Trainers will soon have their chance to obtain a Shiny Galarian Zapdos, Articuno, and Moltres in Pokémon Sword & Shield. These creatures initially made their debut as part of the first-ever mainline Pokémon DLC with the Pokémon Sword & Shield expansion pass. This introduced the world of Pokémon to two new areas, the Isle of Armor and the Crown Tundra. Similar to the base game’s Wild Area, trainers are able to explore these areas to find hidden items and discover wandering Pokémon.
The Crown Tundra was the second half of the expansion pass and added Galarian Zapdos, Articuno, and Moltres to Pokémon Sword & Shield. Each of them featured unique typings when compared to their Kanto counterparts. It is possible to obtain their Shiny forms in the game now, but it is incredibly rare. The Shiny Odds in the game are 1/4096, meaning every encounter will roll with those odds. It’s possible to obtain the Shiny Charm item in Pokémon Sword & Shield to increase these odds, but they are still going to be fairly difficult to find.
Fortunately, there is an upcoming event happening in Pokémon Sword & Shield where trainers can get the Shiny easily. They will be distributed to players as part of the 2022 International Challenge. This is an online competition where trainers can face off against each other in Pokémon battles to determine who is the winner. While competitive Pokémon battling has a metagame of its own, trainers will just need to participate in one battle during a specific time to unlock the Shiny Galarian birds. On the bright side, the trainer doesn’t even have to win, they will just need to complete a battle and the legendary will appear in the Mystery Gifts.
Collecting Shiny Galarian Zapdos, Articuno, and Moltres in Pokémon Sword & Shield
These are the dates to claim these Pokémon in Pokémon Sword & Shield.
- Shiny Galarian Articuno: Trainers will need to participate in the 2022 International Challenge in February. Registration will take place from February 3rd to February 17th. The battles will then take place from February 18th to February 20th.
- Shiny Galarian Zapdos: Trainers will need to participate in the 2022 International Challenge in March. Registration will take place from February 24th to March 10th. The battles will then take place from March 11th to March 13th.
- Shiny Galarian Moltres: Trainers will need to participate in the 2022 International Challenge in April. Registration will take place from March 31st to April 14th. The battles will then take place from April 15th to April 17th.
To register for the event, open up the VS menu in the game’s pause menu. Choose the Battle Stadium option and search for Official Competition to sign up. Each Shiny Pokémon is directly inspired by their original form’s color pallet. For example, Galarian Zapdos is a bright yellow just like Kantonian Zapdos. It’s important to set a reminder about these events to avoid forgetting about them. After clearing out the battle, the Pokémon will appear in the player’s Mystery Gift menu. Claim them all while they are available.
Pokémon Sword & Shield is available now on Nintendo Switch.