Analysis: ‘Pokemon Go’ events worth your time in May
Final month of Season of Legends features two new legendary Pokemon -- Xerneas, the Life Pokemon, and Yveltal, the Destruction Pokemon -- and slew of new pocket monsters and shiny variants such as Spritzee, Swirlix, Gloomy, Sliggoo, Goodra and shiny Galarian Ponyta.
The Season of Legends is going out with a bang as May holds some of the best events of the past three months. After the “New Pokemon Snap” Celebration bleeds into the first two days of May, players will discover a several new Pokemon including two important legendaries as well as a powerful pseudo-legendary dragon. The two major events are themed around Xerneas and Yveltal, the two flagship pocket monsters for “Pokemon X” and “Pokemon Y.”
The two headline the month with the Luminous Legends X event running from 10 a.m. May 4 to 8 a.m. May 17 and the Luminous Legends Y celebration running from May 18 to May 31. Niantic revealed more about the former rather than the latter. All that’s known about the Y version of the event is that Yvetal, the Destruction Pokemon, will appear in five-star raids. Because of its dark- and flying-typing, players can expect more Dark-type creatures appearing in the wild. The more sought-after Pokemon from this event is Pancham, which is essentially the game’s version of a panda. It will hatch from Strange Eggs after makings its debut as a reward in the Luminous Legends X event.
NEW POKEMON AND A NEW ITEM
Because Xerneas is the first Fairy-type legendary in “Pokemon Go,” Niantic is releasing two new Pokemon of the same typing — Spritzee and Swirlix — as part of the Luminous Legends X event. Along with that, players will see Dragon- and Fairy-type creatures such as Dratini (shiny available), Ralts (shiny available), Bagon (shiny available) and Cottonee. The biggest prize though will be Goomy. It will evolve into Sliggoo and eventually Goodra. This Dragon-type pocket monster is beefier than its peers such as Dragonite and Salamence and could be a good pick as a gym defender and in certain PvP formats. Unfortunately, Goomy is going to be rare as Niantic says that trainers will need to be “extremely lucky” to find one in the wild.
The other big news is that Niantic is introducing the Rainy Lure Modules. It attracts creatures that like rain such as Water-, Bug- and Electic-type Pokemon. It’s also needed to evolve Sliggoo into Goodra. I’m hoping that the Rainy Lure Modules will draw rainy Castform so that players can have a chance of getting a shiny version that came out with the disappointing Weather Week.
THE BIG SHINY OF THE EVENT
The Luminous Legends X event will also be great for raids. Xerneas will be the mainstay for many trainers but those who don’t have enough people to go after the Life Pokemon can target Galarian Ponyta. This will be the default raid for me because this Psychic-type Pokemon can be shiny if players complete a major task. Since its introduction in “Pokemon Sword” and “Pokemon Shield,” the Unique Horn Pokemon has been a fan favorite mostly because it looks like something out of My Little Pony.
In addition, players can expect a new Mega Evolution starting at 5 p.m. May 15 and running to 10 a.m. June 1. I’m expecting it to be either a Fairy- or Dark-type Pokemon. My best bet would be Altaria since data miners found a hint about Community Day. Mega Altaria has a rare Dragon- and Fairy-typing that would work with the Luminous Legends X event.
WHAT’S IN EGGS AND TASKS
If players are fans of Spritzee and Swirlix, they’ll want to do the Timed Research that goes with the Luminous Legends X event. They’ll have a chance at getting the Perfume and Cotton Candy Pokemon respectively. They can also be rewarded with a Rainy Lure Module. The event-exclusive tasks are also notable because they have Galarian Ponyta, Gible, Spritzee and Swirlix as rewards. AR Mapping quests will also be worthwhile because they reward players with Galarian Ponyta.
When it comes to eggs, players should be trading with friends constantly over the event. That’s because Cleffa (shiny available), Igglybuff (shiny available), Azurill (shiny available), Gible (shiny available), Swirlix and Spritzee are hatching out of 7km eggs. The big draw will be the chances for the shiny variants of these Pokemon. All of them are rare including the highly coveted Gible.
GET THOSE CHARGE TMs READY
Trainers should save up Charged TMs if they haven’t done so already. During the event, Dragonite and Salamence can learn moves that were once Community Day exclusives. Dragonite can be taught Draco Meteor and Salamence can add Outrage if players use a Charged TM. These are key moves for these pocket monsters. If players don’t have Charged TMs to burn, they can still get the move if they evolve Shelgon or Dragonair during the event.
UNLOCKABLE REWARDS
Niantic has been introducing unlockable bonuses recently with its events, and the Luminous Legends X event is no different. This time around, players will need to catch 500 million Fairy-type Pokemon by May 9 to get rewards that become active the second half of the event starting at 10 a.m. May 11. They include the following:
- Triple catch XP
- Pancham appearing in raids
- Shiny Galarian Ponyta is unlocked.
That’s a lot to take in but May has more in store for trainers.
ANOTHER SHADOW REWARD
This month, players will see Giovanni and Team Go Rocket up to their old tricks again. Trainers will receive Special Research quest line called The Higher They Fly … . I suspect players will have to battle Team Go Rocket leaders Sierra, Cliff and Arlo to earn a Super Rocket Radar to take on their boss. Interestingly enough, players can earn another Super Rocket Radar from Timed Research during the Luminous Legends X event.
RESEARCH BREAKTHROUGHS AND WEEKLY FREE BUNDLES
Galarian Ponyta will be the reward for completing a task every day for seven days. It’s best to sync those rewards with the unlocking of the shiny variant on May 11 to get the most tries at the bonus. Along with that, players can expect a free Remote Raid Pass each week.
PRIORTIZING SPOTLIGHT HOURS
If you can only do one Spotlight Hour for May, go for Dratini on May 11. Not only is the dragon-type Pokemon’s evolution, Dragonite, still one of the best in the game, players will also have a chance at the shiny variant. The bonus is actually one of the better ones with double transfer candy. If players need to clear out storage, this is the hour to do it.
The second-best Spotlight Hour is Marill. The Pokemon can be shiny and it’s evolution Azumarill is one of the best picks for Go Battle League. The double stardust bonus is also among the top ones for the event.
Alolan Rattata on May 18 is also a good hour to go hard. Its evolution Alolan Raticate is surprisingly good in some PvP formats. Players will also have a chance at shiny version. The double XP bonus for evolving Pokemon is also decent for those climbing the ranks to level 50. It’s not as good as a straight double XP, but it’s notable.
COMMUNITY DAY STILL A MYSTERY
The Community Day for May is still uncertain. All that’s known is that it takes place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 15. Data miners have found hints that Swablu is the likely candidate. That’s disappointing for players looking for something new, but for PvP players, it could be a gold mine. Swablu’s evolution, Altaria, is one of the best Pokemon for Great League. In Ultra League with XL candy, it is a somewhat decent pick.
POKEMON GO FEST 2021 DATES ANNOUNCED
Niantic announced that its flagship event for the year is going with the worldwide format again. Players can expect a big leadup to the celebration with unlockable rewards and the introduction of new shinies. The company did say that they’re marking the 25th anniversary of the franchise and the fifth anniversary of “Pokemon Go” itself. I’m hoping that The Pokemon Company and Niantic go all out and think outside of the box when Pokemon Go Fest 2021 is held July 17 and 18.