The Dynamax gameplay mechanic from Pokemon Sword and Shield has been present in Pokemon GO for more than a year at this point. However, since Dynamax Pokemon have often been tied to seasonal content updates and aren’t easily obtainable (especially for those who have a Trainer level of less than 13), not every player has been able to catch the ones that they want. Luckily, Pokemon GO‘s recent Dark Skies event gave players the opportunity to encounter all the Dynamax Pokemon that have ever been added to the game, but only for a short period of time.
As Niantic revealed last week, the Dark Skies event, which lasted from August 18 to the 23, allowed players to participate in Max Battles and defeat different sets of Dynamax Pokemon depending on the given day. The first set of Dynamax critters featured Gen 1 starters like Squirtle and Legendaries like Latios, and it was only available for a single day, August 18. The other two sets, meanwhile, were available between August 19-20 and August 21-22, respectively. While players are no longer able to encounter Dynamax Pokemon in the Dark Skies event, they can take part in a few new raid battles and capture a handful of Pokemon with increased spawn rates.
Although Dark Skies is over at this point, it’s worth noting that the timing of the event coincides almost perfectly with a recent Pokemon-related announcement. The Pokemon Company recently revealed that an all-new set for Pokemon Trading Card Game Pocket would be released on August 28. The expansion, titled Secluded Springs, will primarily be themed around Pokemon from the Johto Region, much like the main set that it’s a part of, Wisdom of Sea and Sky. The Legendary beasts that were introduced in Pokemon Gold and Silver, Entei, Raikou, and Suicune, will be prominently featured in the set, and they’ll also receive their own Pokemon EX cards.
While they weren’t its main focus, Entei, Suicune, and Raikou were all recently featured in Pokemon GO‘s Dark Skies event. The Dynamax versions of the three Legendaries, in fact, were encounterable on August 21 and August 22. Interestingly, August 22 just so happens to be the same day that Pokemon TCG Pocket’s Secluded Springs expansion was announced. Although this may be a mere coincidence, it’s possible that The Pokemon Company deliberately made these Dynamax Pokemon available on this day in order to increase the synergy between Pokemon GO and Pokemon TCG Pocket.
Pokemon Gold and Silver‘s Legendary beasts aren’t the only Pokemon that appear in both the Dark Skies event and the Secluded Springs expansion. Latias and Latios, two Legendary Pokemon that were initially introduced in Ruby and Sapphire, are present in them, as well. As previously mentioned, Pokemon GO players were able to encounter Latias and Latios’ Dynamax counterparts on August 18. Pokemon TCG Pocket players, on the other hand, will soon be able to obtain new cards featuring the two Pokemon in the game’s upcoming set.
Even though the Pokemon themselves have been in the game for several years, the Dynamax versions of Entei, Suicune, Raikou, Latias, and Latios were all added to Pokemon GO only recently. This may admittedly be a bit of a stretch, but it’s possible that this was done in preparation for the launch of Pokemon TCG Pocket‘s new Johto-themed sets. If The Pokemon Company did all this on purpose, then there are many good reasons for them to do it. After all, highlighting certain Pokemon across several different games is a great way to bring them into the limelight again, especially if they haven’t been featured much in the recent mainline Pokemon titles. If this potential cross-promotion strategy is successful, maybe Pokemon TCG Pocket sets and Pokemon GO events will be tied together more frequently in the future.
July 6, 2016
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