This past week saw the release of the 2nd and likely final expansion set for Pokémon Sword and Shield: The Crown Tundra. With this expansion set, players are given the chance to adventure once again through the Galar region, this time in a new snow-ridden biome centered around the legends from across all games.
There are 4 main reasons to purchase the Crown Tundra.
The first 3 being the additions of Calyrex and his two steeds, the second being the addition of 2 new Regis, Regieleki and Regidrago, and the third being the new Galarian forms of the Legendary Bird Trio, Zapdos, Moltres and Articuno. They each come with their own respective stories and paths to explore, but the bulk of the content comes from what returns from other games.
100 Pokémon from other regions return, including all the past legendaries, in the form of Max Raid Adventures.
Max Raid Adventures allow you and three friends to fight your way through Dynamax battles using only rental pokemon, in hopes of encountering and capturing your favorite legendary pokemon. You take part in 4 battles total, sharing 4 lives amongst you all. After the first 3 battles, you are guaranteed a legendary, with a 100% catch rate among all the pokemon you encounter.
The best part about this is, there is a 1/100 chance of any pokemon in the adventure to be shiny if you have the shiny charm, and a 1/300 if you don’t so if you catch all pokemon, you have a 1/25 or a 1/75 chance of getting a shiny in an adventure. These odds are the highest they have ever been and will keep you coming back in hopes of getting a shiny legendary pokemon.
Personally I have spent many hours this week hunting for shiny legendary Pokémon and have walked out with a few shinies. It is a lot of fun. and the best content that Sword and Shield has to offer. If you are on the fence about the DLC, the Crown Tundra alone makes it worth it, but you also get the Isle of Armor expansion from this summer.
If you are anything like me, a massive Pokémon fan, then this is the game for you. Pokémon Sword and Shield is at its best, and the new DLC pack has made it one of the greatest Pokémon games of all time.
With the new addition of The Crown Tundra comes a new meta for competitive Pokémon players such as myself. If you are looking to get into the world of competitive Pokémon, or are just looking to get better, this is now the time to do it.
Imagine a chessboard. but instead of 16 pieces, you pick 6 pieces out of 898 to bring with you to the board. It is a thinking game where strategy is your best friend. It can be incredibly rewarding once you figure it out.
If you would like to try it out, I recommend heading over to Pokémon Showdown, a site that allows you to build your own Pokémon teams without any limitations except the rules and allows you to fight against others with them.
The Crown Tundra expansion is now available alongside The Isle of Armor expansion on the Nintendo Switch Eshop, for $30 for the both of them.
