![]() Every generation gets a three-evolution flying-type early in the game, and the armored crow is easily my favorite since Pidgeotto first soared onto our screens with Ash in the first season of the anime. For all their fearsome power in Pokémon lore, I’ve been disappointed in my Gyarados this time around, but am utterly in love with Corvinknight. I will give you one of those in exchange. Tom: Sirfetch’d is obviously a highlight, a long-awaited evolution to a cult favorite from the original 151, Farfetch’d. Anything you’re enjoying in Sword compared to Shield? I have caught a Galarian Ponyta, which is exclusive to Shield, and I will trade it to you as promised. I’ve also got my starter, my Galarian Weezing, and some filler, though I’m surprised by how much I’m enjoying having Orbeetle-the last evolution of the new basic Bug-Type-on my team. My team MVP right now is a Hitmonchan named “Fight Boi,” because he knows all the elemental punches and can provide me with the coverage I need to brute-force my way through most battles with super-effective hits. well, wild in a way that the games never have before. If Sword and Shield’s towns feel a little too on-rails, the wilderness feels. It’s clearly a nod to the Go franchise, but being able to actually see them in the tall grass, and go after them or flee before a battle starts, is fantastic-plus, you still get some mystery when you go after Pokémon who the game simply marks with a “!” and can’t be seen in the over-world. James: I am also loving the Wild Area, and I’m generally a big fan of the way Sword and Shield handle wild Pokémon. And, hell, tell me about your core team right now. James, tell me about your first run-in with a scary super-powerful wild Pokémon. But the risks are as good as the rewards because there are all kinds of cool catchable Pokémon if you know where to look. I love exploring the Wild Area’s different regions and being literally chased out of the place by an angry Corviknight I have absolutely no chance of beating at this stage. For the first time, there’s a real danger in wild areas that your team, fresh off winning their first badge, might encounter an obstinate level 50 Snorlax and get utterly decimated. The main reason I’m overpowered at the moment is my favorite new addition to this generation: The Wild Area: A vast expanse in the very middle of the Galar region that spawns all kinds of rare and powerful Pokémon. ![]() I couldn’t give a shit about the curries, frankly. I am not enjoying the latter, which is a half-baked attempt to recall the delightful cooking mechanics in Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Tom: I am enjoying the former, which is thankfully not an overused gimmick and only really allowed during gym battles, which gives it a sense of occasion and scale (I would still give it up in a heartbeat for the return of mega evolutions, mind). Tom, are you enjoying Dynamaxing or cooking curry? Maybe being “Too Good at Pokémon” would be less of a “problem” if the parts of Sword and Shield that are new to everyone-me included-were more interesting. That said, I’m glad Sword and Shield make the stat differences of nature clearly visible for the first time, and offers ways to change those natures, even if that’s locked to post-game. ![]() Like, I wish it didn’t bother me that my starter has an "impish" nature, which means his primary attacking stat 10 percent worse than it would be otherwise, but I am cursed with that knowledge and I’m enough of a competitive gamer to be burdened by it. I’m also finding myself annoyed by how much I know. But let’s begin with the obvious question: James, which starter Pokémon did you choose and why? ![]() I already have a strong, deep team I would die for. It’s as addictive as ever, and I’m trying to reconcile my impulse to play it every minute of every day with the knowledge that Pokémon games, by and large, don’t take very long to complete, and I’d like to enjoy it in portions for as long as possible. Tom Philip, GQ.com contributor: It’s gone well in the sense I am successfully winning battles left and right. How has your Pokémon adventure gone so far? James Grebey, GQ.com contributor: Tom, it is killing me that I’m talking about Pokémon Sword and Shield with you, right now, instead of continuing my quest to catch ‘em all ( or at least catch all the Pokémon in the Galar Dex). James Grebey and Tom Philip, two GQ contributors with more than 100 Gym Badges between them, got together to discuss the new games, comparing their Pokémon adventures and seeing how Pokémon Sword and Shield compare to past entries in the franchise. Pokémon Sword and Shield are here, meaning it’s time once again for Pokémon trainers to turn their hats backward, Ash Ketchum-style, and explore a brand new region filled with all sorts of new Pokemon and exciting challenges.
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