Pokémon GO

[Expert Evan]

With the friendship boost I've been able to successfully duo Terrakion in both Windy and Clear conditions, was going to do Cloudy but got tied up with things to do. Looks like I'll be taking my sweet time doing these Team Rocket quests as I'm in no rush for anymore unova stones anytime soon.

 

[Blitz]

GO's kinda boring right now if I'm being honest and this thread's 10 day drought is a bit telling. Nevertheless, here's what's in store for the rest of the year:

December Community Day

On Saturday & Sunday (Dec 14th - Dec 15th) from 9am to 9pm local time:

- All 2019 CD Pokemon available in the wild.

- All 2018 CD Pokemon available in raids.

- From 11am to 2pm: 2x Catch Stardust, 2x Catch XP, and 1/2 Egg Hatch.

- Exclusive moves from both 2018 and 2019 will be available.

- On December 14th, 11pm to 2pm local time, the following will appear even more frequently in the wild: Totodile , Swinub , Treecko , Torchic , Slakoth , and Bagon

- On December 15th, 11pm to 2pm local time, the following will appear even more frequently in the wild: Mudkip , Ralts , Trapinch , Turtwig , and Chimchar

Virizion

In raids from Tuesday, December 17, 2019, at 1:00 p.m. PST to Tuesday, January 7, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. PST (GMT −8).

Useless in both PvP (does not get to <1500) and PvE (lol) so good to get it out of the way.

Lugia and Ho-Oh

Return for a Special Raid Weekend on Friday, December 20, 2019, at 1:00 p.m. PST to Monday, December 23, 2019, at 1:00 p.m. PST (GMT −8)

No special moves for either at this time. Virizion will be in rotation while these are as well (lol).

Pokémon GO Holidays 2019 Event:

When: Tuesday, December 24, 2019, at 12:00 a.m. to Wednesday, January 1, 2020, at 11:59 p.m. in your local time zone

List of Features:

- Pikachu , Raichu , and Pichu wearing beanies and Stantler wearing bells will appear in Pokémon GO for the first time!
- Pokémon appearing in the wild: Sneasel , Delibird , Snorunt , and more! Making its Pokémon GO debut will be Cubchoo the Chill Pokémon!
- Pokémon appearing in Eggs: Alolan Sandshrew , Alolan Vulpix , Pichu wearing beanies, and Stantler wearing bells will be hatching from 7 km Eggs! - Pokémon appearing in Raid Battles: Raichu wearing beanies and Stantler wearing bells will be available to challenge in two-star raids! - Pokémon attracted by Glacial Lure Modules: you’ll have a chance of encountering Cryogonal , the Crystallizing Pokémon, making its Pokémon GO debut!
- Event-exclusive Field Research: Enjoy event-exclusive Field Research tasks that will reward you with the chance to encounter Pokémon like Pikachu wearing beanies!
- Shadow Delibird will be available
- If you’re lucky, you might encounter Shiny Stantler wearing bells and Shiny Snover !
- Winter-themed avatar items coming to the shop! You can look forward to a Stantler Sweater and a Stantler Headband as well as a Beanie Hat to match the one some Pikachu are wearing for this event!

Bonuses:

When: From Tuesday, December 24, 2019, at 12:00 a.m. to Wednesday, January 1, 2020, at 11:59 p.m. in your local time zone

- The number of Gifts you can open daily will increase to 40.
- The number of Gifts you can carry in your inventory will increase to 20.
- One guaranteed single-use Incubator per day: In order to more easily hatch Eggs during the holiday season, Trainers will receive one single-use Incubator at no cost once per day during the event by spinning a Photo Disc on a PokéStop.

When: From December 24, 2019, at 12:00 a.m. to December 25, 2019, at 11:59 p.m. in your local time zone

- 2× Catch Candy
- 2× Transfer Candy

When: From December 26, 2019, at 12:00 a.m. to December 27, 2019, at 11:59 p.m. in your local time zone

- 2× Catch Stardust

When: From December 28, 2019, at 12:00 a.m. to December 29, 2019, at 11:59 p.m. in your local time zone

- 2× Catch XP

When: From December 30, 2019, at 12:00 a.m. to January 1, 2020, at 11:59 p.m. in your local time zone

- 1/2 Hatch Distance when Eggs are placed into Incubators during this time period

Warm up with a special winter weekend event!

During the final Saturday in December (and 2019!), you can look forward to a special eight-hour-long winter weekend event on Saturday, December 28, 2019, from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. in your local time zone

Features:

- Glacial Lure Modules will last two hours for the duration of the event. Pokémon such as Lapras , Delibird , Cubchoo , and more will be drawn to Glacial Lure Modules during this time!
- Glaceon with Last Resort: Use a Glacial Lure Module to evolve Eevee during the event, and you’ll get a Glaceon that knows the Charged Attack Last Resort.
- Regice returns to raids!
- Two additional Raid Passes: Receive up to two additional Raid Passes during the special event time period when you spin a Photo Disc at a Gym. These Raid Passes will not be available after the event period is over. You cannot hold more than one Raid Pass at once.
_______

Evolution Extravaganza started on December 5th and ends in 2 days. The features are:

- Raids with unique Evolutions
- More 2 km eggs
- Lure module during one hour.
- 2× XP when evolving Pokémon
- Field Research will reward Evolution items (including the Unova Stone)
- Shiny Burmy will be available!

There was also a Raid Day on the 7th featuring evolutions (and shinies like Shiny Ivysaur and Shiny Charizard) but that passed already lol.

 

[Dargad]

Big update!
Combat rebalance and league preview.

Community Note: GO Battle League preview, combat system update, legacy attacks, and more!


Trainers,
In this special Community Note, we’re excited to share some more details on GO Battle League, upcoming changes to the combat system, attacks that some Pokémon will be able to learn in Pokémon GO for the first time, and some familiar attacks certain Pokémon will be able to learn once again!
Let’s GO!
Leagues, seasons, ranks, rules, and more!
Pokémon GO Battle League will be a triathlon-style contest!

• Battles will take place in all three leagues: Great League, Ultra League, and Master League. However, only one league will be available at a time, and they will all rotate throughout a season. This means that in order to be the best, you need to be able to win in all three formats!
• As you win battles throughout the season, your rank will increase, even as GO Battle League rotates between leagues. You will start at Rank 1 and work your way up to the top rank, Rank 10. Once you reach a new rank, you cannot drop below it for the rest of the season. Higher ranks mean better rewards!
• Once you reach Rank 10, measure against the best with your battle rating. Wins increase your battle rating, while losses will cause it to drop.
• You cannot use two or more of the same species of Pokémon on your team.

As we get closer to the release of GO Battle League in early 2020, you can look forward to more information on how GO Battle League works.
Updates to the combat system
There are some exciting updates coming to the combat system.

1. When two Pokémon use Charged Attacks at the same time, the Pokémon with the higher Attack stat will go first. If two Pokémon have the same Attack stat, a random Pokémon will go first. We want to ensure Charged Attack ties are broken fairly. Restrictions in Great and Ultra League currently put a focus on trying to get low-Attack Pokémon to maximize CP. While maximizing Defense and HP is a great strategy against most opponents, in close matchups, the Attack stat can now become a deciding factor. We hope this will help deepen team building!
2. Switching Pokémon now clears any changes to its Attack and Defense stats. As more attacks are added to the game that affect Attack and Defense, we want to ensure these effects have clear counterplay opportunities. Debuffs should encourage players to switch Pokémon and buffs should make switching less appealing. There’s more to consider now when to use these attacks and when to switch Pokémon.

Updates to existing attacks in Pokémon GO
There have been updates to the following existing attacks in Pokémon GO.

• Night Slash - Its energy requirement has been reduced in Trainer Battles, and it now has a chance to greatly increase the user’s Attack stat.
• Icy Wind - This move now decreases your opponent’s Attack stat when used.
• Hydro Cannon - Hydro Cannon now deals less damage in Trainer Battles. Community Day exclusive attacks are intended to be powerful, but Hydro Cannon was too strong.
• Frustration and Return - They now take longer to charge in Trainer Battles and deal more damage. Since all Shadow Pokémon have access to Frustration and Return (through purifying), we wanted to make sure these attacks do not become too all-purpose.
• Mud-Slap - Damage for Mud-Slap has been increased in Gyms, raids, and Trainer Battles.
• Sand Tomb - When used in Trainer Battles, Sand Tomb now charges quickly, deals less damage, and decreases your opponent’s Defense by one stage.
• Forretress, Torterra, Garchomp, and Gliscor can now learn Sand Tomb.
• Earthquake - Its damage has been increased in Gyms and raids.
• Overheat, Draco Meteor, and Psycho Boost - These attacks now charge up quicker in Trainer Battles, but they sharply decrease your own Pokémon’s Attack after use. Some damage values have been adjusted down to maintain balance.
• Close Combat - This attack now charges up quicker in Trainer Battles, but it sharply decreases your own Pokémon’s Defense after use.

Attacks new to Pokémon GO
Certain Pokémon will soon be able to learn attacks that hadn’t yet been seen in Pokémon GO!

• Octazooka - It’s a slower Charged Attack that may sharply reduce your opponent’s Attack.
• Octazooka can be learned by Octillery and Kingdra.
• Mirror Shot - It’s a quick Charged Attack that may also reduce your opponent’s Attack.
• Mirror Shot can be learned by Forretress, Magnezone, Ferrothorn, and Klinklang.
• Fell Stinger - It’s a quick Charged Attack that also increases your Attack after use.
• Fell Stinger can be learned by Beedrill, Qwilfish, Vespiquen, and Drapion.
• Aura Sphere - It’s a powerful Fighting-type attack.
• Aura Sphere can be learned by Lucario.
• Superpower - It’s a powerful Fighting-type attack that charges up quickly but reduces the user’s Attack and Defense after being used.
• Superpower can be learned by Pinsir, Snorlax, Hariyama, Rhyperior, and Melmetal.

Pokémon that can learn more attacks
The following Pokémon will be able to learn attacks they couldn’t before.

• Cloyster: Icy Wind - Cloyster is a defensive Pokémon, and gaining access to the newly improved Icy Wind will help it fill that role even better.
• Feraligatr: Ice Fang - By focusing on its bite, Feraligatr can stand out a bit more from the other Water-type first partner Pokémon!
• Porygon2 and Porygon-Z: Lock-On - Lock-On generates energy very quickly at the cost of dealing very little damage. Porygon2 and Porygon-Z both rely on slow but strong Charged Attacks. Lock-On should help improve their chances of using these attacks.
• Celebi: Seed Bomb - Since Celebi is a Mythical Pokémon that has the Grass type, we wanted to make sure Celebi has access to a Grass-type attack.
• Shiftry: Snarl - Access to both Razor Leaf and Snarl should let Shiftry pressure popular Ultra League Pokémon like Swampert and Giratina.
• Kyogre: Surf - Currently Kyogre’s Charged Attacks are very slow. Surf will give it a faster charging option that matches its type.
• Lickilicky: Shadow Ball - Lickilicky is great against Ghost types already, and Shadow Ball will help it even more.
• Tangrowth: Power Whip - Tangrowth should be able to use its Grass-type Charged Attacks more frequently with this powerful move. Power Whip is also a great fit for a vine-covered Pokémon.
• Heatran: Flamethrower - Flamethrower should allow Heatran to more effectively combat Pokémon that are weak to its types, like Venusaur and Registeel.
• Stoutland: Ice Fang - Ice Fang will help Stoutland battle differently from other Normal-type Pokémon with Lick.

Pokémon that can learn old attacks once again
As part of the group of Pokémon to debut with Pokémon GO, some Pokémon originally discovered in Kanto have had their attacks change a lot over time! We’ll be adding back some of the stronger attacks a few of these Pokémon used to learn back in 2016 to make sure these attacks are accessible to players who have joined since then. We’ll look at bringing back more of these attacks over time.

• Arcanine: Flamethrower
• Poliwrath: Mud Shot
• Machamp: Cross Chop
• Golem: Ancient Power
• Gengar: Shadow Claw
• Exeggutor: Confusion
• Pinsir: Fury Cutter
• Gyarados: Dragon Breath, Twister
• Snorlax: Body Slam
• Dragonite: Dragon Breath, Dragon Claw

We’re excited to see the teams you build with these changes, Trainers. Stay tuned, as we’ll be sharing more updates like these in the future. Good luck on the battlefield!

 

[Panic Station]

Do you think this change will affect special research? I'm in an area where the player population is small enough that online coordination is an absolute must for PvP and trades, and "Battle another trainer in the Great League" has been sitting in my research forever.

 

[Dargad]

The highlights of the new update for me.

• Lucario with Aura Sphere now has the single highest Fighting DPS in the game, above even Conkeldurr
• Kyogre with Surf gains a bump in DPS and becomes much easier to use for gym takedowns
• Snorlax regains Body Slam, its best defensive move

 

[Blitz]

One of my favorites from this update that I don't see people mentioning is Heatran. With newfound access to Flamethrower, its PvP usage goes up quite a bit as it can now launch that attack much faster than Fire Blast. Coupled with its enormous amount of resistances, it should be a rly cool option vs Rockets now (can now use something like Fire Spin + Flamethrower / Iron Head very reliably. Stone Edge is also still solid).

 

[Blitz]

Some community notes that denote change in encounters (more encounters in areas of the world) and the Wayfarer stuff to review nominations.

 

[かたわれ時]

I welcome Lock-On Porygon2

 

[Moutemoute]

Is there PVP players here ? Would be dope to make a Smogon PVP Community for monthly tournament :]

 

[Ivy]

Is there PVP players here ? Would be dope to make a Smogon PVP Community for monthly tournament :]

Online PVP is extraordinarily limited with the ultra friends requirement for long-distance matches. I don't think the new league system improves in that way either.

 

[Expert Evan]

Too bad Ho-Oh doesn't get Sacred Fire or at least a Fire or flying moveset as i almost never use it in raids nor gym battles. I'll probably be one and done with Virizion before going away for the holidays.

 

[かたわれ時]

Missed opportunity with Christmas Kyurem!

 

[Blitz]

Oops. Niantic accidentally enabled shiny Gible! There's multiple reports in the wild.

If this is another Abra-esque situation, Niantic probably intended to turn on Chingling (#433) rather than Gible (#443), which makes sense.

 

[Kanburi]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1206814487812034560

might not be a mistake

 

[Blitz]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1206942502378303488

Buddy Adventure
Coming 2020

Feed your Buddy Berries to increase its Buddy Level, unlocking perks at each Rank. You can become Good Buddy's by just feeding your Buddy a Berry

Good and you'll see it on the Map following you!
Great and your Buddy might help you catch Pokemon, or bring you Items
Ultra your Buddy will let you know about "interesting places" nearby, as well as giving you "Souvenirs"
Best your Buddy gets a special ribbon, showing off your Friendship as well as a CP boost in Combat

How to become better friends

• Walking
• Battling
• Playing with (new interactions)
• Feeding it Berries
• Taking Snapshots

Affection level
As you become better friends with your Buddy, its Mood will improve. When you hit the highest mood (excited) you can unlock more Perks!

• Half walking distance to earn Candy
• x2 Hearts per interaction
• Ability to earn bonus Hearts
*Hearts are part of the level up process*

 

[Panic Station]

Welp. Looks like we're about to get Sylveon. Also, having an excuse for using Nanab berries is good. I wonder if the Hearts method for evolution will make new Milotics and Esp/Umbreons take longer to evo.

 

[Panic Station]

So I just got the Buddy update today... and it broke AR Mode. Where do I report to Niantic?

 

[Blitz]

Happy New Years!

January Events

These comprise of:

- More Team GO Rocket Special Research (Shadow Moltres)
- January Research Breakthrough encounter: Lapras that know Ice Shard and Ice Beam
- The egg-citing Adventure Sync Hatchathon is back (more below)
- Heatran blazes back into raids + Shiny - Jan 7 to Feb 4
- Unova nouveau in the new year (new Pokémon - no further details)

Hatchathon with Party Hat Wurmple

Jan 2 - 16:

- Party Hat Wurmple / Pichu in 2K eggs. Also Pichu in 7Ks.
- 2 star raids with Party Hat Raticate and Wobbuffet.
- Party Hat Pika in the wild.
- All of these can be shiny.
- 2× Hatch Candy
- 2× Hatch Stardust
- Adventure Sync reward for walking 50 km: 50,000 Stardust, 15 Rare Candies, and a guaranteed Unova Stone
- 2020 Glasses as an Avatar Item

 

[Kanburi]

I saved up all my Shadow Pokemon from the Dec Rocket quest and they changed the January task in step 2 to purify just 5 Shadow Pokemon smh.

 

[Ivy]

I saved up all my Shadow Pokemon from the Dec Rocket quest and they changed the January task in step 2 to purify just 5 Shadow Pokemon smh.

Yeah, I actually have like 6 zubat family shadow mons left over now. Pretty nuts.

 

[Kanburi]

Quite a big update.

Trade Evolution and more Pokémon originally discovered in Unova are here!

Trainers,
Trade Evolution has long been an iconic mechanic in the main Pokémon series. We are excited to adapt this feature to Pokémon GO!
Trading certain Pokémon will result in no Candy cost to evolve them. More Pokémon originally discovered in the Unova region are also coming to Pokémon GO—and some of them will benefit from the addition of trade Evolution, too.

Trade Evolution

• How it works: Trade an eligible Pokémon to lower the Candy cost to evolve them.
• Which Pokémon can gain Evolution benefits from trading? Kadabra, Machoke, Graveler, and Haunter are some Pokémon that can now benefit from trade Evolution. If you received one of these Pokémon in a trade in the past—congratulations! That Pokémon will retroactively qualify for no Candy cost when you evolve it.
• Pokémon originally discovered in the Unova region that benefit from trade Evolution: Boldore, Gurdurr, Karrablast, and Shelmet are now appearing in Pokémon GO and will be eligible for trade Evolution benefits. And remember, Trainers: Boldore’s and Gurdurr’s Evolutions, Gigalith and Conkeldurr, might be powerful Pokémon to have in your battle parties!

Even more Pokémon coming to the world of Pokémon GO!
In addition to Boldore, Gurdurr, Karrablast, and Shelmet, we have an exciting cast of more Pokémon that will be appearing in the wild, in raids, and in Eggs soon.

• Pokémon appearing in the wild: Roggenrola, Tympole, Dwebble, Trubbish, Karrablast, Joltik, Shelmet, and more.
• Pokémon hatching from Eggs:
  • 2 km Eggs: Venipede and Dwebble
  • 5 km Eggs: Roggenrola, Tympole, Trubbish, Karrablast, Joltik, and Shelmet
  • 10 km Eggs: Timburr, Tirtouga, Archen, and Axew
• Pokémon appearing in raids: Timburr will also be available in one-star raids.
• Pokémon appearing in the wild in certain parts of the world:
  • North America, South America, and Africa: Throh (also available in 10 km Eggs)
  • Europe, Asia, and Australia: Sawk (also available in 10 km Eggs)
  • Southern United States, Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and South America: Maractus
  • Egypt and Greece: Sigilyph
  • Eastern hemisphere: Red-Striped Form Basculin
  • Western hemisphere: Blue-Striped Form Basculin

Do you have a favorite trade Evolution? Which Pokémon originally found in the Unova region are you most excited to encounter? Let us know on social media with #PokemonGO! C’mon, Trainers—let’s GO on this Unova-themed voyage together!

—The Pokémon GO team

 

[Expert Evan]

I certainly like the new 0 candies final evolution when traded which will encourage me to save all my caught Timburr for eventual lucky trades, easy since they can be caught in tier 1 raids now.

 

[Blitz]

Here’s something baffles me from this release:

Why is Sigilyph, the Pokémon based on Nazca Lines (hi, Peru), the regional in Egypt / Greece / Israel? Who decided this? Did they just look at the map and go “Ok, desert and barren wastelands. Shove it in there.”?

 

[Ivy]

Here’s something baffles me from this release:

Why is Sigilyph, the Pokémon based on Nazca Lines (hi, Peru), the regional in Egypt / Greece / Israel? Who decided this? Did they just look at the map and go “Ok, desert and barren wastelands. Shove it in there.”?

Probably because it was in the desert in the main series games.

e: Not defending the choice, just yeah, it's something that may happen if you know more about 'mons than you do real life geography, which sometimes seems to be the expectation in Niantic lol

 

[Blitz]

Latios and Latias have a Special Raid Weekend soon (again)