'Pokémon Sword and Shield' Gyms: What Types Will Leaders Use?
Pokémon Sword and Shield are dropping later this year on the Nintendo Switch, and while some information was released on Pokémon Day, there's a lot fans still don't know about the Gen 8 games.
One aspect we do know is that Gyms are coming back, after being replaced by Trials and Trial Captains in Gen 7. However, there seems to be some changes to the Gyms in the Galar Region that The Pokémon Company has yet to address, and that's the stadiums.
The first Pokémon Sword and Shield trailer shows Pokémon battles in what appears to be a stadium full of people. There are also scenes of the Pokémon trainer approaching a large building that looks like a stadium with a special symbol on the front, and a shot of the trainer - dressed in what appears to be a soccer uniform - entering it.
If you look at the map of the Galar region, you can see five Gyms scattered across the land. Of course, this map is not a one-to-one match to what fans will experience in-game so there are likely more Gyms that aren't shown in this image.
There could be hidden areas, like in the foggy forest in the bottom of the region, or in an underground mine, like we saw in the trailer.
So the next question you may have is, "what type of Pokémon will each Gym have?" There's evidence to tell us what we can expect and here's our best guesses.
GRASS GYM
The first stadium shown in the Sword and Shield trailer has a green symbol on the front that looks a lot like a leaf. That leads us to speculate that one of these Gyms will utilize Grass-type Pokémon.
Looking at Galar region map, it's also clear the stadium has green features on the top, and this is likely a tell of the rest of the buildings found in Gen 8.
WATER GYM
On the East side of the region, there is an area that has a pier with a lighthouse. The same stadium is found here with blue structure jutting from the top of it. This likely means this will be the Water Gym of the region.
From the Sword and Shield trailer, we see that Pokémon like Wishiwashi can be found in the Galar region, so it could be one of the Leader's Pokémon.
FAIRY GYM
On the west side of the region, there is a forest with one of the stadiums found inside. The building is surrounded by mushrooms and looks like a place for Fairy-type Pokémon. Couple that with the pink structures on the top and this is likely the Fairy Gym of the Galar region.
GROUND/ROCK GYM
Near the Fairy Gym is another structure found within the mountains to the west. This stadium has brown features, which indicates this is either a Ground or Rock-type Pokémon Gym.
If we had to choose one, we believe its the Rock-type Gym, because it's surrounded by mountains. We also see a Lucario fighting a Tyranitar in a Gym setting during the trailer, which could be this Leader's ace Pokémon.
If this is the Gym you find after exploring the mines, this could be the Ground-type Gym, similar to Clay in the Unova region.
DARK GYM
The final stadium found in the Galar region map is in the northeast and found in the snowy mountains. That would make it seem like that Gym leader would use Ice-type Pokémon, but the black features could mean this will be the first time a Leader specializes in Dark-types.
There are multiple Dark-type Pokémon with ties to snowy areas, including the Sneasel line who are Dark and Ice types, and Absol who is known for appearing in these types of locations. Absol could be found in Mount Lanakila in the Alola region which was snow-covered as well.
Pokémon Sword and Shield are set to drop on the Nintendo Switch in late 2019.
What do you think of the Gym/Stadiums in Gen 8? What types do you think we'll see the Leaders use? Let us know in the comments section below.