Pokemon Sword & Shield: Ranking Every Gym Leader

Allister is the third of four version exclusive gym leaders, and represents Shield’s second exclusive here alongside Melony. He’s a better character than her, but just falls short of being the number one exclusive leader.

What he does have though, that both Gordie and to a certain extent Melony lacked, is a clear aesthetic. He’s the epitome of the Ghost type gym he leads, and his freaky mask gives him a distinctive edge. His personality, nervous and skittish, give him another hook too.

He’s just very well built however you look at it. It’s no surprise Game Freak pushed him forward for the trailers. He instantly fits the bill as a version seller, and there’ll definitely be some players who opted for Shield because of his gothic, moody style.

Being so withdrawn, he does struggle to get a foothold in the story, but then it’s better for them to have committed to his personality than twist him away from that to full story gaps.

His special card obtained in post game is one of the only two (with Nessa) which feels like it’s actual special. Not as good as Ball Guy’s, but still.