The starter Pokémon in Galar is some of the best Pokémon to be introduced in Gen VIII. Sobble, Grookey and Scorbunny and their evolutions are powerful and unique. They have quickly become fan-favorite Pokémon among Sword & Shield players. With three unique Pokémon players definitely missed a few things about every one of these Galar starters.
The Gen VIII starters have many attributes that players missed while using them in battle and this list will explain 10 of the most interesting hidden facts about them. From chimp-themes to color morphing here are 10 things that players missed about the Galar region starters!
10 Sobble - Chameleon
A lot of fans probably won’t be able to tell what Sobble is based on just initially looking at it. Sobble is Chameleon-themed and although it isn’t a perfect representation it’s definitely easy to tell after taking a closer look at its design.
Sobble is blue with a yellow flap on its head. A lot of players regard Sobble as their favorite Gen VIII starter because of its small appearance and the worried emotion on its face. Sobble is a cutie Chameleon with a design that has quickly become a fan-favorite in the Pokémon community!
9 Inteleon - Low Defense Stats
Inteleon is the final evolution of the water-type starter Sobble. One thing that many players don’t realize about this secret agent Pokémon is that it has very low HP, Defense, and Special Defense stats.
It has one of the lowest defense/special defense stats of any fully evolved starter Pokémon and although it’s powerful in its own way, electric and grass type pokemon won’t have too much trouble quickly taking it out. Trainers need to be careful if they plan to have this Pokémon in their party because it can’t stand up to a tanky enemy Pokémon with a type advantage. Many fans are unaware of its weak nature in terms of HP and defense and its stats definitely earn their spot on this list as an unknown fact about this skinny blue Pokémon.
8 Grookey - Second Monkey Starter
Grookey is the second monkey-themed starter Pokémon in the franchise. The first is a fire-type Pokémon called Chimchar that is regarded as a powerful fire chimp. Grookey is different because it’s a grass-type however their similar base animal makes them very alike in terms of appearance.
A lot of Pokémon fans might not make the initial connection of Grookey to Chimchar because Chimchar was introduced all the way back in Gen IV and they have different typings. Regardless both of these chimp-themed Pokémon are adorable starters that are loved by many trainers from every region!
7 Sobble - 100 Onions
According to its Sword Pokédex, Sobble’s tears are chemically as powerful as 100 onions and any of its enemies won’t be able to resist the urge of tearing up themselves. This is a useful defense mechanism that is completely unique to the starter Pokémon Sobble.
Sobble’s crying can make people emotional and this entry proves that it’s not just the fact that it’s cute that’s causing fans to become infatuated with it. Trainers love this Pokémon and for good reason, but perhaps its tears have a manipulation power that trainers can’t initially see on the surface. Because a lot of players don’t read Pokédex entries, this is an uncommonly known fact about Sobble’s biology.
6 Cinderace - Typing
Cinderace is the final evolution of the fire-type starter Scorbunny and it has no secondary type. The reason that its typing deserves a spot on this list is that a lot of previous fire-type starters have a secondary type of fighting and Cinderance is known for its powerful kicks.
Players were shocked that this pokemon wasn’t a dual fire/fighting-type and although a lot of players that picked Scorbunny are aware of its single typing, fans that chose one of the other two starters seem to think it has a secondary fighting-type because of its appearance and kicking ability. However, it is only a fire-type.
5 Sobble - Color Change
Sobble has the ability to completely change its color scheme and turn invisible when it touches water. This can be an extremely powerful ability in Pokémon battles because being able to turn invisible can make this little water-type difficult to fight.
Starter Pokémon is usually more powerful than average but Sobbles ability makes it one of the strongest non-evolved starters in the Pokémon world and there aren’t many that can compare to it when its unique ability is taken into consideration. Players should consider this strong power before picking their Pokémon partner at the beginning of their adventure.
4 Rillaboom - High Attack Stat
Rillaboom is the final evolution of the grass-type starter Grookey. Any trainer can tell that this giant ape is very powerful physically and because of its strength, it should come as no surprise that it has the highest attack stat out of every starter Pokémon introduced so far in the franchise.
Having a high attack stat is crucial for any Pokémon whose move set consists of mostly physical attacks and Rillaboom definitely has an advantage in battle with most Pokémon. For trainers that want to collect this powerful ape, Grookey may be the starter to pick at the beginning of their Pokémon journey.
3 Drizzile - Very Intelligent
Drizzile is the first evolution of the water-type starter Sobble. Trainers don’t look at this creature and think it’s the Pokemon equivalent of Einstein. Although its appearance doesn’t come off as very intelligent, it’s actually quite smart in terms of battle strategy.
Drizzile has the ability to cleverly place traps in just the right spot where other Pokémon will fall for them. Its list of abilities is also quite expansive and it knows how to come up with unique ways to fight that other pokemon wouldn’t be capable of thinking of. Drizzile needs an intelligent trainer to fully harness the power of its lazy but capable mind.
2 Scorbunny - Path Of Flames
Scorbunny is a fast little rabbit and because it can run around so quickly that it often leaves a trail of fire behind it. This ability is not often seen because in Pokémon Sword and Shield it is mostly only seen during battles so players don’t often get to watch it run around.
Its unique ability could be used to cover the battlefield in flames causing limited space to maneuver around for enemy Pokémon. Although its trail of fire doesn’t make much of an appearance in the Switch games, it is still a powerful talent that the cute bunny possesses and it can potentially be used to help defeat opponents during Pokémon battles.
1 Thwackey - Music
Thwackey is the first evolution of the grass-type starter Grookey. Thwackey starts creating music by banging it’s two sticks against surfaces to make a song made solely from drum sounds. Other Pokémon will look up to it if it creates music that is fast and loud. Thwackey is quite a little musician monkey!
Thwackey’s evolution Rillaboom turns out to be an even more powerful music maker but it owes it all to Thwackey’s skill and practice. Pokémon trainers that enjoy creating music will be a perfect fit for choosing Grookey as their starter Pokémon. Although a lot of trainers are aware of Rillaboom’s musical talents, less are aware that its Thackey that helps set the stage for its ability to make a beat. Thwackey’s amazing talent is usually overshadowed by Rillaboom which is why it deserves a spot on this list!
NEXT: The 10 Cutest Ground-Type Pokemon
