Sword & Shield offers some cool new options, like Indeedee and Hatterene, that come loaded with unconquerable movesets. And Galar also type-swaps some old favorites, like Galarian Articuno and Galarian Rapidash, for an interesting new way to play in Generation VIII. So if you’re looking for suggestions, here’s our picks for some of the better psychic Pokémon to snag in Sword & Shield.
10. Hatterene
As if having a super luxurious cotton-candy color scheme wasn’t reason enough to get your hands on Sword & Shield’s Silent Pokémon, Hatterene offers heavy advantages in Special Attack (136) and Special Defense (103). Additionally, her dual-typing gives her access to the powerful psychic and fairy movesets, including Dazzling Gleam and Psychic. While the extremely low Speed stat (29) might seem like a disadvantage, it creates the perfect foundation to build a Trick Room powerhouse build. Especially if you can nab one with a Quiet nature, further boosting Special Attack and decreasing Speed. In battle, the key is to fire off Trick Room – which you can buy from a woman near the Battle Tower in Wyndon – then sweep with Hatterene’s impressive movepool and fearsome dual STAB typing.
9. Alakazam
Alakazam’s power is bordering on legendary, contributing to the creation of Dark and Steel-types in Gen II to help counterbalance this Pokémon’s unmatched Speed (120) and Special Attack (135) stats. And it’s just as good in Gen VIII as it was in Gen I. While Alakazam’s moveset is pretty limited outside of the Psychic-type moves, it’s a competitive force to be reckoned with if paired with Indeedee. Mostly because of Expanding Force, which is a move new to the Galar region that benefits from type-matched terrain. So be sure to set up Indeedee’s Psychic Surge before sending out everyone’s favorite spoon-bender. Then, hit hard with Expanding Force and watch your opponent crumbles.
8. Espeon
A favorite amongst the Eevee-lutions, Espeon is an excellent offensive psychic type due to its 130 Sp. Atk. and 110 Speed. Couple those stats with its Magic Bounce ability, and you’ve got yourself a nightmare for all status-lowering setters that other Trainers might try to throw at you. Additionally, Espeon can tap into a wide variety of coverage moves that help it remain agile in the heat of battle. Maximize your Special Attack power with a Mild nature, then come in hot with a moveset that includes Morning Sun, Shadow Ball, and Psychic. And if you’re looking for some cute nicknames for your new purple friend, we’ve got a list of ideas right here.
7. Galarian Rapidash
Next up, we have an adorable psychic-fairy type that just might give Espeon a run for their money when it comes to being cute and powerful. It excels in Speed, topping out at a 105, and makes an impressive showing in Attack at 100. That means grabbing one with a Hasty nature, which boosts Speed and reduces Defense, would be your best bet. Setup your moveset to cash in on that sweet STAB, specifically with Psycho Cut and Play Rough. And play to your speed stat with Body Slam, too. Then wrap it all up with Megahorn to crush Psychic, Dark, and Grass-type opponents.
6. Galarian Slowbro
As another region-specific dual-type, Galarian Slowbro just looks incredible. And it’s a great choice for battles too. It swaps out Water for Poison, giving trainers access to a few new moves that can come in handy – including its signature move, Shell Side Arm. This guy is built like a tank, boasting impressive HP (95), Attack (100), and Special Attack (100). But because of his abysmal Speed (30), you’ll want to ensure that you get the Quick Draw ability, which occasionally allows this Galarian Pokémon to move first. In terms of actual battle moves, you have a lot of options for coverage and STAB. Trick Room is valuable to help offset Quick Draw’s unreliability in the heat of battle. Shell Side Arm ups your Poison damage, and Psychic covers your Psychic damage. Then you’ve got options like Surf, Ice Beam, and Drain Punch to help increase general coverage.
5. Mr. Rime
Despite being somehow even creepier than Mr. Mime, this evolution of Galarian Mr. Mime features an Ice/Psychic typing that makes it a powerful contender in the competitive arena. Plus it’s just as good for casual in-game play as well. Mr. Rime specializes in Special Attack (110) and Special Defense (100), but suffers in Speed (70). The proper setup for Mr. Rime emphasizes his Ice typing. Start with Hail, which automatically damages all non-Ice types. It also activates his Ice Body ability, which lets him regain HP during a hail storm. Blizzard has 100% accuracy in Hail, plus the added STAB makes it hard to pass up for your moveset. From there, it’s about deciding if you want to emphasize healing with moves like Protect and Slack Off, or go for coverage with options like Foul Play and Focus Blast.
4. Gardevoir
Along with Espeon and Galarin Rapidash, Gardevoir features a powerful combination of Psychic-Fairy types. She’s keyed in on Special Attack (125) and Special Defense (115), but doesn’t offer much in any other stat. But with the right nature and moveset, Gardevoir can be a powerful team asset. Start with Psychic, which grants you STAB and makes the Embrace Pokémon a sweeper against Fighting and Poison-types. Thunderbolt grants you coverage against Flying and Water-types, but could be swapped around for other coverage needs, depending on your team. Because Gardevoir is weak against Ghost, Shadow Ball should be a priority. It has 100% accuracy and 80 power, helping you dominate any garden variety Ghastly or Gengar. And round it all out with Moonblast, which features 100% accuracy, STAB, and a 30% chance of lowering your opponent’s Special Attack.
3. Metagross
If you’re looking for an extreme offensive power player, Metagross is the way to go. It virtually annihilates Fairy-types, while providing a nice Attack stat (135) AND respectable Defense (130)! If you don’t already have one on your team, you’re missing out on the satisfying feeling of completely wiping Fairy-focused trainers before they know what hit them. Meteor-Mash will be your go-to for both STAB, and for the 20% chance to increase your Attack stat by one stage. Couple that with Zen Headbutt for a secondary STAB and a 20% chance to flinch. And Earthquake will handily deal with Steel and Fire-types, while Hammer Arm gives you coverage against Steel and Dark-types.
2. Cresselia
With great Defense (120) and Special Defense (130) stats that put most other Psychic-types to shame, Cresselia is another tank for Sword & Shield – with the added bonus of impressive healing abilities using the move Lunar Healing. But if that’s not enough to keep your team on the field, the move Lunar Dance causes Cresselia to faint in return for fully healing your incoming Pokémon. You can set this creature up for success by stacking its moveset with Stored Power, which increases power by 20 for every increased stat stage for a max hit of 860. Moonblast comes in next to deal heavy damage, and to reduce the opponent’s Special Attack. Then Calm Mind helps boost Cresselia’s Special Attack and Special Defense, if you’d need that in battle (or could swap this move for something else). And finally, round it all out with Moonlight for healing.
1. Galarian Articuno
Bird is the word when it comes to the most powerful Psychic-type in the Galar region, with Galarian Articuno playing a versatile role as both offense and support, depending on how you want to use it. This Psychic/Flying type loses Ice, but gains significant trade-offs that come together for an unbeatable sweeper. But let’s get into the moveset and see how this could work. Freezing Glare is your key STAB move here, and it comes with a 10% chance of freezing. Hurricane offers perfect accuracy in the rain, along with a 30% chance of confusing the opponent. Then for Ghost-type and Psychic-type coverage, opt for Shadow Ball and Ancient Power to take out Flying-types – and to give yourself a 10% chance to boost all stats by 10%. If you can track down and capture this Galarian legendary variant, it’ll make one amazing addition to your team.
