Pokémon Sword and Shield players can receive shiny Galarian Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres by participating in a tournament

What you need to know

• Pokémon Sword and Shield is the eighth generation of Pokémon games, set in the Galar region.
• Competitive tournaments take place for those looking for a bit of a challenge.
• Anyone who participates in the 2022 International Challenge is eligible to receive Galarian Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres.

Catching shiny Pokémon isn't always easy in Pokémon Sword and Shield. This is especially true for legendary Pokémon, which can sometimes be shiny-locked, meaning they can't be obtained in their shiny form without hacking. Many players dedicating dozens of hours to these alternate color pocket monsters. However, players will soon be able to obtain shiny variants of Galarian Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres, according to a report by Serebii.

Players who enter and participate in the upcoming International Challenge tournament will be eligible to receive these legendary birds, whose shiny forms closely resemble the colors of their original Kantonian versions found in Pokémon Red, Blue, and Yellow. Players won't need to win any games, simply participating is enough.

The International Challenge runs across three months, from February to April. Articuno is distributed if you participated in February, Zapdos is given away to players who participated in March, and Moltres can be obtained by those participating in April. Here are the registration and battle time periods:

2022 International Challenge February (Galarian Articuno)

• Registration starts from February 3 to February 17, 2022.
• Battles take place from February 18 to February 20, 2022.

2022 International Challenge March (Galarian Zapdos)

• Registration starts from February 24 to March 10, 2022.
• Battles take place from March 11 to March 13, 2022.

2022 International Challenge April (Galarian Moltres)

• Registration starts from March 31 to April 14, 2022.
• Battles take place from April 15 to April 17, 2022.

Of course, you can participate seriously if you hope to win, but remember to use your favorite Pokémon and just have fun. Either way, you get a cool prize out of it!