Brace yourselves, Trainers, the girthiest Pokémon you’ve ever laid eyes on is about to join Sword and Shield‘s Max Raid Battles.
Snorlax, the rotund and laughably lazy ‘Mon introduced in the original Gen 1 games, is confirmed to be joining the exclusive Gigantamax club next week. Those that have spent even a modest amount of time in Galar’s sprawling Wild Area will be well aware that the character is already available in-game, but this particular version is wholly unique to its existing counterpart.
As is the case with all existing Gigantamax Pokémon, only those Snorlax battled and captured in Sword and Shield‘s raids will have the power to undergo the special size and form transformation that the ability boasts, meaning you’ll have to defeat and capture the slothful creature in combat. As for the unique abilities it’ll have access to, we’ll get to that in just a moment. First, check out the gallery below for your first-look (if you haven’t already seen the leaks, that is) at Snorlax’s ultimate form.
Despite what the images might suggest, our island-sized – literally – new friend is actually quite adept at fighting when sent to the front lines.
As per Game Freak’s own description, in fact, it “lifts its upper body by just a tiny amount and attacks by flailing with its arms and legs.” Snorlax is likely to be even slower than its base form when G-Maxed, then, but what the critter lacks in speed it more than makes up for with raw power. According to the developer, in fact, it’s supposedly one of the “strongest Dynamax Pokémon” yet discovered.
Similarly to the rest of its superpowered brethren, Snorlax gets access to a special move in its new form. Replenish allows it to not only dish out eye-watering physical damage but has the handy side effect of replenishing restorative berries held by teammates during battle. An incredibly potent tool for competitive teams, to say the least.
Gigantamax Snorlax will be available in Pokémon Sword and Shield from December 4th to January 5th, 2020. Good luck!
