Any trainers who want to show off their competitive skills in Pokémon Sword and Shield will have a chance to do so next month when the first online competition goes live.
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From Dec. 6 to 8, trainers will be able to take part in Galar Beginnings, a Single Battle tournament that only Pokémon in the Galar Pokédex can fight in.
Here’s the full ruleset:
- Sign-up period: Nov. 15 to Dec. 5 at 5:59pm CT
- Competition period: Dec. 6 at 6pm CT to Sunday, Dec. 8 at 5:59pm CT
- Battle format: Single Battle
- Eligible Pokémon: Pokémon obtained in Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield
- Zacian, Zamazenta, Mew (contained in the Poké Ball Plus), and some other special Pokémon aren’t eligible.
- Players can register three to six of their Pokémon to their Battle Team.
- All Pokémon in this competition will automatically become level 50 for the duration of each match.
Players will be able to join the competition by opening the X menu in their game and selecting the Vs. Battle Stadium and then Online Competitions once the game comes out. Trainers will need to own a Nintendo Switch Online membership to compete, though.
Once the tournament has concluded and points have been tallied, Game Freak will release the Ranking Results later in December.
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