The Pokémon Go Kanto Event May Not Be Extra Shiny, But It Is Useful

The Pokémon Go Kanto Event has been going on for two days now and reactions are… pretty mixed. Trainers had some pretty sizable expectations that weren’t exactly fulfilled, which makes what Niantic did offer feel like a disappointment. Still, trainers who are missing some Kanto region Pokémon and those who started playing after the Johto region opened up will have a blast filling in the gaps in their Pokédex. Plus, get help finding Mew!

Just before the week-long Pokémon Go Kanto Event started on April 10th, the trusty network of tech-happy trainers found 100 new shiny Pokémon tucked away in the game’s code. Players have been anticipating new shinies since the first shiny Magicarp appeared during March’s Water Festival event. It seemed pretty clear that the new shiny Pokémon would appear during the Kanto event.

Except they didn’t.

This was a huge letdown for those who’d been expecting to see the new shiny Pokémon out in the world. The release had been so hyped that players have been upset with the Pokémon Go Kanto Event in general.

There are some pretty awesome parts of this event, though. Here’s what it offers:

1. 

   More Kanto Region Pokémon and raid bosses. Spawn rates for Gen 1 favorites like Charmander, Squirtle, Clefairy, and Vulpix have increased. There are tons of first generation raid bosses as well, so if you’re missing a Lickitung or a Lapras this is your chance to snag one. You’re also going to see no end of Magicarp (and pro-tip, you’ll want to catch them if you’re doing the Mythical Discovery adventure).

2. Double candy. You’ll get twice the usual amount of candy all week long. Niantic has done double candy before, and it is easily the best thing about the Pokémon Go Kanto Event. If you really want to go full Munchkin, throw a Pinap Berry on anything you really need extras of (seriously, Magicarps) for quadruple candy on capture. This is a great time for an evolve spam if you need to level quickly.
3. Special Bundles. These are useful for raiders because Premium Raid Passes can be found in some.

Since the event began I’ve run into over a dozen trainers at raid battles who were using this event as a catch-up party. It really seems like the Pokémon Go Kanto Event was intended for that – to help new players and those who stopped for a while reignite their enjoyment of the game.

Take the new Mythical Discovery quest for example. There are missions that require 100 Kanto Region Pokémon or a Magicarp ready to evolve, so it’s gonna be hard on anyone who didn’t fill up on first generation Pokémon the first time around. With this event it’s possible to get back in the game at a competitive level.

Niantic didn’t give us more shinies, but they did give us a chance to level the playing field for people who joined after Johto Region opened up. The Pokémon Go Kanto Event will last until April 17th.  If you got frustrated when spawn rates for the first generation went down, this is your chance.

How are you feeling about the new event? Have you caught your first shiny yet? Are you let down by this event? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section or on Twitter!

Author: Khai

Khai is a writer, anthropologist, and games enthusiast. She is co-editor (alongside Alex DeCampi) of and contributor to “True War Stories”, a comic anthology published by Z2 Comics. When she’s not writing or creating games, Khai likes to run more tabletop RPGs than one person should reasonably juggle.

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