Gaming

How to Score 'Pokémon' Legendaries Tornadus and Thundurus for Free in July

The Forces of Nature descend upon 'Pokémon Sun' and 'Pokémon Moon.'

Nintendo

The Forces of Nature are coming. For two weeks in July, players of Pokémon Ultra Moon and Pokémon Ultra Sun (as well as normal, non-Ultra versions) on the Nintendo 3DS can snatch Thundrus and Tornadus, two Legendary Pokémon from the Unova region for free. The event begins July 13 and ends July 28.

Thundrus will be exclusive to the Sun versions of the game, while Tornadus is exclusive to the Moon variants.

Pokémon and Nintendo announced on Thursday the July event that spotlights Thundrus and Tornadus, two Legendary Pokémon from Pokémon Black and Pokémon White (released in 2010) who look they jumped straight out of an Indo-Chinese mythology textbook. The announcement included a video on Twitter featuring GAME FREAK developers unpacking Thundrus and Tornadus and how they play in the new game.

To get the Pokémon, it’s pretty simple.

First, players in the U.S. will have to hit up their local Target retailer — or, y’know, “Tar-jay” for you fancy folk — and obtain a free code. For players in Canada, the codes can be found at EB Games, which I’m just learning still exists in the world. Meanwhile, UK players can simply get their Pokémon over the Nintendo Network, and UK gamers have between July 6 to July 22.

Once the code is obtained (in addition to candles, dry shampoo, six soaps, and a new bookshelf because it’s Target), there’s a simple step-by-step process to actually get the Pokémon in the game. Nintendo helpfully laid it all out.

How to Add Thundrus and Tornadus to Pokémon Sun and Moon

Open your Pokémon Sun, Pokémon Moon, Pokémon Ultra Sun, or Pokémon Ultra Moon game.
Select Mystery Gift on the main menu.
Select Receive Gift.
Select Get with Code/Password, then Yes, then Yes again.
Enter your code.
Watch as your Legendary Pokémon arrives in your game!
Speak to the delivery person in any Pokémon Center to receive your Legendary Pokémon.
Be sure to save your game!

Keep in mind there are minor stat differences of the Pokémon, depending on which version of the game you’re playing. In the Ultra versions, Tornadus and Thundrus are at Level 100. In the normal versions, they’re at Level 60, and wield an entirely different move set.

In Ultra, these Pokémon can do things like “Thunderbolt,” “Heat Wave,” and “Focus Blast.” In the normal versions, however, their attacks are “Crunch,” “Rain Dance,” or “Discharge.” More details can be found on the official Pokémon website.

Pokémon Ultra Sun and Pokémon Ultra Moon are available now on the Nintendo 3DS. The July event lasts between July 13 to July 28.

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