Pokemon GO
Credit: Niantic
It will a bit of a snowy Pokemon GO Community Day here in Philadelphia, but the Pokemon, at least, is a bit of a promise of better days to come. February may still be solidly winter, but the featured Pokemon has a distinctly spring-like air to it: the flowery Roselia, a charming little creature that packs a deceptive punch once it evolves. Here’s what you need to know, from start/end times to research, moves, shiny, Budew and Sinnoh Stones.
Start/End Times: I do wonder if Niantic will ever reduce this back to three hours, but for now the pandemic isn’t going anywhere, and we’re still on the extended hours. It’s on Sunday, February 7, from 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM local time.
The Pokemon: Roselia is a fun little critter, but as usual, the evolution steals the show. Roserade might not look it, but it’s a beast: a strong Grass-type attacker and a great choice for raids and team Rocket battles. Use it to annihilate Water, Ground and Rock-type Pokemon in no time, and grab some of the candies from this event to round it out with extra moves, higher CP and all that good stuff.
Research: The event special research “Stop and Smell the Roselia!” is currently available in the shop for $1 or the local equivalent. We’ll know more about the steps and rewards once Community Day goes live in New Zealand and people have a chance to check it out. There will also be some timed research for those that choose not to buy.
There will also be timed research providing Sinnoh stones.
Budew: Will be hatching from 2km eggs.
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Shiny: You’re looking, appropriately enough, at the roses here. The shiny features a striking pair of purple and deep black flowers, and it’s basically the same when you evolve it to Roserade, with most of the coloring staying intact save the shift on the roses.
The Moves: See the “s” there? Not a typo! Two moves this time around: the fast attack bullet seed and the Fire-type charged attack Weather Ball. The second is the more interesting one: a coverage move, probably best paired with a traditional Grass-type move to make sure you can still use Roserade as a powerful pure Grass-type.
The Bonus: Pretty straightforward here: 1/4 hatch distance for eggs placed into incubators during the event. A solid bonus, but always an expensive one if you want to take full advantage of it. We’ve also got the standard 3-hour incense.