Pokémon Sword and Shield welcomed players across the globe to the Galar region, which was inspired by the United Kingdom. While competitive play is still a major part of Sword and Sword, even with the releases of Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, some players may be wondering what the worst Pokémon team is that could actually still win. Ultimately, this will come down to a few different factors.
Although Sword and Shield could've been more difficult, the final battle with Leon is harder than past champions, like Kalos' Diantha. Still, the EXP Share boosts all Pokémon in Galar, and some may want more of a challenge when facing Galar's Gym Challenge. After all, Galar departs from the prior generation's laid-back attitude in Alola and instead is battle-oriented from the start, with Galar's culture centering around the Gym Challenge.
Pokémon Sword and Shield's DLC added more difficultly to the games, but if players want a hard mode in Sword and Shield, they can compose their team based around monsters that are comparatively weaker than other creatures but who can still win if used. Excellent choices include species with low base stat totals, un-evolved monsters, and Pokémon with natural downsides such as multiple weaknesses. First, players should avoid naturally strong Pokémon such as Dragapult, Corviknight, Grimmsnarl, the four fossil Pokémon (Arctozolt, Dracovish, Dracozolt, and Arctovish), Hatterene, and Centiskorch.
Legendary Pokémon should also be avoided. Players are required to catch Eternatus in the game's story, but using it would over-power their teams instantly. Zacian and Zamazenta thankfully aren't caught until Sword and Shield's post-game activities. Kubfu can be received on the Isle of Armor during the main game, but its stats aren't high like other Legendaries' because it can evolve. Therefore, using Kubfu but not completing its story (and thus not evolving it) would actually be a nice addition to any player's team.
Evolved Starters & Other Evolved Pokémon Make Battles Too Easy
When it comes to starter Pokémon, players should avoid fully evolving them. Rillaboom, Cinderace, and Inteleon can be considered some of the strongest Pokémon from Sword and Shield, especially if they have their Hidden Abilities. However, using their base forms (Grookey, Scorbunny, and Sobble, respectively) or their middle forms (Thwackey, Raboot, and Drizzile, respectively) could be a fun challenge. Their stats wouldn't be as high as usual, and they wouldn't have access to their final evolutions' Gigantamax forms either. Take the starters as role models, too, and avoid Hidden Abilities, which Pokémon finally did something about, in general, as they're typically stronger than regular abilities.
This can be done with Bulbasaur or Squirtle, too. Players have the option to choose one of these Kanto starter Pokémon from Honey on the Isle of Armor, and while Venusaur and Blastoise would be too good for this type of team, their base forms or middle forms (Ivysuar or Wartortle, respectively) could be brilliant. This same ideology could be applied to any Pokémon in the game that evolves. Players would simply opt to not evolve them when the time came.
If players want to use fully-evolved Pokémon, they still have options. Some species aren't blessed with decent stats, even when fully evolved. This category of monsters includes Thievul, Butterfree, Orbeetle, Diggerbsy, Liepard, Greedent, and Whiscash, the latter of which can be found on the Isle of Armor. Some of these species may have one or two decent stats, but their overall stats leave something to be desired. Orbeetle, for example, has a bulky Special Defense stat, but its attacking stats and its speed mean it won't hit hard. Meanwhile, Diggersby's stats are all-around low, and Whiscash's aren't far off either. Greedent can tank a hit, but its own attacks won't deal much damage. Challenging oneself with these Pokémon will prove that players are real Pokémon Masters.
Finally, players can choose Pokémon who are both weak and don't evolve (and avoid dual-type Pokémon with only one weakness). These Pokémon range from gimmicky monsters who exist for a single purpose to fleshed out Pokémon who are weak and don't evolve. Delibird, for example, has often been thought of as a gimmicky Pokémon, but in recent games, it's received access to more moves. Its stats aren't great, but it would be a fun monster to try out. Similarly, weaker Pokémon like Dunsparce, Dedenne, Emolga, Shuckle, and even Stunfisk can offer great challenges and great rewards. Some Pokémon are meant to be well-rounded but prove to be rather weak because their stats don't back up their supposed defensive or offensive purposes. Such is the case for Indeedee and Basculion, who could both pose fun times if used properly.
Building The Worst Pokémon Team That Can Still Win Competitions
Pokémon Sword and Shield's Dynamax only happens in Galar, but for enhanced difficulty, players can opt to not max out their Pokémon's Dynamax Candy levels, meaning their moves won't be as strong and their health won't increase as much when Dynamaxed. Players can also opt to not use Dynamax at all, which would especially increase difficulty during gym battles and the Galar league. Moreover, if comparatively weak Pokémon like Butterfree who have Gigantamax forms land on players' teams, not enabling these Gigantamax forms will help as well, even if they've chosen to use Dynamax throughout their Galar region journey.
Challenging oneself is the name of the game with Pokémon, and many types of species can help with this. Whether players opt exclusively for un-evolved Pokémon, weak Pokémon that don't evolve, evolved Pokémon who have weak stat totals, or a combination of the three, utilizing these Pokémon can help trainers reach their fuller potentials. Winning the game using them isn't impossible either. Players can offset bad stats with good moves from TMs and TRs, and stats can even be raised a little bit with vitamins if need be.
The point here is to think outside of the box when using these monsters, especially because journeying through Galar in Pokémon Sword and Shield like this could lead to players bonding with these monsters they never thought they would've loved before. To get a "bad" team that can still win competitions, players can take a chance on the baby Pokémon like Cleffa or Igglybuff, and raise Kubfu throughout the game rather than quickly leveling it up in the post-game. As long as players are well versed in the series' type chart and can stand their own ground, even "weak" Pokémon can pull through in-game.
