Back in June, Game Freak ran a special event in Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield, where if 1,000,000 Zeraora were defeated in Raid Battles then every player would get a free Shiny Zeraora via Pokemon HomePlayers not only beat the required 1,000,000, but exceeded it by almost an addition 50% - rounding out at 1,435,283 Zeraora defeated.

This method of running a distribution event is unlike anything Game Freak has done before, and it should be the new normal for giving out Event Pokemon.

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Previous Distributions

Distributions in past Pokemon titles has typically been done in a number of ways. Sometimes, players have simply been able to connect to the internet to download their event Pokemon. Other times players have had to venture out to a local game store, like GameStop, to pick up a code to download the Pokemon. The further back players go in time, the harder these Pokemon were to get. Some Pokemon in older generations were only available to those attending certain events, making them feel more special and rare. However, in recent years, event Pokemon have had little fanfare associated with them.

But with the Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield Zeraora raids, players were able to be excited about an event, and those that participated got the pleasure of knowing that they were contributing to the entire community by playing - in addition to just having fun raiding.  The 1,000,000 goal was a bit daunting for some players at first, but the community rallied together to make sure that the goal was met so every player of Sword and Shield could get the Shiny Zeraora. This is by far the most interesting and special way Game Freak has done a distribution event to date, and hopefully this model will continue going forward.

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Making Event Pokemon Meaningful

What separates Zeraora apart from previous Event Pokemon (even older event version of Zeraora) is that players had to actually work and put in effort to unlock Zeraora in the Raid Event. Granted, any player who has Pokemon Home can get Zeraora without having participated in the event, but players still had to reach the 1,000,000 wins before unlocking it for everyone. A similar case can be made for the special version Magearna exclusive to Pokemon Home which is only unlocked by completing the National Pokedex.

These Event Pokemon mean something to those players who worked to unlock them, and it helps players feel rewarded for the effort they put into the games. While completing raids is a significantly easier feat than completing a National Pokedex, it still makes the Event Pokemon, in this case Zeraora, feel like it was earned rather than simply given. While most Event Pokemon are Mythical and cannot be used (usually) in competitive formats, it could help create a special bond with the trainer and that Pokemon so they can use it in during regular game activities.

Community Engagement

The biggest and arguably most important aspect of this new Event format is that it gets the Pokemon community to come together to work toward a common goal. Often times Pokemon is seen as a generally individual experience, save for trading and battling, but these community raids are a great way for players to work together toward a common goal. During the event, Pokemon social spaces were filled with trainers discussing strategies and ideas for how to best overcome the 5-star raids, coming together like never before in a Pokemon game. The event really embodied one of the ideas that Sword and Shield was build around: a growing, interactive world for all trainers to be a part of.

It took the live elements of Sword and Shield and put them in the spotlight - both the good and the bad parts of it. And while the event was far from perfect, it is a a great start toward building an ever-growing world in the Galar region. We can only hope that more events like this are hosted once new Pokemon return in The Crown Tundra DLC.

What Can Be Fixed

The Zeraora raids were a big step in the right direction from the disappointing Mewtwo raids back in the Spring. The Zeraora raids were much easier to beat by comparison, though the 5-Star Max Raid variants were certainly no walk in the park. However, there are definitely some areas in which these Legendary Raids can be improved.

First and foremost, Sword and Shield needs some matchmaking fixes. To say that Sword and Shield's matchmaking is inconsistent is a bit of an understatement. It is nigh-impossible to complete the Zeraora raids using the AI teammates, so having a team of actual players is a must. However, when players open their lobby to matchmaking it often ends without a single player joining for high-level raids.

Another great quality of life change that would be nice if this distribution format is adopted would be an in-game counter for where the current tally is. It would be nice to know how many of the raids have been successfully completed while the event is ongoing. This is especially handy if there are stretch goals involved once players clear the set benchmark.

For the Zeraora raids, players were rewarded with a cache of Armorite Ore for completing extra Zeraora raids as a community, which was a great way to keep the raids relevant after the 1,000,000 raids were completed. Either incremental goals leading up to the benchmark, or bonus goals after completing it (maybe both!) would be a great touch to keep players engaged with the event for the entire duration and really drive home the community focus of the events going forward.

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The Zeraora Event in July really set the bar for what future Pokemon distribution events should be. Not only did players snag a shiny Zeraora, but the event rallied a usually independent community together to tackle a tough challenge. In the end, even those who didn't participate were given the Zeraora (assuming they use Pokemon Home) but those who participated have the pride in knowing they contributed to the success of the event as a whole.

Going forward, Game Freak should implement this model in future distribution events so that these Pokemon become more than just "downloaded" Pokemon via internet or code. It adds a whole level of ownership to Pokemon that would otherwise feel inconsequential in the long list of Pokemon in a box.

Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield are available now for Nintendo Switch.

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