Pokemon Sun and Moon reveals Battle Royal, new Pokemon
A four-way Pokemon battle.
Nintendo revealed new Pokemon Sun and Pokemon Moon information and footage during the Nintendo Treehouse Live at E3 2016 live stream.
A new four-way battle mode called “Battle Royal” was revealed, as well as four new Pokemon in the form of Pikipek, Yungoos, Grubbin, and Mythical Pokemon Magearna.
Pokemon Sun and Pokemon Moon are due out for 3DS on November 18 in North America and November 23 in Europe.
Magearna is a Mythical Pokemon that was created by a scientist of uncommon genius 500 years ago. Magearna has the power to perceive the emotions, thoughts, and feelings of other Pokemon. If a Pokemon is injured, Magearna will feel the other’s pain and suffering and will try as hard as it can to save that Pokemon.
Magearna’s real body is the spherical construction in its chest called the Soul-Heart, created by a scientist who gathered the life energy from Pokemon.
Magearna has the ability to transform itself into the appearance of a Poké Ball! It does so when it sleeps, and apparently also when it’s sad.
Magearna’s Ability is the Soul-Heart Ability, a new Ability that no previous Pokemon has had. Soul-Heart has the effect of raising Magearna’s Sp. Atk by 1 each time another Pokemon in the area faints. This is a new Ability—one that can be put to good use in battle.
If you use the new QR Scanner function in Pokemon Sun and Pokemon Moon to scan in the corresponding QR Code, you’ll be able to obtain the Mythical Pokemon Magearna! Magearna will be a special ally that you can put to work on your behalf in the world of Pokemon Sun and Pokemon Moon.
Check back at Pokemon.com/SunMoon for details on where to find the QR Code to get Magearna!
■ The Forms of the Legendary Pokemon
Solgaleo and Lunala are two Pokemon that hold an important key to the story. The forms that these two Pokemon take when they release their mighty power are now revealed as the Radiant Sun phase and the Full Moon phase. Both appear to be shining with a stronger light than in their previously released images. What will these two do when they release their full power?
Pikipek can strike 16 times a second with its beak. These strikes are powerful enough to not only drill through hard wood but even shatter stone. The noises made by their blows can signal others. Some of these signals have been identified as warning signals and greetings among allies. Pikipek Trainers have grown to recognize them as well.
These Pokemon drill holes in trees and store food in the holes. They also like small, glittering objects and will tuck them away in their food stores, too. It’s often said, “Something lost, something missed, check inside the Pikipek nest.”
Pikipek will attack distant opponents by zipping seeds at them. These shots have enough strength to embed the seeds in tree trunks.
Yungoos is a big eater that is never satisfied. The majority of its long body is given over to its stomach, and its digestion is swift, so it’s always hungry. It has strong fangs, so it can crush and consume the hardest of objects.
Each Yungoos chooses its own particular route for searching out prey. It stalks along this route searching for food until it’s exhausted, at which point it drops and sleeps wherever it may be. It’s thought that these Pokemon decide their routes based on safety, so that there’s no risk in falling asleep at any time.
Yungoos is not a Pokemon that is native to the Alola region. It was brought to the region to help deal with the explosive population of a certain other Pokemon, and now Yungoos are commonly seen around the Alola region.
Some Yungoos have an Ability that no other Pokemon discovered has previously had. This Ability is known as Stakeout. With the Stakeout Ability, this Pokemon’s moves can deal twice the normal damage to any Pokemon that switch in or enter the field mid-battle.
Since this Pokemon is so common in the Alola region, it’s easy to catch one. But this Pokemon has a terrible temper when it’s hungry—and it demands a whopping amount of food.
Grubbin relies on its sturdy jaw as a weapon in battle and as a tool for burrowing through the earth. Grubbin loves electricity, which is why it can be found near power plants and substations. By wrapping tree branches in the sticky threads that it spews from its mouth, Grubbin can swing around like an actor on suspension wires!
Pokemon Sun and Pokemon Moon feature the addition of a new battle format that has never been seen before: the Battle Royal! In the past, Pokemon battles have generally been battles of one Trainer against another. But in these Battle Royals, four players are divided in a four-way battle that pits each Trainer against each of the other three in a furious melee!
The battles occur on a specially constructed stage. It truly is a melee!
The battle unfolds between four separate camps. How each fares in the battle decides the current ranking, and you can see this ranking on the screen.
Feel the Thrill of Battle
In a Battle Royal, four Trainers are jumbled in battle together, but the rules are simple.
Each of the four Trainers chooses three Pokemon and sends one Pokemon into battle at a time. The battle is over at the end of any turn when all of the Pokemon of one Trainer have fainted. The players are ranked, and a victor is declared based on the number of Pokemon each defeated and the number of Pokemon each has remaining in play.
While these rules are simple, they also allow players a new way to enjoy Pokemon battles—one where many new strategies may be born, as each player must try to predict who will attack whom, or weigh acting to save a player who’s in a pinch in order to aim for the number-one position!
