To celebrate Crown Tundra's release in Pokémon Sword and Shield, Pokémon GO has added two version exclusives from those games: Galarian Ponyta and Sirfetch'd. This continues the rollout of gen 8 Pokémon in the game.
The buildup to the release of these two Pokémon was similar in some ways to Sword and Shield's reveal of Galarian Ponyta. A few days ago, the Pokémon GO Twitter teased screenshots of Galarian Ponyta in the background of some forest shots. This is akin to how the Pokémon YouTube channel did a 24 livestream of the Glimwood Tangle Forest locale and showed some brief shots of Galarian Ponyta in the background on occasion. The stream served as ASMR more than anything, though that appeal can be seen as a positive.
Now, Niantic has announced that from October 22nd to October 23rd, Galarian Ponyta will start appearing in raid battles, while Galarian Farfetch'd will start appearing in the wild. Galarian Farfetch'd has a unique evolution method to obtain its newly evolved form, much like Pokémon Sword and Shield. Trainers have to perform 10 excellent throws with Galarian Farfetch'd as their buddy. The announcement also notes that the counter isn't reset when switching over to a different buddy Pokémon, so trainers can switch over to another buddy Pokémon if they wish and keep trying as they go along. After this event ends, the two Pokémon will be able to be hatched from 7km eggs.
Pokémon Sword and Shield's Crown Tundra DLC has just launched for the game, with 210 Pokémon being released with it, both old and new. Along with the new mascot legendary Calyrex, Crown Tundra also brings Galarian versions of Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres to the table, along with two new additions to the Regi lineup named Regieleki and Regidrago. However, players can only choose to receive one of these new Regi Pokémon per save file. This is something Pokémon has done from the start of the series debut with its version exclusives, but it is also considered an outdated concept to some.
Both Galarian Ponyta and Sirfetch'd are considered some of the more popular Galarian Pokémon from Sword and Shield. Sirfetch'd in particular is a fan favorite for its design resembling a smug knight using a leek as a lance, so seeing Sirfetch'd now in the popular Pokémon GO is a pleasant surprise. The event lasts from 9 pm EST on Thursday, October 22nd to 9 pm EST on Friday, October 23rd – so trainers should use this time now to hunt down Galarian Ponyta and Sirfetch'd in Pokémon GO.
Source: Niantic