To celebrate the release of The Isle of Armor, the first part of the Pokémon Sword Expansion Pass and Pokémon Shield Expansion Pass, you can now challenge Trainers from around the world in the Armor Beginnings Online Competition! Please note that you do not need to own an Expansion Pass to take part in this competition. By competing in at least one battle in Armor Beginnings, you will earn a participation gift of 50 Battle Points.
The sign-up period for the Armor Beginnings competition is from Wednesday, July 15, at 10:00 p.m. PDT until Thursday, July 23, at 4:59 p.m. PDT. To register for the competition, follow these steps:
Launch your Pokémon Sword or Pokémon Shield game.
Enter the VS menu.
Select Battle Stadium.
Select Online Competitions.
Select Search Official Competitions.
The competition takes place from Thursday, July 23, at 5:00 p.m. PDT until Sunday, July 26, at 4:59 p.m. PDT. You can register your Battle Team after the start of the competition. The competition features Single Battles, and you can have three to six Pokémon on your team (although you will be able to select only three Pokémon per battle). All Pokémon will become Lv. 50 for the duration of each battle.
Only Pokémon that can be registered to the Isle of Armor Pokédex are eligible for the competition. These Pokémon must have been obtained in Pokémon Sword or Pokémon Shield (either caught, hatched from Eggs, or received as an official Mystery Gift) or have the battle-ready symbol to be eligible.
By speaking with the character next to the door in the center of the Battle Tower, you can make Pokémon from previous games in the Pokémon series forget moves and receive the battle-ready symbol. Pokémon with the battle-ready symbol can participate in Ranked Battles and Online Competitions, which previously only allowed Pokémon obtained in Pokémon Sword or Pokémon Shield. Be aware that moves that cannot be used in Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield will be forgotten when the battle-ready symbol is applied to your Pokémon. These moves cannot be remembered.
Additionally, all Gigantamax Pokémon that are eligible to participate may be used. You can also bring Legendary Pokémon into battle, but Mythical Pokémon are not allowed.
You can look for the ranking results in August 2020 (subject to change) by following the same steps above that you used to register. Put together your best team, and have fun participating in the Armor Beginnings Online Competition. Good luck, Trainers!
