Pokémon Sword and Shield: How to Build the Perfect Catching Machine

Pokémon Sword and Shield has continued to improve on a classic series, but ultimately there’s only one thing we’re all trying to do: we’re trying to catch Pokémon.

Whether you’re just looking for your favorites, trying to nab the rare and powerful legendary Pokémon, or hunting for shiny Pokémon, you’re going to be catching Pokémon. It can be difficult sometimes to catch the ones we want, but there is a way to set yourself up for success.

There’s one Pokémon in all of Pokémon Sword and Shield that can be molded and built to become the perfect catching machine. Gallade is the Pokémon you want.

Where to catch Gallade in the Wild Area

The Wild Area is going to be key to getting your Gallade, and fortunately there are more than a few spots to find one. Gallade will spawn in Bridge Field, Dusty Bowl, North Lake Miloch, and Rolling Fields.

If you don’t yet have access to Bridge Field and the north part of the Wild Area, North Lake Miloch will be your best bet. It shouldn’t be too hard to find, as it’s usually walking along the overworld.

In my experience, the most reliable location to find Gallade is the small beach area in Bridge Field you can see below.

Simply encounter Gallade, whittle his health down, and throw the Poké Ball of your preference (probably an Ultra Ball) when the time is right to catch the basis of your Pokémon catching machine.

Where to catch Ralts in the Wild Area

If you’re struggling to find Gallade or would rather start with its previous evolution, Ralts are abundant in the Wild Area and can often be seen in the overworld in grassy areas.

Locations where Ralts can spawn include: Dappled Grove, North Lake Miloch, Rolling Fields, South Lake Miloch, Watchtower Ruins, West Lake Axwell, Hammerlocke Hills, Lake of Outrage, Motostoke Riverbank, Rolling Fields, and Stony Wilderness.

You can even encounter Ralts at times in Max Raid battles near Watchtower Ruins. Wherever you find Ralts, there is one very important thing to be sure of.

Make sure the Ralts you’re catching is male. If you catch a female Ralts, it will eventually evolve into Gardevoir, not Gallade. That means it won’t be of any use to you for making a catching machine.

If you’ve encountered a female Ralts, simply run away or make it faint. Keep looking until you encounter a male Ralts, and make sure that’s the one you catch.

How to evolve Ralts into Gallade

Should you choose to take the path of catching a male Ralts to evolve it into Gallade, you’ll first need to raise Ralts up to Level 20 for it to evolve into Kirlia. You can do this by battling other trainers in the game, defeating wild Pokémon, or using Exp. Candy that you find or earn in Max Raid battles.

However you choose to get your Ralts to Level 20, that will be your first step. Again, be sure you have a male Ralts, as a female Kirlia will only be able to evolve into Gardevoir.

Once you have your male Kirlia, you need a Dawn Stone. This can be tricky to acquire, as there’s no specific spot that will always 100% have a Dawn Stone.

One way to get a Dawn Stone is by spending watts with the Digging Duo located in Bridge Field. One digger tends to be known for his stamina, the other for his skill, but both can yield a Dawn Stone.

You may end up having to try several times, as they can pull many different items. The stamina brother has a 3% chance of finding a Dawn Stone, while the skill brother has a 4% chance.

The most reliable spot to find a Dawn Stone is Lake of Outrage. There’s a large circle of stones there and you can see glistening dots behind each stone.

Interact with those dots to find various evolutionary stones, one of which is very likely to be a Dawn Stone. If there isn’t one, simply come back later as these will respawn.

How to give Gallade the perfect moveset

Once you have your Gallade, the final touch is getting his moves just right. The first important move is Hypnosis, a Psychic Type move that can put an opposing Pokémon to sleep.

Ralts learns this move at level nine, so you may still have it, but don’t fret if it’s been lost or you caught a higher level Gallade that doesn’t know it anymore. Unlike previous games, it’s very easy to remember past moves.

Simply go into any regular Pokémon Center and speak to the man on the left. Choose the option to remember a move, pick your Gallade, and go find Hypnosis to get it back in your moveset.

The second important move can be learned with TM 94. You can purchase TM 94 at the western Pokémon Center in Motostoke for 10,000 Pokédollars.

A great move that could help you in a pinch is Heal Pulse, which Gallade learns at Level 49. Heal Pulse will actually heal up your opponent, increasing their HP instead of reducing it.

This can be handy if the Pokémon you’re catching is in danger of fainting itself for some reason, such as being hurt by weather during the battle like Hail or Sandstorm.

You’re likely to have your Gallade with you often, and as such you want at least one decently powerful damaging move. Psycho Cut, which Gallade learns at Level 42, is an ideal choice for this.

After all is said and done, you should have a Gallade that definitely knows Hypnosis, False Swipe, and Heal Pulse. The final move, whether it’s Psycho Cut or something else, is up to you.

Leveling Gallade up to challenge the toughest Pokémon

Once you’ve got Gallade outfitted with all the moves you’d like, it’s smart to go out of your way to level it up all the way to the maximum of Level 100.

Chances are you’re wanting this Gallade to be able to take on the toughest legendary Pokémon, and you don’t want the battle to go badly just because it needed to be higher level.

Getting your Gallade up to Level 100 will make it extra sturdy for difficult battles, but it also maximizes the power of False Swipe, which isn’t a particularly damaging move.

How you go about leveling up Gallade will depend on how far along you are in Pokémon Sword and Shield. If you’re past the Pokémon League, it can be easy to just leave Gallade in your party while you compete in the tournament.

You can simply battle wild Pokémon and trainers throughout the game as you see them, but the quickest way may be through completing a few Max Raid battles. You’ll earn Exp. Candy after completing a Max Raid, which can help quickly push Gallade up to Level 100.

How to use your Pokémon catching machine in battle

Once you’ve done all the hard work, simply take your powered up and expertly crafted Gallade into battle against whatever Pokémon you want to catch. Be sure you’ve brought along several Poké Balls, whether they’re special ones or simply Ultra Balls.

It’s also not a bad idea to have some Revives and healing items in your inventory before heading into battle with Gallade. If you’re up against a very difficult challenger, like a legendary Pokémon, you could run the risk of it fainting Gallade.

You don’t want to be stuck starting over just because of a lucky critical hit. Send in another Pokémon, and heal up Gallade while his teammate takes a few hits.

When you’re using Gallade, you can use Hypnosis to keep your opponent asleep as you’re lowering their health with False Swipe. Just keep up the assault until you only see a sliver of red, indicating the Pokémon is down to 1 HP.

Don’t forget that you have Heal Pulse if you need it. You’ll rarely use it, but it can help save a rare legendary or shiny Pokémon from fainting and ending a battle before you can catch it.

Use Hypnosis to ensure they’re asleep after you’ve gotten their health lowered to the ideal amount. Throw your Poké Ball, and know that the hard work you put in before you threw it has given you the best possible chance of catching that Pokémon.