'Pokémon Sword and Shield' starter evolutions leak reveals stats, moves, abilities

Earlier this week, a massive Pokémon Sword and Shield leak revealed the evolutions for all three new starters (Grookey, Scorbunny, and Sobble) along with the entire Pokédex, which is missing some key Pokémon. But the leaks didn’t stop there, recent tweets from Sword and Shield leaker account @CentroLeaks allegedly revealed the full stats, abilities, and moves for the final evolutions of each starter (Rillaboom, Cinderace, and Inteleon; respectively) at level 50, giving us an even better understanding of how they compare.

Here’s everything we learned about the Pokémon Sword and Shield starter evolutions in the latest leaks, and what it means for your decision as you set out on the next big Pokémon adventure.

Rillaboom stats, moves, and abilities

According to a @CentroLeaks tweet, Rillaboom is set to be the tank of this trio, boasting tons of health to soak up damage, powerful attacks, but relatively low speed. Here’s the full breakdown:

• HP 207

• Attack 177

• Defense 111

• Speed 105

• Sp. Def 90

• Sp. Atk 80

He also has a special ability, Overgrown, which boosts the power of grass-type attacks when his health is low. Rillaboom can learn grass, fighting, and ground moves (among others). His Drum Beating attack boasts 80 Power, 100 Accuracy, and lowers the speed of its target to even the playing field.

Cinderace stats, moves, and abilities

Of the three, Scorbunny’s final evolution feels like the most balanced option. Based on that same leak, Cinderace offers solid health and attack stats along with impressive speeds.

• HP 155

• Attack 168

• Defense 96

• Speed 171

• Sp. Def 95

• Sp. Atk 85

Cinderace also has a similar ability to Rillaboom’s, just with a buff for fire moves. It can learn fire, psychic, poison, and steel moves. It’s Pyro Ball attack has power 120, accuracy 90, and burns the enemy.

Inteleon stats, moves, and abilities

Finally, we have Inteleon, who’s biggest strength is an impressive Special Attack stat and a powerful attack to go with it. According to @CentroLeaks, Inteleon can learn a move called Snipe Shot that’s capable of targeting opponents even when they’re using abilities or moves that would evade attack (like Fly or Dig, I think). Snipe Shot has power 80, accuracy 100.

Here’s the rest of the stats:

• HP 145

• Attack 105

• Defense 86

• Speed 172

• Sp. Defense 85

• Sp. Attack 177

Inteleon can learn water, ice, and ghost attacks, and its Torrent ability boosts water attacks when its health is low.

So which Pokémon Sword and Shield starter is best?

So what does this all mean? Well, the important thing to remember is that any of these three Pokémon Sword and Shield starters will turn into powerful Pokémon that can get you through the game. That said, there are pros and cons to each depending on your playstyle and strategy

For pure strength, Rillaboom is the way to go, while Cinderace is more balanced and Inteleon gets the coolest attack. It’s also worth noting that while we don’t know much about the game’s narrative structure right now, it’s usually safe to assume you’ll come across plenty of grass-type Pokémon early on. So if you’re hoping to create a balanced team early on Grookey might not be the way to go.

Then again, if you’re basing your decision off which Sword and Shield starter looks the coolest in its final evolution, there’s really no competition. It’s Grookey/Rillaboom.

Pokémon Sword and Shield launches on November 15 for Nintendo Switch.