Pokémon Sword and Shield: Sinistea and Polteageist
Compared to the previous Pokémon role-playing video games, it's apparent that 'Pokémon Sword and Shield' contains the most imaginative and peculiar monsters ever featured. In fact, there's a creature that transforms into a different form when it's "hangry," a term that is used to describe irritability caused by hunger.
There are plenty more creatures that have unique abilities and characteristics. There are even rare ones that are giant versions of various Pokémons, called Gigantamax—naturally, these are pretty hard to find and capture; however, the most bizarre inclusion is undoubtedly the Polteageist, a ghost Pokémon that occupies a tea set. It's not as odd as it seems though, since the location of the video game is set in the Pokémon world's version of England.
Unfortunately, Polteageist is not the talk of the town because of its unusual form; actually, players just recently found out that there are fake Polteageists, as well as their Pokémon predecessor, Sinisteas, in the game.
This isn't an error or a bug, though, since this information is actually included in the Pokédex. "The teacup in which this Pokémon makes its home is a famous piece of antique tableware. Many forgeries are in circulation," it says in one of the entries.
According to Polygon, it's highly possible that the Pokémon most players are training right now can just be an imitation or a forgery since most "standard forms" found in the wild are just counterfeits, which is why Pokémon fans and players immediately tried to inspect their own Polteageist and Sinistea after this shocking information got out.
However, it can be pretty tricky to know which is which, so how can one really differentiate the fake from the real Sinistea and Polteageist?
How to Spot a Fake Pokémon
As it turns out, authentic Sinistea and Polteageist have a mark that can be found on the bottom of the teacup or teapot. It's basically a mark of authenticity and is characterized by a small blue seal.
Authenticity Mark of a Real Polteageist Found at the Bottom of the Teapot
It's also relatively easy to spot a fake when evolving a Sinistea into a Polteageist. Apparently, evolving a forgery will require a Cracked Pot, while the real one will need a rare Chipped Pot.Another Pokémon fan also seemingly found a way to spot which a fake one without having to look at the bottom of the tea set. He even took it to Twitter to share it with other fans and players and provided screenshots for better comparison.
I hate myself for spending time on this but here’s the forged vs not forged difference of sinistea. Enjoy pic.twitter.com/N1uY3R3Yla — (͠≖ ͜ʖ͠≖) (@Pangolinpoop) November 16, 2019
How to Inspect a Pokémon
Inspecting for a mark is pretty easy, as well. All you have to do is to go to your Pokédex and press A to see the details, then press A again for "Motion/Cry." You'll be able to move your Sinistea or Polteageist around afterward.
Real Vs. Fake Pokémon
Although it's already been established that there are fake versions of both Sinistea and Polteageist, the truth is that there is no major difference between the fake and the authentic versions except for some tiny details.
Honestly, the only thing that sets them apart is the small blue seal located at their butts. But jokes aside, the authenticity of the said Pokémons doesn't really affect battle stat or strength, so there's no need to worry whether you have a fake or not in your Pokémon collection.
How to Get a Gigantamax Pokémon
In connection to collecting Pokémons, players who used to play Pokémon Let's Go Eevee or Let's Go Pikachu on their Nintendo Switch can get a free Gigantamax Eevee or Pikachu in 'Pokémon Sword and Shield.'
The Pokémon you can claim will depend on the file you saved; this means you'll receive a Gigantamax Eevee if you have a file for Let's Go Eevee, while you'll get a Gigantamax Pikachu if you have a Let's Go Pikachu file.
These Gigantamax Pokémons can be claimed by talking to the NPCs in the train station that's located in the Meetup Spot zone of the Wild Area. For Let's Go Eevee, you'll have to talk to the boy. But for Let's Go Pikachu, you'll have to talk to the girl. Simply approach them to claim your prize, and voilà you get your own Gigantamax Pokémon!
ALSO READ: Is 'Pokemon Sword and Shield' Worth the Hype?
