Black Friday Pokemon deals: $48 for Sword or Shield, $89 for both

Look for Gigantamax Pikachu in Pokemon Shield and Sword.

Nintendo/Screenshot by Corinne Reichert/CNET This story is part of Holiday Gift Guide 2019, your source for the season's best gifts and deals, hand-picked by the experts at CNET.

You can catch a super-hot Nintendo Switch Pokemon game for under $50 with eBay seller Rushhourwholesaler's tempting Black Friday deal (which seems like it's going to extend through Cyber Monday): get Pokemon Sword or Shield for $47.99. 

There's yet another option worth considering: Geek Alliance (via Rakuten) has Pokemon Sword or Pokemon Shield for $55.49 -- and your purchase also nets you Rakuten points worth $11. Those points (which require you to have a Rakuten account) are nearly as good as cash: They can be applied to any other purchase you make from the online store. In fact, you could purchase one of the games for $55.49, claim your points, then come back and get the other for $44.49. (The math: $55.49 minus $11.)

These two new Pokemon games sold more than 6 million copies over launch weekend. I won't suggest which one to get; it depends on which exclusive Pokemon you want: Monsters like Deino, Hydreigon and Farfetch'd come in Sword, while Tyranitar, Goodra and Galarian Ponyta are exclusive to Shield. 

So, are these games the answer to all your Pokemon hopes and dreams? That depends upon how you want to feel about them: The internet is outraged, as it often is, over seemingly inconsequential details, like the fact that Sword and Shield don't include, you know, every Pokemon ever. But if you're OK with that, rest assured that GameSpot rated the game "Superb" with a rating of 9.

Now playing: Watch this: Nintendo shows latest Pokemon game, Sword and Shield

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Originally published last week. Updated to reflect new sale prices and availability.

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