The Pokemon World Championships have returned after a hiatus, and Pokemon Go players will get to enjoy another event to catch powerful ‘mon and much more. For five days, trainers will have the chance to catch some of the most useful and powerful Pokemon that players use in the GO Battle League as well as get another chance to upgrade their ‘mon with exclusive moves that were relegated to past Community Days.
There’s plenty to talk about in the Pokemon Go World Championships 2022 event and this guide breaks it all down for you.
Pokemon Go World Championships 2022 Event Start Time
The Pokemon Go World Championships 2022 event begins Thursday, August 18 at 10 a.m. local time and ends Tuesday, August 23 at 8 p.m. local time.
Pokemon available to catch during the World Championships 2022 event
First and foremost, a special attired Pikachu wearing the World Championships 2022 clothes will be available to catch for the first time in Pokemon Go. This Pikachu will be available in the special Timed Research that will accompany the event and in Raids -- more on that later.
As for wild encounters, the following Pokemon will be available more frequently in the overworld: Nidoran (female), Mankey, Machop, Mudkip, Sableye, Meditite, Swablu, Spheal, Croagunk, Dewpider, Scraggy, Galarian Stunfisk.
Pokemon Go World Championship raids
The following Pokemon will appear in Raids during the event.
- One-Star Raids: WC 22 Pikachu, Galarian Farfetch’d, Marill, Barboach, Timburr, Scraggy
- Three-Star Raids: Primeape, Lickitung, Skarmory
- Fire-Star Raids: Zacian, Zamazenta
- Mega Raids: Mega Slowbro
As you’ll see, some of the more frequently used Pokemon in the GO Battle League will be appearing in these Raids and trainers will have another chance at catching Zacian and Zamazenta and we've got some Pokemon Go Zacian Raid counters and Pokemon Go Zamazenta Raid Counters to help there.
Mega Slowbro also returns so trainers can earn enough Mega Energy to perform the transformation.
Pokemon Go World Championships 2022 Event Field Research Tasks
As with many events in Pokemon Go, trainers will have the opportunity to obtain field research tasks that reward special encounters.
Trainers will want to complete them to get their hands on Pokemon like Galarian Stunfisk, Beldum and more. Here’s the list of exclusive Field Research tasks to complete during the upcoming event.
| Task | Reward |
|---|---|
| Battle in GO Battle League | Galarian Stunfisk, Galarian Zigzagoon |
| Power up Pokemon 3 times | Bulbasaur, Chikorita, Mudkip |
| Power up Pokemon 7 times | Rhyhorn, Magikarp, Beldum, Fletchling |
Once the World Championships 2022 event begins, trainers will have until next Tuesday to complete special Timed Research. This will be how trainers can guarantee the special Pikachu mentioned above.
Here’s the Timed Research tasks for the new event.
| Task | Reward |
|---|---|
| Battle a Challenger | Poke Ball (x10) |
| Battle 2 Challengers | Fast TM (x1) |
| Battle 3 Challengers | Great Ball (x10) |
| Battle 4 Challengers | Charged TM (x1) |
| Battle 5 Challengers | Ultra Ball (x10) |
- Completion Reward - WC 22 Pikachu, Elite Fast TM, Elite Charged TM
How to get Exclusive Moves for Pokemon
Exclusive moves for certain Pokemon often make them must-haves in the GO Battle League and in Raids. The following Pokemon will learn these exclusive moves upon evolving.
Evolve Rhydon into Rhyperior for the Ground and Rock-type to learn Rock Wrecker, arguably the best Rock-type Charged Attack in the game. It has 110 power in both Raids and Trainer Battles. Trainers will need 100 Rhyhorn Candy and a Sinnoh Stone to evolve into Rhyperior.
Gengar, upon evolving from Haunter, will learn the Charged Attack Shadow Punch. It has 40 power in both Raids and Trainer Battles, but how quickly it charges the move gauge is the real appeal of this move. Trainers need 100 Gastly Candy or trade Haunter with a friend to evolve into Gengar.
Gyarados, upon evolving from Magickarp, will learn the Charged Attack Aqua Tail. Again, it doesn’t have the highest base power (50), but they charge up quickly. Trainers will need 400 Magikarp Candy to evolve into Gyarados.
Metagross, upon evolving from Metang, will learn the Charged Attack Meteor Mash. It has a base power of 100 in both Trainer Battles and Raids. Trainers need 100 Beldum Candy to evolve into Metagross.
And finally, evolving Fletchinder into Talonflame will have it learn the Fast Attack, Incinerate. This move has a base power of 15 in Trainer Battles and 29 in Raids. Trainers will need 100 Fletchling Candy to evolve into Talonflame.
