Stats & Training
Everything pushes toward mixed damage here. Shiftry's Attack does the work, Defense pays the price. But you're still getting 3 Attack EVs per KO. Tough to catch, on a 1.06M XP medium-slow curve.
A Pokémon that was feared as a forest guardian. It can read the foe’s mind and take preemptive action.
It lives quietly in the deep forest. It is said to create chilly winter winds with the fans it holds.
Shiftry Weakness
Shiftry's Grass/Dark typing leaves it vulnerable to Bug, Fire, Ice, Fighting, Poison, Flying, and Fairy. Bug hits land at 4x, so they're the biggest threat. It shrugs off Psychic-type attacks completely. It resists 6 types, so it can switch into a lot of moves safely. Shiftry leans offensive (base 100 Atk) rather than trying to tank its weaknesses.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 4x (Critical) | Bug |
| 2x (Weak) | Fire, Ice, Fighting, Poison, Flying, Fairy |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Water, Electric, Grass, Ground, Ghost, Dark |
| 0x (Immune) | Psychic |
In Sword & Shield, Celesteela's Air Slash also KOs at 111-131%.
 Heatran FireSteel | S | |
Recommended Build AbilityFlashfire ItemLeftovers NatureTimid Moves View Heatran builds →
| ||
 Scizor BugSteel | A | |
Recommended Build AbilityTechnician ItemHeavy-Duty Boots NatureAdamant Moves
Damage vs Shiftry View Scizor builds →Bullet Punch29-34% Knock Off15-18% | ||
 Celesteela Steel | A | |
Recommended Build AbilityBeastboost ItemLeftovers NatureModest Moves
Damage vs Shiftry View Celesteela builds →Flamethrower 2x88-104%KO Air Slash 2x111-131%KO | ||
 Weavile DarkIce | A | |
Recommended Build AbilityPressure ItemHeavy-Duty Boots NatureJolly Moves
Damage vs Shiftry View Weavile builds →Knock Off24-28% Ice Shard 2x60-70% | ||
 Clefable Fairy | A | |
Recommended Build AbilityMagic Guard ItemLeftovers NatureBold Moves
Damage vs Shiftry View Clefable builds →Moonblast 2x92-108%KO Knock Off7-9% | ||
Sword & Shield Evolution
Shiftry evolved from Seedot's chain using an evolution item. It's a non-standard trigger, so check the details below. Breed this form to get Seedot eggs (quick to hatch). The evolution from Seedot pushed Shiftry to 480 total stats. Attack saw the largest single gain at +60. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
Breed with Shiftry to get Seedot eggs easily using 152 partners from the Ground and Plant egg groups. Notable egg moves include Defog, Leech Seed, Night Slash and 3 more.
Sword & Shield Shiftry Best Moveset
One guaranteed turn is all Shiftry needs. Focus Sash buys it, max Attack and Speed EVs make it count, and Chlorophyll adds something extra. The goal: deal early damage and deal damage with Solarblade. The remaining moves gives it play beyond just the lead turn.
Best Build
Shiftry best EVs are Attack and Speed
Doubles Physical Sweeper Moveset
- Solar Blade
- Sucker Punch
- Knock Off
- Brick Break
Recommended Teammates
Physical Sweeper Moveset
- Knock Off
- Heat Wave
- Sucker Punch
- Leaf Blade
Recommended Teammates
Physical Setup Sweeper Moveset
- Growth
- Knock Off
- Solar Blade
- Heat Wave
Recommended Teammates
Moves
STAB runs through Leaf Storm and Solar Blade for the basics, but Shiftry's real strength is the 10-type coverage spread. Flying and Ghost hit common defensive types, and the movepool keeps going.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
How to Get Shiftry in Sword & Shield
No wild encounters for Shiftry. The 3-stage chain runs through Seedot, which you can catch at solid rates from the locations below. Evolve through a special method once you've got the levels.
How to Obtain Shiftry in Sword & Shield
Seedot is your first catch on the way to Shiftry. You'll find walking encounters from Lv. 4-40 across 25 total spots in the chain.
Step 1Catch SeedotWest Lake AxewellOverworld Lv.8-14 Cave60%EarlyOvercastDappled GroveGrass Lv.11-15 Forest40%EarlyNormal WeatherDappled GroveGrass Lv.11-15 Forest35%EarlyHeavy FogRoute 2Grass Lv.4-6 Route20%EarlyAll WeatherDappled GroveGrass Lv.11-15 Forest20%EarlyOvercastDappled GroveGrass Lv.11-15 Forest20%EarlyThunderstormDappled GroveGrass Lv.11-15 Forest20%EarlyRainingRoute 2 - High LevelGrass Lv.37-40 Route20%LateAll Weather
Step 2Catch or Evolve NuzleafRolling FieldsGrass Lv.7-940%EarlyRainingDappled GroveOverworld Lv.13-15 Forest10%EarlyIntense SunDappled GroveOverworld Lv.13-15 Forest10%EarlyOvercastDappled GroveOverworld Lv.13-15 Forest5%EarlyNormal WeatherDappled GroveOverworld Lv.13-15 Forest5%EarlySnowstormDappled GroveOverworld Lv.13-15 Forest5%EarlyThunderstormDappled GroveOverworld Lv.13-15 Forest5%EarlySnowingDappled GroveOverworld Lv.13-15 Forest5%EarlySandstormDappled GroveOverworld Lv.13-15 Forest5%EarlyRainingDappled GroveOverworld Lv.13-15 Forest5%EarlyHeavy FogSouth Lake MilochOverworld Lv.14-16 Water5%EarlyOvercastSouth Lake MilochOverworld Lv.14-16 Water5%EarlyNormal WeatherGiant's CapGrass Lv.27-2940%MidNormal WeatherRoute 5Grass Lv.16-18 Route20%MidAll WeatherGiant's SeatGrass Lv.30-35 Water15%MidRainingGiant's SeatOverworld Lv.33-38 Water60%LateRainingGiant's SeatOverworld Lv.33-38 Water25%LateNormal Weatheror evolve from Seedot (Step 1)
Step 3Shiftry ✓
Shiftry Guide
In Sword & Shield, Shiftry looks average on paper at 480 BST. But Chlorophyll is why it sees play. Build around that and it pulls its weight. C-Tier setup sweeper on our tier list. Solarblade with Focus Sash is the standard set.
In Sword & Shield, watch for Scizor (Bug), Blaziken (Fire), and Lapras (Ice) when using Shiftry. They all hit it super-effectively with STAB. Scizor is the most dangerous since Bug moves deal 4x damage. Fighting, Poison, Flying, and Fairy-type attackers are also a problem. With 7 weakness types, most competitive teams carry at least one counter.
Shiftry gets Chlorophyll, Wind Rider, and Pickpocket. But Chlorophyll is the one that matters. It's the centerpiece of every viable set. Build around that.
Shiftry is leaning toward the physical side (base 100 Attack). Enough bulk to take a hit or two, too. Speed tells the real story. Base 80 Speed is workable. Faster than some, slower than many. Fits the setup sweeper role.
In Sword & Shield, run Solarblade, Sucker Punch, Knock Off, and Brickbreak on Shiftry. Solarblade is the most common pick at 25% usage. This set covers the setup sweeper role with a mix of damage and utility.
Game Availability
Since Ruby & Sapphire, Shiftry has been in 15 games. Requiring an item-based evolution to obtain means it's consistently available but requires more effort than simply catching it in the wild.
Click a game to view version-specific details
- Gen 1Y
Yellow - Gen 1RB
Red & Blue - Gen 2GS
Gold & Silver - Gen 2C
Crystal - Gen 3RSDebut
Ruby & Sapphire - Gen 3FRLG
FireRed & LeafGreen - Gen 3E
Emerald - Gen 4Pt
Platinum - Gen 4HGSS
HeartGold & SoulSilver - Gen 4DP
Diamond & Pearl - Gen 5BW
Black & White - Gen 5B2W2
Black 2 & White 2 - Gen 6XY
X & Y - Gen 6ORAS
Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire - Gen 7USUM
Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon - Gen 7SM
Sun & Moon - Gen 7LGPE
Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee - Gen 8SwSh
Sword & Shield - Gen 8PLA
Legends: Arceus - Gen 8BDSP
Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl - Gen 9SV
Scarlet & Violet - Gen 9LZA
Legends: Z-A - Gen 10WW
Winds & Waves