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Exciting information was announced at today’s Pokemon Direct that blew my socks right off! I don’t think I blinked once during that presentation!! It started off with an announcement of Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Rescue Team DX for the Switch, which will be available on March 6, 2020. A demo version will be available later today in the Nintendo eShop. You will be able to carry over your save data from the demo to the full version of the game.
Game Freak also announced an Expansion Pass with two new areas for Pokemon Sword and Shield that will be available for pre-purchase later today in the Nintendo eShop. There will be an Expansion Pass for each version that will cost you $29.99 each. If you pre-purchase an Expansion Pass, you will receive a special pre-order bonus of new clothing that will also be available later today after a new update. When released, you will be able to dive right into the new DLC using current save data from Sword and Shield. There will be new areas to explore, new Pokemon to catch, new gyms to battle, new trainers to meet, new character customizations and new Dynamax forms!! Each game will also get version exclusive Pokemon to catch. The first part of content is called The Isle of Armor and will be released in June 2020. The second is The Crown Tundra which is currently scheduled to release in Fall 2020.
The Isle of Armor focuses on a theme of growth where you will become a dojo apprentice to Mustard, who was the mentor of Leon. In Sword, your rival will be Klara (a poison-type user) and in Shield your rival will be Avery (a psychic-type user). After proving yourself to Mustard, he will hand over the new legendary fighting-type Pokemon, Kubfu. Kubfu will evolve into Urshifu, who will either use a single-strike style and be a fighting/dark-type or rapid-strike style making it a fighting/water-type. Urshifu also has a Gigantamax form that will be different based on the type of style it is! The Sword and Shield starters will also be receiving a Gigantimax form with new G-max moves. Lastly, new fashion items and new looks for the bike will also be added.
The Crown Tundra focuses on a theme of exploration where we will become the leader of an exploration team. There we will meet new Pokemon including Calyrex, a new legendary psychic/grass-type Pokemon. We will also be able to explore a strange temple and spy a mysterious tree that grows in a place it doesn’t seem to belong. A new co-op mode will allow us to enter and explore Pokemon dens that exist underground. Deep inside the dens we will see legendary Pokemon from past games, Dynamaxing before our very eyes, plus new legendary Pokemon!! New clothing items will be added and new battle challenges will be available after the whole area is completed. Lastly, The Crown Tundra will have max raid battles with new Pokemon that haven’t appeared in the Wild Area.
More than 200 Pokemon from previous games will appear in The Isle of Armor and The Crown Tundra!! Even if you don’t purchase the Expansion Pass, you can still obtain the new Pokemon via Link Trades. Players will also be able to bring over Pokemon (only ones that can be found in Sword and Shield) from Pokemon Let’s Go Pikachu and Eevee through a cloud service called Pokemon Home in February 2020. Starting today there is a more likely chance for you to run into Gigantamax Coalossal, Gigantamax Lapras and Gigantamax Flapple or Gigantamax Appletun in max raid battles throughout the Wild Area. Lastly, there will be a software update today. Once you receive the update, you can head to Wedgehurst Station to encounter Klara (Sword only) or Avery (Shield only). You will then be able to catch a Galarian Slowpoke that has wandered into the station!!!!!!! This Galarian Slowpoke will be able to evolve into Galarian Slowbro if you use an item found in The Isle of Armor and into a Galarian Slowking if you use an item found in The Crown Tundra!
Here is a list of some returning Pokemon that showed up in the direct today:
- Articuno
- Aurorus
- Azelf
- Blastoise
- Cresselia
- Dedenne
- Dialga
- Entei
- Galarian Slowbro
- Garchomp
- Giratina
- Groudon
- Heatran
- Ho-oh
- Kingdra
- Kyogre
- Landorus
- Latias
- Latios
- Lugia
- Lunala
- Lycanroc
- Mespirt
- Mewtwo
- Moltres
- Necrozma
- Nidorino
- Palkia
- Rayquaza
- Regice
- Regirock
- Registeel
- Reshiram
- Rikou
- Sealeo
- Solgaleo
- Suicune
- Talonflame
- Tapu Bulu
- Tapu Fini
- Tapu Koko
- Tapu Lele
- Thundurus
- Tornadus
- Uxie
- Yveltal
- Venusaur
- Volcarona
- Xerneas
- Zapdos
- Zekrom
- Zygarde
If you haven’t been able to check out these awesome games yet, click here to purchase Pokemon Sword or Pokemon Shield from Amazon! If you want to try them both, you can also buy the dual pack by clicking here!
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