Catching and breeding might be the most common ways to get new party members in the Pokémon series, but there have always been tons of other ways to get new and rare Pokémon. This includes Gift Pokémon, which are typically uncommon species that various other trainers and characters give to you through your journey.
This has existed since Pokémon Red & Blue, but Pokémon Sword & Shield has its own wide range of Pokémon that any trainer can get just from talking to NPCs. If you’re looking for something unusual to battle with that you can’t easily find in the wild, these rare and powerful Gift Pokémon should do the trick.
9 Toxel
One of the most straightforward Gift Pokémon you can get in your playthrough is the new Toxel, which has a unique type-combination Poison and Electric. This can be a very powerful pair of offensive types, and strong utility moves Nuzzle and Acid can easily make up for its low strength early in the game, which is inevitable since you obtain it as freshly hatched egg from someone in the Nursery on Route 5.
Once it evolves into Toxtricity at Level 30, which shouldn't be too hard thanks to the Wild Area wide ways to get experience, this will become an incredibly strong fighter that can make Super Effective hits against tons of opponents. Just don’t put it up against any Ground-type, and it might be able to carry much of your team.
8 Galarian Fossil Pokémon
Another set of Pokémon you can get before beating the game is Galar’s new Fossil Pokémon, which is a tad more complicated than prior games. Rather than a singular pair of fossil items, trainers can find Fossilized Bird, Drake, Dino, and Fish fossils that represent different Pokémon types, and a scientist on Route 6 can combine two into a powerful ancient Pokémon.
The two most powerful of these are Dracovish and Dracozolt, which are both Dragon-types that happen to also respectively be Water and Electric-type too. This makes them great offensive fighters with a wide variety of moves, and while the Ice-type equivalents Arctovish and Arctozold are also impressive, they can be far more vulnerable to other opponents.
7 Alolan Starters & Regional Forms
Most trainers first explored the Isle of Armor after their original playthrough, since this DLC area came well-after the release of Pokémon Sword & Shield. However, trainers who start a new game and own the DLC will experience a much lower-level version of the territory, and it can be visited any time after first entering Galar’s Wild Area.
Once getting there, one of the best ways to obtain new Pokémon is through finding the collectible Alolan Digletts across the island. Every ten or so Digletts, you can return to the Hiker who asks you to find them, and he will give various Pokémon from Alola including regional forms, and even an Alolan starter that matches the type of your starter in Galar.
6 Bulbasaur & Squirtle
When the game first came out, many players might have been confused over Charmander’s return in Pokémon Sword & Shield, since its fellow Kanto starters Bulbasaur & Squirtle were unavailable. Older players could transfer one from an old game through Pokémon Home, but those without one in their possession were out of luck.
Thankfully, another of the Isle of Armor’s gifts is a choice of Bulbasaur or Squirtle, which you’ll receive in the Master Dojo after you complete the first of former champion Mustard’s trials. They won’t be particularly special to start, but once they’ve fully evolved into Venusaur and Blastoise they can also enter unique Gigantamax forms in Dynamax and Max Raid Battles.
5 Kubfu
The last of the Isle of Armor’s early Pokémon includes Kubfu, a brand new Fighting-type that you train throughout your journey. Once you’ve completed most of Mustard’s trials, you will be allowed to take on a battle challenge at one of the island’s two towers, which determines whether it gains a Dark-typing or Water-typing upon evolving.
However, this might not be the most effective partner to take through your main playthrough, as it doesn’t evolve until level 70. It still is plenty unique and strong, but it certainly won’t reach the heights that many of these other Gift Pokémon can bring to your team.
4 Gigantamax Pikachu & Gigantamax Eevee
There is one other Gift Pokémon that trainers can receive before completing the game, but relatively few trainers will get to experience it. These would be an Eevee and Pikachu capable of entering a Gigantamax form, each obtainable from a character in the Wild Area’s southern train station.
To get these, though, you’ll also need a save file of a Pokémon Let’s Go game on your Nintendo Switch to receive each game's associated Pokémon. This means you’ll have to own it yourself or briefly play it through a friend’s physical copy on your console. Both these Pokémon and their Gigantamax Forms are powerful, but considering the cost and effort required, they're far from necessary.
3 Porygon
Once you’ve beaten Champion Leon as part of the game’s main story, the world opens up slightly and many new Pokémon become available. This especially applies to the Wild Area, but there are also many Gift Pokémon that can also be obtained once you’ve either completed Mustard's trials or gained the title of Galar Champion.
One of these includes the elusive Porygon, which will appear in the Master Dojo’s living room near the Cram-O-Matic after completing these feats. Talking to it will begin a brief conversation with its owner, Hyde, who will give it to you as congratulations for tackling Mustard’s challenges.
2 Charmander
While many of these Gift Pokémon found through the Isle of Armor DLC, Leon’s signature Charizard is not one of them. Like other starter Pokémon, Charmanders can rarely be caught in the wild, so it’s only fair of him to give you one himself.
Once you’ve defeated Leon in the main story, visit Hop and Leon’s home in Postwick. Inside Leon’s room in the center of the floor is a Pokéball, which contains a low-level Charmander that can enter its Gigantamax form when fully evolved. Otherwise, its stats and moves are identical to a basic Charmander.
1 Type: Null
The last Gift Pokémon in the game is also available without much effort, but does require you to have defeated Leon and become Champion. Once this happens, the Battle Tower in Wyndon will finally open for business, letting you take on a new battle challenge with higher stakes and greater rewards.
When you first go inside, there should be a trainer with a Type: Null right in the lobby. If you talk to this trainer, she will not only give you her Type: Null, but also the full set of held items called Memories that can change its typing after evolving into Silvally. Be careful not to sell or throw away these items, though, as there is no other way to obtain them in the game.