Pokémon Home was announced recently and it adds lots of neat features. Most of them are locked behind a paywall. And you won’t enjoy it to the fullest until the next games, where you can transfer all Pokémon!
Pokémon Home aka “Mansion” is the name for the older Pokémon Bank subscription in which you literally invest money to keep your Pokémon safe. Bank was still the better name in my opinion…
What is new?
You’ll be able to download 2 versions, one for Switch and the other one on mobile devices. And you’re pushed to do so because some features are on mobile only!
As with anything today you have the free version and the premium version.
The free version lets you drop 30 Pokémon into Home to use it for trading or transferring between games and compatible versions. So actually, if you’re not hoarding Pokémon but just want to move a couple at a time then the free option isn’t that bad. Why was I so negative? And furthermore you get Bank for free during a month if you go premium once so you can transfer critters from your 3DS to Home and if compatible with the Galar dex, into Sword and Shield! That’s amazing actually!
Premium is for all of you diehard Pokémon hoarders that would even make Prof. Oak jealous! Your luxury home estate will house 6000 Pokémon! Furthermore, you can do all the stuff free users can but you can do it better, faster and at more expense! Let’s start with trading options:
WONDERBOX
No it’s not the name of some shady disco but it will be cramped with random encounters! This is basically wonder trade or as Sw&Sh called it “Surprise Trade”. The only difference? You can do it in bulk! Live your dreams of emptying boxes of failed experiments and egg rejects and send them in groups of 10 to random strangers who might just trade them again. Pokémon Limbo would be a great name now that I think about it. Free users will be able to send 3 Pokémon off into oblivion. What you might get in return is a mystery. But high chances of Weedle I heard!
GTS
Yes, it is back! You know that service where you can ask 6IV shiny legendaries for a Rattata. As a free user you’ll only be able to upload 1 Rattata. Premium members can ask for 3 Arceus in exchange of their 3 Rattata at the same time. So being premium will get you those Arcues quicker right? A neat feature is that you can even ask for Pokémon you haven’t unlocked yet in your national dex.
ROOM TRADE
The darkest place where you can trade those Pokémon with Pokérus and all other things that fit in a Pokéball. I don’t know whether this feature will be used a lot… Maybe in real life meetups this will be popular but why would you do this online? The GTS has it covered already and if you don’t care what you get in return there’s the Wonder Box anyway.
FRIEND TRADE
The same shady trading but with friends! Lie about those IVs because your friend is a free user and can’t check them in the “Judge Pokémon” feature that is for premium members only! The life of the rich Pokémon Hustler is good!
NATIONAL DEX
When GameFreak is sick of your hashtags and brings it back behind a paywall you get what you deserve! All sarcasm aside it is a neat feature where you can view all Pokédex entries from the very first Kanto ‘mons up till Sword&Shield. You can watch all variations like Dynamax and Mega Evolution.
MYSTERY GIFTS
Free stuff you just paid for! This will bundle all the gifts you receive for the games like “Pokémon Pass” used to do. There will be Home exclusive gifts and even local events you can check.
I WANT MOAR
There’s plenty of more stuff that we’ll go deeper into once it comes out somewhere within the next 30 days. You’ll be able to amass Home Points and then exchange that for Battle Points to get those sweet Leftovers on every Chansey you send into battle.
I honestly believe Pokémon Home is a good service that will cost you a kidney right now but if you’re really into Pokémon and you want to invest in keeping your Pokémon safe for the next games it will pay off eventually. But for now, you’re just boxing them until the next games where you’ll be able to see ALL of them in the national dex again. Unless GameFreak decides to stay with the regional dex formula from now on…
