The Pokemon Bank Update for Sun and Moon Has Finally Been Released

You can now transfer your old monsters into Pokemon Sun and Moon, and fans will get a reward for doing so.

News by Kat Bailey, Editor in Chief

Updated on 25 January 2017

After much complaining on Twitter and elsewhere, the long-awaited Pokemon Bank update for Sun and Moon is finally available.

The update to the Pokemon Bank and Pokemon Transporter apps will make it possible to transfer your monsters from the recently released Sun and Moon, as well as Pokemon Red, Blue, and Yellow for the eShop. So if you have any old friends you want to bring over, or you just want to complete the National Pokedex, you're in luck.

The ability to transfer monsters from Red, Blue, and Yellow is of particular interest because it hasn't been clear up until now exactly how it will work. Serebii offers some insight in that regard by revealing the following:

Monsters transferred from Generation 1 will have their stats reformulated under the current model and will likely have at least 3 max IVs. That means that three stats will be able to reach their maximum potential with EV training, which is crucial for competitive battling. You know what that means, trainers: Start importing those Dittos.
Since Red, Blue, and Yellow don't have natures or abilities, they will be randomly assigned when transferred over to Sun and Moon. There will also be a chance that the monsters will have a Hidden Ability.
Monsters transferred from the eShop games will have a unique Game Boy mark.

For those who decide to use the service, which costs $4.99 annually, Game Freak is also tossing in an extra gift:

Pokémon Bank has been updated for #PokemonSunMoon! To celebrate, all Pokémon Bank users can receive Mew’s Z-Crystal! https://t.co/XSh23CubsI pic.twitter.com/pZEU0sdDkH
— Pokémon (@Pokemon) January 25, 2017

If you're planning on training seriously, take note that the 2017 VGCs will be restricted to the Alola Pokedex, meaning that you won't be able to break out your Landorus-T.

Naturally, we've had a lot to say about Pokemon Sun and Moon since their release. You can read our review here. Additionally, I wrote a journal covering the series from a hardcore perspective; and if you have questions about the game itself, we've got some guides for you. As for me, I'm quite ready to bring all of my old monsters over and start in on Sun and Moon's battle tower. I have some more ribbons to earn for my Flareon.

Final Pokemon-related note: We're giving away a free copy of Pokemon Moon! You can find the details here.