A new Wild Area event in Pokémon Sword and Shield is live, and it features some of the strongest competitive Pokémon in the VGC 2020 format. These creatures will appear more frequently in Max Raid Battles in the Wild Area.
The Wild Area event
Here is a list of the Pokémon that will be spawning more frequently in Max Raid Battles in the Wild Area during the event:
- Larvitar, Pupitar, Tyranitar
- Dreepy, Drakloak, Dragapult
- Togepi, Togetic, Togekiss
- Drilbur, Excadrill
- Cottonee, Whimsicott
- Rotom-Heat (Pokémon Sword), Rotom-Wash (Pokémon Shield)
Defeating a Max Raid Battle will grant special event-specific rewards. Pokémon in Four and Five-star Max Raid Battles can also have their Hidden Ability.
Serebii Update: The Pokémon Sword & Shield Max Raid Battle events have shifted, adding various Pokémon including Rotom, Whimsicott, Excadrill and more. Details are being added @ https://t.co/wxZkcSJi1v pic.twitter.com/ANutrMIaZ9
— Serebii.net (@SerebiiNet) April 28, 2020
Why these specific Pokémon?
All of these Pokémon (at least, their final evolutions) have been top picks in the 2020 VGC format (competitive doubles). According to Pikalytics, Togekiss, Dragapult, Excadrill, Tyranitar, and Rotom-Wash appear in over 20% of competitive battle teams on Pokémon Showdown. Whimsicott has the lowest pick-rate, at 10.17%, but it has still been a staple in the competitive meta.
This Wild Area event will be a great opportunity for players to get a competitive team together. Players who haven’t played any competitive, or returning players, will have easy access to top-tier picks through these Raid Battles.
To find these Max Raid Battles, go to the Wild Area and look around for Red Beams of light coming from dens. Event Dens will always have a Red Beam of light, not a purple beam. These raids can also be broadcast over the Y-COMM to other players with Nintendo Switch Online. To find them this way, open the Y-COMM and search through the stamps to see which raids people are hosting.
This event goes from now until May 11. To get the event spawns, make sure to update the Wild Area News in the Mystery Gift section of the menu! And stay tuned to Daily Esports for further Pokémon news, guides, and more.
