Pokemon Sword & Shield: How To Evolve Sinistea Into Polteageist

Pokemon Sword and Shield's Galar region is inspired by the United Kingdom, and in that spirit, the games introduce a ghost-type Pokemon that's themed after tea. Sinistea, a teacup, evolves into a whole pot of tea called Polteageist. As far as Pokemon names go, they're some of the best. But they're also cool Pokemon, and it's not too hard to get them if you know where to look and what to do.

Sinistea can be found in Glimwood Tangle, the cool mushroom forest between Stow-on-Side and Ballonlea. You'll have to rustle through the tall grass to trigger an exclamation point to pop up, and Sinistea is among the Pokemon that can show up when the battle starts.

Once you catch a Sinistea, you need one of two items: a Cracked Pot or a Chipped Pot. The type of Pot you'll use depends on a hard-to-spot difference between two forms of Sinistea--it can either be an authentic antique teacup or a forgery. Authentic Sinistea can only evolve via the Chipped Pot, while the more common forgeries can only evolve via the Cracked Pot. The only physical difference between the two is a small stamp of authenticity on the bottom of antique Sinistea, which you can spot in the Pokedex provided you've encountered both types or in Pokemon Camp if you're lucky and get a good angle. Functionally, there's no difference.

To get either item, head to Stow-on-Side and talk to the right-hand man running the marketplace stand. He sells a different "bargain" item every day, most of which are evolutionary items for various Pokemon. He sells both kinds of Pots, though in my experience the Cracked Pot is more common. There's also a Cracked Pot on top of one of the roofs in Stow-on-Side; go up the ladder near the stairs heading toward the Gym, which will put you on top of the right-hand set of buildings above the outdoor marketplace.

Polteageist's signature move is Teatime, which forces all Pokemon on the field to eat their berries at once. This can be useful if you think your opponent's Pokemon are holding berries that reduce the damage they'd take from a super-effective move, for example--that way, you can hit the Pokemon head-on for full damage right off the bat.

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For more on Pokemon Sword and Shield, be sure to read our review! And we have other guides on how to evolve specific Pokemon in the game, including Milcery, Galarian Linoone, and Applin.