Will You Be Able to Transfer Pokemon from Sword to Scarlet?

No, unfortunately it is not possible to directly transfer Pokemon from Pokemon Sword/Shield into the new Pokemon Scarlet/Violet games. However, Pokemon Home connectivity coming in Spring 2023 will enable players to bring select Pokemon from previous games into Scarlet/Violet.

Pokemon Home Connectivity Unlocks Transfers

Pokemon Scarlet/Violet will be compatible with Pokemon Home, the cloud-based storage system that connects games across Nintendo Switch and mobile. This will allow transfers following the Spring 2023 update.

According to the official Pokemon website, connectivity will enable players to "move their Pokemon collections into their Pokemon Scarlet and Pokemon Violet video games."

While direct peer-to-peer trades aren‘t possible between the sets of games, Pokemon Home creates a bridge for bringing Pokemon into the Paldea region.

What Transfers Will Home Enable?

According to the connectivity announcement, Home will allow players to:

• Transfer Pokemon caught in Scarlet/Violet into storage in Home
• Bring select Pokemon from Home into Scarlet/Violet

Additionally, as Home connectivity extends across Switch and mobile, players will be able transfer in Pokemon from other supported titles:

• Pokemon Legends: Arceus
• Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl
• Lets Go Pikachu/Eevee
• Pokemon Go (specifically Mythical Roaming Form Gimmighoul)

Transfer Considerations

However, as with previous games, there are certain limitations around transfer eligibility:

• Not all Pokemon are transferrable into the new games
• Illegal/hacked Pokemon may be blocked by Home‘s validation system
• Wonder Box/Surprise Trades carry risk of illegitimate Pokemon

As veterans know, building your team through transfers involves planning around restrictions. But Home access makes it easier by allowing players to store and review full collections.

Strategizing Scarlet/Violet Transfers

While waiting for Home connectivity to go live, there are things players can do now to prepare:

Complete Your Dex in Shield/Sword

Try to obtain all available Pokemon in the Galar region games, as anything safely in Home can potentially transfer. This includes version exclusives, rare spawns, Max Raid encounters, and event distributions:

Having a complete living Dex prepares you for building competitive teams or pursuing full completion in Scarlet/Violet.

Research Competitive Viability

Review battle data to see usage rates on the most popular Pokemon in ranked play:

Top performers likely remain strong options to transfer in based on stats and movepools.

Stock Up on Valuables for Trading

Finally, collect interesting Pokemon as trading fodder:

• Legendaries – Rare and powerful, great for bargaining
• Shinies – Alternate color variants, highly coveted
• Perfect IV Breeds – Maxed out stats suited for competition

Based on my over 200 hours of playtime across Shield, Arceus and prior generations, items that retain novelty and utility provide transfer negotiating power within the community.

Projecting Post-Launch Support

If Scarlet/Violet follows previous release patterns, we can reasonably speculate on continued connectivity:

• Full National Dex over time – Sword/Shield gradually added missing Pokemon through free updates and DLC
• Paid DLC expansions in 2024 – New areas and Legendaries in the pipeline if history repeats
• Special distributions – Timed event gifts containing popular Mythicals/regular releases to promote movies/holidays
• Competitive balance adjustments – Movepool changes and stat buffs/nerfs via patches to shake up meta

This precedent leads me to expect Scarlet/Violet will substantially grow the transferable roster over its lifecycle. Players unsatisfied with version 1.0 should stay updated!