Pokemon Sword and Shield: All New Pokemon Announced

Just earlier on today, The Pokemon Company revealed a host of new Pocket Monsters that they’ve confirmed will be appearing in Pokemon Sword and Shield. A number of these additions to your Pokedex are actually variants of well-known critters from previous titles, but there are also some new faces native to the Galar region that you’ll want to get acquainted with. Check out our list of all the new Pokemon confirmed for Pokemon Sword and Shield currently.

Pokemon Sword and Shield New Pokemon — Morpeko

Morpeko is the Pokemon that has made a real impact on the internet. We’ll forgive you if you thought it was just Galarian Pikachu at first glance. It’s; called the Two-Sided Pokemon, and its forte is using its Jekyll and Hyde-esque skills to get the better of its opponents. Morpeko will change between Full Belly Mode and Hangry Mode, which also alters how the Pokemon looks and the type of its leading move — Aura Wheel. 

Pokemon Sword and Shield New Pokemon — Galarian Zigzagoon

This is one of our favorite Pokemon from Sapphire, and it’s nice that we’re getting a Galarian version of it in Pokemon Sword and Shield. This upgraded Zigzagoon is a Dark/Normal type, and it’ll have the familiar Pickup and Gluttony skills from Generation 3 that long-time fans will be familiar with. It looks like Galarian Zigzagoons are a lot more aggressive than their foreign-region counterparts, and this spiky creature definitely looks the part. 

Pokemon Sword and Shield New Pokemon — Galarian Linoone

Where there’s a Zigzagoon, there’s also going to be a Linoone. Galarian Linoon keeps the sleek black and white, angry skunk aesthetic of its prior form, and they definitely seem to embody the species’ trademark aggression. From the eyeliner to the rapid-fast Normal type moves that it employes, Galarian Linoone is going to be a force to be reckoned with for sure. 

Pokemon Sword and Shield New Pokemon — Obstagoon

While Generation 3 made sure that the evolutionary tree ended with Linoone, the Galarian branch of the family adds an entirely new stage of evolution. The end result? A buff brawler called Obstagoon. Also known as the Blocking Pokemon, its specialty is an innate trait that makes attacks that have recoil damage hit opponents harder. It’s not quite clear whether you evolve Galarian Linoones into this new form via leveling up or if there’s going to be some type of regional Stone that needs to be employed, but it definitely looks a lot like a souped-up, furry Machamp from the screenshots so far. 

Pokemon Sword and Shield New Pokemon — Galarian Weezing

Zigzagoon isn’t the only Pokemon from the past that’s seeing a Galarian upgrade. We’ve also got Galarian Weezing, which was revealed to much fanfare in the footage from GameFreak. Contrary to its rugged looks, this Pokemon is part Fairy and it’s the first Poison/Fairy type ever. Weezing will still retain its immunity to Ground attacks. This version of Weezing looks like it has two top hats in the form of chimneys, matching its new Pokedex description of a critter that consumes polluted air and poisonous gases before purifying them. 

This is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Pokemon confirmations. We’re still a fair bit of time away from the actual release of Pokemon Sword and Shield, so we can definitely expect to hear more about other Galarian forms of well-known Pokemon, or perhaps entirely new creatures as we draw closer to the game’s launch. Whatever the situation is, we’ll keep you updated on the latest Pocket Monsters as we spot them!