It’s already apparent that July is going to be rough for Pokemon Go and Niantic. We’ve already got another massive fan community/data producers soft-shutting down already, and this is the last month for Silph Road’s website and tools. As if to pile on, a recent bug that increased visual spawn range, which would help all players but especially those with mobility issues, has officially been declared a bug, sending the community on a rollercoaster ride that started with positive feelings about the company again before plunging players down into bitter disappointment.
The same leaker who mostly predicted last season has continued to correctly leak info the new Hidden Gems season, so not much of the recent event July announcement is much of a surprise. As usual, Massively on the Go will go into some details about what’s been revealed and what’s expected, but July at best is looking to be a calm before a (hopefully positive) storm.
Let’s start with the Shadow Articuno/Moltres issue. We mentioned last month there was a discrepancy about Shadow Articuno’s weekend appearances: The official infograph for June said Arty was for the month, but the official seasons page only mentions the season, not limiting Arty to June. As you can see above, Niantic no mention of weekend shadow raids, for Arty or any other bird for that matter. As always, we’ve asked for clarity here, though we have no reason to believe we’ll hear a direct response ourselves.
Also carrying over from last month are the (accidental?) raid leak dates, which were 100% accurate. Heatran will have a new move, but the jury is out on its relevance for raids and PvP; early analysis is looking like it’ll be quite relevant, below Reshiram and many shadow legendaries plus Shadow Blaziken, but above just about everything else. From personal experience, I can say Heatran already has some use for Rocket Battles for players who may not always be able to primarily focus on the game, being similar to Tyranitar in its sturdiness and old damage output prior to last month’s move addition.
The legendary birds’ value is very low these days, aside from Moltres, some PvP use, or using their candy to power up their Galarian counter-parts should you actually acquire one you want to invest in. And the Regis… outside of collection status, especially if you missed them during their awful elite raid releases, they’re not really worth it.
For once, Megas are probably the best use of your daily passes for the majority of the month. Mega Sableye will be the October/Halloween Mega pokemon in terms of candy/XP generation, so you may even want to have multiples prepared (and the shiny is quite good looking!). Mega Blastoise, while a personal favorite of mine, sadly has little value in POGO but thematically fits with the July 9th Classic Community Day: Squirtle event (yes, you can get the sunglasses variant from quests again). Mega Blaziken is a very strong Fire type for raiders, though for Mega Energy generation, other pokemon will largely prove more useful, as Fire and Fighting rarely appear together for events or as rare/useful new pokemon in the wild.
7/9 Update: It seems that, unlike in 2018, Pokestops quests will not be consistent about granting shinies, but instead will randomize it for all players. In addition, early reports indicate that, once again, sunglasses Squirtle will only be male, unlike the Ed Sheeran collab event that included female sunglasses Squirtles.
Trainers, if you missed out on or experienced login issues during @PokemonGoApp Community Day Classic: Squirtle, you’re in luck! A special global makeup event will be held for all Trainers this Sunday, July 23.
🐢💧📅 https://t.co/PApwmlbfK3 pic.twitter.com/gzX4uqWJGG
— Pokémon (@Pokemon) July 18, 2023
7/18 Update: After previously blaming players for being unable to play the event, Niantic is finally doing a make-up event Sunday, July 23rd. All the bonuses remain in play it seems, including the ability to buy a research ticket. Notice, however, that the announcement is made, not by Niantic or its social media branches, but by The Pokemon Company’s official Twitter account. To note, this event is a day after the Riolu egg hatching event, so players who are impatient about getting their Riolus can hatch them easily with the 1/4 hatch bonus.
Then there’s Mega Tyranitar’s debut. Again, no surprises, but it’s another useful pokemon in both raids and for candy generation, being only the second Mega Rock type players will have access to. Especially if you lack access to Mega Aerodactyl, this is not a Mega you should miss, and you may want multiples, as it has a Community Day fast move (the rock move Smack Down).
As mentioned last month, the Dark Flames event that started in June ends July 2nd. Again, as it’s a holiday weekend, it would seem like a good time for Shadow Moltres, but there’s no official indication of any Shadow legendary raids that weekend, but we’ll update this should that change. That weekend is a Battle Weekend for PvP players, so everyone will be able to do 100 battles each day (up from 20), but whether or not you have to pay other bonuses remains to be seen.
The June 28th update: We have official details on the Battle Weekend now. There is a paid portion for $1, but the benefits are minor, while the free path allows everyone the chance to get this PvP season’s hat, an upgrade over the usual gloves unlock.
July 6th-12th will be the game’s 7th Anniversary Event. Dataminined findings indicate Party Hat Squirtle will be evolving, which makes sense as the event historically is known for hat ‘mon. It’s also known to target benefits for new/lapsed players, though as a reminder, Niantic has been shown to fake new player data in the past, so there’s no reason to believe these actually bring in many players. July does, however, often act as a prep month for Go Fest, so perhaps expect something related to that.
7/3 Update: We’ve got official news on the anniversary event now. Yes, Party Hat Squirtle will be able to evolve as predicted, and lapsed/new players have the chance to the starters from Generations 1-7, with each generation being featured on one day for each of the seven event days. There will also be starter Mega Energy quests available and bonuses each day. To note, July 9th’s half hatch bonus most likely will not overlap with the Squirtle Community Day bonus of 1/4 hatching, but Niantic is pretty good about not knowing its own game, so its anyone’s guess as to what will happen.
Event-wide, though, during the event, you have increased Gimmighoul coins dropping from Golden Lures, increased chances to become Lucky Friends and increased lucky trade triggers. As predicted, this event will be pretty good at helping players prepare for August’s Go Fest by giving benefits to trading, so meet with your friends and unload some of those old pokemon.
Finally, for $5, players will also be able to buy research for Shiny Mew again if they missed it previously. It will not be purchasable again for those who already did the quest, but both new purchasers and old will receive double duration bonuses for Daily Incense, Incense, and Lures for the duration of the anniversary event.
7/6 Update: As part of the anniversary event, Pokemon Contests Showcase will go live, starting with big Squirtles. Pokestops may hold up to 200 pokemon for each showcase but may be as few as 50, and your pokemon can only be in one showcase at a time, with players able to get premium items for placing well and the top ‘mon’s owner getting a special medal. Be warned though, as despite what the article says, New Zealand testers noted that transferring a showcased pokemon “messed up” their game.
7/6 Updated 2: NZ beta testers have complied a list of unreported features and issues that seem to have persisted into the live build. The list includes important details such as only being able to participate in three showcases at a time, being able to move pokemon from one showcase to another unless you are in three showcases at the time, and that you cannot enter a showcase while creating an in-game route (which, as a reminder, is currently an invite-only feature).
7/8 Update: July 9th will also be the return of Squirtle Pokemon Showcases. Unfortunately, it seems nothing has changed from the above issues or limitations, down to the very same Pokestops hosting the event.
July 15th-16th’s Catching Some Z’s is clearly related to Pokemon Sleep’s release, as well as the Pokemon Go Plus+ device. Obviously Snorlax will be involved, but again related to datamining, Komala may be released as part of the event. It’s a Normal type, which alone tends to be a kiss-of-death for raid utility, but it also lacks high stats, so it may just be a collector’s ‘mon should it be part of the event. As per the official site, it doesn’t seem like much of a stretch to expect at least the Kanto starters, Pikachu, and the Slowpoke family, possibly Eevee as well.
7/6 Update: And now there’s official info on the event. While we were wrong about Starters, Pikachu, and Slowpoke, we were correct about Snorlax and Komala. In fact, most of the pokemon seem more related to sleeping than Pokemon Sleep, with pokemon like Mareep, Wooloo (which has been largely absent from the game since its initial release event), Slakoth, and Jigglypuff. Of the featured ‘mon, Wooloo, Jigglypuff, Snorlax, and Drowzee families have the most PvP use, though next to none in raids. Slakoth’s evolution, Vigoroth, is also useful but only in that form; Slaking may have high cp but that’s really about it, so please don’t use it as a gym defender.
As for the product itself, it’ll grant you a Snorlax with sleeping cap, as well as various bonuses when synced with your sleeping habits, which mostly seem to be buddy hearts, stickers, and stardust.
7/7 Update: Niantic has edited the previous page and added the above graphic, though we’re still unsure if everyone will be able to get the event Snorlax or if it’s limited to those who purchase a Pokemon Go Plus+.
July 22nd’s Riolu Hatching event from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. does not seem promising. Details are scant at this point, but a hatching event for a few mere hours seems like a cash grab. Free-to-play players may want to be ready to burn through 2k eggs in order to collect potential Riolu eggs during the small window-of-opportunity the event may provide, as Lucario is both useful now (as a raider, gym attacker, and PvP pokemon) and in the future as a Mega ‘mon.
7/12 Update: Some redditors found the quickly posted-and-taken down event announcement. Our above suggestions stand, as it seems Niantic isn’t giving any hatch distance bonuses, though extra stardust from the event could be nice if anyone is still paying for incubators, in which case, 12k eggs give you the most bang for your buck. Be warned, as even though shiny Riolu odds are supposedly up, Niantic is not a transparent company and it’s already sounding like even getting normal Riolu isn’t guaranteed. As it eventually gets a Mega Form, it may be best for those paying for the game to wait until then to attempt to get a shiny.
7/13 Update: And now there’s an official post revealing the depth of disappointment. Note that Niantic went out of its way to describe what a “Hatch Day” (which is only a 3 hour event) means, and “The first Hatch Day will feature Riolu,” which means Niantic plans on making this a thing. As the event is only 3 hours, 2k eggs only drop “more frequently,” and Riolu is also only hatching “more frequently.” Especially as Niantic is loathe to actually release odds like other games that use gambling mechanics, do not go about blowing money on incubators unless you’re primarily in it for the stardust. Again, doing Mega Lucario raids when they release would be a wiser option.
Adventure Week from July 27th-August 2nd is a big reason I’m pushing players to have those Mega Rock types ready, as traditionally the event does something with fossil pokemon. We don’t have the full details of the event, but Aerodactyl, Rampardos, and Tyrantrum are all useful fossil ‘mon that will most likely appear during the event. To note, the game is largely on Generation 7, which introduced no new fossils, so I’m not expecting any new pokemon, but I do expect the shiny release of Tyrunt’s line and Amaura’s.
7/12 Update: We’ve got an official announcement on this event now. All of our above predictions were correct. In addition, there will be a paid research option granting premium items and event pokemon but nothing exclusive. There is also a free quest that will have you choose to either explore or do research, which should help with the event’s traditional issue of asking players to spin new Pokestops, which can be cost-prohibitive for rural players or those of us who are already active in multiple local communities. Naturally, there’s an egg component as well, and there is half-hatch bonus, yet no storage increase in sight. For raids, Regidrago is still just a collector’s toy. Extras can be sent to Pokemon HOME where it’s rare and can be more useful, but do not miss Mega Tyranitar.
Finally, July 30th is set to be a proper Community Day. We don’t have any details, but as leaks have proven trustworthy for the past couple of months, expect this to be for the Poliwag family, which has two separate Stage 2 evolutions: Poliwrath and Politoed (the latter requiring a King’s Rock to evolve, so maybe save a few of those). Both have some PvP uses, and that’s the best I think we can really expect from these two, aside from Politoed being a pretty nice looking shiny for many fans.
7/10 Update: The leaks continue to be correct, as an official post confirms that Poliwag is getting the July CD. Preliminary analysis seems to point that Politoed gets nothing out of this event beyond its nice shiny look, but Poliwrath gets a PvP use boost. The event also includes a 1/4 hatching bonus you shouldn’t sleep on.
As usual, we’ll end with the Tuesday Spotlight Hour, which isn’t terribly exciting for POGO vets this month. Rufflet is sadly featured on July 4th, which is frustrating if like many folks in the USA you have plans, but it’s a well-liked pokemon that’s getting double stardust, so it may be the month’s highlight.
Jully 11th’s Wailmer is good for player who need Excellent throws (or who want to evolve a Sirfetch’d, as it can evolve only if you get 10 Excellent throws while it’s your buddy.
While Rhyhorn’s line is very useful in raids as both a Ground and Rock-type attacker, it’s an oldie who has been featured many times in the past for both events and Community Day. The event seems most worthwhile for players who need more or who need (XL) candy to power some up. Remember, its Rock Wrecker move is a CD move, so you may want to save your best one(s) for the future – if you need any at all. Players may also want to consider using Mega Steelix for the event, as its typing would allow bonus candy for Rhyhorn and Meltan, if you want to pop your Mystery Box for double Meltan candy if you need those. Again, though, many veteran players are probably fine on all of this, but new and casual players clearly can find value here.
July 25th is largely for the transfer candy bonus and shiny collectors. Yungoos is just not good or useful. Maybe it’ll help motivate people to clear space for Go Fest, as Niantic has been especially stingy about doling out additional storage this year while also creating lots of new variants to collect.
As always, expect other updates throughout the month, trainers.
7/20 Update: And here’s more. While we knew routes were coming, Niantic suddenly announced this roughly 24 hours before the event starts 10am local time, July 21st to 8pm July 24th, meaning it’s starting in mere hours for New Zealand “beta testers.” We’ll detail how problematic the feature is in another article, but for this event, there are a few things.
First, for safety purposes, avoid any routes that don’t have plenty of people on them unless you know the area well at this point. We know you’ll need 250 Zygarde cells for it to reach its Complete Forme, but don’t risk your life/stuff for pokemon.
Second, if you have spare incense, you may want to consider using it, though I’d advise against it as they’re premium items and, from what the official page claims, you’ll meet more of your local regionals. If you’re abroad and in a popular area, this could be useful, but otherwise, save those incense, even if they only give a bonus to spawns the first time you do one.
Third, the only pokemon slightly worth collecting during this event are locked behind 7k eggs. The problem, however, is that Saturday is the Riolu Egg event. The Squirtle CD makeup is a good day to hatch, but the egg pokemon’s usefulness is niche at best. Worse, though, is that we all have to deal with Yungoos spawns for the duration of the event and for the Tuesday night Spotlight hour. In short, this event seems mostly about testing a new, problematic feature and collecting Zygarde pieces, unless you really need Buddy candy/hearts from the new system rewards.
Massively OP’s Andrew Ross is an admitted Pokemon geek and expert ARG-watcher. Nobody knows Niantic and Nintendo like he does! His Massively on the Go column covers Pokemon Go as well as other mobile MMOs and augmented reality titles!
