Pokémon Sword and Shield: Mewtwo and Kanto starters appearing in raids

An update to the Wild Area in Pokémon Sword and Shield is adding Mewtwo and several other Pokémon to Max Raid Battles for a limited time in celebration of Pokémon Day.

The following Pokémon can be found in raids once players get the Wild Area news:

• Mewtwo
• Squirtle
• Wartortle
• Bulbasaur
• Ivysaur
• Charmander
• Charmeleon

To get the Wild Area news, players must open the menu with X, navigate to the Mystery Gift option, and then click “Get the Wild Area News”. Once this is done, these raids may appear.

Mewtwo

Mewtwo is a slightly different raid battle than others. It will be set to level 100, whereas most 5-Star raid Pokémon are around level 60. This will make him the most difficult raid battle in the game.

Mewtwo will also grant bonus rewards, but you cannot catch it. Players who beat him will gain large amounts of Experience Candy and other rare items like Ability Capsules.

Kanto starter raids

Each form of the Kanto starters in the event raids can have their Hidden Ability. The only other way to get them with their Hidden Abilities in Pokémon Sword and Shield is to transfer them into the game from Pokémon Home.

In addition to potentially having Hidden Abilities, beating each starter has a chance to reward one of the three Orb items. Bulbasaur and Ivysaur have a 50% chance to reward a Toxic Orb, Charmander and Charmeleon have a 50% chance to reward a Flame Orb, and Squirtle and Wartortle have a 50% chance to reward a Life Orb.

Everyone

Flame Orbs, Toxic Orbs and Life Orbs can be found as rewards for beating raids with the Kanto starters!https://t.co/e9tJELa8uE

— Joe Merrick (@JoeMerrick) February 27, 2020

This is a great opportunity for players to get the Flame Orb, which is a great competitive item for certain Pokémon like Conkeldurr. Previously, one could only receive this item as a random drop from beating the tournament. This made it one of the most difficult items to obtain.

The New Mythical

The Pokémon Company also revealed a new Mythical Pokémon today: Zarude. Zarude is a Grass/Dark-type Pokémon that resembles an angry monkey. There is no release date set for it yet.

As for the raids, they will only remain available until Sunday, Mar. 1, at 3:59 p.m. PT. Make sure to challenge Mewtwo or get your items before they are gone forever!