Pokémon Sword & Shield: 10 Pokémon You Won't Believe Aren't In The Game

3. Thundrus, Tornadus and Landorus

Not an oversight that tells us too much about the game itself (beyond the idea that Game Freak have absolutely no idea how bad the weather actually is in the UK) but one that maybe hints at the changing face of competitive online play.

Although their roles changed massively with the introduction of their different Forms, the Forces of Nature were a huge part of competitive Pokémon battles for a number of years. They're not the common sight they once were, but at one stage it was impossible to watch the latter stages of the World Championships without seeing at least one of them on the field.

To see them left out of Sword and Shield tells us that either Game Freak are wanting to move away from competitive battling as a gameplay selling point (and if so I can't even begin to tell you how unpopular that would be) or they simply don't see them as important parts of that anymore. Either way, a surprising admission to say the least.