Shiny Azumarill Appearing In Pokemon Sword And Shield's Latest Event

Pokemon Sword and Shield's April Fools' Max Raid event featuring nothing but uncatchable Magikarp has ended, and a new Easter-themed event is now underway for a limited time. Until tomorrow, April 4, you'll encounter various rabbit Pokemon in Max Raid dens across both games, including Shiny Azumarill.

Shiny Azumarill will be appearing in five-star Raids throughout the event, although your odds of encountering one will be slim, so you'll need persistence if you're hoping to catch one. You'll also encounter standard Azumarill, Diggersby, Lopunny, and their pre-evolved forms in Raids throughout the event.

Gigantamax Cinderace will be appearing in Max Raids as well during the event. However, unlike the other featured Pokemon, Gigantamax Cinderace is not catchable, although you'll earn extra candies if you can defeat it. The only way to obtain a Gigantamax Cinderace of your own (outside of receiving one in a trade) is to teach it how to Gigantamax in the Isle of Armor.

The Easter Max Raid event is scheduled to end at 4:59 PM PT / 7:59 PM ET / 11:59 PM UTC on April 4. Before you can participate in it, you'll need to refresh your Max Raid dens. You can do so either by connecting the game online via the Y-Comm, or by opening the Mystery Gift menu and selecting Get the Wild Area News.

In other Pokemon news, there's still a little time left to grab a freebie in Sword and Shield. Until today, April 3, The Pokemon Company is giving away an item bundle containing 12 Exp. Candy XL and 12 Big Nuggets. You can claim the free items by opening Mystery Gift and entering the password ADVENTUREB9F.