“Pokémon GO” Reveals Full Events Happening In January 2020

The year may be ending, but Niantic are looking ahead in 2020. Today the company revealed the next set of events happening in Pokémon GO. Among them are a special research event, new encounters, and an Adventure Sync Hatchathon. You can read the full details below, including dates for them to kick off.

Credit: Niantic

January Team GO Rocket Special Research

The fight against Team GO Rocket continues! Activate the new Special Research during the month of January to help Professor Willow and the team leaders take down this villainous group. This is your chance to fight Giovanni and save another Legendary Pokémon: Shadow Moltres. Team GO Rocket never rests, Trainers, and neither can we! Be on the lookout for new Team GO Rocket Special Research from Professor Willow every month. For more information, please see our help center article.

January Research Breakthrough encounters: Lapras that know Ice Shard and Ice Beam

From Wednesday, January 1, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. to Saturday, February 1, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. PST (GMT −8), Lapras that know Ice Shard and Ice Beam will be available as Research Breakthrough encounters! Some of you might notice that the last time Lapras with these particular attacks were available to catch was in 2018. These Water- and Ice-type Pokémon are sure to be contenders for your battle party, so don't miss this chance to encounter Lapras that know Ice Shard and Ice Beam!

The egg-citing Adventure Sync Hatchathon is back

Ready those Incubators! From Thursday, January 2, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. to Thursday, January 16, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. PST (GMT −8), the Adventure Sync Hatchathon event will return. It's time to get a leg up on your New Year's resolutions, Trainers! During the Adventure Sync Hatchathon, you can be rewarded with extra Stardust, Rare Candies, and a Unova Stone if you walk a certain distance. You'll be able to find Pokémon wearing party hats by hatching Eggs and encountering Pokémon in the wild, too. More details coming soon.

Heatran blazes back into raids

From Tuesday, January 7, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. to Tuesday, February 4, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. PST (GMT −8), Heatran will be in five-star raids! If you're lucky, you might encounter Shiny Heatran! With a body made of rugged steel and blood that boils like magma, the Lava Dome Pokémon might find a niche in your battle party as a bulky Fire- and Steel-type attacker.

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Pokemon Go January 2020 events revealed, new Special Research, Unova Pokedex tease

Pokemon Go - January Research Breakthrough encounters: Lapras that know Ice Shard and Ice Beam

From Wednesday, January 1, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. to Saturday, February 1, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. PST (GMT −8), Lapras that know Ice Shard and Ice Beam will be available as Research Breakthrough encounters! Some of you might notice that the last time Lapras with these particular attacks were available to catch was in 2018.

These Water- and Ice-type Pokemon are sure to be contenders for your battle party, so don't miss this chance to encounter Lapras that know Ice Shard and Ice Beam!

Pokemon Go - The egg-citing Adventure Sync Hatchathon is back

Ready those Incubators! From Thursday, January 2, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. to Thursday, January 16, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. PST (GMT −8), the Adventure Sync Hatchathon event will return. It's time to get a leg up on your New Year's resolutions, Trainers! During the Adventure Sync Hatchathon, you can be rewarded with extra Stardust, Rare Candies, and a Unova Stone if you walk a certain distance. You'll be able to find Pokémon wearing party hats by hatching Eggs and encountering Pokémon in the wild, too. More details coming soon.

Pokemon Go January update adds Shadow Moltres

© Provided by TechRadar null

Niantic has detailed how Pokemon Go is kicking off the new year with a slew of updates, including Shadow Moltres encounters. Pokemon Go's January events include new Team Rocket Special Research, new Research Breakthrough encounters, the return of the Adventure Sync Hatchathon event, and more.

There's new Special Research to activate from Professor Willow every month in Pokemon Go, and January is no exception. Tracking down the elusive Giovanni in 2020's first Team Rocket Special Research yields an encounter with a new Legendary, Shadow Moltres.

Starting New Year's Day at 1pm PT / 4pm ET / 9pm GMT, new Research Breakthrough encounters will include Lapras with Ice Shard or Ice Beam. It hasn't been since 2018 that Lapras came with those attacks, so be sure to take advantage of the new encounters for the month of January.

Also included in Pokemon Go's January update is the return of the "egg-citing" (their pun, not mine) Adventure Sync Hatchathon event. For exactly two weeks starting Thursday, January 2 at 1pm PT / 4pm ET / 9pm GMT, you'll have the chance to earn extra Stardust, Rare Candies, and a Unova Stone for walking the winning distance.

And from January 7 through February 4, Heatran will appear in five-star raids, including the odd shiny. Niantic also teased new Pokemon from the Unova region, but left us hanging on the specifics until further notice.

Check out GamesRadar's updated ranking of the best Pokemon Games.

Pokemon Sword and Shield Guide Beginner's Guide

This Pokemon Sword and Shield Beginner's Guide has everything a new player or a lapsed fan needs to know to enjoy their time in the Galar Region.

byJanet Garcia  

 Posted Dec. 26, 2019, midnight

This Pokemon Sword and Shield Guide Beginner's Guide is meant for you if this is your first Pokemon game, or if you haven't played the series in ages! Here you can find everything from types advantages and battle stats to EV training and shiny hunting tips.What IS Pokemon Sword and Shield? Summary, Version Differences, and More.

Pokemon is an RPG. Pokemon Sword and Shield will likely take you 35-45 hours to beat. Of course, if you spend more time catching Pokemon, training, and exploring the Wild Area, it can easily take you longer.

Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield are mostly the same game BUT there are some Pokemon, items, and even gym leaders that exclusive to each version. Look at our Version Differences page to pick the one for you! You can still get the Pokemon that aren't in your game by Trading (we'll get to that later) but if you love Galarian Ponyta, for instance, you may want to get Pokemon Shield.

There are 400 Pokemon in Sword and Shield. Every Pokemon falls into 1 or 2 "Types." There are 18 Types in total. Every type has type(s) it's Weak and Strong against. Battling Pokemon involves getting to know your Type match ups.

While Pokemon have Types they ARE. Their moves have their own types. For instance, a Water Pokemon might be able to have a Rock move. This can affect the moves you select or the Pokemon you use.

Your goal is to battle and beat all 8 Gym Leaders then win the Galar Championship. Each Gym Leader has their own Type specialty. For instance, the first Gym Leader specializes in Grass Pokemon. You can either build a balanced team that's ready for any type OR you can change your team a bit to give yourself plenty of Type Advantages.

After beating the game, many players like to complete their Pokedex (this means you've, at one point, had every Pokemon in the game), do the post-game, get into breeding, shiny hunting, and more. If these terms seem intimidating, don't worry! We'll break all of these down in the Advanced help section. And you don't need to do any of these things to have fun with Pokemon Sword and Shield.

Below, we've divided some key pages into sections. But keep in mind you can always mix and match these a bit. Just because this is your first Pokemon game doesn't mean you can't breed or hunt for shinies!The Basics pt.1: What You Absolutely NEED to Know Types: There are 18 Types in Pokemon Sword and Shield. Some of them seem obvious: ex. Water is Strong against Fire. Others are more complex: ex. Dragon has no effect on Fairy. Luckily, when you encounter a Pokemon in battle its information is added to your Pokedex so the game will tell you some of this info directly, while in battle, if you've fought this Pokemon before. BUT if you want to plan ahead you'll need to get to know these Type Advantages or have our section on type advantages handy! And don't forget: looks can be deceiving! For example Galarian Ponyta is pretty like a Fairy Pokemon but is actually a psychic Pokemon. And Galarian Weezing looks totally poisonous but is actually a Fairy Pokemon.Evolutions: Not every Pokemon evolves. Not every Pokemon has 2 Evolutions. Most Pokemon can evolve just by leveling up BUT some Pokemon have specific kinds of evolutions that require Stones, certain Items, being Traded, having a certain level of Friendship, etc. Som e of these evolution methods are a bit "Advanced." Check out our page on all the evolutions and evolution methods! This is essential if you want to complete your Pokedex but even if you don't this could help you figure out your team. Evolved Pokemon are stronger than their unevolved forms so you'll want to take Vileplume or Blossom into a gym battle over Gloom (if you can).Tips for Catching Pokemon: generally, a Pokemon with low HP is easier to catch than a healthy one. But there are also Poke Balls and even certain moves that can make catching them easier. Walk up to the vendors in the Wild Area and check out what Poke Balls they're selling! Quick Balls are great for catching Pokemon so if they're selling some stock up!The Wild Area: More of the Wild Area will open up to you over time. Pokemon that are walking outside of the grass are stronger than those in the grass. The level of Pokemon you can catch is limited by the badges you have but you can see this info by ope ning the menu and looking at your League Card. There are only 2 times the game makes you go through this area and you can definitely just spend time on the routes, following the main campaign, to beat the game. However, this is a great place to train, catch Pokemon, do Max Raids, and more.The Basics pt. 2: Taking Your Game to the Next Level Many things in this section are big parts of Pokemon but none of this needs to be understood, used, or done to beat the game. But knowing all this will make life a lot easier and, hopefully, make Pokemon more fun for you.Trading Pokemon: Trading is a great way to get more Pokemon, especially the ones that aren't in your game version (i.e Sword/Shield exclusives). And some Pokemon only evolve through trading. You can trade over the internet or locally. Regular trades require both parties to agree to what's being traded while Surprise Trade involves both parties putting in any Pokemon they want. You can read about both kinds of trading in our How to Trade Guide.Weather: Weather Effects can effect the battle! And certain moves (such as Rainy Day (Rain)) and abilities (like Pelipper's Drizzle (Rain)) can cause a Weather Effect. Check our Weather Guide for details. Certain Pokemon only appear in certain Weather Conditions. To see this info, you can hover over Pokemon name in your P okedex and press "X" to see their Habitat. For instance, Corsola's Habitat is limited to one area of the Wild Area when it's Overcast/Cloudy.Base Stats and Battle Stats: Pokemon have Base Stats such as HP, Attack, Defense, Sp. Attack, Sp. Defense, and Speed. But they also have Battle Stats such as Accuracy and Evasion. By paying attention to these stats you can train your Pokemon to excel in one area over another. You can change the stats by EV training, read our guide for more details. Speed can be one of the most important stats because it determines which Pokemon attacks first.Natures: Each of the 25 Natures, with the exception of five, will increase one Base Stat by 10% while decreasing another Base Stat by 10%. You can change a Pokemon's Natures with Mints. For more information, check out our Natures guide.Different Moves and How They Relate to Stats (i.e Special Move, Physical Move, Status Move, Max Moves): All Physical attacks use the Attack stat to deal damage, while the Defense stat is used to resist that damage. Just the same, all Special attacks use the Special Attack stat to deal damage, while the Special Defense stat is used to resist that damage. There may be select moves that crisscross the stats, but they're rare.Status attacks are moves that modify stats or inflict Status Conditions on other Pokemon. Types may not play a role when using these kind of Attacks. Sand-Attack (a Ground-type move) can hit a Flying-type Pokemon, but Thunder Wave (an Electric-type move) cannot hit a Ground-type Pokemon. For everything you need to know about moves, check out our Move Dex.Pokerus: When a Pokemon has Pokerus, it will earn double the EV points from any method - whether during a battle or Poke Job. This desirable virus is extremely rare. Your best chance of getting it is through trading. Jump to that section of our EV training guide for more.Abilities: These Abilities can grant various powers, such as a Type boost when the Pokemon's HP i s low, or automatic Rain. Some special Pokemon can have Hidden Abilities that can only be obtained from Event Pokemon or from Pokemon caught during Max Raid Battles. Check out the new abilities added to Pokemon Sword and Shield.TMs vs TRs: Both of these items teach moves to your Pokemon. TMS and TRs can't be used on just any Pokemon (there are type restrictions) but it's always clear which you can use them on when you select the item. TMs can be reused over and over again, unlike TRs (Technical Records). Here are all the TM locations. TRs are one-time use items. There's no surefire way to find or obtain a particular one, but there are things you can do in the Wild Area to find them. Here's a list of TRs.Friendship: Friendship is a hidden Pokemon stat that is required for some Pokemon to evolve. Friendship has other benefits. For instance, Pokemon with High Friendliness towards you are more likely to avoid fainting (keeping at least 1 HP when enduring what would've been a final blow so that you "won't be sad"). Friendly Pokemon may even give you items when you're camping! But just because friendship is "hidden" doesn't mean it's impossible for you to figure out. There's a friendship checker NPC you can talk to to figure out your Pokemon's friendliness level. Friendship can be increased through feeding them certain berries, feeding them curry, playing with them, and much more. For all the ways to increase Friendship and everything else you need to know about this stat: check out our Friendship guide.Cooking Curry: While camping you can cook curry. Feeding your Pokemon curry can restore their HP, heal status conditions, and make them Friendlier towards you! And completing your CurryDex can give you rewards such as extra ingredients and more toys to play with your Pokemon in Poke Camp. Everything you need to know about Curry can be found on our Curry Tips, Curry Ingredients Locations List, and Complete Curry Dex page.Poke Jobs: In the Galar Region, it's common for people and Pokemon to work together to the point where you can send Pokemon out on jobs to earn XP. You can send any Pokemon out on a job but you want to send ones with the preferred type for the job. It will often be clearly labeled on the job listing. However, sometimes the job doesn't explain what type is needed but for those we have you covered in our comprehensive Poke Jobs Guide.Max Raids: Max Raids occur in the Wild Area by walking up to dens. They're a great way to get extra rewards, Pokemon with good stats, and sometimes Pokemon who can Gigantamax (different from Dynamaxing). For more, check out our Max Raid Battle Guide.Advanced Help: Becoming the Very Best Like No One Ever Was While some of these topics have been discussed above you can dig into all the details by jumping to the following pages:

For more help with Pokemon Sword and Shield be sure to check out our wiki guide which includes a full walkthrough.

Pokemon and Miku Collaboration Set for Japan’s Snow Festival

December 27, 2019 4:09 PM EST

Pokemon has had plenty of collaborations over the years to promote events, grand store openings, new games, and more. But this brand new collaboration announced by The Pokemon Company featuring its global IP and Vocaloid singing sensation Miku Hatsune is one of their most unique team-ups to date:

The upcoming collaboration event will be for Hokkaido, Japan. As part of the annual Snow Festival which runs from February 4th, 2020 to February 11th, 2020, there will be an event where the Hatsune Miku character Snow Miku and Alolan Vulpix, the official ambassador to Hokkaido will collaborate. This event will feature various merchandise based on the pair and more. Check back with us to find out more about the events as new details emerge.

According to the latest NPD data, the latest installment in the long running series has the highest launch month dollar sales in Pokemon franchise history. And for the month of November, Sword was the third best selling game, the double pack including both titles ranking at fourth place, and Shield being in fifth place. However, if you combined those sales then total it would bring them to the number two spot.

In other recent news, Pokemon Sword and Shield are already the eighth best-selling Nintendo Switch games of all time at six million units sold during its launch weekend alone. Check out pictures of the game's launch event held at Nintendo NYC. And in not so cheery recent news, Pokemon Company International is looking to sue leakers who spread around pictures of their then unreleased official strategy guide.

The Pokemon Company announced a new animated series called Pokemon: Twilight Wings, which will debut on YouTube next month. The seven-part animated web series will be coming in January 2020 with each episode approximately five minutes long. Not to mention the studio that's developing and animating is Studio Colorido, which was previously known for producing the animated film Penguin Highway, and is being directed by Shingo Yamashita.

Pokemon Sword and Shield released for Nintendo Switch on November 15th. Meanwhile check out our in-depth review for the game here, in which the News Editor states that "Pokemon Sword and Shield are a lot of fun, even if the series is experiencing growing pains with the transition to home consoles." You can purchase Sword here and Shield here.

This post contains affiliate links where DualShockers gets a small commission on sales. Any and all support helps keep DualShockers as a standalone, independent platform for less-mainstream opinions and news coverage.

December 27, 2019 4:09 PM EST

Two brand new ‘Pokemon’ games just launched on Facebook out of nowhere

If you're a Pokemon fan, chances are that you're still working your way through the latest entries — Pokemon Sword and Shield — on the Switch. But if you can't get to your Switch at the moment or you're hoping to get the console for Christmas, there are two other Pokemon games you can play right now for free.

This week, The Pokemon Company launched two games on the Facebook Instant Games platform: Pokemon Tower Battle and Pokemon Medallion Battle. Tower Battle, available worldwide, has players compete against one another by trying to stack the tallest tower of Pokemon without knocking any of them off of the platform. You can even catch and level up Pokemon along the way, and you can play with friends or strangers.

Medallion Battle, on the other hand, is a card battle strategy game currently only available in the Asia-Pacific region. In the game, players collect, evolve, and battle Pokemon in medallion form while winning gym badges and expanding their Pokedex. New Pokemon will be introduced every month so players can improve their decks.

Image Source: Facebook

"We are excited to launch two new entries in the Pokémon franchise on Facebook Gaming," said Tsunekazu Ishihara, CEO of The Pokémon Company, in a press release. "Launching these games through Facebook will allow people all over the world to experience Pokémon in digital form, and we are especially thrilled to collaborate with Facebook Gaming in enabling new audiences to enjoy Pokémon games online."

If you want to try out Pokemon Tower Battle, you can find it by searching for it on Facebook.com, or by searching on the Facebook Messenger app on your mobile device and hitting the Play button.

Detective Pikachu 2: 10 Pokemon That Need To Appear In A Sequel

This past summer, we caught a lot of our favorite Pokemon on the silver screen with Detective Pikachu. But we didn't catch them all! While there were a number of classic Pokemon given the live-action treatment in the video game adaptation, there were several who missed the cut.

Alas, they can't all be in the movie. But if plans are set in place to bring Detective Pikachu 2 to life, we hope Warner Bros includes these exciting Pokemon in the sequel.

Meowth

If they are going to make a movie filled with talking Pokemon, the least they can do is introduce Meowth into the fold. One of the earliest Pokemon from the anime's '90s day, it's safe to call Meowth one of the most instantly recognizable Pokemon in the entire expansive genre. Yet, for reasons unknown, the talkative character didn't make any appearances in this summer's detective-story blockbuster. Admittedly, there was no Team Rocket either, so it's not as though the character had an easy way to make itself known. But if there are plans to make a sequel, Meowth would be a great inclusion. After all, for a movie based on a Pikachu character who ultimately forges a bridge between humans and Pokemon, it would be nice to have a companion who can also speak more than its name. Certainly, there is a lot of potential to be found, and it would be a shame if they didn't seize it.

Mew

During the climatic moments of Detective Pikachu, we got to see Mewtwo in a city-wide showdown. But unfortunately, Mew was left absent in the major motion picture. It is a shame because the adorable little Mew is one of the most lovable little Pokemon out there, and we only got a glimpse of his evolved form. Nevertheless, if there is a sequel for Detective Pikachu, it'd be wonderful to spend some time with Mew. The small-yet-powerful little Pokemon is a powerful being, one that shouldn't be messed with. While the chances are slim that we'll get anything close to resembling Mewtwo and its third-act scenes with Mew in the sequel, it'd be nice to see Mew get his due time on the big screen two decades after Pokemon: The First Movie.

Charmeleon

While we got to see both Chaizard and Charmander in Detective Pikachu, the angsty teen of the group, Charmeleon, did not make an appearance in the new movie. While it is not quite as noteworthy as its predecessor and evolution form, it is hard not to feel bad for Charmeleon. The Pokemon gets entirely left out of the proceedings, and with not explantation or anything in the process? What a bummer. It is hard to know how exactly Charmeleon will make its way into Detective Pikachu 2, but if both Charizard and Charmander can make their way into the first movie, surely Charmeleon can too.

Mimikyu

Sometimes referred to as the "Disguise Pokemon," Mimikyu is a fascinating Pokemon oddity. The character is untraditional, to say the least, as it is unable to feel sunlight on its skin and the very sight of it causes people to fall ill, so it wears clothing to look like a Pikachu in order to make friends. It is a sad little thing, and naturally, the Pikachu dressing it wears makes it a natural fit for Detective Pikachu. Particularly given that the original movie wanted to introduce several original Pokemon into the fold, it's safe to assume that Detective Pikachu will probably feel emboldened to introduce a few of the newer Pokemon into the fold, which should make it easier to find a way to bring Mimikyu into the proceedings. It is such a tragic, tortured character, particularly in Pokemon lore, that it would be fascinating to see it brought onto the screen, and we hope to see it — if not maybe "see it."

Ho-Oh

Some Pokemon you just want to see brought to life on the silver screen. While not every Pokemon made a smooth transition into "live-action" form, there are several in the hit movie that look stunning, particularly based on their realistic-yet-still-adorable designs. When it comes to Ho-Oh, you really just want to see it brought to life. It looks absolutely gorgeous in it colorful rainbow design, and it is hard to imagine that it'd look anything less than stunning in its display. Sure enough, while it is hard to know how it would factor into the film, there is something absolutely magnificent about this particular Pokemon, and one would be hard-pressed not to want to see it in full majesty on the huge screen. It is such a stunning-looking Pokemon.

Magnemite

There were surprisingly few magnetic Pokemon in Detective Pikachu. While there are literally hundreds upon hundreds of Pokemon to choose from, in addition to telling a comprehensive story, Magnemite is one of several original Pokemon who nevertheless didn't make the transition into the film. The silver bolt of a character is a fascinating bit of machinery in Pokemon form, and it'd be fascinating to see how its smooth demeanor would translate to film form. Nevertheless, the character was notably absent in the original film, but maybe the magnetic character will make contact with the electronic Pikachu in the sequel. Certainly, at the very least, it would be cool to see how they find a way to bring it into the new movie, whatever it will be about.

Weedle

It is possible that the character made a blink-and-you-miss-it appearance in Detective Pikachu, but if it did, Weedle didn't stay for long. That is a bit of a shame, because while Weedle is far from the most practical or powerful Pokemon, it is such a small, gentle creature that it would provide a nice little mix among the more powerful Pokemon seen on screen. Weedle is an adorable little thing; there is (hopefully) little doubt that its live-action presentation would be adorable too. If Weedle did not weasel its way into Detective Pikachu, it was an all-too-short appearance. Hopefully, the sequel will make a point to give him a bigger display. It might not have a whole lot to do, but it would be nice to see it bob and weave onto the big screen.

Lapras

While there were certainly quite a few first generation Pokemon that made their way into Detective Pikachu, one that was notably absent was Lapras. And that's a shame, because the sea-based creature is another one of the few Pokemon that understands human speech and it would've been a fine inclusion in the new blockbuster. Nevertheless, the creature didn't make the cut. But perhaps there is some room in the sequel for Lapras to appear!

Ponyta

There is a scene early in Detective Pikachu where our main protagonist takes the train to Ryme City and passes several different fields and valleys. In that time, we see a few Pokemon, but we don't see Ponyta, which is a shame. Admittedly, it does perhaps make a bit of sense why this character in particular didn't make the cut. Fire is famously hard to make in CG form, and there's a good chance that this creature simply did not look quite right in its live-action presentation. Nevertheless, if there is room for Ponyta to run free in Detective Pikachu 2, we'd like to see this pony-like Pokemon there.

Mudkip

Among the Generation III Pokemon, it's safe to say that Mudkip is one of the most popular. The cute little character is charming and meme-friendly. Yet, the character ultimately didn't make a cameo in the new movie. It is a bummer, but perhaps there is a chance that it will make a cameo in the proposed sequel? If for little else, it would give the sequel some ample online credit and it would be a big hit on social media. Certainly, memes have become the currency through which a movie can gain some healthy exposure. Even just a simple hint of Mudkip would help things out immensely.

Ultimately, these are only a handful of Pokemon that the filmmakers can choose from. There are literally hundreds of different creatures to choose from, and it's hard to pick-and-choose between them. Ultimately, there are several Pokemon out there that fans and viewers alike are familiar with and would love to see. It's still a bit unclear if we're getting Detective Pikachu 2 in the next few years. But should the movie come into fruition, there are quite a few characters that the filmmakers can choose from, and we have only picked a mere handful of the characters that would make their debut.

But let us know what you think! We're sure you have your own personal favorite Pokemon, and we'd be curious to hear which ones you'd like to see in the new movie. Tell us in the comment section which Pokemon you love and which ones you think are overdue to make an appearance in the film.

Pokemon Tower Battle Hits Facebook

Posted by Shane McGlaun Thu, Dec 26, 2019 - 9:08 AM

Pokemon fans looking for something to do on Christmas break can hop over to Facebook and enjoy a new game. The game is called Pokemon Tower Battle, and it's playable in English globally.

The game is free to play a competitive game that allows players to battle against friends or random players. People take turns being randomly assigned a Pokemon and dropping them onto a platform. The player gets 20 seconds to drop the character onto a platform.

Players can rotate the Pokemon on their turn. The goal is to try and keep the stack balanced. The loser is the person who causes the tower to collapse and at least one creature to fall off the platform.

Players can also watch ads for Pokeballs or earn them reports Siliconera. A Pokeball allows the players to swap out a pokemon they have been assigned for a different one. Each of the matches in the game lasts only a few minutes before players move on to the next match.

Preteen loves sports, Pokemon and vegetables! Right now he’s looking for an adoptive family

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OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) - Javion is 12 years old and a bit of a sports fan. He loves both watching games and playing in them too.

In fact, he hopes to be a professional football player when he grows up.

We took this preteen to the Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark to get on the field for a little holiday fun.

"What's on my Christmas list is a tablet, new clothes, new shoes, new Pokémon cards and that's pretty much it," Javion said.

Just ahead of the holidays, KFOR surprised Javion with a snow tubing adventure at the park.

A new companion will be by his side.

"Who is that? Oh Brix," Javion said.

He says he's afraid of heights, but it didn't take long for Javion to go down the slope over and over again.

"Was it scary?" Reporter Lacey Lett asked.

"Yeah," Javion said.

"Scary fun though right?"

"Scary fun."

The Oklahoma City Dodgers wanted to give Javion an early Christmas gift. It was his choice of gift, and Javion decided to keep his new friend with him.

"That's you, Brix. I'll keep it."

He says he'll sleep with his new stuffed toy every night at the group home.

Right now, Javion is enjoying his days being active.

"I like to play basketball, color, dance," Javion said.

Javion also likes running and playing football. He hopes to be a running back one day in the NFL.

"Who is your favorite running back?" Reporter Lacey Lett asked.

"Uhh if he's still out there Adrian Peterson. The one who played for OU," Javion said.

This 12-year-old is already as healthy as an athlete.

"Vegetables, celery, carrots, and broccoli," he said.

He loves pretty much any type of fruit too.

Javion would be a great child for any family, and he's looking for one too. He's been under DHS care for almost five years.

"A nice family. Just any family that will take me," he said.

Especially if there's older siblings and video games to play.

He says he's tired of always being the new kid in school.

"I'm just the new kid. They don't like me."

"Are you the new kid a lot?"

"Mhmm."

"Because you have to move a lot right? How many schools have you been to this year?"

"A lot."

Javion wants to be with one family in a place he can call home.

Your best shot at adopting a child is to go ahead and get the process started. It can take a few months to get approved. For all of the details contact the DHS hotline at 1-800-376-9729 or visit online at https://surveys.okdhs.org/TakeSurvey.aspx?SurveyID=96L368I#.

"A Place To Call Home" is sponsored by Great Plains Bank.

Pokémon games are available to play on Facebook

You don't have to fire up a Nintendo console or launch a phone app to play Pokémon video games from now on. The Pokémon Company has released its first two Facebook Gaming titles, Pokémon Medallion Battle and Pokémon Tower Battle, through both the Gaming tab on the social network as well as is in-beta Facebook Gaming app. Tower Battle (shown at right) is available worldwide and has you fighting other players in real time by creating the tallest Pokémon towers -- it's not Jenga with Jigglypuffs, but it's getting there. Medallion Battle, meanwhile, is a more traditional card battler for the Asia-Pacific region that has you tracking down new creatures (new ones are available each month) to build your dream deck.

Before you ask: there aren't any in-app purchases, at least not at this stage.

The Pokémon Company isn't shy about its goals with producing Facebook titles. This is about making Pokémon games available to "people all over the world" who otherwise couldn't (or wouldn't) play. For Facebook, meanwhile, this is a big boost to an Instant Games platform that only has so many big titles under its belt. You certainly won't put down your Switch in favor of these games, but they could give you a reason to check out Facebook Gaming where you might otherwise ignore it.

In this article: facebook, facebook gaming, games, gaming, instant games, internet, mobile, pokemon, pokemon medallion battle, pokemon tower battle, social network, social networking, the pokemon company, video games

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Two new Pokémon games launch on Facebook Gaming

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Pokémon Tower Battle and Pokémon Medallion Battle are Facebook exclusives

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A pair of new Pokémon games have launched exclusively on Facebook Gaming: Pokémon Tower Battle and Pokémon Medallion Battle.

Pokémon Tower Battle is available worldwide, and pits two players against one another. You take it in turns to drop pokémon out of the sky like Tetris blocks, trying to build a stable tower. If you knock the tower over or your pokémon tumbles off the platform, you lose.

We tried the game ourselves and it seems pretty mindless, though the press release promises some new features as you play: "As players discover, catch and level-up rare pokémon, they can compete in real-time against friends or across a global leaderboard. It might seem like a simple physics-based puzzler at first, but the strategic choices in where and how players stack pokémon will determine the true Tower Battle masters."

Pokémon Medallion Battle, by comparison, sounds like it has a little more depth, but it's only available to play in the Philippines right now.

It's a digital card battle game that allows you collect pokémon in the form of medallions. You can level them up, win gym badges, and try to fill out your Pokédex, with new pokémon being released every month, according to Variety. Judging by the screenshots below the game uses the usual element-based combat system, and even offers some social features.

Both titles were built using Facebook's Instant Games platform and come as the company makes more of an effort to attract gamers. Earlier this year, it launched a dedicated gaming tab, and Facebook now says that more than 700 million of its users play games, watch gaming videos, or take part in gaming groups each month. The company also recently acquired Spanish cloud gaming company PlayGiga.

In a press release, Pokémon Company CEO Tsunekazu Ishihara welcomed the launch of the new titles: "Launching these games through Facebook will allow people all over the world to experience Pokémon in digital form, and we are especially thrilled to collaborate with Facebook Gaming in enabling new audiences to enjoy Pokémon games online."

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Two new Pokémon games come to Facebook

The Pokémon Company is bringing the franchise to Facebook with two new games: Pokémon Tower Battle and Pokémon Medallion Battle, both of which are available now (depending on where you live).

Pokémon Tower Battle, developed by Bombay Play, is available to play now worldwide. Described as a "unique take on the Pokémon franchise," the game tasks players with stacking Pokémon against other Pokémon to create the tallest tower.

"As players discover, catch and level-up rare Pokémon, they can compete in real-time against friends or across a global leaderboard," Facebook said in a press release. "It might seem like a simple physics-based puzzler at first, but the strategic choices in where and how players stack Pokémon will determine the true Tower Battle masters."

Image: Bombay Play/The Pokémon Company

Pokémon Medallion Battle, a "digital card battle strategy game" developed by GCTurbo, is now available in the Asia-Pacific region. "Trainers collect, battle and evolve Pokémon in medallion form and embark on a journey with their companions to win gym badges and complete their Pokédex," Facebook said. "Players can also discover new Pokémon —introduced every month — to create even better decks."

Both games are available through the Facebook Gaming portal as part of the company's Instant Games platform.

Pokemon YouTuber Shares Hilarious Dynamax Counter

A popular Pokemon YouTuber has shared a hilarious way to counter a Dynamax Pokemon. Wolfe Glick is a competitive Pokemon player and a former Pokemon Video Game World Champion who also publishes videos on YouTube about the nuances of competitive play. Glick's videos have spiked in popularity due to the release of Pokemon Sword and Shield, and tons of fans have had a chance to see his ingenuity in action as he explores a new Pokemon game. Earlier this week, Glick released a new video that showed an amazing way to counter a Dynamax Pokemon in a doubles battle.

Glick's method involves correctly guessing when a Pokemon will Dynamax and then forcing it to switch out using an Eject Button, an item that causes a Pokemon to automatically swap out when it's damaged by an attack. In the video, Glick correctly predicts that his opponent's Excadrill will Dynamax on the next turn. Glick has his Grimmsnarl (which has the Prankster ability) use Trick, a move that swaps items between two Pokemon, to place the Eject Button onto the Dynamax Excadrill. Glick's other Pokemon, a Sylveon, then uses Quick Attack on the Dynamax Excadrill, forcing it to return to its trainer. Since Dynamaxing ends when a Pokemon switches out, Glick's strategy effectively wastes his opponent's Dyanamax during the battle.

The combo works for a few reasons - Grimmsnarl gains priority on any non-damaging move thanks to its Prankster ability, and Sylveon's Quick Attack also gains priority, but goes after Grimmsnarl because its speed is lower than Grimmsnarl. You can also use Sableye in the combo if it has the Prankster hidden ability.

The method is a bit trollish and also incredibly effective, but it requires a bit of guesswork. While you can use the Prankster Grimmsnarl Trick/Sylveon - Quick Attack combo against just about any Pokemon that doesn't use a Priority move, it's not nearly as effective if the target doesn't Dynamax on their turn. You can check out Glick's full video here.

Are you impressed with this Dynamax counter? Let us know in the comment section or find me on Twitter at @CHofferCBus to talk all things Pokemon!

Pokemon: The Power of Us Reveals Netflix Release Date

Pokemon is no stranger to the streaming service that is Netflix, with the popular anime franchise having appeared numerous times on the channel via its main animated series and a number of its movies in the past. Now, one of the most recent movies of the franchise, Pokemon: The Power Of Us, will apparently be getting its on time to shine on the streaming service as one Poke-fan has apparently discovered just when this feature length film will be dropping and it might be sooner than you think!

Twitter User WTK shared the fact that this Pokemon film will be releasing on Netflix starting on January 1st, 2020, allowing a new fan base to experience this unique story in the lives of the travelling companions of Ash Ketchum and Pikachu as the attempt to help the former become one of the greatest trainers in the world:

While Pokemon fans will be happy with the release of this Pokemon film on the streaming service, we are all still left wondering when the recent re-telling of the first Pokemon movie, Mewtwo Strikes Back Evolution, will be making its way to North America. With the recent season of the anime series showing Ash and his new friend Go travelling the world to discover new Pokemon, there's no better time to "strike while the iron is hot".

The Power of Us is a standalone film set in Fula City, which seems to be set in the Johto region. Ash and Pikachu meet several interesting characters as they uncover a mystery involving the Legendary Pokemon Lugia and the Mythical Pokemon Zeraora. The movie has no ties to other Pokemon films, although it's regarded as a sequel to Pokemon the Movie: I Choose You. The title of the movie, The Power of Us, is a not so subtle homage to Pokemon the Movie: 2000, which had an alternate title of "The Power of One."

Have you already had the chance to see Pokemon: The Power Of Us? Will you be catching it when it drops onto Netflix on the first day of the new year? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly on Twitter @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and Pokemon!

Pokemon: The Series, is now airing new episodes weekly in Japan, but unfortunately is still not officially licensed for an English language release as of this writing. Staff confirmed for the new series include Daiki Tomiyasu serving as chief director for OLM, Maki Odaira as series director, and Kunihiko Yuyama as creative supervisor.

Male and Female Pokemon Used to Look Very Different Based on These Leaked Sprites

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A recent leak of unused Pokemon Diamond and Pearl sprites offers a cool new fact about the 2006 Nintendo DS RPG: Most of the Pokemon in the game, if not all of them, were initially supposed to have distinct male and female variants.

Lots of Pokemon demonstrate sexual dimorphism—female Pikachu have a little heart shape at the end of their tails, for one—but the examples collected from 4chan's /vp/ by cut content expert Dr. Lava go above and beyond. Gen 4's unused female Pikachu sprite doesn't just have a heart at the end of her tail; she's also lop-eared. Female Raichu is lop-eared as well.

Other noteworthy examples of gender differences that were scrapped include a female Charizard bearing a single horn, a female Arcanine with a swept-back mane, and a female Mudkip with a shorter head fin. Female Plusle have smaller ears, and female Marill have a larger ball at the end of their tails.

It's a cool historical info dump, but is it legit? Dr. Lava points out that crafting so many alternate female sprites would be an awfully elaborate hoax. Granted, people have gone further to pull a fast one on fans; every new Pokemon generation brings legit looking "scans" of "official" documents that leak the starter Pokemon's final evolutions. A more concrete bit of proof that these sprites are the real deal can be found in the Summer 2006 edition of CoroCoro Comics, which mentions Diamond and Pearl's Pokemon will show substantial physical differences between males and females (translation via Bulbapedia).

The final release of Diamond and Pearl didn't keep all those differences between its male and female Pokemon, and sexual dimorphism has been used selectively in subsequent games. Why was it scrapped? Dr. Lava lists some probable reasons. For starters, rendering all those alternative sprites would suck up a ton of development resources for little financial gain—though I imagine fans would love to see the effort. For another thing, it'd be hell to keep tally of the differences for the anime. "And since it was mostly the female designs getting changed, in retrospect it might look like every Pokemon from older games and anime episodes were male," Dr. Lava adds.

It's not that unusual for leaks of beta Pokemon to find their way into the wild. Last year, we were treated to never-before-seen Pokemon from Pokemon Gold and Silver's Space World 1997 demo. The Pokemon Diamond and Pearl gender differences aren't as dramatic—in fact, all the available examples involve older Pokemon and none of Gen 4's newcomers—but lost Pokemon history of any kind of a joy to delve into.

'Pokémon Sword and Shield' Mystery Gift Distribution Gives More Special Poke Balls

Poke Balls are very important in the Pokémon franchise. They are the items that help you catch 'em all afterall, but there are different versions of the spherical capture balls that help trainers in various situations.

In Pokémon Sword and Shield, some of these special Poke Balls are only obtainable via the Ball Guy, a man in a mascot costume that hands out one of these special Balls in each town on your Galar-region journey.

However, The Pokémon Company is giving out more of these special Poke Balls for free via the Mystery Gift function.

HOW TO OBTAIN SPECIAL POKEBALLS IN SWORD AND SHIELD

To obtain these special Poke Balls, trainers will need to boot up their Sword and Shield games and go to the Mystery Gift feature in the menu. Follow these steps to collect your items:

Press X to access Menu

Select Mystery Gift

Select "Get with Code/Password" - make sure you have a wi-fi connection

Enter Code/Password

There are three passwords that trainers will need to input to pick up all nine special PokeBalls. Here's the passwords and the Poke Balls they yield:

0KUGAFUKA1B0RU - Love Ball, Friend Ball, Dream Ball

K0UN1NMASC0T - Fast Ball, Moon Ball, Level Ball

1YAHAYA - Heavy Ball, Lure Ball, Beast Ball

Input one or all three of these passwords in the Mystery Gift feature to have them sent to your bag in Sword and Shield.

WHAT DOES EACH POKEBALL DO?

As we alluded to before, certain Poke Balls have different properties that can help trainers catch a variety of Pokémon.

Love Ball - Works best when catching a Pokémon that is of the opposite gender of your Pokémon

Friend Ball - Will make a wild Pokémon caught with it more friendly toward you immediately

Dream Ball - Different Poké Ball that makes it easier to catch wild Pokémon while they're asleep

Fast Ball - Makes it easier to catch Pokémon that are usually quick to run away

Moon Ball - Makes it easier to catch Pokémon that evolve using a Moon Stone

Level Ball - Makes it easier to catch Pokémon that are at a lower level than your own Pokémon

Heavy Ball - Better than usual at catching heavy Pokémon

Lure Ball - Good for catching Pokémon that you reel in with a rod while out fishing

Beast Ball - Different Poké Ball that has a low success rate for catching a Pokémon

Pokémon Sword and Shield is available now for Nintendo Switch.

Which of these special items is your favorite? Let us know in the comments section.

Why Pokémon Sword and Shield are my games of the year

Pokémon Red is the first game I can remember playing myself. And while revolutionary for the time, the rudimentary, 8-bit graphics of the series left a lot to the imagination. Pretend this grass hides wild pokémon. Imagine this pokémon is wielding vast elemental powers. Picture an epic gym battle for the right to be the champion of the entire country. The Game Boy classics could never live up to the dream they were selling. With Pokémon Sword and Shield, though, you don't have to imagine. For the first time, developer Game Freak has brought the world of Pokémon to life in a way that the pixel-art of Red and Blue never could.

Sword and Shield's Galar region feels alive to me in a way that no Pokémon game ever has. Wild pokémon peer their head out of the grass as I adventure along the path, ambling along in their native habits like the wild creatures we've always been told they were. There's the pervasive sports culture (complete with practice fields, rowdy fans, and merchandise) around Pokémon battles that makes my adventure feel a part of the world.

And then there are Dynamax gym battles. For decades, the Pokémon games have told me that I was a legendary trainer, facing down the world's greatest pokémon masters in huge battles, but Sword and Shield finally shows that. It's one thing to be told that you're competing in a country-wide league against the pros — but it's another to see building-sized pokémon duking it out in a massive stadium to the roaring cheers of a huge crowd.

On top of all that is the Wild Area, the crown jewel of Sword and Shield, which feels like the future of the franchise. A wide open area to explore, with different biomes, filled with dozens of different pokémon just wandering around and massive Dynamax and Gigantamax raid battles that let players team up across the internet for truly legendary pokémon battles. You can camp with your pokémon, creating delicious snacks to share or just play fetch with them. It's so much fun to explore and see what rare or interesting pokémon is around the next corner, in fact, that it's responsible for sidetracking most of my playthrough of the actual gyms and storyline.

That's before getting into all the quality-of-life changes that Game Freak has made with Sword and Shield, cutting out unnecessary cruft like limited-use move teaching items, environmental moves like Fly and Surf that were essential to travel, and the requirement to have to travel back to a town to change up your team's lineup. Sword and Shield even does its best to be transparent about that with in-battle menus, allowing players to see which moves are most effective or what temporary stat effects are in play. The games mark the biggest step forward in ridding the series from the annoying artificial barriers to fun it had erected over the years, and in turn make more high-level aspects of the long-running RPG series even more accessible.

Sword and Shield are still easy games by nearly any metric, at least for the main storyline. But with the maddeningly difficult Battle Tower and the sheer delight of exploring the Wild Area and taking on the endgame multiplayer raids, there's plenty of depth for more mature fans willing to put the effort in to train the ultimate team of competitive fighters.

But the difficulty almost doesn't matter. The games themselves are less Pokémon game and more like a lovingly created, playable version of the popular anime. I vividly remember playing Pokémon Red all those years ago and wondering if the games would ever reach the point of the cartoons, creating a world where wild pokémon roam free and my battles had the stakes that Ash Ketchum's did. With Sword and Shield, the series finally caught up to my imagination.

To me, Pokémon Sword and Shield highlight the possibilities of what modern video games — with all our technological advancements — can be, bringing what were once childhood dreams to interactive life. After two decades of getting closer to that reality, Sword and Shield make it real. They're not only the best Pokémon games ever made — they're the best video games I've played all year.

Pokemon Go Adds Buddy Adventure Feature - GS News Update

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Niantic reveals new details about ‘Pokemon Go’ Buddy Adventure

Niantic revealed more details about the Buddy Adventure feature in "Pokemon Go" on Tuesday. The new element in the game fleshes out the buddy mechanic that was introduced a few months after the game was released.

From the initial reveal last month, Buddy Adventure looked similar to the Pokemon-Amie, a feature that made its debut in "Pokemon X" and "Pokemon Y." It allowed players to pet their pocket monsters and feed it berries. The goal was to create more of bond between players and their chosen Pokemon. It's a "Tamagotchi" twist to the the "Pokemon" formula.

The videos and details that it divulged on its website show that Buddy Adventure works in a similar way. The Buddy Adventure process follows a tiered structure. Players start off with their chosen Pokemon as Good Buddy. Players achieve this level by getting into the new Play! mode in the Buddy profile page. That activates an augmented reality-supported view, in which players feed the Pokemon berries that they get from spinning Poke Stops and other activities. Doing that turns the creature into a Good Buddy and that Pokemon can walk or fly with players on the world map.

The next level is a Great Buddy. In this tier, the Pokemon will help players catch and battle other pocket monsters. In addition, they'll bring items to players. An Ultra Buddy will alert players to interesting areas nearby, according to Niantic. The Pokemon will also bring players souvenirs. The last level is Best Buddy. When they reach this stage, Buddy Pokemon get a boost to their CP, or combat power, but the one caveat is that they have to be a player's Buddy Pokemon.

So how can players raise the buddy level? A new screenshot reveals that they can perform a number of daily activities that garners hearts each day. Players and a buddy can walk together. That earns three hearts. They can give it a treat and earn three more. Other acts include: playing together, battling, taking a snapshot and visiting a new place. Bonding with the Pokemon improves its mood and at the highest tier, which is "excited," players will get bonuses such as easier candy generation, more hearts per action and bonus hearts.

One of the cooler features that Niantic showed off in November was the option to have multiple Pokemon interact in AR. Niantic said the new feature will come out after the initial introduction of Buddy Adventure and it will support up to three friends. It will be a boon for players who want to take group shots of their Pokemon and friends. Interestingly enough though, it also opens up new avenues for interaction. A Shared AR experience could be used to spawn new Pokemon similar to what Niantic has done with AR photography and Smeargle. Conceivably, they can do the same for other Pokemon as well and tie it in to lore. Perhaps having two Illumise together in a shared AR experience could attract a Volbeat or maybe having two more more Durants can draw out a Heatmore, the Pokemon's natural predator. The possibilities are promising for gameplay and memorable interactions.

The Buddy Adventure is one of several new mechanics headed to "Pokemon Go" in 2020. The other one is the Pokemon Go Battle League, which could bolster the player versus player element of the game. It sounds like an in-game PvP mode where players can challenge each other. I'm hoping it works similar to how PvP does in "Hearthstone." If it's easy as that, the battle league could be a popular pastime for players.

Pokemon Go Adding New Buddy Adventure Feature

Pokemon Go will kick off the new year with a big new gameplay feature. Niantic shared the first details on Buddy Adventure, a new feature that is rolling out around the world by 2020 and gives you more ways to interact and strengthen your bond with your Buddy Pokemon.

Just as you can increase your friendship level with other players, you'll be able to raise your Buddy Level with your Pokemon once the Buddy Adventure feature goes live. After feeding your Buddy Pokemon a berry from the new Buddy Pokemon profile page, you'll become Good Buddies, and you'll be able to see your Buddy Pokemon following along behind you on the overworld screen. You can further increase your Buddy Level to Great, Ultra, and Best Buddies by playing with your Pokemon, using it in battle, and taking snapshots of it.

Each Buddy Level also opens up different bonuses; you can see what each friendship tier unlocks below, courtesy of the official Pokemon Go website:

Good Buddy: Your buddy can join you on your map view! You'll also see how your buddy feels on the Buddy profile page.

Great Buddy: Having a hard time catching a Pokemon? Your buddy may help you out in Pokemon encounters! It can also bring you items that can help you in your Pokemon Go journey.

Ultra Buddy: Your buddy will help you explore the world around you by letting you know about interesting places nearby! Your buddy will also bring you Souvenirs, which you can keep track of on the buddy profile page.

Best Buddy: Become Best Buddies, and your buddy will sport a Best Buddy Ribbon to show off to everyone just how close you two are! Pokemon that you're Best Buddies with can get a CP boost in combat as long as they're still assigned as your Buddy Pokémon.

On top of that, the new Buddy profile page will let you see your Pokemon's mood, its progress toward finding Candy, and a list of daily activities to complete that will earn you hearts and, in turn, improve your Buddy Pokemon's mood. Once your buddy's mood is maxed out, it'll be able to find Candy at half the distance it normally takes. On top of that, the Buddy Adventure update will make it so that changing Buddy Pokemon will no longer reset that Pokemon's progress toward finding Candy.

Following the release of Buddy Adventure, Niantic teases that you'll be able to meet other players' Buddy Pokemon in a new "Shared AR Experience" mode. This feature will allow you to sync with up to two other players and take group photos with your Buddy Pokemon. You can read more about the feature on the Pokemon Go website.

In the meantime, there are still a lot of events in store for Pokemon Go this month. The Legendary Gen 5 Pokemon, Virizion, is making its debut in Raid Battles today, December 17, while Ho-Oh and Lugia are returning for a special Raid Weekend from December 20-23. Pokemon Go's annual holiday event will follow beginning December 24 and will introduce a handful of new Gen 5 Ice Pokemon to the game. You can catch up on other recent Pokemon Go news below.

Pokemon Sword & Shield: All The Version Exclusives, Version Differences, Legendaries, Raids, And More

Pokemon Sword and Shield are out now on Nintendo Switch, marking the start of the series' eighth generation. Regardless of which version you pick up, the core adventure will be the same across both titles, so you can generally expect to encounter similar characters, Gen 8 Pokemon, and story beats whether you're playing Sword or Shield. However, as has been the case since the series' debut, each version also features some distinct elements, so the experience will differ somewhat depending on which game you play.

Traditionally, the biggest difference between Pokemon games is which monsters you can capture in the wild, but some installments have shaken things up in more dramatic ways with version-exclusive locations and characters. Below, we've rounded up all of the differences between Pokemon Sword and Shield to help you decide which version is right for you. For our full thoughts on the games, be sure to also check out our Pokemon Sword and Shield review.

Version-Exclusive Gyms

In a first for the series, Pokemon Sword and Shield will feature some version-exclusive Gym Leaders. As we learned from the games' July trailer, some cities in the Galar region will be home to different Gyms depending on which version you're playing. In Pokemon Sword, players will challenge Bea, a Fighting-type expert. However, the same Gym in Shield will be led by Allister, a Ghost-type trainer. There's a second exclusive Gym in each version as well. The sixth Gym in Sword will be led by the Rock-type trainer Gordie, while those playing Shield will instead do battle with the Ice-type Gym Leader Melony.

Version-Exclusive Pokemon

Just as in the past, Sword and Shield are each home to a handful of Pokemon that can't be captured in the other version. There are some monsters that are much more common in one version than another, and in the case of Sawk and Throh, you'll be able to trade a Vanillish in Circhester for the one you can't find in your game. Below is the full list of full version exclusives.

Sword-exclusive Pokemon

Seedot

Nuzleaf

Shiftry

Swirlix

Slurpuff

Scraggy

Scrafty

Gothita

Gothorita

Gothitelle

Rufflet

Braviary

Mawile

Farfetch'd (Galarian)

Sirfetch'd

Passimian

Turtonator

Solrock

Darumaka (Galarian)

Darmanitan (Galarian)

Stonjourner

Deino

Zweilous

Hydreigon

Jangmo-o

Hakamo-o

Kommo-o

Zacian

Shield-exclusive Pokemon

Lotad

Lombre

Ludicolo

Spritzee

Aromatisse

Croagunk

Toxicroak

Solosis

Duosion

Reuniclus

Vullaby

Mandibuzz

Sableye

Ponyta (Galarian)

Rapidash (Galarian)

Oranguru

Drampa

Lunatone

Corsola (Galarian)

Cursola

Eiscue

Larvitar

Pupitar

Tyranitar

Goomy

Sliggoo

Goodra

Zamazenta

Different Legendaries

Like previous Pokemon games, Sword and Shield are each represented by a different Legendary Pokemon. The cover of Sword is adorned by Zacian, which wields a sword in its maw and moves about gracefully, while Shield's cover is graced by Zamazenta, which boasts an armor-like mane. You'll encounter both Legendaries in each version, but you'll only be able to catch the one that appears on your game's cover.

Gigantamax Raids

While you'll normally face off against standard Dynamax Pokemon in Max Raid Battles, during specific windows of time, you'll have a greater chance of encountering certain Gigantamax Pokemon instead, and it seems these monsters may vary depending on which version you're playing. During the first announced window, which runs from November 15 to early January 2020, Pokemon Sword players will be more likely to encounter Gigantamax Drednaw in Max Raids, while those playing Pokemon Shield will have a greater chance of finding Gigantamax Corviknight.

Version-Exclusive Items

One Pokemon, the Dragon- and Grass-type Applin, evolves differently depending on what item you give it, and the items in question differ based on which version you're playing. In Sword, you'll receive the Tart Apple, which will cause Applin to evolve into Flapple; in Shield, however, you'll receive the Sweet Apple, which will cause the Pokemon to evolve into Appletun. Check out our full Applin evolution guide for more info.

Fossils

In previous Pokemon games, you had to choose between two fossils during the course of the story, each of which could be restored into a different Pokemon. In Sword and Shield, it works a bit differently. There are four fossils total, with the Fossilized Bird and Fossilized Dino being much more common in Sword and the Fossilized Fish and Fossilized Drake being much more common in Shield (based on staff experience at GameSpot). See our full fossil guide for all the details.

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Now Playing: Pokemon Sword And Shield Differences And Exclusives Explained

Pokemon cards now bought/sold on product stock market StockX

Pokemon cards are now being sold on StockX. StockX is an auction/sales site that goes the extra mile when it comes to authenticating the source of a wide variety of items, centering on sneakers, artwork, and other highly sought-after representations of modernity. Before now, the "Trading Cards" category included only sports – Basketball, Baseball, Football, and Hockey. Now it includes Pokemon!

When a product reaches a new arena such as this, it further legitimizes the value of said product. Sports cards took a big dip mid-1990s, when the market was flooded with hungry card-makers looking to get a piece of the then-exploding market, but rose up just a BIT once again with the birth of systems like eBay. Pokemon cards, unlike sports cards, can also be played in a game between two players on a tabletop.

Pokemon cards began to be distributed by Wizards of the Coast (owned by Hasbro) back in December of 1998. In July of 2003, the license and running of this system of cards passed to The Pokemon Company International. Per the official "Business Summary" of The Pokemon Company cited "as of the end of September 2019", the Pokemon Trading Card Game has shipped over 28.8 billion cards in 13 languages in "77 areas" around the world.

The idea that there's now a Pokemon Cards section on StockX might excite investors and collectors, but it's important to note that The Pokemon Company is releasing a significant amount of new cards every year, now, with four individual card sets appearing in just this past year. That includes Team Up, Unbroken Bonds, Unified Minds, and Cosmic Eclipse, as well as a couple of "special sets", including Detective Pikachu and Hidden Fates – these sets include a total of over 1000 new cards in the last 12 months.

Regardless, it's significant that the Pokemon TCG appears now on StockX alongside super valuable items from all ends of the collectable product universe. This might, at last, stem the tide of fakes sold on auction sites like eBay – but we shall see!

Pokemon Go Community Day December 2019 Guide: Featured Pokemon, Start Times, And More

Pokemon Go developer Niantic is closing out 2019 with a bunch of events in the game, including one final Community Day. Like last year, this month's Community Day is actually spread across two days--December 14 and 15--and gives players another chance to catch rare Pokemon, learn exclusive moves, and earn some extra bonuses.

We're now in the final day of this month's big Community Day weekend, but there's a lot happening during the event. To help get you prepared, we've rounded up everything you need to know about December 2019's Community Day weekend below, from what Pokemon you'll be able to find again to all the different bonuses and special moves that are available.

What Is December's Featured Pokemon?

While each Pokemon Go Community Day typically stars only one "featured" Pokemon, this month's event brings back every previous featured Pokemon, giving you another chance to catch them. On December 14 and 15, all of the featured Pokemon from each of 2019's Community Days will appear more often again in the wild. The full list includes:

Totodile

Swinub

Treecko

Torchic

Mudkip

Ralts

Slakoth

Trapinch

Bagon

Turtwig

Chimchar

On top of that, you'll have another chance to encounter the featured Pokemon from 2018's Community Days as well. During both days of the event, the following Pokemon will appear in Gyms as Raid bosses:

Bulbasaur

Charmander

Squirtle

Pikachu

Eevee

Dratini

Chikorita

Cyndaquil

Mareep

Larvitar

Beldum

You will also be more likely to hatch the following Pokemon from eggs on each day of the event:

December 14

Bulbasaur

Charmander

Pichu

Dratini

Totodile

Mareep

Swinub

Larvitar

Treecko

Torchic

Slakoth

Bagon

December 15

Squirtle

Eevee

Chikorita

Cyndaquil

Mudkip

Ralts

Trapinch

Beldum

Turtwig

Chimchar

What Is December's Special Community Day Move?

All of them! In addition to bringing back every previous featured Pokemon, you'll have another chance to get each monster's special Community Day move, which they normally cannot learn in Pokemon Go through other means. To get these attacks, you'll need to evolve the Pokemon all the way into their final forms before the event ends on December 15 (although any Pikachu or Eevee you catch during the event should already know their Community Day moves). As a refresher, here is each Pokemon's Community Day move:

Featured Pokemon Community Day Move Bulbasaur Frenzy Plant Charmander Blast Burn Squirtle Hydro Cannon Pikachu Surf Eevee Last Resort Dratini Draco Meteor Chikorita Frenzy Plant Cyndaquil Blast Burn Totodile Hydro Cannon Mareep Dragon Pulse Swinub Ancient Power Larvitar Smack Down Beldum Meteor Mash Treecko Frenzy Plant Torchic Blast Burn Mudkip Hydro Cannon Ralts Synchronoise Slakoth Body Slam Trapinch Earth Power Bagon Outrage Turtwig Frenzy Plant Chimchar Blast Burn What Time Does December's Community Day Start?

While Community Days typically only run for three hours, December's big event will take place over two 12-hour periods, running from 9 AM to 9 PM local time on December 14 and 15. You'll be able to encounter all of the aforementioned Pokemon throughout that time, although certain monsters will be more common each day during a three-hour window. Here are the monsters you're more likely to see from 11 AM to 2 PM local time each day:

December 14

Totodile

Swinub

Treecko

Torchic

Slakoth

Bagon

December 15

Mudkip

Ralts

Trapinch

Turtwig

Chimchar

What Other Bonuses Are Available?

On top of bringing back every previous featured Pokemon, Niantic is offering a handful of other bonuses during December's Community Day weekend. From 11 AM to 2 PM local time each day, you'll earn twice the normal amount of Stardust and XP for catching Pokemon. Eggs will also hatch at half the distance they normally require during that window of time.

‘Pokémon GO’ December Community Day Sunday: Full List Of Pokémon Spawning On And Their Moves

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Pokemon GO

Credit: Niantic

It’s day two of Pokémon GO’s large-scale December Community Day, where anyone who missed a huge suite of creatures the first time around have another chance to grab some shinies with exclusive Community Day moves, so long as they’re willing to brave the cold, depending on where they live. It’s a tradition that started last year and seems like it’s going to keep going for the foreseeable future.

It’s a bit complicated, however. Sunday’s Community Day will follow the same rules as yesterday. We’ve got a big suite of Pokémon appearing from 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM, but not quite at the same density as a standard community day. Let’s start with those:

Pokémon appearing more frequently in the wild: Totodile, Swinub, Treecko, Torchic, Mudkip, Ralts, Slakoth, Trapinch, Bagon, Turtwig, and Chimchar

Pokémon appearing in raids: Bulbasaur, Charmander, Squirtle, Pikachu, Eevee, Dratini, Chikorita, Cyndaquil, Mareep, Larvitar, and Beldum

Pokémon available to hatch from Eggs: Squirtle, Eevee, Chikorita, Cyndaquil, Mudkip, Ralts, Trapinch, Beldum, Turtwig, and Chimchar

From 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM, however, we’ve got something that looks more like a standard Community Day, with tons of event spawns as well as special bonuses to, in this case, basically everything. If you’re playing today, this is when you want to play. Here are the Pokémon appearing during that time:

Pokémon appearing even more frequently in the wild: Mudkip, Ralts, Trapinch, Turtwig, and Chimchar

Bonuses: 2× Catch Stardust, 2× Catch XP, and 1/2 Egg Hatch Distance when Eggs are placed into Incubators during these hours

All Pokémon evolved during event hours will be able to learn their exclusive Community Day move, and for some of them it’s likely their last chance to get that move outside of trades, so collectors take note. Here are all those moves, with the Pokémon that you’ll be catching, what you’ll need to evolve it into to get the move, and what the move is.

Chimchar, Infernape: Blast Burn

Torchic. Blaziken: Blast Burn

Mudkip, Swampert: Hydro Cannon

Totodile, Feraligatr: Hydro Cannon

Treecko, Sceptile: Frenzy Plant

Turtwig, Torterra: Frenzy Plant

Ralts, Gardevoir: Synchronoise

Trapinch, Flygon: Earth Power

Bagon, Salemence: Outrage

Swinub, Mammoswine: Ancient Power

Slakoth, Slaking: Body Slam

Bulbasaur, Venasaur: Frenzy Plant

Charmander, Charizard: blast Burn

Pichu, Pikachu: Surf

Dratini, Dragonite: Draco Meteor

Eevee, all Eevelutions: Last Resort

Chikorita, Meganium: Frenzy Plant

Cyndaquil, Typhlosion: Blast Burn

Mareep, Ampharos: Dragon Pulse

Larvitar, Tyranitar: Smack Down

Beldum, Metagross: Meteor Mash

Pokemon Go December Community Day 2019 Is Live: Start Times, Featured Pokemon, And More

2019 may be winding down, but Pokemon Go developer Niantic is closing out the year with a bunch of events in the game, including one final Community Day. Just like last year, this month's Community Day will actually be spread across two days--December 14 and 15--and will give players another chance to catch rare Pokemon, learn exclusive moves, and earn some extra bonuses.

There's a lot happening during this month's big Pokemon Go event, so to help get you prepared, we've rounded up everything you need to know about December 2019's Community Day weekend below, from what Pokemon you'll be able to find again to all the different bonuses and special moves that will be available.

What Is December's Featured Pokemon?

While each Pokemon Go Community Day typically stars only one "featured" Pokemon, this month's event brings back every previous featured Pokemon, giving you another chance to catch them. On December 14 and 15, all of the featured Pokemon from each of 2019's Community Days will appear more often again in the wild. The full list includes:

Totodile

Swinub

Treecko

Torchic

Mudkip

Ralts

Slakoth

Trapinch

Bagon

Turtwig

Chimchar

On top of that, you'll have another chance to encounter the featured Pokemon from 2018's Community Days as well. During both days of the event, the following Pokemon will appear in Gyms as Raid bosses:

Bulbasaur

Charmander

Squirtle

Pikachu

Eevee

Dratini

Chikorita

Cyndaquil

Mareep

Larvitar

Beldum

You will also be more likely to hatch the following Pokemon from eggs on each day of the event:

December 14

Bulbasaur

Charmander

Pichu

Dratini

Totodile

Mareep

Swinub

Larvitar

Treecko

Torchic

Slakoth

Bagon

December 15

Squirtle

Eevee

Chikorita

Cyndaquil

Mudkip

Ralts

Trapinch

Beldum

Turtwig

Chimchar

What Is December's Special Community Day Move?

All of them! In addition to bringing back every previous featured Pokemon, you'll have another chance to get each monster's special Community Day move, which they normally cannot learn in Pokemon Go through other means. To get these attacks, you'll need to evolve the Pokemon all the way into their final forms before the event ends on December 15 (although any Pikachu or Eevee you catch during the event should already know their Community Day moves). As a refresher, here is each Pokemon's Community Day move:

Featured Pokemon Community Day Move Bulbasaur Frenzy Plant Charmander Blast Burn Squirtle Hydro Cannon Pikachu Surf Eevee Last Resort Dratini Draco Meteor Chikorita Frenzy Plant Cyndaquil Blast Burn Totodile Hydro Cannon Mareep Dragon Pulse Swinub Ancient Power Larvitar Smack Down Beldum Meteor Mash Treecko Frenzy Plant Torchic Blast Burn Mudkip Hydro Cannon Ralts Synchronoise Slakoth Body Slam Trapinch Earth Power Bagon Outrage Turtwig Frenzy Plant Chimchar Blast Burn What Time Does December's Community Day Start?

While Community Days typically only run for three hours, December's big event will take place over two 12-hour periods, running from 9 AM to 9 PM local time on December 14 and 15. You'll be able to encounter all of the aforementioned Pokemon throughout that time, although certain monsters will be more common each day during a three-hour window. Here are the monsters you're more likely to see from 11 AM to 2 PM local time each day:

December 14

Totodile

Swinub

Treecko

Torchic

Slakoth

Bagon

December 15

Mudkip

Ralts

Trapinch

Turtwig

Chimchar

What Other Bonuses Are Available?

On top of bringing back every previous featured Pokemon, Niantic is offering a handful of other bonuses during December's Community Day weekend. From 11 AM to 2 PM local time each day, you'll earn twice the normal amount of Stardust and XP for catching Pokemon. Eggs will also hatch at half the distance they normally require during that window of time.