Check out this guide on how to breed the best Pokemon on Pokemon Sword and Shield. Includes info on how to breed, IVs, how to use Ditto and Destiny Knot, Nature, Abilities, and more!!!
Table of Contents
Competitive Pokemon Related Articles
What Is Breeding?
Things You Should Know Before Starting
- #1 - Clearing the story and competitive battling/breeding are two completely different worlds.
- #2 - Be prepared to create an entirely new team from scratch.
- #3 - You can skip breeding, but doing it will ensure your Pokemon are stronger.
- #4 - Breeding should be considered a prerequisite for competitive battling.
Breeding Is Hatching Eggs To Create Strong Pokemon
In Pokemon, even two Pokemon of the same species will have distinct individual characteristics. These include IVs, Natures, & Abilities. Breeding is the process through which you can select particular traits to pass down to new Pokemon. This is done by leaving two parent Pokemon together in the Nursery & repeatedly hatching the eggs they produce.
Learn What The Pokemon Nursery Is HereBreeding Process Overview Chart
| Step | Description |
|---|---|
| 0 | Beat the game and prepare items necessary for breeding. |
| 1 | Decide the specific build you want and obtain that Pokemon. |
| 2 | Breed a high IV version of that Pokemon. |
| 3 | Allocate EVs and raise its Dynamax Level. |
| 4 | Raise its level. |
| 5 | Teach it the appropriate moves and make it hold an item. |
Things Which Are Inherited From Parents
| Competitive Factors | |
|---|---|
| Individual Strengths (IVs) | Individual Strengths, which are also known as Individual Values or IVs, are a hidden status unique to each Pokemon. The Higher the IVs, the higher the stats of your Pokemon will be. → Learn More About Individual Strengths From Here |
| Nature | Depending on the nature of the Pokemon, each stat will change (x0.9, x1.0, or x1.1) → See List Of All Nature & Its Effect |
| Ability | The ability of a Pokemon is randomly determined from a few limited options each Pokemon has. Hidden Abilities require a special process to be inherited. → Learn More About Abilities and Hidden Abilities |
| Other Breeding Factors | |
| Shiny Pokemon | Shiny Pokemon randomly appear on very rare occasion. The color change will not affect the stats of the Pokemon. It is solely for collection purposes. → Learn More About Shiny Pokemon here |
| Gender | Selectively bred for only when you want to make a specific parent Pokemon. |
Should You Breed? - Nature & IVs
Changing Nature & IVs Has Gotten Easier But Breeding Is Still Necessary
Although the breeding process in Pokemon Sword and Shield has gotten slightly easier compared to previous games in the series, it's still a very time consuming process. Breeding still plays a huge role in creating strong Pokemon in order to win Ranked Battles.
Change Nature With Mints
You will be able to modify the stats affected by a Pokemon's Nature by using an item called a Mint. However, you need a lot of Battle Points (BP) to do so. Breeding is also necessary to create strong Pokemon with which to farm BP in the first place.
BP Farming Guide HereUse Hyper Training To Max Out IVs
You can use Hyper Training to max out a Pokemon's IVs but you need to get Bottle Caps, which require a lot of BP. You also have to level your Pokemon to 100 to use Hyper Training.
Check Out the Hyper Training Guide Here!Breeding Todo - Get Destiny Knot & High IV Ditto
Things To Do Overview
| Step | Description |
|---|---|
| 1 | Unlock The Judge Function |
| 2 | Get Breeding Items |
| 3 | Catch a High IV Ditto |
1. Unlock The Judge Function
You will need to unlock the Judge Function to check the IVs of your Pokemon. Head to the Battle Tower and reach the Poke Ball Tier rank in order to unlock it.
Check Out The Battle Tower Guide!How To Access "Judge" Menu
| Steps | What To Do |
|---|---|
| 1 |  Open the Menu & go into the Pokemon Interface. |
| 2 |  Press R to open the Box |
| 3 |  Check the IVs of specific Pokemon on the right side. |
2. Get Useful Breeding Items & Abilities
| Item | |
|---|---|
| Destiny Knot | Inherits 5 IVs randomly from the parent Pokemon |
| Everstone | Passes down the holder's Nature |
| Mints | Changes the Nature of your Pokemon |
| Ability | |
| Synchronize | The nature of wild Pokemon you encounter will be the same as the Pokemon which has Synchronize. You need to place the Pokemon with Synchronize at head of your party. |
| Flame Body | Reduce the time required to hatch eggs. |
Related Helpful Guides
| Related Helpful Guides | |
|---|---|
| Other Useful Items | How To Hatch Eggs Fast |
3. Catch A Ditto With High IVs
Leaving any Pokemon with a Ditto will give you an egg from the non-Ditto Pokemon. In order to inherit high IVs, you want to catch a Ditto with 4 ~ 6 max IVs.
Learn How To Catch A Ditto With High IVs From HereBreeding - How To Do It Efficiently
| Step | Process |
|---|---|
| 1 | Get a female with the best ability |
| 2 | Get a parent with an ideal nature |
| 3 | Chain breed to get the best IVs |
Step 1: Breeding For The Best Ability
Normal Abilities Are Likely To Be Inherited From A Female
When you breed two Pokemon with normal(= non-hidden) abilities, you will have a 70% chance of inheriting the ability of the female Pokemon.
Hidden Abilities Are Inherited At A 50% Chance
When the female parent or non-Ditto Pokemon has a hidden ability, you will have a 50% chance to inherit that hidden ability.
Learn More About Hidden Abilities From HereStep 2: Select Parents With Ideal Natures
Use An Everstone To Pass Down Natures
When you want to pass down a certain Nature to your egg, have the parent Pokemon with the ideal Nature hold an item called an Everstone. The egg Pokemon's nature will become the same as the parent Pokemon with the Everstone.
Everstones Can Be Held By Both Genders
It doesn't matter which parent holds the Everstone. Whichever parent is holding Everstone passes down its Nature.
Learn More About How Natures Work From HereStep 3: Breed For The Best IVs
Use The Destiny Knot
Eggs inherit 3 random IVs from their parents. By using the Destiny Knot, you can inherit 5 IVs! Keep in mind, you will inherit 5 from both parents, which means that if both parents have higher IVs, the chance of producing a better Pokemon will increase.
Destiny Knot + Power Items Effects
Combining a Power Item with a Destiny Knot does not guarantee you will pass down 6 IVs. It just means that you are guaranteeing one particular IV. It's generally recommended to use the Destiny Knot + Everstone when breeding in most cases.
Find Out How To Get The Destiny Knot Here!Other Useful Items For Breeding
| Item | Description |
|---|---|
| Power Bracer | Passes down the holder's Attack IV |
| Power Belt | Passes down the holder's Defense IV |
| Power Lens | Passes down the holder's Sp. Attack IV |
| Power Band | Passes down the holder's Sp. Defense IV |
| Power Anklet | Passes down the holder's Speed IV |
| Power Weight | Passes down the holder's HP IV |
Breeding - Use Egg Groups
Pokemon Within The Same Egg Group Can Breed
If two Pokemon are in the same group, they can produce an egg. The egg will always be the same species as the female Pokemon.
Breed Without A Ditto
Although having a 6 IV Ditto is ideal, if you don't have one you can still pass down IVs effectively by using Egg Groups. If you have a Pokemon with 5-6 IVs, check to see how you can pass its IVs down in an egg group.
Example: Dubwool and Grookey
| Parent 1 | Parent 2 |
|---|---|
| 5 Max IV ♂ Dubwool | 0 Max IV ♀ Grookey |
| Child |
|---|
| 5 Max IV Grookey |
Dubwool is in the Field Egg Group, while Grookey is in Field & Grass. This means that the high IV Dubwool you got in a Raid Battle can actually come in handy!
Keep High IV Male Pokemon From Each Egg Group
We recommend having 1 high IV (5-6) male ♂ Pokemon for each of the 13 Egg Groups. This will give you the freedom to breed anything you need.
Check Out All Egg Groups Here!Pass Down Egg Moves With Egg Groups
Some moves can only be learned through breeding. In order to learn these, you'll have to be aware of the egg group relationships among Pokemon. Use our Egg Move Search Tool to find the best way to teach a Pokemon a move.
Pass Down Egg Moves Without Breeding A New Pokemon
In Sword and Shield, it's possible to transfer an egg move between two of the same Pokemon. Put two of the exact same Pokemon in the Day Care & make sure the one you want to learn the move has an empty move slot. After some time, the egg move will be passed on.
Check Out The Egg Move Search Tool Here!Things You Should Do After Breeding
Use Items to Change Stats after Breeding
Items can be used to manipulate your Pokemon's IVs, Nature, or even a Pokemon's Ability. This will allow you to create the ideal Pokemon without needing to breed again.
Important Stat Changing Items
How to Get Bottle Caps
You can buy Bottle Caps from the BP Shop in the Battle Tower. This require Battle Points to purchase which you can earn by playing in competitive matches in the Battle Tower.
Check Out the How to Farm BP HereOptimize The Base Points (EVs)
▲The picture shown above is from a previous generation and is meant as an example!!!
Base Points, which are also known as "Effort Values" or "EVs", are one of the main ways you can customize your Pokemon's stats. The picture above is a comparison between two level 100 Pikachu. The right one has Base Point training while the left one has no Base Points.
How To Earn Base Points (EVs)
Earn Base Points With Items
Item such as Vitamins (Calcium, Carbos, Protein, and others) give 10 Base Points to one specific stat. Unlike previous generations, you can reach max EVs by only using Vitamins .
Check Out This Base Points Guide & Earn Base Points EfficientlyMore Efficient To Buy Vitamins With Money
Vitamins can be bought with BP or money, but it is recommended you buy them with money at a Pokemon Center in Wyndon as BP is required for a lot of other end-game content. Money can also be earned faster than BP.
How to Earn Money FastDefeat Wild Pokemon To Earn BP
Base Points can be earned by defeating other Pokemon. The type of Base Point the defeated Pokemon gives is different from species to species. For example, Diglett gives you 1 Speed Base Point.
Check Out What Pokemon Give Which Base Point From Here!Reach Max Level
The last thing you should do to make the strongest Pokemon is to raise them to level 100. Use items such as the Lucky Egg to efficiently get EXP.
EXP Farming & Leveling GuideIncrease Friendship Level
Fortifying your bond between your Pokemon will also yield tactical advantage as well! Learn more about how to check & raise Friendship Level from the guide below.
Learn More on Friendship LevelJoin The Battle Stadium!
Use your best Pokemon and take part in the Battle Stadium, the online Ranked Battle feature in Sword and Shield! There are also official competitions run by Nintendo as well.
Learn More About Battle Stadium From HereBreeding Shiny Pokemon
Good Way To Get Shinies
Breeding can also be a good way to hunt for shiny Pokemon. Since you have access to an unlimited amount of Pokemon via eggs, it is especially good for farming Pokemon that are rare to find in the wild. Make sure you complete your Pokedex so you can get the Shiny Charm! Read our detailed Shiny guide for more information.
Find Out How To Hunt Shiny Pokemon Here!
