Pokémon Sword & Shield is the upcoming Pokémon title, ushering in the series’ eighth generation this November. The pair will be the first mainline Pokémon. games released on a main Nintendo console (the Switch) rather than a handheld system.
The games' trailer detailed new mechanics, characters, and, of course, Pokemon. Version exclusives, which have been a series staple since the first generation, are set to return. This time around, Gym Leaders Bea and Allister will be exclusive to Pokémon Sword and Pokemon Shield, respectively." This isn’t a first, as we saw this in Black & White. Along with new Gym Leaders, the trailer also teased two new characters: Chairman Rose and Oleana. On top of being prolific entrepreneurs in Pokémon Sword & Shield Galar Region, the pair own the Galar Pokemon League. I don’t know about you guys, but I’m getting a slight villain-organization-vibe from these two.
It wouldn’t be new Pokémon info without new Pokémon to show off.
Yamper
Yamper is an Electric-type Puppy Pokémon with the ability “Ball Fetch.” Ball Fetch retrieves a Pokémon Ball that failed the first time as long as Yamper isn’t already holding an item. Yamper isn’t exactly new news though as we did see it in an official Treehouse Live playthrough at E3. According to official information, ”Yamper has a tendency to be drawn to things that are moving quickly. It can chase after people and Pokémon or even go charging at vehicles! Yamper has an organ in its body that generates electricity, and this organ is activated when Yamper runs around. Yamper can’t store the electricity it generates, so it’s often seen running around with electric sparks crackling around it.”
Alcremie
Alcreamie, the Fairy-type Cream Pokémon, has the ability “Sweet Veil.” According to the website, ”Alcremie can produce whipped cream, which becomes richer the happier Alcremie is feeling. Desserts made using this cream are invariably delicious, so many pastry chefs strive to have an Alcremie as their partner. When attacked by an opponent, Alcremie will throw sweet-scented cream to distract them or temporarily blind them, giving itself time to escape. The cream it uses for this purpose has an incredibly powerful soothing effect, and any opponent that tries to eat the cream will rapidly lose the will to battle.”
Rolycoly
Rolycoly is a Rock-type Coal Pokémon with the abilities “Steam Engine” and “Heatproof.” Steam Engine is a new ability that drastically increases speed when hit by a Fire- or Water-type move. “Its red eye can illuminate dark areas, while it uses the lump of coal attached to its body like a wheel to move through coal mines and caves. It seems to be able to travel smoothly even over rough terrain. Until about one hundred years ago, every household in the Galar region had a Rolycoly. The families would use the coal that dropped off its body for cooking and heating their homes. Even in the modern day, Rolycoly is a very popular Pokémon to take for outdoor activities!”
Duralodon
Duralodon is a dual Steel and Dragon-type Alloy Pokémon and has the abilities “Light Metal” and “Heavy Metal.” “The metal composing its body is incredibly durable but also surprisingly light. It only weighs about 88 lbs in total. Thanks to this, Duraludon can move quite quickly in spite of its appearance. Its body is weak to corrosion, however, and is known to rust easily. Duraludon live in caves and mountainous areas. Their two arms have slightly different shapes from each other, and they use these to grind down rock surfaces for food. They share their habitat with Tyranitar, and these two Pokémon are often seen battling each other in the mountains of the Galar region.”
A new mechanic called Gigantamax was also confirmed in the trailer. We know of Dynamax, which grows your Pokémon to Kaiju-like proportions, but Gigantamax goes a step further and changes the appearance of particular Pokémon. Three Pokémon were shown to have such forms—Alcremie, Corviknight, and Drednaw. According to official information for the three,
”The cream pouring out of its body hardens when subjected to impacts—the stronger the impact, the harder it becomes. This gives Alcremie a truly impressive resistance to physical attacks. Additionally, the giant "Berry" decorations on Alcremie's body are as hard as diamonds, and it's said that most attacks won't even be able to leave a scratch. Alcremie will launch high-calorie cream missiles around itself to attack its opponents. Any Pokémon that touches this cream will be filled with energy and euphoria but at the same time will fall into a state of complete confusion.”
”Corviknight uses its massive wings to catch updrafts created by Gigantamax energy to hover in the air while it battles. The armor on its body has been reinforced, so attacks from Pokémon on the ground barely have any effect on it! Gigantamax energy has caused the armor covering Corviknight’s wings to separate and become blade birds, capable of flying independently. Corviknight launches these blade birds at the target, using them to slash its opponents.”
”The power of Gigantamaxing has allowed it to stand on its hind legs and become bipedal! From its standing position, it can come crashing down on opposing Pokémon and crush them with its massive body! Drednaw normally keeps its neck retracted within its shell, but when it attacks, it can rapidly shoot its neck out. Its jaws are also incredibly strong, capable of easily biting through huge metal towers. The strength of its jaws combined with the force of its neck gives Drednaw the power to punch a hole through a rocky mountain in a single strike.”
You can view the official descriptions of the new Pokémon as well as Gigantamax forms on the main website.
There are new moves called G-Moves that comes with Gigantamaxing. Using particular type moves will transform the move to a superpowered G-Move. Alcremie’s G-Move is G-Max Finale, Corviknight’s is G-Max Wind Rage, and Drednaw has G-Max Stonesurge. They seem to have taken the spot of Z-Moves to an extent.
Pokémon Sword and Shield will have lots of new content and features, but every Pokémon as well as Z-Moves, Mega Evolutions, and Alolan forms will not be turning.. This has created a schism within the Pokémon community and was even addressed by Jukichi Masuda, director of the games and one of the most important figures in GameFreak. I guess we will wait and see what happens when the games are finally this fall.
Authors Note: This trailer has me excited for the games yet again after the crushing news about all the Pokémon not returning. I can’t wait to see what new characters and Pokémon will join us in our next adventure. How about you? What’s your thoughts on Sword and Shield and the newest Pokémon shown thus far?