Pokemon Sword and Shield have revealed five new Gigantamax forms, some of them as bonuses for supportive fans.
To start, there’s Gigantamax Butterfree and Charizard. These two are available in the base games, but like with other special Gigantamax transformations, you will probably have to fulfill special criteria to gain access to them. Butterfree gains massive wings that constantly shed poisonous scales, and Bug-type attacks used by Gigantamax Butterfree will change to G-Max Befuddle. G-Max Befuddle doesn’t only deal damage — it will also scatter scales around opponents and cause them to become poisoned, become paralyzed, or fall asleep. Charizard is bursting at the seams with fire, and even has wings made of fire. Fire-type attacks used by Gigantamax Charizard will change to G-Max Wildfire. G-Max Wildfire not only deals damage to an opponent when it hits, it will also continue to deal damage for four turns to any Pokemon that isn’t Fire type.
Next up are Gigantamax Pikachu and Eevee, obtained via save data from Pokemon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Pokemon: Let’s Go, Eevee! respectively. The Pikachu and Eevee obtained will not be able to evolve. Pikachu regains its original chubby Gameboy sprite design, with the addition of an enormous tail made of electricity. Electric-type attacks used by Gigantamax Pikachu will change to G-Max Volt Crash, which not only deals damage but also paralyzes all opponents. Eevee gets a massive ring of fur around its neck, a rowdier disposition, and Normal-type attacks used by it will change to G-Max Cuddle. G-Max Cuddle doesn’t just deal damage when it hits — any opponent that’s the opposite gender of Eevee will become infatuated.
Finally, there’s the incredibly tall Gigantamax Meowth, who is available as an early-purchase bonus by selecting the Get via Internet option in Mystery Gift from Friday, November 15th, 2019, to Wednesday, January 15th, 2020. This specific Meowth will also be unable to evolve. It’s design seems inspired by a couple Japanese Yokai (mythical spirits), and Normal-type attacks used by it will change to G-Max Gold Rush. G-Max Gold Rush deals damage to opponents and also scatters coins all over the area, giving Trainers a considerable in-game cash bonus after the battle.
Pokemon Sword and Shield are fast approaching their release date on November 15th, and it feels like Game Freak has revealed both a little and a lot. It’s still not entirely clear how many fully new Pokemon will be revealed, or the full extent of the reduced Pokedex. Depending on what you value in a Pokemon game, this may be either a must-buy or a hard pass. I think a Pokemon Nintendo Direct is coming in the next three weeks, so we should hear more soon. And, as always, don’t look for leaks as there’s STILL more information from the proven Sword and Shield leak that hasn’t been announced yet!