"Pokémon GO's" massive popularity and glory days by the Nintendo and Niantic Labs' game are long behind. Still, it continues to hold onto a dedicated player base that has stuck with it when everyone else fell out of the fad. Niantic repaid that loyalty to the AR game app by adding some nifty features in recent months.
First, came the implementation of the long-awaited and requested-for trainer PvP feature, which also included a chance to fight the AI Team Leaders. Nintendo helped out with cross-compatibility to their "Pokémon: Let’s Go" Switch games.
And of course, there are the regular promo events happening every month on "GO."
Another starter Pokémon gets focus
The monthly "Pokémon GO" Community Day events usually feature a specific Pokémon becoming prominent in the app’s game environments, making for a more common catch for players. With January drawing to a close, and the previous Community Day featuring the Johto Pokémon starter Totodile well behind, Niantic announced that the next event will happen in February, and named the Pokémon in the spotlight.
For Community Day next month, on February 16, "Pokémon GO" will put another Johto entry as the focus Pokémon: Swinub, Ice-Ground type. Community Day mechanics are the same as mentioned above.
On February 16, the Swinub will increase in frequency when appearing in the over-world. Also upped is the probability of encountering a Shiny Swinub, the sparkly stronger-than-normal version of this pig-like Pokémon.
In addition, when a Swinub’s evolved form, Piloswine, is evolved to its Sinnoh-generation third form of Mamoswine during February Community Day on "Pokémon GO," it will gain a special attack on its move list.
True to form however, Niantic Labs is not sharing what that move will be. To facilitate the Piloswine-Mamowswine evolution, the item needed to do so from the base games, the Sinnoh Stone, can be gotten from Trainer battles.
Trainers, mark your calendars for February #PokemonGOCommunityDay, featuring Swinub! Don’t freeze up on the opportunity to capture this Ice- and Ground-type Pokémon! ❄️ https://t.co/d9NW6x5gaF pic.twitter.com/1jsVrXN6ga
— Pokémon GO (@PokemonGoApp) January 22, 2019
Invitation to use ‘Pokémon GO’ trainer battles more
Observant "Pokémon GO" regulars might notice that the introduction of the Swinub evolution item as a price drop from Trainer battles is a sly means by Niantic to motivate the player base to use that feature more.
In fact, some of the previous Community Day events involved promoting the focus Pokémon as a means to encourage the use of one app feature or other.
One last reminder: "Pokémon GO" Community Day on February 16 only runs for three hours, with the actual schedule dependent on time zones.
