Pokemon Direct: New Galarian Forms, Pokemon and Rivals
By Andrew Lin
The newest Pokemon Direct was short, but featured two new Trainers, a new Pokemon and a new mechanic: Galarian forms. Here's all the new information we got.
Pokemon Direct: New Sword and Shield Information Revealed
Galarian Pokemon: New Regional Forms
First introduced in Pokemon Sun and Moon, Regional forms make a return. This time, in addition to unique typing, Regional variants may have an exclusive evolution as well.
Galarian Weezing is now Fairy type in addition to its original Poison type. It gets two fancy top-hats that are also smokestacks, and the smog around it becomes some facial hair for a rather dapper form.
Zigzagoon and its evolved form Linoone get new forms as well, adding Dark to their typing. The forms are a reference to the European badger, which have a black and white coloration in comparison to the brown Asian badger. They also get a third form, exclusive to the Galar region.
Obstagoon fights by taunting its enemies and countering with its sharp claws. Playing to its street thug design, its new abilities are Reckless, which increases recoil moves, and Guts, which buffs its Attack if it has a status problem.
New Pokemon Revealed
With prolonged hunger, the balance of hormones within Morpeko’s body changes. This causes its fur color to change and triggers more aggressive and volatile behavior.
— Pokémon (@Pokemon) August 7, 2019
In short, Trainers...Morpeko tends to get hangry.
(Again, retweet if you can relate!)https://t.co/WPH88zyCPi pic.twitter.com/2NiWIGUisQ
Morpeko is this Region's electric mouse Pokemon. It changes forms depending on its hunger level, which seems to be another unique mechanic for this Pokemon. If it's hungry, it will turn into its Hangry Form, taking on the Dark type and colors to match. Its move Aura Wheel will also change types, from Electric in Full Belly form to Dark in Hangry form.
New Rivals in Pokemon Sword and Shield
Two new rivals were featured: Bede and Marnie. Not much is known about Bede, other than he is participating in the Gym Challenge as well.
Meet Marnie, Trainers! She’s teamed up with Morpeko and wants to become the Champion of the Galar region in order to accomplish a certain goal.
— Pokémon (@Pokemon) August 7, 2019
She has many passionate fans, thanks to her calm, calculated battle strategies.https://t.co/fobudKRLbt pic.twitter.com/4KAfhJeIrk
Marnie is a Trainer taking part in the Gym Challenge, but has a cult-like legion of fans which seem like they will be this game's antagonist Team. This is a pretty unique and interesting take on the crime Team that gets in the player's way in each game.
That's all the new information for Sword and Shield from the latest Direct. We can expect to see a longer Direct in the future as we approach the game's release. Pokemon Sword and Shield are due for release Nov. 15.
Photos courtesy of Nintendo/GAME FREAK/The Pokemon Company