Pokémon Stats

Learn about HP, Attack, Defense, Sp. Atk, Sp. Def, and Speed in Pokémon Sword and Shield. Know how to identify physical vs. special moves to battle smarter!

Alright, let's break down what makes your Pokémon tick in Sword and Shield! Understanding their stats is super important for winning battles, so think of this as your cheat sheet.

Here are the main stats you'll see and what they actually do:

Stat	Affects	What it Does
HP	Health	Short for “Hit Points”. This is a measure of your Pokémon’s stamina.
Attack	Your physical moves	The higher this stat, the more damage your Pokémon will inflict when using physical moves.
Defence	Foe’s physical moves	The higher this stat, the less damage your Pokémon will receive from physical moves.
Sp. Atk	Your special moves	Short for “Special Attack”. The higher this stat, the more damage your Pokémon will inflict when using special moves.
Sp. Def	Foe’s special moves	Short for “Special Defence”. The higher this stat, the less damage your Pokémon will receive from special moves.
Speed	Priority in battle	The Pokémon with the higher value will act first during battle.

These stats aren't static, thankfully! They'll naturally go up as your Pokémon level up or evolve. Plus, you can give them a little boost by battling other Pokémon or using handy items like vitamins or Bottle Caps. Keep an eye on these numbers – they're key to building a strong team!

Physical or Special?

Now, how do you know if a move is going to hit hard physically or blast away with special energy? It's actually pretty straightforward once you know what to look for. When you check out a move's details – either in the Pokémon menu or by pressing the Y Button during a battle – you'll see a little icon next to it.

See that impact icon? That means it's a physical move, like a punch. Then there's the spiral icon, which signals a special move, probably some kind of energy blast. Oh, and don't forget the yin-yang icon – that's for status moves that don't deal direct damage but mess with your opponent in other ways.

Pro Tip: Generally, you'll want to use physical moves if your Pokémon has a high Attack stat, and special moves if their Special Attack is higher. But don't forget to look at your opponent too! Just like your Pokémon have different strengths, so do theirs. If they have a really high Defense, a physical move might not do much, and vice-versa for Special Defense.