Pokemon Sword And Shield Zarude Distribution Announced For US

Zarude, one of the rarest and newest mythical Pokemon of the current generation introduced in Pokemon Sword and Shield, will finally be available in the US. Originally distributed to Japanese players in August as a ticket preorder bonus for Pokemon the Movie: Coco, Zarude is headed west through a free promotion.

Obtaining Zarude is easy. All you have to do is sign up for the Pokemon Trainer Club newsletter and you'll be able to add Zarude to your Pokemon Sword or Shield roster in December. [Update: Zarude codes are now being distributed to US players. If you signed up for the Pokemon Trainer Club newsletter before the cutoff date, make sure to check your email inbox for a code.]

You'll have to be quick though, as the offer expires on November 20. Once you've opted in for the email marketing, a special email with a password to add Zarude to your game will be sent out at a later date.

Described as the "rogue monkey" by Nintendo, Zarude is a Dark/Grass type whose signature move is called Jungle Healing. With it, the Pokemon can recover HP, cure status ailments, and pass the benefits on to allied pokemon -- a skill that will come in handy during a Dynamax raid battle.

Several European countries also now have a chance to claim Zarude, with GameStop stores in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland distributing download codes that could be used to import the Pokemon through Sword and Shield's Mystery Gift feature. Some of these codes will also be distributed online in Europe from December 1.

Sword and Shield players can also obtain another rare pokemon provided that they have a Pokemon Go account and have a few pocket monsters to transfer over to Pokemon Home. Doing so will unlock a Melmetal that is capable of Gigantamaxing, which will be placed in the gift box.