark	Attack	70	100	5	N/A
30	U-Turn	Bug	Attack	70	100	20	N/A
38	Liquidation	Water	Attack	85	100	10	0.2
46	Soak	Water	Status Effecting	N/A	100	20	N/A
54	Rain Dance	Water	Status Effecting	N/A	101	5	N/A
62	Hydro Pump	Water	Special Attack	110	80	5	N/A

If you need any more Pokémon Sword and Shield help, then check out our Pokémon Sword and Shield walkthrough.

Which is the best starter Pokémon in Pokémon Sword and Shield?

Pokémon Sword and Shield starter Pokémon Grookey: evolutions, base stats and movesets

Pokémon Sword and Shield starter Pokémon Scorbunny: evolutions, base stats and moveset

Pokémon Sword and Shield starter Pokémon Sobble: evolutions, base stats and movesets

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