Pokémon Sword and Shield guide: How to get Galarian Ponyta and Rapidash

Pokémon Sword and Shield developer Game Freak set up a 24-hour stream in October just to reveal Ponyta’s Galarian form, a pastel unicorn-esque creature which a cotton candy mane.

It’s become one of the most anticipated Pokémon ahead of Sword and Shield’s Nov. 15 launch date. Galarian Ponyta is a Shield exclusive, so you’ll only be able to catch one if you’ve got that version — otherwise, you’ll have to trade to get one in your game. (Sirfetch’d is the Sword exclusive.)

If you’re a Shield player and looking to catch a Galarian Ponyta, you’ll find it hiding within the tall grass in Glimwood Tangle, which is just south of Ballonlea.

Game Freak, The Pokémon Company/Nintendo

Glimwood Tangle is one area in Sword and Shield where Pokémon don’t spawn in the overworld — meaning, they’ll hide within the tall grass. That makes it tricky to find Ponyta, but it’s in there, so keep looking. The general consensus seems to be that Ponyta will appear about 1 in 10 times within Glimwood Tangle’s tall grass. You’ll want to walk slowly through the area or else it could scare the Ponyta away.

The only way to get Ponyta’s Galarian evolution, Rapidash, is to evolve it — you won’t find it in the wild. Ponyta will evolve into Rapidash at level 38. Here’s what it looks like:

Game Freak, The Pokémon Company/Nintendo