Pokemon Sword and Shield Player Beats the Game With Surprising Shiny

Pokemon Sword and Shield players on Nintendo Switch often look for new ways to make the game more challenging. Reddit user ZachMannIkea did just that when he beat “the entirety of Shield” using a Shiny Alolan Sandshrew! On Reddit, the poster shared a video of his accomplishment, where viewers can see the Level 85 Pokemon take down Leon’s Gigantamax Charizard using Ice Punch. According to ZachMannIkea, they had to use 11 “X items” in order to pull off the win, but a full breakdown was not provided. Regardless, it’s an amazing accomplishment, and one that’s really impressive to see in action.

The video can be found in the Reddit post embedded below.

Alolan Sandshrew was introduced as a regional variant in Pokemon Sun and Moon. The Pokemon was not obtainable in Pokemon Sword and Shield when it initially released, but was added alongside the game’s Isle of Armor expansion. The original version of Sandshrew is a Ground-type, while the Alolan form is an Ice/Steel-type. Those types are both weak against Fire-type attacks, making the Pokemon’s win over Leon’s Charizard even more surprising!

It’s always interesting to see the ways Pokemon fans specially tailor their gameplay experience. The sheer number of Pokemon available in Sword and Shield allows for a wide variety of teams, and players can make the game more challenging based on their choices. Not every player will be willing to take on the whole game using just an Alolan Sandshrew, but that’s part of the beauty of the game’s design.

Pokemon fans have a tendency to form strong bonds with the creatures they use during their playthroughs. As a result, every longtime player has at least one Pokemon that’s meaningful to them. This Shiny Alolan Sandshrew already seemed to mean a lot to ZachMannIkea, and it just might be even more important following their tough win over Leon and Charizard!

Pokemon Sword and Shield is available now, exclusively on Nintendo Switch. You can check out all of our previous coverage of the game right here.

Are you a fan of Pokemon Sword and Shield? What’s your most impressive accomplishment in the game so far? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!