Mixed
Balanced
38Speed · Very Slow

Is Deino Good in Sword & Shield Playthrough?

Deino spawns in the Wild Area at the Lake of Outrage. Dark/Dragon heading toward Hydreigon, the longest evolution chain in the franchise (level 64). Sword exclusive (Shield gets Larvitar). The investment is enormous, but 600 BST awaits if you start early enough.

StrongGoodEvenToughBadGGGTTEEETEMiloGym 1NessaGym 2KabuGym 3BeaGym 4OpalGym 5GordieGym 6DeinoCatchableZweilousEvolvePiersGym 7RaihanGym 8BedeGym 9LeonChamp*
Milo
Gym 1
Good

Deino has the type edge here and should clean up Milo's team.

You Win
Gossifleur
Lv 19
Grass
Regenerator
Magical LeafRoundRapid Spin
You Win
Eldegoss
Lv 20
Grass
Regenerator
Magical LeafLeafageRound
Nessa
Gym 2
Good

Deino has the type edge here and should clean up Nessa's team.

You Win
Goldeen
Lv 22
Water
Swift Swim
Water PulseWhirlpoolHorn AttackAgility
You Win
Arrokuda
Lv 23
Water
Swift Swim
Aqua JetBiteWhirlpoolFury Attack
Even
Drednaw
Lv 24
WaterRock
Swift Swim
Razor ShellWater GunBiteHeadbutt
Kabu
Gym 3
Good

Deino has the type edge here and should clean up Kabu's team.

You Win
Ninetales
Lv 25
Fire
Flash Fire
Will O WispFire SpinQuick AttackEmber
You Win
Arcanine
Lv 25
Fire
Intimidate
Will O WispFlame WheelBiteAgility
You Win
Centiskorch
Lv 27
FireBug
Flash Fire
Flame WheelCoilBug BiteSmokescreen
Bea
Gym 4
Tough

Bea's team hits Deino's weaknesses hard.

Risky
Hitmontop
Lv 34
Fighting
Technician
Triple KickQuick AttackCounterRevenge
Risky
Pangoro
Lv 34
FightingDark
Mold Breaker
Bullet PunchCircle ThrowNight SlashWork Up
Risky
Sirfetchd
Lv 35
Fighting
Steadfast
DetectSwords DanceBrutal SwingRevenge
Risky
Machamp
Lv 36
Fighting
Guts
Scary FaceRevengeKnock OffStrength
Opal
Gym 5
Tough

Opal's team hits Deino's weaknesses hard.

Risky
Weezing
Lv 36
Poison
Levitate
SludgeFairy WindTackle
Risky
Mawile
Lv 36
SteelFairy
Intimidate
Draining KissCrunchIron DefenseAstonish
Risky
Togekiss
Lv 37
FairyFlying
Hustle
Air SlashDraining KissAncient Power
Risky
Alcremie
Lv 38
Fairy
Sweet Veil
Draining KissAcid ArmorSweet Kiss
Gordie
Gym 6
Even

Deino trades roughly evenly with Gordie's team.

Even
Barbaracle
Lv 40
RockWater
Tough Claws
Shell SmashRock TombRazor Shell
You Win
Shuckle
Lv 40
BugRock
Contrary
Power SplitStone EdgeStruggle BugRock Tomb
Risky
Stonjourner
Lv 41
Rock
Power Spot
Stealth RockRock TombBody SlamWonder Room
You Win
Coalossal
Lv 42
RockFire
Steam Engine
Tar ShotStealth RockHeat CrashRock Tomb
Piers
Gym 7
Even

Zweilous trades roughly evenly with Piers's team.

Risky
Scrafty
Lv 44
DarkFighting
Intimidate
Fake OutSand AttackBrick BreakPayback
Even
Malamar
Lv 45
DarkPsychic
Contrary
Night SlashFoul PlayPsycho CutPayback
Even
Skuntank
Lv 45
PoisonDark
Aftermath
Sucker PunchScreechToxicSnarl
Even
Obstagoon
Lv 46
DarkNormal
Reckless
ObstructThroat ChopCounterShadow Claw
Raihan
Gym 8
Even

Zweilous trades roughly evenly with Raihan's team.

Even
Gigalith
Lv 46
Rock
Sand Stream
Stealth RockSand TombRock BlastBody Press
You Win
Flygon
Lv 47
GroundDragon
Levitate
Thunder PunchBreaking SwipeCrunchSteel Wing
Even
Sandaconda
Lv 46
Ground
Sand Spit
ProtectGlareFire FangEarth Power
Risky
Duraludon
Lv 48
SteelDragon
Heavy Metal
Breaking SwipeBody PressStone EdgeIron Head
Bede
Gym 9
Tough

Bede's team hits Zweilous's weaknesses hard.

Avoid
Mawile
Lv 51
SteelFairy
Intimidate
Play RoughIron HeadCrunch
Risky
Gardevoir
Lv 51
PsychicFairy
Synchronize
Dazzling GleamPsychicCalm MindWish
Even
Rapidash
Lv 52
Fire
Pastel Veil
Psycho CutTake DownDazzling GleamQuick Attack
Risky
Hatterene
Lv 53
PsychicFairy
Anticipation
PsychicDazzling GleamCalm MindMystical Fire
Leon
Champion
Even

Zweilous trades roughly evenly with Leon's team.

Even
Aegislash
Lv 62
SteelGhost
Stance Change
Kings ShieldShadow BallSacred SwordFlash Cannon
You Win
Dragapult
Lv 62
DragonGhost
Clear Body
Shadow BallFlamethrowerThunderboltDragon Breath
Even
Haxorus
Lv 63
Dragon
Mold Breaker
Poison JabIron TailOutrageEarthquake
Risky
Rhyperior
Lv 64
GroundRock
Solid Rock
EarthquakeStone EdgeMegahornHeat Crash
Even
Rillaboom
Lv 64
Grass
Overgrow
Drum BeatingKnock OffHigh HorsepowerEndeavor
You Win
Charizard
Lv 65
FireFlying
Blaze
Fire BlastAir SlashSolar BeamAncient Power
Catchable
Available after Badge 6
Type
DarkDragon
Tier
E

Catch Deino on Lake of Outrage (walking, Lv 50-52). Raining.

View Deino locations

Evolve Deino to Zweilous
Level 50
Type
DarkDragon
Tier
E

Your Deino should hit Level 50 before you reach Piers, at typical leveling pace.

View Zweilous locations

How to Get Deino in Sword & Shield

2 encounter spots for Deino at moderate rates starting from endgame routes. Best and Earliest sort options below help narrow down your approach based on odds vs. Accessibility.

Sword Exclusive — Trade with Shield for Goomy

Where To Catch Deino in SwSh

To get Deino, start by catching Deino through walking encounters at Lv. 50-65. The chain covers 2 catchable stages before reaching the final form.

  1. Deino
    Step 1Deino
    Roaring-Sea Caves
    Lv.60-65Overworld
    SwordRate 10%
    All Weather
    Lake of Outrage
    Lv.50-52Grass
    SwordRate 2%
    Raining
  2. Zweilous
    Step 2Catch or Evolve into Zweilous
    Lake of Outrage
    Lv.50-52Grass
    SwordRate 2%
    Thunderstorm
    Lake of Outrage
    Lv.55-58Overworld
    SwordRate 2%
    Sandstorm
    or evolve from Deino (Step 1)
  3. Hydreigon
    Step 3Evolve into Hydreigon
    BREEDING
    Available
    Leave a compatible parent at the Pokemon Day Care to receive a Hydreigon egg.

Deino Weakness

Fairy, Ice, Fighting, Bug, and Dragon moves hit Deino for super-effective damage. Fairy hits land at 4x, so they're the biggest threat. The upside? Psychic-type moves can't touch it at all. 6 resistances give it solid defensive coverage on top of that.

Deino Weakness and Resistance Chart
DamageTypes
4x (Critical)Fairy
2x (Weak)Ice, Fighting, Bug, Dragon
0.5x (Resist)Fire, Water, Electric, Grass, Ghost, Dark
0x (Immune)Psychic

What is Deino Weak Against

Vulnerable
5Weak
6Resist
1Immune
Score-3
4xCritical
¼xResist
None
0xImmune

What is Deino Strong Against

3Strong
1Resisted
0Immune
Score+2
½xResisted
0xImmune
None

Best Pokemon Against Deino

Deino Evolutions

Deino is the start of a three-stage chain. It evolves into Zweilous first, then eventually reaches Hydreigon. For breeding, takes forever to hatch with plenty of partners via one egg group. The evolved forms gain up to 300 total stats over Deino. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.

How to Evolve

3 Forms
Stat Comparison 3 Stages
Deino
DarkDragon
Zweilous
DarkDragon
Hydreigon
DarkDragon
HP
52
72+20
92+20
ATK
65
85+20
105+20
DEF
50
70+20
90+20
SP.ATK
45
65+20
125+60
SP.DEF
50
70+20
90+20
SPE
38
58+20
98+40
BST
300C-Tier
420C-Tier+120
600B-Tier+180
ROLE
Balanced
Balanced
Wallbreaker
TYPE
Physical
Physical
Special

Breeding

Moderate

Breed Deino with 63 breeding partners from the Dragon egg group. Pass egg moves like Astonish, Belch, Double Hit and 1 more to offspring.

Egg Groups
Gender
50.0%50.0%
Hatch Time
40 cycles·10,280 steps
Slow~10 min with Flame Body
Egg Moves
4moves
Breed With (best first)
gyaradoscharizardkingdrasceptileflygonmiloticnoivernaltariascraftydragalgeheliolisksalazzle

SwSh Deino Best Moveset

Dark/Dragon pre-evo with AbilityHustle boosting Attack 50% at accuracy cost, but 65 Attack at 38 Speed across fragile defenses makes the moveset completely non-functional. Two evolutions from Hydreigon, where 125 Sp. Atk and 98 Speed reach A-tier with AbilityLevitate.

Best Build

Experimental
Special Revenge Killer
Ability
Hustle
Item
Choice ScarfSPEED
Best Nature for Deino
Modest+SPA

Deino best EVs are Sp. Atk and Speed

EVs

Special Revenge Killer Moveset

  • CrunchSTAB
  • Dark PulseSTAB
  • OutrageSTAB
  • SuperpowerCoverage

Moves List

Coverage runs deep. Deino can hit 10 types beyond STAB, including Normal and Ground. The offense anchors on Outrage and Dragon Rush while TMs handle everything else.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1
Focus Energy
C30Normal
Lv 1
Tackle
D4010035Normal
Lv 4
Dragon Breath
9010020Dragon
Lv 8
Bite
D9010025Dark
Lv 12
Roar-6
C20Normal
Lv 16
Assurance
9010010Dark
Lv 20
Headbutt
D7010015Normal
Lv 24
Work Up
C30Normal
Lv 28
Slam
807520Normal
Lv 32
Crunch
B12010015Dark
Lv 36
Scary Face
D10010Normal
Lv 40
Dragon Pulse
A12710010Dragon
Lv 44
Body Slam
D8510015Normal
Lv 48
Hyper Voice
A9010010Normal
Lv 52
Dragon Rush
C1507510Dragon
Lv 56
Nasty Plot
C20Dark
Lv 60
Outrage
B18010010Dragon

TM Moves

TM
TM58
Assurance
9010010Dark
TM31
Attract
C10015Normal
TR01
Body Slam
D8510015Normal
TR32
Crunch
B12010015Dark
TR58
Dark Pulse
B12010015Dark
TR62
Dragon Pulse
A12710010Dragon
TR67
Earth Power
B9010010Ground
TR26
Endure+4
C10Normal
TM39
Facade
D7010020Normal
TM68
Fire Fang
D659515Fire
TR13
Focus Energy
C30Normal
TR42
Hyper Voice
A9010010Normal
TM67
Ice Fang
D659515Ice
TR68
Nasty Plot
C20Dark
TR24
Outrage
B18010010Dragon
TM25
Protect+4
C10Normal
TM33
Rain Dance
C5Water
TM21
Rest
C10Psychic
TM76
Round
D6010015Normal
TM26
Scary Face
D10010Normal
TM16
Screech
D8540Normal
TR27
Sleep Talk
C10Normal
TM24
Snore
D5010015Normal
TR20
Substitute
C10Normal
TM34
Sunny Day
C5Fire
TR39
Superpower
B1201005Fighting
TR37
Taunt
C10020Dark
TM23
Thief
D9010025Dark
TM66
Thunder Fang
D659515Electric
TM14
Thunder Wave
C9020Electric
TR35
Uproar
D9010010Normal
TR85
Work Up
C30Normal
TR69
Zen Headbutt
A809015Psychic

Egg Moves

Egg
Egg
Astonish
D3010015Ghost
Egg
Belch
D1209010Poison
Egg
Double Hit
359010Normal
Egg
Head Smash
C150805Rock

Tutor Moves

Deino can't learn any Tutor moves

Base Stats

Base Stats
Avg
HP52
D
Attack65
C
Defense50
D
Sp. Atk45
D
Sp. Def50
D
Speed38
F
Total300
Details
Catch Rate
Challenging45 / 255
Growth Rate
Slow1.25M XP
Height0.8 m
Weight17.3 kg
Base XP60
Abilities
Hustle
Strengthens physical moves to inflict 1.5× damage, but decreases their accuracy to 0.8×.
EV Yield
HPAtk+1DefSpASpDSpe
Attack training source
Pokedex Entry

When it encounters something, its first urge is usually to bite it. If it likes what it tastes, it will commit the associated scent to memory.

Because it can’t see, this Pokémon is constantly biting at everything it touches, trying to keep track of its surroundings.

Deino Sword & Shield Guide

  • In Sword & Shield, Deino does the job early-game if you need a Dark/Dragon type on your team. Evolve it into Zweilous before the later gyms and it holds up fine through the story.

Game Availability

Introduced in Black & White, Deino has appeared in 8 games across 6 generations. Later debuts mean fewer total appearances, but it's been a consistent presence since its introduction.

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