Here are the featured Pokemon to keep an eye on for the Winter Holiday 2019 Event! Full event details can be found below. Availability refers only to rates boosted for this event specifically.
Spawn Spotlights
- Pokemon Type: Ice/Ground
- Boosted Weather: Snowy, Clear
- Available From: Raids, Wild, Eggs
- Shiny Available: Yes
- Useful In: Raids, PvP (Great League, Ultra League, Master League), Rocket battles
The best current Ice Pokemon in the game and likely the best non-Legendary Ice-type we’ll ever get. Also a serviceable Ground-type attacker since you’re powering up a few anyways. Amazing coverage makes it a true Master League threat. Mamoswine remains the best use of a Sinnoh Stone in the game.
Piloswine has some utility in the Ultra League when maxed out, and also in select Great League formats. A maxed Mamoswine is obviously superior in the Master League, and can help in battles against Team Rocket.
- Pokemon Type: Dark/Ice
- Boosted Weather: Snowy, Fog
- Available From: Wild, Raids, Eggs, Rocket Battles
- Shiny Available: Yes
- Useful In: Raids, PvP (Silph Cups)
Weavile is also one of the best Ice-types in the game, tied for 2nd with Glaceon (after Mamoswine). It has slightly higher DPS but less bulk. It also doubles as a Dark-type attacker, 2nd only to Darkrai (and Ghost-types with overlapping coverage). It has use in select PvP formats, though it's rarely a top-tier choice due to its low bulk.
The pair is also one of the best shinies in the game, and a boosted rate to boot!
- Pokemon Type: Electric/Steel
- Boosted Weather: Rainy, Snowy
- Available From: Wild, Magnetic Lures, Eggs
- Shiny Available: Yes
- Useful In: Raids, PvP (Silph Cups, Master League), Rocket Battles
Magnezone works as a great shield breaker and its Steel typing gives it a total of 12 resistances, making it perfect for Rocket battles. It has a role in the Master League meta too, and can sometimes be relevant in Silph Cups, though Magneton is generally better there with its Legacy moveset (which Niantic could bring back at any time given the recent precedents). It’s also an excellent Electric attacker for Raid battles and the most easily acquired.
- Pokemon Type: Normal (Eevee)
- Boosted Weather: Partly Cloudy
- Available From: Wild, Eggs
- Shiny Available: Yes
- Useful In: Raids
Glaceon is one of the best Ice-types in the game, tied for 2nd with Weavile (after Mamoswine), making it arguably the best Eeveelution for Raid content.
We're featuring Glaceon because it is featured as learning Last Resort this weekend, though there are much better options in PvP where that move is more useful. Evolve outside of that window to save a TM if you want to use it for Raids.
- Pokemon Type: Ice
- Boosted Weather: Snowy
- Available From: Raids
- Shiny Available: Yes
- Useful In: PvP (Great League, Ultra League, Master League)
The addition of Lock-On is a significant improvement for Regice in PvP, featuring the best energy generation in the game with 5 EPT (Energy Per Turn). This allows Regice to be one of the few pokemon to compete in all three Leagues, though the ones you will get from Raids have over 1500 CP, making them only usable in Ultra and Master.
- Pokemon Type: Ice
- Boosted Weather: Snowy
- Available From: Wild, Raids
- Shiny Available: Yes
- Useful In: PvP (Silph Cups)
Froslass is a popular pick in the Great League, with a reputation of pressuring with fast and powerful Avalanches, and it has been relevant many times before in restricted Silph formats. Glalie is generally less interesting due to the mono-Ice typing, but it's still quite good too.
Snorunt spawns are somewhat limited to featured in events and weathers boosts so pick some up now!
- Pokemon Type: Ice
- Boosted Weather: Snowy
- Available From: 7km Eggs
- Shiny Available: Yes
- Useful In: PvP (Silph Cups)
A top performer in select Silph Cups, thanks to the deadly Fairy-type fast move Charm.
Noteworthy Spawns
- Pokemon Type: Ice/Water
- Boosted Weather: Snowy, Rainy
- Available From: Wild, Raids
- Shiny Available: No
- Useful In: PvP (Silph Cups), Raids
Walrein is worse than several of the other featured Ice-types. Look for boosted ones in Rainy weather, as it's the best Ice-type boosted then.
Sealeo's Body Slam makes it a very versatile Ice-type in the Great League, and since it needs to be almost maxed out to reach the CP cap, this event is a good opportunity to find a weather boosted one in order to save some stardust.
- Pokemon Type: Ice (Alolan Sandshrew)
- Boosted Weather: Snowy
- Available From: 7km Eggs
- Shiny Available: Yes
- Useful In: PvP (Silph Cups)
The double Ice/Steel typing has historically given Alolan Sandslash some relevance in restricted formats such as Silph Cups.
- Pokemon Type: Water/Ice
- Boosted Weather: Rainy, Snowy
- Available From: Wild, Raids
- Shiny Available: Yes
- Useful In: PvP (Ultra League)
Ultra League Cloyster is a big investment, but the pokemon fairs well against some meta threats, working similarly to Legacy Ice Shard Lapras as a counter to Giratina.
- Pokemon Type: Ice/Psychic
- Boosted Weather: Windy, Snowy
- Available From: Wild
- Shiny Available: Yes
- Useful In: Raids (Draft)
The once relevant Jynx doesn’t crack the top 100 Pokemon at this point, and its use as an Ice attacker is greatly overshadowed by other featured Pokemon in this event.
Shiny available only via hatching Smoochum in 7km Eggs.
Other Featured Pokemon
- Pokemon Type: Flying/Ice
- Boosted Weather: Windy, Snowy
- Available From: Wild, Research, Rocket Battles
- Shiny Available: Yes
Delibird returns this winter, now also available in Shadow forme. Shiny is Shadow unavailable.
Last year, this Pokemon disappeared completely after the event, so hold onto one.
- Pokemon Type: Electric
- Boosted Weather: Rainy
- Available From: Wild (Pikachu, Raichu), Lures (Pikachu, Raichu), Eggs (Pichu)
- Shiny Available: Yes
Featuring a new winter cap costume for this event, with the respective shiny available. Raichu needs legacy Thunder Shock to shine in certain Silph Cups, but since Niantic could bring it back at any time, keeping one with high Defense and HP IVs for that is probably a good idea anyway.
- Pokemon Type: Normal
- Boosted Weather: Partly Cloudy
- Available From: Raids, Rocket Battles
- Shiny Available: Yes
Featuring a new bell necklace costume for this event. Shiny Costume available.
Battling Team Leader Cliff now rewards a Stantler encounter, albeit without bells.
Very low wild spawnrate.
- Pokemon Type: Ice/Water
- Boosted Weather: Snowy, Rainy
- Available From: Raids
- Shiny Available: Yes
Really wants legacy movesets for PvP (either Ice Shard or/and Ice Beam). You can catch it for candy though.
- Pokemon Type: Ice/Water
- Boosted Weather: Snowy, Rainy
- Available From: Wild, Raids
- Shiny Available: Yes
Requires legacy moves for Great League PvP (both Ice Shard and Icy Wind) which aren't available from raiding. Since Niantic could bring them back at any time, keeping one with high Defense and HP IVs for that is probably a good idea anyway.
- Pokemon Type: Ice
- Boosted Weather: Snowy
- Available From: Glacial Lures
- Shiny Available: No
Could have some use in Silph Cups, though it's unlikely given its unimpressive typing and moves.
