So, did the much-ballyhooed Pokémon Sword and Shield live up to fans' expectations? As always, that will depend on who you ask. One thing most of us can agree on is that the Galar region is chock-full of colorful and interesting characters, and many challenging Pokémon battles. The Gym Leaders have both of these traits in spades.
Opal, the oldest Gym Leader in Galar, is 88 years old when the player challenges her at the Ballonlea Gym. The encounter takes place a little over halfway through your adventure, by which time you’ve had a chance to accrue quite a powerful and varied selection of Pokémon. Which of them would serve you best against her Fairy-type team? Let’s take a look at some of the best picks.
10 Arcanine
Before we get into the whole array of Pokémon that can prey on Fairy’s weaknesses to Steel and Poison, let’s just remind ourselves of a universal fact of Pokémon we already know: Arcanine is the good-est of good doggos. There are many dog-based Pokémon and we love them all, but Arcanine has always been solid.
Its well-rounded stats allow it to take a defensive or offensive role, and it’s that Fairy resistance that’s going to be key here. Should one of your more feeble offensive Pokémon need to switch out during the battle, Arcanine should be your go-to. Growlithe is available very early in the game, but it’s exclusive to Pokémon Shield so you may need to trade for it.
9 Stunfisk
Now, when was the last time you saw Stunfisk get a shout-out as a good pick for… well, anything? Never, that’s when. Watch out though, because the little fish that looks like it’s been run over a couple of times by a Winnebago is back with a new Galarian form, and it’s had enough of your snark.
Galarian Stunfisk is a Ground/Steel Pokémon, a typing that leaves it with some unfortunate common weaknesses (Fighting, Ground, Fire and Water). However, it can work a treat against Opal’s party, absorbing most of what she has to offer and hitting back hard. Even better, its Ground typing gives it an advantage over the Steel and Fairy Mawile, which isn’t affected by Poison and isn’t weak against Steel either.
8 Klinklang
Yes, we all love mixing it up with the wild and wacky new Pokemon that Sword and Shield introduced. Sometimes, though, it pays to stick with an old faithful team member. The sturdy stalwart Klinklang was born for that role.
Klinklang has boosting capabilities that a lot of Steel Pokémon don’t, allowing it to quickly snowball and take the gym almost single-handed. When it comes to that Mawile of Opal’s, though, it’s going to struggle (which is where that Arcanine we mentioned earlier or another appropriate candidate should come in).
7 Toxtricity
When you were first given that Toxel at the Day Care Center, you probably fell in love with it immediately. It’s got a lot going for it. For one thing, its unique typing in Poison and Electric is interesting to experiment with. For another, its baby form is just so darn cute.
On evolution, Toxicity gets many more interesting options (the Punk Rock Ability, its signature move, Overdrive, its two different forms, the new item Throat Spray which increases its Special Attack when it uses a sound-based move…) its favourable match-up against most of the residents of Ballonlea Gym is a huge plus too.
6 Sandaconda
As we’ve mentioned, Mawile is very troublesome to some of the typical Fairy-type counters. As it’s part Steel, it’s completely immune to one of Fairy’s two weaknesses and neutral to the other (Steel itself). Naturally, then, Opal arms herself with one so that the player can’t simply spam their way to victory with their favorite Poison-type.
To resolve this issue, a solid Ground-type is needed. On their first playthrough of Sword and Shield, many gamers were probably keen to use the new Pokemon over established ones, which is why we’ve plumped for the curious Sandaconda. It’s quite physically tanky, has a solid Attack stat and boasts the unique ability Sand Spit (which sets up a sandstorm when it’s hit by an attack), allowing you to soften up other members of Opal’s team (though Mawile itself is immune to the chip damage).
5 Salazzle
The Toxic Lizard Pokémon has a number of interesting traits that make it very effective against Opal and her cronies. For one thing, its Poison STAB is an obvious threat to most of these Pokémon, as we’ve already covered.
More than that, its unique Poison/Fire typing makes it one of very, very few Pokémon that x4 resists Fairy Attacks in the whole series (Heatran being the only other example). If you want to sweep through her team hard and fast and take an attack or two if you need to, Salazzle will serve you well. Its Fire-typing allows it to smash through Mawile, which gives other Poison-type threats issues.
4 Corviknight
The next Pokemon we’re going to recommend for this Gym battle is one that so many players probably already had on their teams already: Corviknight.
Despite the fact that it learns every Dark move under the sun, its final form is a Steel/Flying type, allowing it to take just about everything this encounter can throw at it and come out on top. It’s not as offensive as some of these picks, though, offering a more methodical approach.
3 Perrserker
While Perrserker is hardly the most essential Pokémon to use in this battle (or any other, let’s be real), it’s another pick that many curious players probably already wanted in their teams around this point in the game. It’s such a creative concept, and nobody can deny the appeal of a Viking cat warrior smiting its enemies.
Perrserker is one of those Pokémon that often performs much better than you may expect it to. It might be a little gimmicky and niche, but when you pair its Tough Claws Ability with its Steel STAB and respectable Attack, you’ll see that it can put in some real work in Opal’s gym.
2 Chandelure
Of course, Chandelure has been doing the rounds for a few generations now. There’s nothing new and creative about seeing it. Still, being a fan-favorite, some players were certainly inclined to train one of these spectral powerhouses up.
What does Chandelure have to offer in this gym? Well, an obvious Fairy resistance, for starters. Nothing here appreciates its powerful Fire-type STAB moves, least of all the troublesome Mawile. Just as importantly, though, as a Ghost, it can make short work of the Gardevoir one of the Trainers has. Steel-types tend to be much more physically defensively than specially, so it’s great to have a quick way to dispose of that.
1 Galarian Weezing
Sometimes, a Fairy comes along that just does not care about the established order. It’s going to go ahead and counter other Fairies and nobody can stop it. Mawile does this super well, for reasons we’ve already discussed. Galarian Weezing does a fine job of it too.
Where Mawile is a Steel/Fairy, Galarian Weezing is a Poison/Fairy. Couple with its bulk, these traits allow it to swallow most hits from Opal’s team all day long while hitting back super effectively. Its damage output is a little on the low side, but if you want to play more cautiously and defensively, Galarian Weezing has you covered for this match.