Pokemon Sword and Shield Is Giving Away Shiny Galarian Legendary Birds

01/15/2022 08:53 am EST

The Pokemon Company is giving away some major prizes for participating in some upcoming online competitions. Earlier this week, The Pokemon Company announced that they would distribute Shiny versions of Galarian Articuno, Galarian Zapdos, and Galarian Moltres as rewards for participating in the next three International Challenges. Shiny Galarian Articuno will be given away to players who enter and battle in February's International Challenge, which will take place from February 18-20 (with registration occurring from February 3-17). Shiny Galarian Zapdos will be rewarded to players who participate in March's International Challenge, which takes place on March 11-13, with registration taking place February 24-March 10. Finally, Shiny Galarian Moltres will be given to players who participate in April's International Challenge, which runs on April 15-17, with registration occurring from March 31-April 14. This marks the first time that Pokemon players can get legitimate Shiny versions of the three Legendary Pokemon. Players must participate in three battles per competition to receive the birds, but don't need to earn a single victory. 

The Galarian Legendary Birds first appeared in Pokemon Sword and Shield's Crown Tundra expansion and are regional variations of the Legendary Birds first seen in Pokemon Red and Blue. All three birds have radically different typings than their original counterparts – Articuno is a Psychic/Flying-type instead an Ice/Flying-type, Zapdos is a Fighting/Flying-type instead of an Electric/Flying-type, and Moltres is a Dark/Flying instead of a Fire/Flying-type. Of note is that the Shiny versions of the these three birds have colorations that hearken back to their Kantonian counterparts. It's one of the reasons these birds have been highly sought after for players for so long. 

In order to sign up, players need to enter the "Options" menu, choose "VS," and then choose "Online Competition." Players can follow that same route to participate in the competition. They can then receive their bird through the "Battle Stadium Rewards" section in the Mystery Gift section.  

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