Pokemon Go Sandshrew Community Day start Shinies

Pokemon Go Sandshrew Community Day
(Image credit: Ninatic)

Pokemon Go Sandshrew Community Day is a different kind of community event in the month of March. Instead of spotlighting one Pokemon, Pokemon Go will spotlight two regional variants. What we mean is, Sandshrew, one of the original 151 Pokemon from the Kanto region, will be featured this weekend in its own Community Day. However, trainers won’t just be catching this Ground-type mouse Pokemon but its Alolan cousin.

Alolan Sandshrew and its evolution will be featured in this latest Community Day event giving trainers twice the amount of Pokemon to catch, twice the number to evolve and gain exclusive moves and twice the number of Shiny variants to add to their collections.

To get all the information in one place, we created this guide on everything trainers need to know about the Sandshrew Community Day event in Pokemon Go.

Pokemon Go Sandshrew Community Day Start Time 

The Sandshrew Community Day event in Pokemon Go will begin Sunday, March 13 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. local time. 

Of course, some in-game bonuses will continue a few hours after the 5 p.m. deadline, but we’ll get into those details in a different section. 

And while Pokemon Go Community Days are often events that are often enjoyed with friends in your neighborhood, Niantic is putting together locations in various cities to allow trainers to gather together to trade, battle and catch Pokemon.

The following cities will feature in-person celebrations: 

  • Linz, Austria: City-Park
  • Berlin, Germany: Spandau Arcaden
  • Bochum, Germany: Ruhr Park
  • Düsseldorf, Germany: Düsseldorf Arcaden
  • Laatzen, Germany: Leine-Center Laatzen
  • Leipzig, Germany: Paunsdorf Center
  • Munich, Germany: Pasing Arcaden
  • Oberhausen, Germany: Westfield Centro
  • Recklinghausen, Germany: Palais Vest
  • Delhi, India: Pacific Mall, Tagore Garden
  • Monterrey, Mexico : Parque Fundidora
  • Warsaw, Poland: Elektrownia Powiśle Shopping Mall
  • Bristol, UK: Broadmead
  • Cardiff, UK: Churchill Way
  • Edinburgh, UK: Castle Street
  • Liverpool, UK: Liverpool ONE
  • London, UK: St. Alfege Park
  • London, UK: Whitfield Gardens
  • Manchester, UK: Piccadilly Gardens
  • Indianapolis, USA, US: Canal Elbow at White River State Park
  • Oakland, CA, USA: Plank Plaza at Jack London Square
  • Washington, DC, USA: Top of District pier at The Wharf

How to get Shiny Sandshrew and Shiny Alolan Sandshrew 

Pokemon Go Sandshrew Community Day

(Image credit: Ninatic)

For six hours, trainers will see Sandshrew and Alolan Sandshrew appearing in the overworld more frequently.

This is the benefit of Community Days, giving trainers an opportunity to catch as many of the spotlight Pokemon as possible, and in this case of this Sunday’s event they’ll be able to get four different Shinies because Community Days make finding them much easier.

According to the Pokemon Go community site, The Silph Road the Shiny odds increase during Community Days. While the standard odds are 1 in 500 to encounter a Shiny that’s in Pokemon Go, events like Community Days boost the odds to 1 in 25. 

So, as long as trainers put the time into encountering Sandshrew in their area, they’ll very likely find at least one Shiny during the six-hour window. 

Trainers can also use an Incense to attract the Pokemon to them. However, Niantic has recently changed the effectiveness of Incense to incentivize trainers going outside. Niantic increased the length of Incense from 60 minutes to 90, but now Pokemon will appear less frequently. Previously, trainers would see one Pokemon every minute, but now it’ll be one every five minutes. 

Although this change is in place, using an Incense is still the best way to attract Pokemon to your location.

Sandshrew Community Day Exclusive Moves 

With two set of Pokemon being featured this time around, trainers will have two different exclusive moves to get during this month’s Community Day. 

Trainers who evolve their Sandshrew into Sandslash, the Ground-type will learn Night Slash as a Charged Attack. This Dark-type move has 50 power in both trainers and Gym/Raid battles. However, it’s real power comes from its effect in trainer battles. Using Night Slash will increase the attack of Sandslash by two stages even if it’s blocked, but it’s only a 12.5 percent chance of activating.

As for Alolan Sandslash, evolve your Alolan Sandshrew will give it a new Fast Attack. Shadow Claw, the Ghost-type attack, will be learned by Alolan Sandslash. This move has a base power of six in trainer battles and nine in Gym/Raids, but it’s real strength is in its speed and ability to fill up a move gauge.

Both Sandshrew and Alolan Sandshrew need 50 candy to evolve, and trainers can do this until 7 p.m. on Sunday to get these exclusive moves. 

Pokemon Go Sandshrew Community Day In-Game Bonuses 

As for in-game bonuses during the Community Day, trainers can expect these perks on Sunday:

  • 1/4 Egg Hatch distance
  • Lure Modules activated will last three hours
  • Incense last for three hours

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Phillip Martinez

I'm currently a GamesRadar guide contributor with a specialty in everything Pokemon GO. If you've wanted to know the best way to take down a Rayquaza, there's a good chance you read one of my guides. I previously have written for IBT Media, Newsweek and Screen Rant. I'm a huge fighting game fan and everything Pokemon, but I've grown to love RPGs.