Pokemon Sword and Shield Shiny Distribution Event Possibly Coming Next Week

If rumors are to be believed, Pokemon Sword and Shield players will soon get the chance to obtain a Shiny Zacian or a Shiny Zamazenta from participating GameStop locations! According to Poke Beach, Shiny Zacian will only be available to those with a copy of Pokemon Shield, and the distribution will be held from October 22nd through November 11th. From November 12th through the 27th, Pokemon Sword owners will be able to obtain a Shiny Zamazenta. As of this writing, GameStop has not officially announced the promotion, but a similar event was just recently announced for Japan and South Korea.

Zacian and Zamazenta are a pair of legendary Pokemon that first debuted in Sword and Shield. Players can only obtain the Pokemon that appears on the cover art for Sword or Shield, forcing them to trade for the other. This promotion will not only allow players to get a Shiny Pokemon, it will also allow them to get the legendary that can otherwise only be obtained through trading. Zacian and Zamazenta are “Shiny locked” in Sword and Shield, which means that promotions like this are the only legitimate method to obtain them.

For those unfamiliar with Shiny Pokemon, they offer no specific advantages over traditionally colored Pokemon. However, some Shiny Pokemon offer wildly different color schemes, and their rarity makes them highly sought-after. A big part of Pokemon’s appeal has always come down to obtaining the rarest Pokemon out there, and Shiny Pokemon fit that bill. However, some players might never encounter one outside of an event, so these opportunities can be pretty exciting. If the Shiny Zacian and Zamazenta event does start next week, it will come shortly after a distribution event for Shiny Celebi, which took place just last week. Hopefully, GameStop will make an official announcement soon so players can start planning their trips to the retailer!

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? Do you plan on taking part in this Shiny distribution event? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!