Pokemon Sword and Shield: 10 Worst Pokemon for your Party

Pokemon Sword and Shield have added 400 Pokemon in the Pokedex, under half of all Pokemon that have been created. While there are some Pokemon like Magikarp which are totally useless but evolve into a powerful Gyarados, there are some Pokemon that just... aren't all that great.

There have been some powerful additions and variations in both Pokemon Sword and Shield, including the new Galarin forms of older Pokemon. But such a thing is not unique to this generation but the abundance of these weak Pokemon makes them appear quite frequently in Max Raid Battles which is a waste of time.

Max Raid Battles give Pokemon unique moves and abilities that you can't normally find when catching them. But there are some Pokemon which are bad enough it's not worth trying to catch them in Max Raid Battles (but you should catch them normally to fill up your Dex).

Here are 10 of the worst Pokemon (and their evolutions) you should avoid adding to your party.

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#1 Skwovet/Greedent

Skwovet

Type: Normal

Skwovet and Greedent is the abundant, generic Normal-Type of this Generation. Previous Normal Types in other generations did suck but some Pokemon like Sentret and Furret could actually be pretty powerful. Skwovet and Greedent have terrible stat lines and terrible move sets and they are only worth having for completing the Pokedex.

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#2 Nickit/Thievul

Thievul, the evolved form of Nickit

Type: Dark

These vanilla Dark Type Pokemon are not too bad on their own. When evolved to Thievul, the Pokemon has fairly high Special Attack and Special Defense stats. But they are overshadowed by much stronger Dark Type Pokemon in the game. Thievul's strongest move it learns on its own is Night Slash at Level 34, but most of its other moves are pretty terrible.

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#3 Zigzagoon/Linoone/Obstagoon

The three evolutions

Type: Normal/Dark

Zigzagoon and Linoone were one of these Normal Types that were pretty decent on their own. Obstagoon is Linoone's new evolution in its Galarian form. But its additional Dark Type makes it 4x weaker to Fighting Types and also weak to Bug and Fairy Types. Obstagoon has a very strong defense and special defense statistics. But that's really it, it can take a hard hit but they're not the Pokemon you want to put in the frontlines.

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#4 Chewtle/Drednaw

Drednaw

Type: Water/Rock

Chewtle and Drednaw, this Generation's excuse for Squirtle and its evolutions. Although Drednaw is the special Pokemon of the Water Type gym leader, its special attack and defense are very weak. Drednaw has a high attack and defense but also multiple weaknesses. Pokemon like Quagsire are much better than Drednaw.

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#5 Bunnelby/Diggersby

Fan drawing of Bunnelsby/Diggersby

Type: Normal, Normal/Ground

Bunnelsby and Diggersby were introduced in X&Y as the generic "Normal Type". Other than having absolutely weak stats (highest stats are defense which is just ok), Diggersby's additional Ground Type gives it additional weaknesses on top of its Normal Type. Even though Ground Types are some of the most powerful Types in the game, there are many better options to choose from in Sword and Shield.

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#6 Cherubi/Cherrim

Cherubi and Cherrim

Type: Grass

Cherubi and Cherrim were introduced in Generation 4. Cherrim also has a Sunshine form when the move Sunny Day is in use or if the weather is sunny. But other than having a good special attack, Cherubi and Cherrim have nothing special to offer. You'd probably avoid this Pokemon if you chose Grookey as your starter but even if you didn't, there are plenty of better Grass-Type options available that are better.

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#7 Pyukumuku

Pyukumuku

Type: Water

Introduced in Generation 7, Pyukumuku is a Water Type with an extremely high special defense. Its ability Innards Out damages the opponent equal to the HP it takes to knock this Pokemon out. It also doesn't learn a lot of offensive moves, only very defensive moves. It's certainly an interesting and unique Pokemon but it is very hard to use this Pokemon in the way it's meant to be.

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#8 Woobat/Swoobat

Woobat

Type: Psychic/Flying

Woobat and Swoobat are the 'Zubat/Golbat' from Generation 5. Zubat and its evolutions are far superior but they are not in Sword and Shield. Woobat and Swoobat are weak to five different types and resistant to only 2. It's also not worth leveling Woobat since it evolves with lots of affection but Swoobat has very mediocre stats among the Psychic/Flying Pokemon in the game.

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#9 Cutiefly/Ribombee

Cutiefly (L) and Ribombee (R)

Type: Bug/Fairy

Although these Pokemon are pretty adorable, they are not special and a bit weak. Ribombee has a very high base special attack stat, every other stat is pretty watered down making this Pokemon quite vulnerable. It is also weak to five different types. Although, if you find a Ribombee in a Max Raid Battle, its hidden ability 'Sweet Veil' prevents Ribombee and allied Pokemon from sleeping, which can be quite useful.

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#10 Shuckle

Shuckle

Type: Bug/Rock

Shuckle is a Pokemon that is a case of 'min-max. It has the lowest base HP, attack, special attack, and speed, but it has the highest defense and special defense. Shuckle learns some really good moves while leveling but due to its poor Attack stats, it's very difficult to put them to good use. Yet, it is interesting to note that Shuckle can certainly be a useful Pokemon when it learns Shell Smash at Level 65.