Three new Pokémon, Legacy Trainer Showdown, start of new Battle Pass and Ranked Match seasons, and more coming to Pokémon UNITE in September

As Pokémon UNITE continues with its extended first anniversary celebrations, Nintendo have announced details on a range of updates and in-game events that will be coming to the MOBA title through September and October. This includes first details on three new playable Pokémon that are joining the game's roster, more information on the Theia Sky Ruins map, and a first peek at a new event, the Legacy Trainer Showdown.

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Three more playable Pokémon coming to join the roster
As previously announced, in addition to Glaceon, Buzzwole, and Tyranitar, who were added to the game over July and August, a further three Pokémon will be coming to the game in September.

The first of these Pokémon is the Mythical New Species Pokémon, Mew, which will be joining the game's roster on September 2nd. Mew can learn a wider variety of moves than any other Pokémon in the game, and also has the unique ability to forget and re-learn moves over the course of a match, making it a tricky and unpredictable opponent.

Players will be able to earn Mew's UNITE license for free in the Mew's Mural Challenge event, which will run from September 2nd at 12:00am (PDT) through to September 12th at 4:59pm (PDT). By completing event missions, players will be able to acquire six mural fragments needed to unlock the license. Following the event's conclusion, Mew's UNITE license will become available from the in-game UNITE Battle Committee shop for 12,000 Aeos coins.

Following quickly on Mew's heels will be the Triple Bird Pokémon, Dodrio, and the Pincer Pokémon, Scizor, which will be joining the game on September 14th and 28th respectively. As of the time of writing, no further information has yet been released on how these Pokémon's moves will work, or how much their UNITE licenses will cost. Given the lack of events aligned with their release on the event schedule however, it's presumed that players will not be given an opportunity next month to earn these UNITE licenses through any special events.

More information on the Theia Sky Ruins
The new Theia Sky Ruins map was first unveiled during the 2022 Pokémon World Championships. Starting September 2nd, both ranked matches and standard battles will be taking place on this map. While not explicitly stated in the trailer, the map will be replacing Remoat Stadium for all battles, rather than there being a regular rotation as with the Quick Battle maps. It's unclear if this is a permanent change, or merely a change for the introductory period of this new map.

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Sitting at the peak of a high-altitude mountaintop, this map features several of the Legendary Giants as Wild Pokémon during matches. The original Regi Trio of Regirock, Regiice and Registeel will take Dradnaw's usual place on the bottom path, with each offering a different bonus to teams knocking them out. It's not entirely clear at this point if the Regi that will spawn is locked at the start of a match, or if different Regis can spawn on the bottom path during the course of a single match. Regieleki meanwhile will spawn in on the top path. Like with Rotom in Remoat Stadium, defeating it causes the Pokémon to temporarily fight alongside your team in attacking opponent's goal zones. In the last two minutes of a match, the Sky High Pokémon, Rayquaza, will descend on the central area. Teams defeating Rayquaza will receive a temporary shield makes their scoring attempts unblockable, and increasing their attack power and goal-scoring speed.

Legacy Trainer Showdown
The Legacy Trainer Showdown, which begins in Pokémon UNITE on September 9th and will run through to October 6th, features a special game mechanic that pits players against the signature Pokémon of five iconic Trainers from across the history of the Pokémon franchise.

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Players will receive a Trainer battle ticket for free each day during this event, which can be used to challenge Leon, Raihan, Cynthia, Korrina, and Green. Additional tickets will also be available for Aeos coins. Trainer battle coins earned from these confrontations can be exchanged for cosmetic items, including one modeled after Leon's own iconic Trainer Outfit.

Be rewarded for participating in UNITE Battles with friends
Between September 14th at 5:00pm (PDT) and October 6th at 4:59pm (PDT), an Invite-a-Friend Campaign will be running where players who invite new players to Pokémon UNITE will also receive in-game reward boxes with random rewards, which may include Holowear tickets, energy boost tanks, and other rewards. Players will only be able to receive these invite-a-friend rewards a limited number of times. Players invited in this way will also have the opportunity to receive Slowbro's Bonfire Style Holowear if they win a certain number of ranked matches after using the invitation code they received.

From September 21st at 5:00pm (PDT) to October 5th at 4:59pm (PDT), players will be able to take part in a Returning Trainer Support Event, where they can receive a variety of rewards by teaming up with friends and other players who haven’t logged in for over 14 days.

Earn special Holowear from the Capsule Dispenser
Through October 15th, players will be able to receive special Holowear from the Capsule Dispenser, along with other items usable in battle.

• From September 2nd: Receive Tuxedo Style: Venusaur after drawing 20 capsules
• From September 21st: Receive Tuxedo Style: Espeon after drawing 20 capsules

Battle Pass 10
The Season 10 Battle Pass will run through to October 12th. Players will raise their level through regular gameplay as they complete daily lessons and missions, receiving in-game rewards each time they level up.

Free-to-play players will be able to receive an amount of Aeos Coins, Aeos Tickets and Item Enhancers from the Battle Pass, and can take advantage of the Prize Box on reaching Level 60. As usual though, the most desirable content will be gated off specifically for paying players. Various outfits and cosmetic items, as well as the Elegant Style: Mew and Wanderer Style: Azumarill Holowear, will only available for those who have purchased the Premium Battle Pass. Premium Battle Pass owners will also receive Battle Pass Special Tickets, which can be exchanged for a variety of rewards originally distributed in the Season 1 and Season 2 Battle Passes.

Ranked Match Season 6
Pokémon UNITE's Ranked Match Season 6 will begin on September 2nd. As usual, players will begin the season with a rank based on players' rankings from previous seasons. However, as Season 6 will be a shortened season lasting around 6 weeks, the rank reset this time has been adjusted to make it easier for players to reach their previous rank.