Pokemon Day, the day that the original Pokemon Red and Green were released in Japan back in 1996, is coming on February 27! In order to honor this series-wide anniversary and the release of the new Netflix original movie, " Pokémon: Mewtwo Strikes Back—Evolution", Niantic has announced that Pokemon Go will see a number of special, limited-time releases!
Main Bonuses
Event Duration
| Events Begin | Events End |
|---|---|
| Tuesday, February 25, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. PST | Monday, March 2, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. PST |
Two Special Trades per Day
For the duration of this event, players will have access to two special trades per day! This is potentially big for players trying to get ready for the Go Battle League, especially when most of the Pokemon needed for Ultra and Master Leagues require special trades in order to trade! This will be our chance to prep for these leagues for sure.
Armored Mewtwo with Psystrike
Armored Mewtwo is a staple from the original Pokemon movie and its upcoming remake, making its return a natural part of the Pokemon Day celebration. On top of its thematic importance, Armored Mewtwo will also be given access to its signature move; Psystrike. This powerful Psychic-Type attack was previously released with "normal" Mewtwo a few months ago to much fanfare due to its sheer power, though how important it will be on this more defensively-oriented variant remains to be seen. Regardless, it may be worth snapping up a few for the upcoming Ultra and Master League rotations in the Go Battle League!
Clone Pokemon
Another staple from the original movie was Mewtwo cloning other Pokemon in order to do its bidding and to prove their superiority. In order to reflect this,Niantic will be releasing special cloned variants of the Kanto starters
Cloned Starters with Mewtwo
These Pokemon have a unique pattern added to their appearance that genuinely sets them apart from their contemporaries. Cloned Venusaur, Charizard, and Blastoise will be available through four-star raids for the duration of this event, while Cloned Pikachu has a chance to show up as a photobomb bonus. Now we really need a way to teach Community Day moves to fully evolved Pokemon; I don't know about you, but I really want to see starter-moves on these clone variants!
Original Starters with Hats
It's not a Pokemon Go event without hats! This time it's the starters from Red, Green, Blue, and Yellow with party hats.
Party Hat Eevee and Party Hat Pikachu will be available in the wild, while Party Hat Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle will be available from 7k eggs obtained during the event.
Gengar and Nidorino Special Raid Day
| Raids Begin | Raids End |
|---|---|
| 2:00 p.m. local time | 5:00 p.m. local time |
Gengar and Nidorino are coming, and they have party hats too! Also, Gengar will have access to its special Lick/Psychic moveset and both can be shiny, so that's a bit exciting! For this event, we're going to be given 5 free raid passes by spinning gyms as is customary, and you can't hold more than one free pass at once. So this is your chance to nab your own Lick Gengar in particular! Just keep in mind that the no longer legacy Shadow Claw is actually better for PvP, though Lick is generally considered to be slightly superior in PvE.
So some may be asking: "why Gengar and Nidorino?" Well, for many players, these were actually the first Pokemon that they would see when booting up their game!
Opening Cinematic for Pokemon Red and Green
That said, those of us who played Pokemon Blue version were greeted by Gengar fighting Jigglypuff. Where's our party hat Jigglypuff raid day, Niantic?
So what do you think of all of this? Excited for Pokemon Day 2020? Tell us what you think below!
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Full Announcement
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Trainers,
Did you know? Pokémon Day happens every year on February 27 because that’s when the first Pokémon video games were launched in Japan in 1996! In celebration of #PokemonDay, we invite you to take part in a very special event.
What’s more, Pokémon: Mewtwo Strikes Back—Evolution will be arriving on Netflix on February 27! To commemorate this special movie release, Armored Mewtwo will be returning to Pokémon GO, accompanied by some of the Clone Pokémon seen in the movie!
Pokémon Day celebration event
Date + Time
Tuesday, February 25, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. to Monday, March 2, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. PST (GMT −8)
Features
Some Pokémon are here to party! Keep a lookout for Pikachu and Eevee wearing party hats appearing in the wild. Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle sporting the same festive look will be hatching from 7 km Eggs. There’s a chance that any of these partying Pokémon could be Shiny, too!
Armored Mewtwo strikes back in five-star raids! Not only is Armored Mewtwo in Pokémon: Mewtwo Strikes Back—Evolution, but it will be returning to raids as well with the special Charged Attack Psystrike.
Remember Clone Pokémon? Well, some are coming to Pokémon GO! In celebration of the Pokémon Day launch of Pokémon: Mewtwo Strikes Back—Evolution on Netflix, special Clone Pokémon—including Venusaur, Charizard, and Blastoise—will appear in four-star raids. Be sure to use #GOsnapshot during the event, too—Clone Pikachu might appear in your photo, and you might be able to catch it!
Bonuses
- Trainers will be able to do up to two special trades a day. For more information on what a special trade is, please see this help center article.
Raid Day featuring Nidorino and Gengar wearing party hats!
Date + Time
Sunday, March 1, 2020, from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. local time
Features
- Nidorino wearing party hats will be appearing in two-star raids.
- Gengar that know Lick and Psychic and are wearing party hats will be appearing in four-star raids.
- If you’re lucky, you might encounter a Shiny Nidorino or a Shiny Gengar wearing a party hat!
- You can receive up to five Raid Passes at no cost during the event by spinning Photo Discs at Gyms. You cannot hold more than one of these Raid Passes at once, and they will not be available after the event ends.
Get ready to GO and celebrate Pokémon together! Thanks for being a part of this journey with us! We’re excited to see what comes next in the following year.
—The Pokémon GO team
