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Pokémon Sword and Shield revealed a few of the new abilities and moves coming to the latest game in a battle trailer released today.
Firstly, Dynamaxed Pokémon will shake off moves that cause flinching. If you were an absolute unit, it’d take a fair bit to scare you too. Max Moves will also provide secondary buffs to the team, or create weather and veil effects. For example, fighting type Max Move Max Knuckle will increase the attack stat of all Pokémon, including the Dynamaxed Pokémon itself. The water Max move Max Geyser will cause rainfall, and even if the opposition uses a move like Protect, the Max Move will still do damage.
Moreover, Pokémon caught in Max Raid Battles might hold Hidden Abilities, and some could even possess the Gigantamax ability. Even rarer still is the Pokémon that has both a Gigantamax ability with a Hidden Ability, but they are out there. In addition, Corviknight has a Mirror Armor ability that redirects stat lowering moves back to the attacker. And Galarian Weezing, as Poison and Fairy type, can use the ability Neutralising Gas. This neutralises all active abilities, and a new fighting type move Breaking Swipe will decrease the attack of each opposing Pokémon.
Two new items were unveiled; Room Service and Eject Pack. The first item will lower the Pokémon’s speed during Trick Room, and Eject Pack will switch a Pokémon out if its stats fall.
If you have a Nintendo Switch Online membership, you can test your mettle in the Battle Stadium and battle against Trainers from across the globe in Ranked and Casual Battles. Pokémon Sword and Shield will be the official competitive game next year, so better brush up on your pocket monster know-how and know-who now.
Pokémon Sword & Shield will release exclusively for the Switch on November 15. Watch the battle reveal trailer below.
