Last week, Nintendo and The Pokemon Company started teasing the existence of a brand new Pokemon using pixelated art. Fans were able to piece together that the Pokemon was likely the previously leaked Farfetch'd evolution Sirfetch'd, and now Sirfetch'd has been officially announced with a new trailer for Pokemon Sword and Shield that shows off its look and some of its attacks.
Sirfetch'd has white feathers and is fittingly armed with a sword and a shield. Whereas Farfetch'd is a flying/normal type Pokemon, Sirfetch'd is a pure fighting type Pokemon, and it has the special ability Steadfast. We get a glimpse of Sirfetch'd in action in the new Pokemon Sword and Shield trailer, but most of its moveset remains a mystery. The trailer also confirms that there is a pretty big catch when it comes to Sirfetch'd.
If Pokemon Sword and Shield players want to catch Sirfetch'd, they will have to purchase Pokemon Sword, as Sirfetch'd only appears in that version of the game. Of course, players could also obtain Sirfetch'd by trading with someone else, but they won't be able to get it in their Pokemon Shield game by catching and evolving a Farfetch'd like Pokemon Sword players will be able to do.
Sirfetch'd isn't the only version-exclusive Pokemon that will be featured in the Pokemon Sword and Shield games. Other Pokemon Sword and Shield exclusive Pokemon that have been revealed so far include Larvitar and Goomy (Pokemon Shield) and Deino and Jangmo-o (Pokemon Sword). It's quite likely that there will be even more version exclusive Pokemon, but they have yet to be revealed.
In the meantime, to catch Sirfetch'd in Pokemon Sword, players will have to first catch Farfetch'd and then evolve it. Based on what we know so far, it appears as though Farfetch'd will evolve simply by reaching a certain level as opposed to using an evolution stone or something like that. The Pokemon Company hasn't revealed which level Farfetch'd will have to reach before it evolves to Sirfetch'd, but more information on that should come sooner rather than later.
Pokemon Sword and Shield launches on November 15, exclusively for the Nintendo Switch.