Here’s the easiest way to evolve Farfetch’d into Sirfetch’d

There have been plenty of new methods for evolving familiar Pokemon, but few are as popular as Sword and Shield’s Galarian Farfetch’d and its evolution, Sirfetch’d.

With Sword and Shield set in the Galar region, which is based on England, The Pokemon Company added not one but two lines of knightly bird Pokemon. But while getting a Corviknight is a straightforward process of leveling up a Rookidee, getting Sirfetch’d is much more difficult.

Here’s how to evolve a Galarian Farfetch’d into a Sirfetch’d and the best build for it once you have one.

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The trick for evolving Galarian Farfetch’d into Sirfetch’d

Galarian Farfetch’d evolves into Sirfetch’d after hitting three critical hits within the same battle. This can be accomplished at any level, with a level one Sirfetch’d technically being possible.

This can be annoying to pull off correctly. Galarian Farfetch’d will almost certainly knock out any Pokemon of a comparable level in two critical hits, sometimes even one. On the flipside, if a Galarian Farfetch’d comes across an opponent that can hypothetically tank three critical hits, it’s likely to die before landing them.

There is one method to effectively pull this off, however. Here are the steps:

1. Equip Galarian Farfetch’d with a Leek held item.
2. Teach Galarian Farfetch’d Focus Energy with TR13 and either keep or remind it of the move Rock Smash.
3. Go to the Rolling Fields section of the Wild Area, right outside the southern Meetup Spot.
4. Put Galarian Farfetch’d in the front of the party and find a Metapod in the tall grass. 
5. Use Focus Energy six times to allow Metapod to max out its defense stat. Use Rock Smash until three critical hits come through.

Metapod is the ideal opponent for this, as it has no offensive capabilities when found in the wild, meaning it cannot kill Farfetch’d. With its defenses maxed out, it can resist a number of Rock Smash hits from a comparably leveled opponent. The only issue with Metapod is that it’s a relatively rare spawn and can be difficult to spot in the grass, but the good news is that it appears in the Rolling Fields area regardless of the weather.

The combination of the Leek item and Focus Energy greatly increases the chances of a critical hit for Farfetch’d. It’s easiest to do this with a Galarian Farfetch’d that’s of a lower level than the Wild Area’s Pokemon, but players can bring along an insurance policy in the form of a Pokemon with the move Heal Pulse. 

Heal Pulse can be used to heal any Pokemon in a battle other than its user, including enemy Pokemon. This allows the player to keep the enemy Metapod alive to endure more Rock Smashes. Gallade, Gardevoir, the entire Slowpoke family, Blissey, and Lucario all learn Heal Pulse by leveling.

Where to catch Farfetch’d in Pokemon Sword

In Pokemon Sword, Galarian Farfetch’d can be caught either on Route 5 or in the Giant’s Mirror section of the Wild Area during overcast weather conditions.

Pokemon Shield players cannot find Galarian Farfetch’d in the wild, as it is a version-exclusive Pokemon exclusive to Sword. Instead, they need to trade with a Shield player for it. 

Kantonian Farfetch’d can also be acquired from Regina on the Isle of Armor. Regina trades Galarian Pokemon for regional variants from other titles.

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Galarian Farfetch’d and Sirfetch’d do not appear in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond or Shining Pearl. The games only include Pokemon from the first four generations. Kantonian Farfetch’d appears in the Grand Underground and in swarms on Route 221. Unfortunately, Kantonian Farfetch’d does not evolve.

Is Sirfetch’d good in Pokemon Sword and Shield?

Sirfetch’d is a good Pokemon when playing in the story of Pokemon Sword and Shield, and is a decent option in online battles.

Though one might expect Sirfetch’d to be gimmicky with how it evolves from Farfetch’d, the Pokemon is actually a roundly strong fighting type. It has solid base defense stats and high attack coupled with a diverse arsenal of attacks. 

Players have two general options for builds with Sirfetch’d. The first is a defensive build using Assault Vest and potential Dynamaxing. The easier option is an all-in attacking build that uses either Choice Band or Leek for a Held Item.

Regardless of which build is used, Close Combat, Brave Bird, and Knock Off are must-have moves. The hidden ability Scrappy is also a must on Sirfetch’d.

For a defensive or Dynamax-focused build, players should max its defense and special defense EVs and give it Assault Vest. Its fourth attack should be either First Impression or Leaf Blade, depending on what other options are in the party. Players can lead off with First Impression, or Dynamax and use either Max Knuckle or Max Airstream for stat boosts before pivoting to super effective moves.

For an offensive build, First Impression is recommended with a Leek while Leaf Blade is better with a Choice Band. Players will want to max Sirfetch’d’s attack EVs, but the rest of its EVs should be spent on speed for a Dynamax Pokemon or used on defenses otherwise. 

With 135 base attack, and both Brave Bird and Close Combat at its disposal, Sirfetch’d can hit as hard as almost any Pokemon in the game. There are plenty of options for players to make a Sirfetch’d fit.