Pokémon Sword / Shield / Dragon Gym Leader

Raihan

Dragon Gym Leader · Hammerlocke Stadium

Raihan is the eighth Gym opponent and one of Leon’s main rivals. He returns for the first Cup finals.

Story: The Hammerlocke Gym uses Double Battles. His finals encounter changes to a Single Battle and a different team.
In the game: Weather and partner combinations matter in the Gym battle. His Gigantamax Duraludon’s Steel typing changes how it responds to common Dragon counters.

Story spoilers.

Pokémon Sword / Shield · Nintendo Switch · 2019 · Original Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield for Nintendo Switch (2019). Version-exclusive Gyms and starter-dependent teams are labelled. · Picture: Raihan: original Pokémon Sword and Shield character artwork.

Sword and Shield battle teams

Open searchable Gym Leaders ↗

Raihan

Hammerlocke Stadium · Gym 8

Sword and Shield

Dragon

Badge: Dragon Badge

Reward: TM99 Breaking Swipe

A Double Battle with a sandstorm-focused team. Raihan Gigantamaxes Duraludon. His Champion Cup battle uses singles.

Plan two partners that can work together. Ice attacks are excellent against Flygon, while Ground or Fighting hits Duraludon; a Fairy move alone will not cover the full team.

Gym 8 · Raihan4 Pokémon · Double Battle

Gigalith

Lv. 46

Rock

Stealth Rock
Sand Tomb
Rock Blast
Body Press

Flygon

Lv. 47

GroundDragon

Thunder Punch
Breaking Swipe
Crunch
Steel Wing

Sandaconda

Lv. 46

Ground

Protect
Glare
Fire Fang
Earth Power

Duraludon

Lv. 48Ace

SteelDragon

Gigantamax

Breaking Swipe
Body Press
Stone Edge
Iron Head

Open searchable Champion Cup ↗

Raihan

Wyndon Stadium

Sword and Shield

Dragon

The last scheduled finals opponent. This Single Battle uses several kinds of weather, and Raihan Gigantamaxes Duraludon.

Use Ice or Fairy against the dragons when their secondary types allow it. Goodra can combine rain with Thunder, and Duraludon still needs Ground or Fighting coverage.