An Unlikely Pokemon Is Rising to the Top of Pokemon Sword and Shield’s Competitive Scene

Competitive Pokemon players are digging into Pokemon Sword and Shield and an unusual Pokemon has risen to the top of the game’s metagame. Pokemon Sword and Shield‘s first competition starts up this week, which means that players are busy preparing their teams. While the Pokemon metagame isn’t solidified quite yet, many players have discovered that an unusual Pokemon acts as a fantastic physical sweeper that can do a ton of damage to opponents. Dracovish is one of the four Fossil Pokemon available in Pokemon Sword and Shield, and is created by combining two wildly different fossils together. While Dracovish is literally a Pokemon that shouldn’t exist, its powerful attacks and lack of weaknesses makes it a potent sweeper that can quickly wipe out opponents.

Dracovish’s ideal build revolves around the use of Fishious Rend, a move that only it can learn. Fishious Rend usually has a base damage of 70, but it doubles in power if it’s used before an opponent’s turn. Fishious Rend’s attack power also gets a boost by Dracovish’s Strong Jaw ability, which means that it hypothetically has a base damage of 210…which is insane. Coupled with Dracovish’s lack of weaknesses and decent Attack stat, this Pokemon should be a powerful choice in competitive battles for the foreseeable future.

In order to maximize Dracovish’s attack ability, players should aim to get a Dracovish with either the Adamant or Jolly nature (which boosts either its Attack or Speed stats at the cost of its Special Attack stat, which Dracovish doesn’t use) and equip it with a Choice Scarf, which boosts its Speed Stat, but only allows it to use one move.

Luckily, Dracovish isn’t invulnerable. While Dracovish is only weak against Dragon-type and Fairy-type attacks, Dragapult’s high Speed stat will beat out Dracovish, even when it has a Choice Scarf, and should be able to knock out Dracovish with just one attack.

Will you be participating in Pokemon Sword and Shield’s first competition? Let us know in the comment section or find me on Twitter at @CHofferCBus to chat all things Pokemon!