Although the first three gyms in Pokemon Sword & Shield do a good job at introducing the player to the new Dynamax mechanic, as well as ensure that newcomers to the series are aware of the common strengths and weaknesses of each type, the game stops holding the player’s hand at the fourth gym, found in Stow-On-Side.
Aside from having quite a large jump in levels from the previous gym, the Stow-On-Side gym forces the player to use everything they have learned up until that point to tackle some of the strongest Pokemon in the game that not only have decent movesets, but are their own Gigantamax forms as well. That being said, veteran players won’t find this gym to be particularly challenging no matter which version of the game they are playing.
10 The Two Gym Leaders
For the first time in a long time for the Pokemon series, Pokemon Sword & Shield has two instances where a gym leader is different depending on the version being played. The first instance of this is the Stow-On-Side gym leader, who is Bea, the Fighting-type specialist in Pokemon Sword, and Allister, the Ghost-type specialist in Pokemon Shield. This means that, unlike previous Pokemon games, the player will have to ensure they have a slightly different team build depending on which version of the game they are playing, adding some much-needed diversity to the gameplay.
9 Completing The Gym Puzzle
Even though both Bea and Allister have a very different type specialty, their gyms are virtually identical and only have a slight pallet and logo swap to differentiate them, as well as the gym trainers having slightly different Pokemon. The puzzle itself is also incredibly easy, with the player simply having to navigate a spinning chair through a short obstacle course before battling a gym trainer and moving on to the next segment. After completing three of these “puzzles”, the player will then be able to enter the main arena and battle either Bea in Sword or Allister in Shield.
8 Bea’s Hitmontop
The first Pokemon that Bea will send out is her Hitmontop. While the Tyrogue line isn’t known for being the best Fighting-type Pokemon in the series, Hitmontop does have the distinction of being arguably the best of the three available options, though Bea’s Hitmontop is less of a threat than it could have been.
With Triple Kick, Quick Attack, Counter, and Revenge, it can be felled by even the weakest Ghost-type Pokemon around and might be a good opportunity to get some last-minute experience on a weaker team member before the fight really begins.
7 Bea’s Pangoro
Unlike Hitmontop, Pangoro is a potential threat that can actually cover its weakness to Ghost-type Pokemon. Bea’s second Pokemon can also cover its double weakness to Fairy-type Pokemon quite well, as it has Bullet Punch in its fairly diverse moveset that can easily knock out unsuspecting trainers wanting to capitalize on its weaknesses. Rounding out its moveset with Night Slash, Work Up, and Circle Throw, Pangoro shouldn’t be messed around with and should be taken care of as quickly as possible. The best counter to Pangoro, funnily enough, is another Fighting-type Pokemon, as it has no moves to cover its weakness to its own type.
6 Bea’s Sirfetch’d
One of the most disappointing new Pokemon to come out of the Galar region, Sirfetch’d is only a marginally higher threat than Pangoro thanks to its pure Fighting-type and the move Detect allowing it to stall out PP for higher damage moves. While Sirfetch’d does have Brutal Swing, Revenge, and Swords Dance, the latter of which capable of quickly turning battle in its favor, its weak defenses and low speed mean that it can be taken down fairly easily with any decent Psychic, Fairy, or Flying-type Pokemon.
5 Bea’s Machamp
Bea’s ace and the true test of a player’s team composition, Machamp is a much bigger threat than any of Bea’s other Pokemon largely due to Machamp’s great base stats and its Gigantamax form granting it more HP. Thankfully, Machamp’s signature G-Max move, G-Max Chi Strike, does increase its Attack by one stage, unlike the generic Max Knuckle attack. However, while its moveset is fairly weak with Strength, Revenge, Knock Off, and Scary Face, both Revenge and Knock Off are capable of knocking out Pokemon in a single blow even without the damage boost granted by its Gigantamax form. While Machamp’s defenses are fairly good, it can still easily be taken down by a decently powerful Fairy or Flying-type Pokemon, with Psychic-types having to remain wary of Knock Off.
4 Allister’s Yamask
Moving on to Shield’s Stow-On-Side gym leader, Allister is arguably a better trainer than Bea in terms of his overall team, though you wouldn’t know this from looking at his first Pokemon. Yamask, unlike its evolution, Runerigus, is incredibly weak and can be easily defeated with even an un-evolved Sobble’s Water Gun.
While it is stupidly weak and only has Brutal Swing, Hex, and Disable, the latter can prove to be detrimental if the player isn’t able to knock it out in a single attack, especially if they are banking on using the same Pokemon for the entire battle.
3 Allister’s Mimikyu
A substantial jump in difficulty from Yamask, Mimikyu is, thankfully, nowhere near as difficult as the Totem Mimikyu battle in Sun & Moon, but is still fairly powerful. The main thing to be wary of is its signature ability, Disguise, which guarantees it one free turn to do whatever it wants in battle, which is usually using either Baby-Doll Eyes to lower your Pokemon’s Attack stat or Hone Claws to increase its own Attack. Rounding out its moveset with Shadow Sneak and Slash, the best bet against this Pokemon is to use a Pokemon that is physically defensive or able to resist Ghost and Normal-type attacks, as Mimkyu is no pushover even if its stats aren’t increased.
2 Allister’s Cursola
Although arguably not as good as its pre-evolution thanks to the usefulness of the held item Eviolite, Cursola substitutes high defenses for a ridiculous 145 base Special Attack that is even higher than Allister’s signature Pokemon, Gengar. Unfortunately for Cursola, its moveset isn’t able to capitalize on this great stat as it only has Hex, Ancient Power, and Curse to deal damage. While any decent Dark-type can make swift work of Cursola, players should beware its Ancient Power, as this can potentially increase all of its stats by one stage and turn the tide of battle in its favor.
1 Allister’s Gengar
Like Bea’s Machamp, Gengar is a great Pokemon that, unlike Machamp, isn’t let down by a mediocre signature G-Max move. G-Max Terror will, instead of lowering the opponent’s Defense, prevent them from escaping and can cause serious issues for a player’s strategy. Not only that, but Gengar has the moves Hypnosis, Hex, Venoshock, and Payback at its disposal, having a much better and more diverse moveset than any other Stow-On-Side gym leader’s Pokemon. That being said, these moves aren’t particularly powerful and Gengar can be walled entirely with any decent Steel or Dark-type Pokemon that has a Psychic, Dark, or Ghost-type attack.
