A Planned Shiny Toxtricity Promotion for Pokémon Sword and Shield leaked online. A new Reddit post has leaked an upcoming GameStop promotion, which will give players in the United States and Canada a shiny toxicity. Players will receive a QR code which they will enter in the Pokémon Pass app to unlock the Shiny Toxtricity in their games. Some fans are concerned that the promotion requires players to go to a GameStop store to get the QR code needed to obtain the Shiny Pokemon. Pokémon House distributions use a common QR code that is posted in a public place, which could possibly mean that someone can scan the code from a photo posted online. At the time, no motion information was available, but will likely be provided when the distribution is officially commissioned.
The promotion starts on February 19th, which seems to be in line with the much anticipated Brilliant lots extension for the Pokémon Trading Card Game. The upcoming expansion includes more than 120 shiny Pokémon cards, and many stores have not had pre-orders since due to high demand. One reason for the large demand is that, unlike normal extensions, Brilliant lots will not have individual braces for sale. Instead, fans will have to buy special box sets and cans to get the cards. The crown jewel of the expansion is the Shiny Charizard VMAX card, which is likely to sell for hundreds of dollars on the secondary market.
The Brilliant lots card expansion is just one way the Pokémon franchise is celebrating its 25th anniversary. The celebration features new merchandise, new games and other surprise collaborations with popular brands and celebrities. The Pokemon Company has already announced a musical collaboration with pop star Katy Perry, called P25 Music, as well as a new McDonald’s promotion, and a range of Levi’s apparel. The franchise also has several new games appearing – New Pokémon Snap debuted in April, and Pokémon UNIT will be released later this year. More announcements are also expected, including a new pair of Pokémon games that are expected to be remakes Pokémon Diamond and Pearl.