The Johto event is here. I personally think any event with Larvitar spawns rocks but this is not the most exciting spawn lineup. There are no debut mons, but certainly some spawns to prioritize over others for PvP. Here is a guide on which Pokémon you want to farm, which Pokémon you need to evolve during the event (Spoiles: Larvitar, Chikorita, and Cyndaquill) and what IVs you are looking for. For a quick explanation on how PvP IVs work refer to this article.
- League: Great, Ultra
- Priority: High
- Optimal IVs: 0/10/15 at level 24 for Great, 0/15/15 at level 50 for Ultra
- Event Move: Frenzy Plant
A 2018 Community Day mon, Meganium with the exclusive move Frenzy Plant is a force in PvP and one of my personal favorite closers. If you don’t have one built, this is an excellent time to farm a good IV version and evolve it for Frenzy Plant. If you already have one, this is a good time to make sure you have a good one for Ultra. The Go Beyond Level 50 update has shifted the optimal Ultra Meganium IV spread from 100 percent to the more traditional PvP IV spread of 0/15/15. A Meganium under 1500 should be priority number 1, but after that this is a great time to find and evolve a good Meganium for Ultra League.
- League: Great, Master
- Priority: Medium-High
- Optimal IVs: 0/15/15 at level 14.5 for Great League
- Event Move: Smack Down
More of a PvE consideration, the main reason to emphasize Larvitar for this event is the Community Day move Smack Down. This has been the first time evolving a Pupitar into a Larvitar for the move has been possible since December 2019. Ttar is relatively outclassed in open Great but it can be deadly in themed formats like Halloween Cup. The Master League Ttar is usually a non-exclusive Bite variant but a) you can always get rid of Smack Down later and b) there is no reason not to farm for a good one while they are available. Big takeaway: evolve at least one Tyranitar below 1500 before the event ends.
- League: Great, Ultra
- Priority: Medium
- Optimal IVs: 0/15/13 at level 19.5 for Great, 0/13/15 at level 35 for Ultra
- Event Move: Blast Burn
Typhlosion with the newer fast move Incinerate is way more viable than it ever was before. I wouldn’t be surprised if even people who did PvP back in 2019 didn’t focus too much on the mon. Typhlosion is by no means a dominant choice in Great or Ultra League, but it’s certainly good enough to warrant making sure you end this event with a Blast Burn Typhlosion for both Ultra and Great League.
- League: Ultra
- Priority: Medium
- Optimal IVs: 0/13/15 at level 36
- Event Move: Dragon Pulse
While Ampharos does have an exclusive move in Dragon Pulse, most times you will want Thunder Punch + Focus Blast as its charge moves. The reason for the higher priority is because Ampharos is a fairly meta mon for Ultra Premier League. There’s no reason not to find a good version for Great League, but it’s much more of a themed cup or spice pick there. Ultra League Ampharos is the priority.
- League: Great
- Priority: Medium-Low
- Optimal IVs: 0/15/14 at level 38.5
Magcargo is not a great PvP Pokemon. I’ll say that plainly. It is, however, an incredibly unique mon that finds great niche use in themed cups. Combine that with very low availability during normal spawn periods and it would be a mistake not to end the event with a good version stored away for the right moment.
- League: Great
- Priority: Low
- Optimal IVs: 0/13/14 at level 28
Chinchou is hardly exclusive to this event, but if you don’t have a Lanturn or are wanting to build a second or better Lanturn, you may as well farm one now. Lanturn is a decent pick in open Great and tends to be a really solid pick in themed cups. Lower priority due to the lack of urgency, but I wouldn’t just ignore Chinchou during this event.
- League: Ultra
- Priority: Low
- Optimal IVs: 0/15/14 at level 44
I feel similarly about Snubbull and Chinchou in this event. Snubbull has been a fairly common spawn and available in several events. That being said, it’s a reasonable piece of the open Ultra League meta and if you don’t have one, should go ahead and get one now. It sees less play in Great League but it is worth keeping if you find a good one.
- League: Ultra/Master
- Priority: High
- Optimal IVs: 0/15/15 at level 28 for Ultra, 100% for Master
Togepi seems to be hatching in 5km eggs during this event (Credit to @LeekDuck for making me aware of this). Given the spotty history of this family being available, I would certainly make use of this opportunity. It’s harder to give good advice when it comes to egg mons, but if you can come out of this event with a good Togekiss for Ultra or Master, that would be a huge win. Level 20 is too big for Great League sadly.
Other mons that are worth checking and keeping a good version of, but aren’t worth stressing about:
Conclusion
How would I recommend to play this event? 1) make sure you end the event with a good Frenzy Plant Meganium for Great and Ultra League 2) evolve at least one Smackdown Tyranitar under 1500 3) end the event with a good Blast Burn Typhlosion for Great and Ultra League 4) catch, trade, and evaluate the other Pokémon listed and profiles in this article, but none of them have exclusive moves to worry about 5) grind the living heck out of Larvitar and Chikorita for candy and XL candy. I hope this article was helpful and you have a great Johto event!
