
Pokémon have always had various ways of evolving into new beasties, and Pokémon Sword and Shield are no different. One of these curious contenders is the enigmatic Galarian Yamask, which can be found primarily on Route 6, just south of the town of Stow-on-Side.

This little geezer is a bit of a puzzle to evolve, but you can do it at any time after you've caught one. All you need to do is reduce its HP by at least 49 points (more tips on how to do this easily below), and pass underneath the large stone formation found in the Dusty Bowl part of the Wild Area, as shown in the image below. Manage that and you'll have yourself a bewilderingly potent Runerigus.
To say this is an unusual method of evolution is an understatement, and getting a Pokémon to 1HP isn't as straightforward as it should be, so we recommend following this step-by-step method which we've been able to replicate and reproduce repeatedly:

- Acquire a Focus Sash and a Poké Doll, give the Focus Sash to your Yamask to hold, and put it first in your party.
- Find a Pokémon that is significantly more powerful than your Yamask and battle it. Make sure you're not in an area that is hailing as this will cause your Yamask to faint.
- Get hit by the enemy Pokémon which will hopefully cause your Yamask to take massive damage. The Focus Sash will be activated and used up. Your Yamask should be left with 1HP which should be more than enough to make this work.
- Use a Poké Doll from your bag to escape from the fight without taking any more damage.
- Return to the Dusty Bowl area of the Wild Area and pass underneath the stone formation shown in the above image without encountering any other Pokémon. You should be stopped in your tracks and your Yamask will start evolving into a Runerigus.

Phew! We've had some bonkers evolutionary methods in the past but this really takes the cake in our eyes.
Comments 5
That's a tad convoluted. Not your method, just the way to evolve it.
Could you also just use false swipe on a wild one, catch it, then bring one to the ruins?
@Kalmaro Unless you have Scrappy, no, that isn't an option. Ghost type. Good thought though.
@Nakazora oh right, ghost type and whatnot. Doesn't foresight let you hit ghost types?
Yep, it does. So you can use foresight first, then swap to whoever gets false swipe and whittle them down. Much cheaper.
@Kalmaro Not an option sadly. Odor Sleuth and Foresight are not in Sword and Shield. ... at all.
@Nakazora ... sighs
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