Players of the popular role-playing game Pokémon Sword & Shield in North America may be able to get their hands on a free Shiny Toxtricity for their game this month. Toxtricity is one of the new Pokémon that were added in Pokémon Sword & Shield as part of the eighth generation of the series. The dual-type electric and poison Pokémon evolves from a Toxel into two different forms of Toxtricity - Amped or Low Key – depending on their nature.
"Shinies," as they're called by the community, are rarer forms of existing Pokémon that feature a different color palette than their original forms and are some of the hardest to find and catch, especially when chasing for a Shiny Legendary Pokémon. The term originated from the sound effect and animation players would witness when encountering one in the games and the origins of Shiny Pokémon can be traced all the way back to Generation 2 of the series in Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal. In those games, players encounter a Red Gyarados in the Lake of Rage, which is considered one of the series’ first Shiny Pokémon. Since then, Shiny Pokémon have become more popular and common in the series, but the odds are still quite low.
Serebii.net reports that signage has been spotted in both the U.S. and Canada announcing the event that will allow Pokémon Sword & Shield players to claim a free Shiny Toxtricity starting February 19. The event is a tie-in with the new Shining Fates set for the Pokémon Trading Card Game that releases the same day the Shiny Toxtricity event starts. The event and the Shiny Toxtricity will be distributed via the Pokémon Pass app at GameStop in the U.S. or a serial code at EB Games in Canada.
The Shining Fates expansion for the Pokémon Trading Card Game adds over 100 Shiny Pokémon to the game, with Shiny Toxtricity being one of them. Shiny Pokémon appearing in the Pokémon Trading Card Game has been relatively sparse over the years so seeing over 100 of them being added in a single expansion is a pretty big event, which may have prompted this latest promotion for a free Shiny Toxtricity.
Getting the opportunity to claim a Shiny Pokémon for free is definitely a good thing considering how difficult it is to find and catch them. It’s unclear whether the event will be made available at other locations or in other regions but these types of retailer-exclusive promotions aren't really unheard of. Hopefully, the same or a similar promotion is made available for other locations and regions as well to give other fans a chance to get their hands on a free Shiny Pokémon for Pokémon Sword & Shield.
Source: Serebii.net