Mystery Gifts have been a staple of thePokemonseries since Gen 2, but have evolved over the years to reach the point they are at inPokemon Scarlet and Violettoday. The Gen 9 games have really ramped up the frequency of digital goodie distributions with codes for players to claim a variety of items and even special mons over the past few months since the games launched. However, while most of these gifts are nice little bonuses, none of them really have the same game-changing impact that past Mystery Gifts have had, andPokemon Scarlet and Violetcould fix this by distributing the rare Herba Mystica.
Historically,Mystery Giftshave been associated with receiving special Legendaries through distribution events either from connecting online or through local communication at specific locations. However, recent generations have been able to offer all kinds of items through the use of a password system in addition to the traditional online distribution. While this method has been helpful for allowing a variety of distribution events to all exist simultaneously, none of thePokemon Scarlet and VioletMystery Gifts really fall into the same must-have category of distributions in generations past.
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As it stands, the Mystery Gifts that have been distributed forPokemon Scarlet and Violethave mostly been items easily found within the base games. Sandwich ingredients have been a common distribution item, as are Rare Candies, different types of Pokeballs, and some TMs. Some of the more noteworthy gifts have been special mons like Garganacl and Palafin to commemoratePokemon Scarlet and VioletVGCevents or the Flying Tera Type Pikachu given away for early adopters of the game, but none have had the same game-changing impact that distributing Herba Mystica would.
Herba Mystica are key ingredients for post-game shiny hunting because they allow players to create sandwiches that boost the odds of shinies appearing and the odds of certain types of mons spawning. Both of these powers make shiny hunting much easier, but it can be a challenge to obtain the necessaryHerba Mystica required to create shiny sandwichessince they only way to obtain these rare ingredients is by completing 5, 6, and 7-Star Tera Raids. Even after completing these raids, players only have a chance for an Herba Mystica to drop, meaning it can be quite the grind to obtain enough of the ingredient for multiple shiny hunts.
With theHidden Treasure of Area Zero DLCset to release later this year, distributing Herba Mystica via Mystery Gift codes would be a very welcome surprise forPokemon Scarlet and Violetplayers. Many will likely want to shiny hunt some of the mons added in the DLC, but gearing up by grinding for Herba Mystica can be a hassle, especially for players who may have put the game down for a while prior to the DLC’s release. Allowing players to stock up on Herba Mystica in anticipation of the DLC by giving some away through Mystery Gift would be a great way to build hype for the expansion and give players a reason to check out the other Mystery Gift offerings.
As Gen 9 settles into a bit of a lull,Pokemon Scarlet and Violethas a great tool in Mystery Gifts for luring players back in before the DLC releases. While the lackluster distributions haven’t made much of an impact on gameplay, Herba Mystica giveaways could reignite interest in the games as shiny hunting would become much more accessible. Aside from distributing specialLegendary Pokemon, Herba Mystica would likely be the most enticing way the Mystery Gift function could be used to reel players back in during the downtime leading up to the DLC.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violetare available now for Nintendo Switch.
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