Pokémon Go is rolling out a Piplup Community Day Classic on Sunday, Jan. 4 from 2-5 p.m. in your local time.
As with any Community Day, Piplup will be everywhere, and shiny odds get a big bump. There are a few helpful bonuses running alongside, plus a featured move for Empoleon if you evolve during the window. Details below.
How do I catch a shiny Piplup?
Community Day shiny rates are historically around 1 in 24, based on older Silph Road research (via the Wayback Machine). Play steadily through the three-hour event and you should see multiple shinies.
Short on time or Poké Balls? Drop an Incense and quick-tap every Piplup to check for shinies, then back out of any non-shiny encounters. A small tip: any Piplup you’ve already tapped will face your avatar, which makes it easier to sort what you’ve checked.
What Community Day move does Piplup’s evolution learn?
Evolve Prinplup into Empoleon from Jan. 4 at 2 p.m. until 9 p.m. (local time) to get the exclusive charged move Hydro Cannon.
If you miss that window, the move usually returns during December’s Community Day weekend. You can also use an Elite TM if you don’t want to wait.
How does Empoleon do in the meta?
For PvE (gyms and raids), Empoleon is fine but it’s behind many other Water-type starters like Quaquaval, Primarina, Greninja, Swampert, Samurott, and Feraligatr. Megas such as Mega Blastoise and Mega Swampert are a different league entirely. If you’re set on running Empoleon, use Waterfall and Hydro Cannon.
In PvP, Empoleon fares much better and is a strong option in both Great and Ultra Leagues. A recommended setup is Metal Sound, Hydro Cannon, and Drill Peck for solid coverage.
How do I make the most of Piplup Community Day?
The following bonuses will be active during the event:
- 1⁄4 hatch distance for eggs placed into Incubators during the event
- Incense lasts three hours
- Lure Modules last one hour
- Piplup photobombs when taking snapshots
With the hatch bonus live, it’s a good time to load up your Incubators. An Incense is also worth using to pull in more Piplup spawns as you move.
If you can Mega Evolve Blastoise, Slowbro, Gyarados, Swampert, or Sharpedo, you’ll earn extra Piplup Candy per catch. Primal Kyogre provides the same bonus.
One more note: Niantic is keeping the extended lure behavior from past Community Days. From 2-9 p.m., Piplup will continue to appear at lured PokéStops. So even after the main event wraps at 5 p.m., you can drop a Lure Module to chase more Piplup. The boosted shiny odds still apply to these spawns, and they can show up with the special background.