Players once thought that Pokemon GO‘s third Ultra Unlock from GoFest 2021 was just a simple release of Giratina, or perhaps Gen 4’s Mythical god-status pokemon, Arceus. We thought it would be a nice time to rest. Apparently, that’s not the case. Whether it’s a way to reward players or distract from the PokeStop/Gym radius nerf blowback, Niantic has now jumped past multiple pokemon generations, legendaries, and mythicals to land on the Pokemon Sword and Shield mascots, Zacian and Zamazenta.
While these pokemon may not immediately shake up Pokemon GO‘s meta, they will affect Sword and Shield. Unless Niantic adds a restriction on moving them from POGO, “easier access” to meta-defining pokemon Zacian in some leagues helps Shield owners, and Zamazenta helps Sword users at least in terms of trades. Neither pokemon will have access to the rusty-held items that unlock their second forms, which puts both pokemon in rather high tiers depending on your league of choice (as each copy of the game is limited to 1 item of their mascot only). So the impact on the trade community will surely be felt, especially by collectors and completionists. The event goes live August 20 at 10 am and ends August 31 at 8 pm (local time).
