A new trailer for Pokémon Sword & Shield has been released that has revealed new information about Abilities, held-items, and moves, some of which have the potential to change the face of the competitive scene.
The reveal trailer for Galarian Weezing had a series of question marks listed for an Ability. It has now been revealed that the Ability is called Neutralizing Gas, which nullifies the effects of all other Abilities on the field. The ramifications of this move are staggering, as Pokémon like Slaking and Regigigas would benefit immensely in Double Battles while fighting alongside a Galarian Weezing.
There are also new held-items that have been revealed in the trailer. The Room Service item lowers the Pokémon's Speed stat if Trick Room is used, which means they have a better chance of acting before the enemy. There is also the Eject Pack, which causes the Pokémon to switch out if their stats are lowered. The Eject Pack would allow moves like Draco Meteor to act in a similar way to Volt Switch, but the Pokémon would also be at risk of a forced switch if the enemy uses a stat-lowering move.
The trailer also showed off some new Hidden Abilities and moves. There is a new move called Breaking Swipe that hits all enemy Pokémon and lowers their Attack stat. It has also been revealed that Corviknight has a Hidden Ability called Mirror Armor that reflects stat-lowering effects back at the enemy.
The power of Dynamaxing grants some new benefits to Pokémon, such as being able to ignore the flinching effect. The Max Moves also have powerful secondary effects, such as one used by Machamp that increases its Attack stat, or a move used by Milotic that adds the effects of both a hailstorm and the Aurora Veil move in a single action.
The new features revealed in the latest trailer for Pokémon Sword & Shield have a lot of intriguing possibilities for the competitive battling scene. Galarian Weezing has a very interesting Ability, but the question now is whether some of the Pokémon that can make use of it in Double Battles will be part of the games?
Pokémon Sword & Shield will be released for the Nintendo Switch on November 15, 2019.