Pokemon Sword and Shield Players Organize Surprise Trade Christmas Event

Christmas is a time for giving. This holiday season, Pokemon fans all over the world will wake up on Christmas morning to find copies of Pokemon Sword and/or Shield wrapped beneath the tree. In an attempt to give a gift to new trainers starting on their journeys, Sword and Shield players are attempting to organize a Surprise Trade event for the holiday. Surprise Trade is a feature in the game in which two players can send one another a surprise Pokemon, with neither trainer knowing what they will get from the other. The idea behind Surprise Trade Christmas is that experienced players will offer up some truly valuable Pokemon in the hopes that they will go to the homes of younger players.

While this is not an event sanctioned by Nintendo or The Pokemon Company, it will be interesting to see how successful it is, regardless. After all, many people will likely be busy spending time with their families on Christmas day. Still, it's hard not to appreciate the wholesomeness of the intent. With so much negativity surrounding Pokemon Sword and Shield prior to their release, it's nice to see the fan community making this sort of effort to spread some holiday cheer.

Naturally, anytime someone comes up with an idea like this, someone will try their best to ruin it for everyone else, and Surprise Trade Christmas is no exception. Some Grinches out there are planning to put up low level Pokemon like Magikarp for trade. There really isn't anything than can be done about that, but the overwhelming response to the idea seems to be much more positive than negative.

Before launch, Pokemon Sword and Shield's "National Dex" controversy led to an uproar online, resulting in a fairly noticeable split in the fan community. Since the games debuted, however, reviews have been positive across the board, with some calling it one of the best games in the franchise thus far. Sales certainly reflect that, and new Pokemon introduced in the game, such as Yamper and Wooloo, have become quick fan favorites.

Have you checked out Pokemon Sword and Shield yet? Do you plan on participating in Surprise Trade Christmas? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!