PUNCH IT TO DEATH – Darkrai and the Pokemon Go Halloween Event
Pokemon Go’s Halloween event is up, and out of all the games I play regularly, Pokemon Go has had the best spooky event so far. Not only is the Spiritomb special research back, this time rewarding a Litwick and a Yamask as well as Spiritomb, there’s also a bunch of vaguely new things to do too, like a new level 5 raid boss.
Most of the Pokemon Go Halloween event is pretty simple. Dark and Ghost type Pokemon are spawning more frequently, which I love because I’m still after a shiny Drifloon and shiny Houndour, and there’s a new costume Pikachu available – a Pikachu wearing a Mimikyu costume, which spawns uncommonly in the wild – at about the same rate as Yamask and Duskull. Frankly, this costume is… kinda weird. Mimikyu is dressed as Pikachu because it’s a terrifying ghost monster (that probably steals children’s souls the way Drifloon does) but it wants to be loved, so having Pikachu dressed up as Mimikyu is kinda redundant. Joining Pikachu but only available as bosses in level 1 Raids are Bulbasaur, Charmander and Squirtle all dressed up in their own costumes, but none of these Pokemon can be evolved, so if you wanted a Charizard dressed up as a Kangaskhan, then you’re out of luck.
The new additions are mostly the appearance of Yamask, as well as Litwick spawning in the wild, instead of just from 10km eggs. I’ve only seen one in the wild so far but I couldn’t get to it, but they are out there. Assuming they’re not being knocked off the Pokemon Radar for nearby Pokemon, by Pokemon you already have but the game has decided you haven’t caught yet. There are new research tasks as well, offering a collection of dark and ghost type Pokemon, like Sneasel and Sableye. Funnily enough, the Transfer 3 Pokemon research task is still around so you’ve got two chances to get the elusive shiny Sableye. Other bonuses include the fact that you get double candy from hatching, catching and transferring Pokemon, so this is the perfect time to get a Gengar if you missed all those Giratina Altered Forme raids.
What I like most though is the new level 5 boss. After months of not really having new Pokemon, with Rayquaza taking up most of August, Altered Forme Giratina consuming most of September and October and the Spirits of the Lake being regional, it’s nice to see a genuinely new boss in the form of Darkrai.
Darkrai is a dark-type mythical Pokemon who looks like it should be a ghost. And you know what Dark types are weak to? Fighting types. And what is currently the only good fighting type? Machamp. So hilarity ensues as everyone joins these Darkrai raids with Machamps, Machamps and more Machamps. Sure there’s the odd Blaziken, Breloom or Hariyama, but it’s mostly just Machamps. I find this insanely funny. Just tons of Machamps punching Darkrai to death.
Unfortunately though, Darkrai is still considered a mythical Pokemon, which means you can’t trade any extra Darkrais you get. All you can do is delete your extras. So no lucky Darkrais for us.