Complete guide to Pokemon Go Evolving Stars event featuring Cosmoem debut, wild encounters, and Mega Gyarados Raid Day
Evolving Stars Event Overview
The Season of Light continues with the Evolving Stars event, bringing significant evolution-focused content to Pokemon Go trainers worldwide.
Following the September 1 launch of Season of Light, Niantic introduces another engaging event centered around Pokemon evolution mechanics and celestial Pokemon discoveries.
Evolving Stars specifically highlights the cosmic evolution line featuring Cosmog’s next stage – the cocoon Pokemon Cosmoem making its inaugural appearance.
Prepare for this evolution-focused celebration with our comprehensive guide covering timing, featured Pokemon, and strategic recommendations.
The Evolving Stars event officially runs from Wednesday, October 5, 2022, at 10 am through Tuesday, October 11, 2022, at 8 pm local time, giving trainers nearly a full week to participate.
Cosmoem makes its Pokemon Go debut during this event, allowing trainers to evolve their Cosmog using just 25 Candy, which is relatively inexpensive for a legendary evolution.
Niantic has confirmed that additional Cosmog encounters will be available in the “distant future,” so trainers shouldn’t hesitate to evolve their current Cosmog if they have sufficient candy.
Wild Pokemon Encounters
During the Evolving Stars event, trainers will notice increased spawn rates for Pokemon that feature significant evolution lines or require special evolution items.
Pokemon marked with * may appear as shiny
Focus on catching these boosted spawns to stockpile candy for future evolutions and potentially encounter shiny variants. The increased spawn rates provide excellent opportunities to complete evolution-related Pokedex entries.
Pro Tip: Use Incense during peak playing hours to maximize encounters with rare evolution Pokemon. The event’s spawn pool is particularly valuable for players working on completing their evolution medal.
Raid Boss Schedule
The raid rotation during Evolving Stars features powerful legendary and mega Pokemon that complement the evolution theme.
Xerneas appears in five-star raids from Saturday, October 8, at 10 am until Thursday, October 20, at 10 am local time. This fairy-type legendary provides excellent raid coverage against dragon-type bosses.
Yveltal remains available until October 8, running from Tuesday, September 27, at 10 am to Saturday, October 8, at 10 am local time. The dark/flying-type serves as a strong counter to psychic and ghost-type raid bosses.
Mega Lopunny occupies mega raids until October 8, available from Tuesday, September 27, at 10 am until Saturday, October 8, at 10 am local time. Its fighting-type mega energy is valuable for upcoming raid battles.
Mega Manectric takes over mega raids starting October 8, appearing from Saturday, October 8, at 10 am until Thursday, October 20, at 10 am local time. This electric-type mega provides bonus candy for catching electric-type Pokemon.
Raid Strategy: Prioritize Mega Manectric raids if you need electric-type attackers for upcoming water and flying-type raids. Coordinate with local trainers to maximize raid pass efficiency during the event window.
Event Bonuses and Challenges
Evolving Stars includes several rewarding gameplay mechanics beyond the standard wild encounters and raids.
Pokemon marked with * may appear as shiny
The Pokemon Go Battle League Evolution Cup runs concurrently with the event. Participants must use Pokemon that are at or below 1,500CP and have evolved once while retaining the ability to evolve again.
Collection Challenge Tip: Complete all four Collection Challenges as soon as possible to stockpile evolution items for future use. These items are particularly valuable for Pokemon requiring special evolution methods like Sinnoh Stones or Unova Stones.
Battle League Strategy: For the Evolution Cup, focus on middle-stage evolutions with good type coverage. Pokemon like Ivysaur, Charmeleon, and Frogadier often perform well in this limited format.
Mega Gyarados Raid Day
A special Mega Gyarados Raid Day occurs on Saturday, October 8, 2022, from 2 pm to 5 pm local time, featuring significantly increased Mega Gyarados raid frequency.
During this three-hour window, trainers can obtain up to five additional Raid Passes by spinning Photo Discs at Gyms, allowing for multiple Mega Gyarados raids without spending premium items.
The event also provides an increased chance of encountering Shiny Mega Gyarados, making this an ideal opportunity for shiny hunters to add this powerful water/dark-type to their collection.
Raid Day Preparation: Build a team of electric and grass-type attackers like Zekrom, Roserade, or Tangrowth to counter Mega Gyarados effectively. Coordinate with local raid groups to maximize your five bonus raid passes.
Shiny Hunting Tip: The shiny rate during raid days is typically approximately 1 in 10, significantly better than standard raid shiny rates. Plan to complete all five bonus raids to maximize shiny chances.
Advanced Player Strategies
Resource Management: Prioritize catching Pokemon that require evolution items you’re lacking. The Field Research tasks provide guaranteed evolution items, so complete as many as possible during the event.
Stardust Optimization: With stardust rewards from research tasks, focus on powering up Pokemon that will be useful in upcoming raids. Mega Gyarados requires strong electric-types, so consider investing in your best electric attackers.
Common Mistake to Avoid: Don’t immediately evolve Cosmog unless you have at least 75 candy saved. While Cosmoem only costs 25 candy to evolve, its final evolutions (Solgaleo or Lunala) will require additional candy, so plan your resource allocation carefully.
Team Optimization: For the Evolution Cup, avoid using single-stage Pokemon or fully evolved Pokemon. The cup restrictions favor middle-stage evolutions, so build your team around Pokemon that hit the 1500CP cap at their second evolution stage.
That covers everything you need to know about the Evolving Stars event. While you’re here, check out some of our other Pokemon Go guides:
Pokemon Go type chart | Best attackers & defenders | How to beat Sierra | How to beat Arlo | How to beat Cliff | How to beat Giovanni | Field Research tasks | Spotlight Hour schedule | Cutest Pokemon | All cat Pokemon | All dog Pokemon
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