Exclusive Munchlax Is Coming to Early Pokemon Sun and Moon Players

The Pokemon Company is giving fans a big incentive for buying Pokemon Sun and Moon early. Nintendo and the Pokemon Company revealed that players who purchase Pokemon Sun & Moon will be able to obtain a special Munchlax, Snorlax's pre-evolved form, that has a special item called Snorlium Z. As the name implies, Snorlium Z is a Z-Crystal that unlocks a superpowerful Z-Move that can be used once per battle.

When Munchlax evolves into Snorlax, players will be able to have Snorlax hold the Snorlium Z and use it to unlock an exclusive Z-Move: Pulverizing Pancake. Other Pokemon will also have their own exclusive Z-Moves, including the Alolan Raichu's Stoked Sparksurfer.

This Munchlax also knows two moves it can't usually learn: Hold Back and Happy Hour. Hold Back will weaken an opponent Pokemon down to 1 HP, but won't cause it to faint, making it perfect to capture wild Pokemon. Happy Hour will double the amount of money won during a Trainer Battle.

In addition to announcing a special Munchlax, Nintendo also announced a new Alolan variant Pokemon. The Alolan Rattata is a Dark/Normal type who lives in urban environments and has what looks like an evil mustache instead of its normal whiskers. While Rattata normally has purple fur, the Alolan Rattata has a smoky grey coat. While it wasn't shown in the new trailer, the Pokemon Company did confirm that the Alolan Rattata evolves into an Alolan variant of Raticate.

According to the Nintendo Direct, after Alolan villagers brought Yungoos to the Alolan region to curb an overpopulation of Rattata, the Rattata moved from the jungles into urban settings and became nocturnal to avoid the Yungoos.

It should be noted that the Alolan Rattata and Raticate were allegedly leaked several months ago along with art of the Alolan starters' evolved forms. While many were skeptical about the leaks, the evidence continues to pile up that they were legitimate. The leaks correctly identified Sandygast and Palossand months before they were officially announced.

Pokemon Sun and Moon will be released on November 18th in the United States and Japan, and November 23rd in Europe.