Trainers and fans everywhere know that they can only choose one starter at the beginning of their journey. This tradition continues in Pokemon Sword and Shield, where only one Grookey, Scorbunny, or Sobble can be picked to accompany the trainer. At that point, the only way to acquire the other Generation 8 starters is through trading, but doing this randomly has mixed results. However, there is another way to trade online that significantly increases the chance to get the other starter Pokemon that trainers want.
While trading online, trainers can input a four digit code which will link them to someone else that used the same code. Recently, the Pokemon community has come together to create a list of codes to facilitate the trading of certain Pokemon like version specifics, dittos for breeding, and even other starters. While this may not result in a 100 percent success rate, the chances are still much better than normally searching for a trade.
Setting Up a Link Trade
First, trainers will press Y to open up the trade menu. Afterwards, click "Link Trade" and "Set Link Code" when presented with the option. Once a link code is entered and confirmed, click ok and the subsequent "Yes" confirmation to be taken back to the game. Note that trainers need an internet connection, which is easily checked by looking at the upper right corner for the "Internet" next to the signal. Depending on the input code, the wait could be nearly instant, a few minutes, or a bit longer. Once a match is found, a message will pop up along with the details of both Pokemon being traded in a new screen. With all the information, trainers can decide whether to accept or turn down the trade.
Trading for Other Starters
Currently, trainers can find the link codes for trading specific starter Pokemon on the official subreddit or listed down below. Note that while codes have been set up for the Kanto starters, Bulbasaur and Squirtle won't be available in-game until the DLC releases during summer. Finally, the demand for Charmander should be much lower since trainers can already acquire the Fire-type starter in-game after beating the main story.
- 7302: Grookey - Sobble
- 7303: Scorbunny - Sobble
- 7304: Bulbasaur - Squirtle
- 7305: Bulbasaur - Charmander
- 7306: Squirtle - Charmander
In the end, the collective efforts of the Pokemon community to help trainers trade for Pokemon they want or need is incredible. But there are still veterans who want to bring in their old crew from previous games. Thankfully, Pokemon Home is coming soon to help reunite trainers with those friends from over the years.
Pokemon Sword and Shield are available now exclusively for Nintendo Switch.
Source: Pokemon Subreddit