With the addition of Pokémon Home to the mix, players of the Generation VIII titles were given access to a far wider range of critters than were initially available in Pokémon Sword & Shield. Nobody’s ever going to forget the brouhaha over the National Pokédex, but things are steadily improving in this area.

The Isle of Armor recently launched, and with it, another new crop of critters has landed (even if some major ones still haven’t). Among all the species that are available, some are deviously hidden away or seemingly inaccessible. Putting Home aside for a moment and looking strictly at Pokémon that are obtainable in the game itself, here’s where to get some of Pokémon Sword & Shield’s most elusive creatures.

10 Persian: A Quick Turffield Trade

As Sword and Shield players will know, the Meowth of the Galar region have an odd little surprise up their furry sleeves: a different evolution. At level 28 onwards, Galarian Meowth will evolve into the Steel-type physical attacker Purrserker. The majestic Viking Pokémon’s righteous fur-beard cannot be denied, but what if you wanted the classic Persian instead?

Good news: it’s still possible to acquire one. At Turffield Stadium, as you can see above, a young boy will happily trade your Galarian Meowth (which are ten a penny) for their Kantonian Meowth (which is absolutely one of a kind here). Note that this really is the only Kantonian Meowth you can acquire in-game: breeding it with result in Galarian Meowths (and the Gigantamax Meowth from the Mystery Gift function can’t evolve). With your new feline friend in hand, simply level it up to 28 and Persian is yours.

9 Charmander: A Gift From Champion To Champion

Bulbasaur and Squirtle were added to the game with The Isle of Armor, but, naturally, the much beloved Charizard and its pre-evolutions made it in first. Because of course it did.

Like several other entries on this list, Charizard can be acquired through Max Raid battles, but we’re not leaving anything to chance here. The sure method to get your hands on a Charmander is to become champion, then head over to Hop’s house. Upstairs, in Leon’s bedroom, you’ll find a Poké Ball with a note from Leon attached, stating that he left the Pokémon inside for you. Which Pokémon? You guessed it: Charmander. A Gigantamax one, at that!

8 Magnezone: Where We’re Going, We Don’t Need A Special Magnetic Field

The Isle of Armor and the upcoming Crown Tundra expansion add around 100 Pokémon each back into the game. One such evolution line is Magnemite’s. These odd little critters can be found on Challenge Beach, in the vicinity of the Tower of Waters. Their presence in the game seems a little problematic, though.

As ardent Pokémon fans will realise, Magneton needs to be in an area with a special magnetic field to evolve into Magnezone. There is no such area in Galar, so is Magneton doomed to be unable to evolve? Nope. A simple retcon from Game Freak later, this is now a simple Thunder Stone evolution.

7 Cofagrigus: Another NPC Trainer Saves The Day With A Trade

In a similar vein to Meowth, the Yamask of Galar have their own unique Galarian forms, complete with an entirely new evolution: Runerigus.

Once again, then, we’re left wondering how to acquire a standard Cofagrigus. Maybe you just prefer it, maybe you’re nostalgic, maybe you don’t want to go through the obscure process of evolving Galarian Yamask (we completely empathize). Whatever your reasoning, this dilemma is fixed in the same way: by an NPC who wants to trade a Galarian Yamask (found easily enough on Route 6 in particular) for its regular form. She’s in Ballonlea’s stadium, utterly conspicuous in her Eevee outfit.

6 Ditto: It Can Be Outrageously Hard To Find In The Grass

For players looking to dive into the super fun, deceptively complex world of competitive battling, Ditto is probably going to be the most infuriating hidden Pokémon in all of Sword & Shield.

This gelatinous little blob is crucial to the process of breeding Pokémon, being able to pass on its nature and IVs while also being a compatible breeding partner for just about any critter. It’s a real pain to find, though, lurking around the tall grass of the Lake of Outrage with a low 10% spawn rate (or even lower rate of 2% as a random encounter). It can be tough to see among the much larger Pokémon it tends to spawn alongside, and there are often so darn many of them to boot! You can’t get to this area until you’ve been given the Rotom Bike upgrade that allows you to cross the water, either.

5 Kantonian Mr. Mime: Thanks, Team Yell!

With the addition of Galarian Mr. Mime and its brilliantly silly-looking evolution, Mr. Rime, the original Kantonian Mr. Mime’s thunder has been utterly stolen. These quirky new Psychic/Ice Pokémon have interesting little gimmicks of their own; not least of which their exclusive Ability Screen Cleaner, which negates the effects of Light Screen, Reflect and Aurora Veil on both sides of the field.

Nevertheless, if there’s still a special place in your heart for the original Mr. Mime (if the creepy creature ever had one), you’re not out of luck: one can be acquired in-game. In Spikemuth, close to the site of the battle with Dark-type Gym Leader Piers, you’ll come across a Team Yell member who offers to trade an Obstagoon for his Kantonian Mr. Mime. It’s not a simple one-for-one like the other trades we’ve seen on this list, but it’s the only way to acquire this Pokémon in-game.

4 Trapinch: Of Course It Likes The Sand

As fans will have noticed, certain Dragon-type powerhouses are notable by their absence in Sword & Shield so far. The likes of Salamence and Garchomp have been definitive forces in competitive Pokémon, but their evolution lines aren’t available in the game as of yet.

In lieu of Garchomp, Flygon’s finally getting its chance to shine as a Dragon/Ground Pokémon, but it’s certainly not easy to acquire. Its pre-evolution, Trapinch, has just a 5% chance to spawn on Route 6 during all weather in Pokémon Shield, and a meager 1% in Sword. On Hammerlocke Hills, this chance is a mere 2% during a sandstorm, exclusively in Pokémon Shield!

3 Authentic Sinistea & Polteageist: Accept No Imitations

Next up, we have an iconic Pokémon of the Galar region. How did it make the list? Because it has two distinct forms, which you may not even be aware of.

Sinistea and Polteageist are available in both Antique and Phony Form, the latter being far more common than the former. Statistically, the two are identical, the only difference being that they require separate items to evolve: the Chipped Pot for the Antique Form and the Cracked Pot for the Phony Form. Sinistea is found in Glimwood Tangle, as well as Max Raids, where Phoney ones have a 10% chance to spawn and Antique (denoted by the tiny seal at the bottom) have just a 1% chance.

2 Type: Null: For The Champion’s Eyes Only

Type: Null and its evolved form, Silvally, were introduced in the previous generation of Pokémon. This curious critter had quite a bearing on the plot, having been developed by Aether as a sort of anti-Ultra Beast weapon. Silvally, like its inspiration, Arceus, can assume any type in battle thanks to a variety of equippable items.

After becoming champion, the player can acquire this very special Pokémon in the Battle Tower, as a gift from the NPC seen here.

1 Kingdra: To Dragon Scale Or Not To Dragon Scale, That Is The Question

When it comes to Kingdra, there are two things Pokémon veterans will already know. Firstly, this Water/Dragon evolves from Seadra using a Dragon Scale. Secondly, it’s going to be a powerhouse on rain teams as always, following its Isle of Armor release.

Here’s the interesting thing, though: for the first time, that Dragon Scale isn’t needed. Yes, they can still be acquired and Seadra still evolves this way, but wild Kingdra can be found on the Isle of Armor. They’re rare spawns in the Honeycalm Sea area, during a thunderstorm only. Seadra can also be found here.

NEXT: Pokémon: The 10 Most Powerful Water Moves, Ranked