Pokemon Home Adds Surprising Restrictions for Some Pokemon

Pokemon Home's new version has some surprising restrictions. Earlier today, Nintendo updated the Pokemon cloud storage app to add compatibility to Pokemon Brilliant Dimaond and Shining Pearl and Pokemon Legends: Arceus. While the update allows players to freely move most Pokemon between both games and other games compatible with Pokemon Home, fans quickly discovered that several Pokemon had restrictions as to which games they could be put into via Pokemon Home. Notably, both Spinda and Nincada can not be added from Pokemon Home into Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl. Additionally, players can't place Spinda caught in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl into Pokemon Home.

Pokemon journalist Joe Merrick of Serebii, who first discovered the issues this morning, noted that the Spinda restrictions were likely due to issues involving the algorithm that determines Spinda's random spots in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl. Meanwhile, Nincada likely is flagged by Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl's anti-cloning algorithm. Pokemon Home originally had issues with Nincada's evolutions Shedinja and Ninjask, as the Pokemon have identical stats when they evolve and are flagged as clones by Pokemon Home. Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl likely has a similar anti-clone system in place and thus would reject Shedinja and Ninjask evolved from Nincada taken from other Pokemon games as clones. 

Several Pokemon species capable of Gigantamaxing also can't be transferred into Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl and Pokemon Legends: Arceus. Pikachu and Eevee capable of Gigantamaxing can't be transferred in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl and Pokemon Legends: Arceus, while Meowth capable of Gigantamaxing can't be placed into Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl. This restriction is likely made to prevent those Pokemon from evolving while retaining their Gigantamax mark when they are placed back into Pokemon Home.

This isn't the first time that Pokemon Home has had restrictions as to what Pokemon could pass through the app into different Pokemon games. Several unique Pokemon (such as the partner Pikachu/Eevee from the Pokemon: Let's Go games) also can't be placed into Pokemon Home due to compatibility issues with other Pokemon games.