The rival character is one of Pokémon's longest and most enduring traditions. Rivals make the journey more interesting by challenging the player. In many instances, they can actually surprise the player with a few tricks up their sleeves. Most times, though, they serve as a distraction rather than a proper obstacle.
Pokémon Sword & Shield introduces three rivals that rank as some of the most memorable, if not the most effective. Hop, Bede, and Marnie are all capable Trainers that go to great lengths to improve their Pokémon teams. Hop especially is, perhaps, the most eager rival in the franchise. All three have a favorite Pokémon that they Gigantamax in their final battle against the player, which is also their most impressive. However, they also have a weak link in their teams, just like every other Trainer.
Bede's Weakest Pokémon: Mawile
Before Generation VI, Mawile was a terrible Pokémon. It was frail, had below-average Special Attack and Defense, and an overall pitiful 380 base stat total. The arrival of the Fairy-type, and most importantly, Mega Evolution made Mawile an actual threat in battle. It was still frail and had a weak Special Attack, but it could put up a decent fight.
Bede's Mawile, however, doesn't have the advantage of Mega Evolution. Instead, it's left to fight challengers with nothing but its disappointing 380 base stat total. Mawile's Steel/Fairy-type combination does give it nine resistances and two immunities. However, with an HP stat of only 50, and Special Defense of 55, Mawile will fall at the first Flamethrower that comes its way.
Bede's Strongest Pokémon: Hatterene
Bede - a Psychic-type enthusiast forced to become a Fairy-type specialist after inheriting Opal's Gym Leader title - would, of course, choose a Psychic/Fairy-type as his ace Pokémon. Hatterene has a ridiculously high 136 Special Attack and overall imposing Physical stats. However, it also has abysmal HP and Speed, which severely hinder its performance.
Bede's Hatterene can Gigantamax, but its moveset leaves a lot to be desired. It has Dark Pulse to fight against Ghost-types and Psychic to deal with Poison-types. It, however, has nothing against Steel-types, and considering Corviknight is a staple on most Galar teams, Hatterene can find itself in serious trouble.
Marnie's Weakest Pokémon: Liepard
Marnie opens her battle with Liepard, a pure Dark-type Pokémon introduced in Generation V. Liepard has incredibly high Speed and decent Special and Physical Attack. The rest of its stats are pretty awful, though, particularly its risible Physical Defense. It has three weaknesses, including to the common Fighting-type, and an immunity to Psychic.
Liepard's moveset is also terrible. It has three Dark-type attacks and one Normal-type. It has no coverage for any of its three weaknesses, making Nasty Plot a waste in terms of usefulness. It's not difficult at all to defeat this Pokémon, despite its continued use of the annoying Fake Out.
Marnie's Strongest Pokémon: Grimmsnarl
In contrast, Marnie's strongest Pokémon, Grimmsnarl, does put a very admirable fight. A dual-type Dark/Fairy Pokémon, Grimmsnarl is a beast when it comes to Physical Attack. It also has high HP and Special Attack, although its Speed is below-average. Its unique type combination results in weaknesses to Poison, Steel, and Fairy, immunities to Dragon and Psychic, and resistances, to Ghost and Dark.
Grimmsnarl can also Gigantamax. Its moveset, however, severely affects its performance. It only has two damage-dealing moves, none of which is effective against any of the types it's weak against. Grimmsnarl is still a cool Pokémon, though, and its Gigantamax design is one of the best.
Hop's Weakest Pokémon: The Starter
In any Pokémon team, the Starter is one of, if not the best, members. It's a part of the team from day one of a Trainer's journey, so it's bound to be the most experienced Pokémon in the pack. In Hop's case, however, the Starter is perhaps the weakest link because he picks the one that's weak against the player's choice.
And so Hop's Starter enters the battle with a considerable disadvantage. His Rillaboom and Inteleon at least have one attack each to fight their main threats - Rillaboom has High Horsepower against Fire-types, and Inteleon has Ice Beam against Water-types - but Cinderace has nothing against Water or Ground. It does have Low Sweep against Rock-types, which is something.
Hop's First Strongest Pokémon: Dubwool
As the main rival in Sword & Shield, Hop gets the privilege of having two Pokémon that can be considered his most impressive. Although he Gigantamaxes his Corviknight, and there's a strong case for it as Hop's ace, it's Dubwool who better represents Hop as a Trainer.
The sheep is Hop's first-ever Pokémon. It's part of his team in nearly every battle in the game, except for a few exceptions. As a Normal-type, Dubwool only has one weakness, to Fighting. Yet, its high Physical Defense means it most likely won't go down with one hit. Dubwool also knows the very annoying Cotton Guard, which raises its already impressive Physical Defense by three stages. In the end, bringing down this Pokémon is more complicated than it seems.
Hop's Second Strongest Pokémon: Zacian/Zamazenta
Hop gets a second, more impressive ace Pokémon once he captures a Legendary Pokémon. While the player gets the game's mascot, Hop gets the other Legendary, either Zacian or Zamazenta. Suffice it to say both Pokémon are equally impressive. Zacian might be the best because of its Fairy/Steel type combination, which is substantially better than Zamazenta's Fighting/Steel.
Both Pokémon, however, are devastatingly powerful. They have a base stat total of 670, which elevates all the way to 720 when given the Rusted Shield or Sword. Both Pokémon have enviable Speed and overall balanced stats. There's no doubt that, once Hop captures either Zacian or Zamazenta, they become the absolute crown jewel of his Team.