Pokémon Go is running a rare two-mon Community Day, spotlighting both Vulpix and Alolan Vulpix on Sunday, Feb. 1 from 2–5 p.m. local time.
Veterans know the drill, but the event perks keep shifting lately, which makes it easy to miss a detail or two. If you’re planning to chase shinies, evolve for the exclusive moves, or squeeze every last drop of XP and candy, the key bits are all below.
How do I catch a shiny Vulpix?
Archived research from The Silph Road (via the Wayback Machine) pegs Community Day shiny odds at roughly 1 in 24. Play consistently through the three-hour window and you should turn up several shinies.
Short on time or Poké Balls? Drop an Incense and quick-tap each Vulpix to check for a sparkle, backing out of anything that isn’t shiny. Handy tip: any spawn you’ve already tapped will rotate to face your avatar, which helps keep track of what you’ve checked.
What Community Day move does Vulpix’s evolution learn?
Evolve Vulpix into Ninetales between 2–9 p.m. local time on Feb. 1 to get the charged move Energy Ball. Evolving Alolan Vulpix during that same window grants Alolan Ninetales the move Chilling Water.
If you miss the evolve window, the moves usually come back during the December Community Day recap. If you’d rather not wait, an Elite TM will also do the trick.
How does Ninetales and Alolan Ninetales do in the meta?
They’re not raid or gym standouts, but both versions shine in PvP—especially in Great and Ultra League. The new move gives Alolan Ninetales a real boost in certain matchups.
Recommended sets: Alolan Ninetales with Powder Snow, Weather Ball, and Chilling Water. For Kantonian Ninetales, run Ember, Weather Ball, and Overheat.
How do I make the most of Vulpix Community Day?
Event bonuses during the Vulpix/Alolan Vulpix Community Day:
- 3× XP for catching Pokémon
- Field Research rewarding Vulpix with special seasonal backgrounds
- 2× candy for catches
- 2× chance for Trainers level 31+ to receive XL Candy from catches
- Incense lasts three hours
- Lure Modules last one hour
- Vulpix photobombs from snapshots
- One additional Special Trade
- Half Stardust cost for trades
It’s a good day to pop a Lucky Egg alongside an Incense and chain catches while the XP and candy roll in.
For extra candy, Mega Evolve a Fire-type such as Charizard, Houndoom, Blaziken, or Camerupt; Primal Reversion on Groudon works too. If you’re targeting Alolan Vulpix specifically, Mega Glalie or Mega Abomasnow will boost those catches. There isn’t one Mega that covers both forms at once, but they share the same candy, so you’ll still come out ahead.
One last wrinkle: Lure Modules will provide bonus spawns from 2–9 p.m.—even after the main three-hour window ends—with both Vulpix and Alolan Vulpix appearing more often around lures and a chance at special seasonal backgrounds. The elevated shiny rate continues from lure spawns until 9 p.m. as well.