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Pokémon Sword and Shield’s official online competition is set to begin on December 6, as announced by Game Freak yesterday.
The competition is titled ‘Galar Beginnings’ and will be the first time the wild Dynamax and Gigantamax mechanics will feature on a competitive stage. Players will be able to sign up between 15 November until December 5, and the window will close at 23:59 UTC on that date. Three to six Pokémon must be included in a player’s Battle Team and these will be boosted to level 50 for each match.
Dynamax and Gigantamax effects only hold for three turns in each match, so players must choose the opportune moment to roll out their absolute units. Once Galar Beginnings kicks off, players will dive right in by opening the X menu, selecting VS, Battle Stadium, and then Online Competitions. A Pokémon Global Link account is unnecessary, but players will definitely, definitely, definitely need a Nintendo Switch Online membership to compete. Game Freak has promised updates on the competition regulations soon, so stay frosty.
As well as this, Game Freak has released extra information about the Max Raid Battles. Max Raid Battles bring four players together who all attempt to wrangle a wild Dynamax Pokémon. The Dynamax phenomenon makes the Pokémon much more powerful with special Max Moves. In rare instances, the Max Raid Battle beastie may be a Gigantamax form. Gigantamax Pokémon are sought after for their cool new appearances and G-Max Moves that only they can use.
From November 15 to early January 2020, there will be increased spawns of Gigantamax Butterfree in Max Raid Battles. Game Freak qualified that the possible Gigantamax Pokémon found in Max Raid Battles will cycle over time, like Pokémon Go’s raid mechanic. Moreover, in this same window, Pokémon Sword will be beset with increased spawns of Gigantamax Drednaw whereas Pokémon Shield will experience increased spawns of Gigantamax Corviknight.
Again, a Nintendo Switch Online membership is needed to join in to all these cooperative and competitive features. What is super about Pokémon Sword and Shield is that it is bringing a host of new and interesting changes to classic Pokémon battling conventions. Because it is the first core Pokémon RPG on a console, Game Freak has been innovating to ensure that new and veteran players alike enjoy an accessible and exciting experience in its competitive scene.
Pokémon Sword and Shield launches on November 15 for the Nintendo Switch.
