Previous data mining that revealed Gigantamax Snorlax within the game files for Pokémon Sword & Shield has proven to be correct. Players can expect to see the sleepy giant into the game in a week’s time.
The physical transformation fits perfectly into the theme of Snorlax, showing not only a sleepy character, but one who is so into the deep slumber that an entire park appears to grow on his belly. Shrubbery abounds all around his majestic chonk, and it looks as though he may sleep through the battle.
Although it appears as though Gigantamax Snorlax is not moving, the official description reads that, “Even though it almost never moves, Gigantamax Snorlax is said to be one of the strongest Dynamax Pokémon discovered. When the time comes for it to battle, it lifts its upper body by just a tiny amount and attacks by flailing with its arms and legs - actions that actually pack a tremendous punch.”
Shifting to Gigantamax will allow players to use G-Max Replenish, which is a Normal-type attack that restores Berries that have been eaten and can help with long fights by double dipping into the resource bonus of berries.
Gigantamax Snorlax will appear soon from December 4 until early January, and like most of the Gigantamax types, will appear in Max Raid Battles. Since Snorlax is a normal-type Pokémon with a massive pool of health, players will have the best chance at capturing by bringing heavy-hitters of the Fighting-type like Machamp to whittle away at his hit points.
Given that the data mining appears to be correct, it is likely that the next Gigantamax Pokémon to appear early in 2020 should be Melmetal and Toxtricity, and beyond that it is anyone’s guess if more will be added into the game. Data mining does not always lead to correct guesses about who may be added next, since the files may simply be placeholders for potential future projects, but until we see an official release, nothing is certain.
Players should be sure to do their best to capture their own Gigantamax Snorlax because until now Game Freak has not explicitly laid out a plan for how it will treat these limited-time release Pokémon. Similar to Pokémon GO one would expect that there will be another chance to capture these Pokémon in the future, but again, nothing has been planned.
Source: nintendowire.com, eurogamer.com