Pokemon Sword and Shield Max Raid Battles Add Mewtwo and Kanto Starters

it's officially Pokemon Day... well, in some parts of the world, at least! In honor of this National holiday, a number of Pokemon-related events are scheduled throughout the day, including the release of Pokemon: Mewtwo Strikes Back Evolution on Netflix. As a tie-in to the film, Pokemon Go players might have noticed Armored Mewtwo and clone versions of Charizard, Venusaur, and Blastoise appearing in Raid Battles. The Pokemon Company has announced that Pokemon Sword and Shield players will have a somewhat similar opportunity on Nintendo Switch, as Mewtwo, Charmander, Bulbasaur, and Squirtle are now appearing in Max Raid battles! Since the latter two starters have only been previously obtainable in the games through trade, this is a great opportunity for Sword and Shield players to snag those Pokemon!

While Bulbasaur and Squirtle can be caught through Max Raid battles, Mewtwo cannot. Defeating Mewtwo will grant players a number of really good in-game rewards, however, it should prove to be quite the challenge. The Mewtwo appearing in these battles are at Level 100. Shiny enthusiasts will be happy to know that none of the Mewtwo that appear in these Raids will be Shiny, fortunately!

Pokemon the Movie: Mewtwo Strikes Back Evolution is a remake of the Mewtwo segment from Pokemon: The First Movie. The film features new CGI, which has proven a bit controversial among longtime fans. Other than that, the movie looks like it will follow the original quite closely. It will be interesting to see how the dub changes from the original version. Hopefully, the movie's terrific "Minnesota Vikings" joke remains intact!

In addition to the Netflix release and the video game tie-in events, Pokemon Day will have other promotions, as well. Tomorrow, The Pokemon Company will reveal a brand-new legendary Pokemon. A silhouette of the creature has been shown, but no further details have been revealed, at this time. Google will also reveal the results of the Pokemon of the Year voting.

Pokemon Day is a celebration of the 23rd anniversary of the Japanese releases of Pokemon Red and Green. Released February 27th, 1996, the games have clearly evolved quite a bit over the years, but with Pokemon like Mewtwo, Charmander, Bulbasaur, and Squirtle remaining as popular as they are, some things haven't changed too much!

The Max Raid promotion will run through March 2nd. Do you plan on taking part in the Pokemon Sword and Shield Max Raid battles? Are you excited for the Pokemon: Mewtwo Strikes Back Evolution? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!