 With the new Equinox event staring, it’s no surprise that Niantic has once again changed the Box Sales. This time, there’s something for everyone. The Ultra Box has finally been friendly for the hardcore raiders, and the new Adventure Box is there for those who still prefer the Incubators. Let’s get into the numbers and see how much you get out of each box.
Before the verdict, I would like to reiterate that I chose to not use the standard price of Lucky Eggs, Lure Modules, and Star Pieces since the comparison should be more on the price of buying in bulk. It would be misleading to compare it to the base price which is, in principle, designed to be more expensive than bulk to encourage consumers to spend more. That being said, I used the bulk price of these items when buying an 8-item bundle. Our Verdict Niantic has finally made different boxes for different purposes. While it’s not apparent in the last iteration of the boxes, the current boxes made it very clear that the Ultra Box is designed for the hardcore raider while the Adventure Box is geared towards the Egg Breeders/Hatchers. The most expensive boxes are the most cost-efficient as they should be, but there is still something to look forward to in the other boxes, specifically the Great Box Great Box While 4 Super Incubators and 3 Raid Passes already made this a decent deal, the real prize in this box is the Star Piece. If you plan on participating on PvP Tournaments, you’ll definitely need Star Pieces to farm for Stardust. Pair it up with Venusaur Reward in Field Research and you’ll get a lot of Stardust in a short amount of time. Ultra Box At 16 Raid Passes, this is already a steal. While there’s not much to raid during this time, unless you still haven’t caught that high IV Dialga, this is a great buy if you want to save some Raid Passes for future Raids. The fact that Latias returned with a shiny can also mean that Latios’ return is on the horizon. If you plan on raiding for the EXP, the box also has Lucky Eggs. Adventure Box While 12 Incubators isn’t the best Niantic has offered, it is the best Box for hatching eggs in this current line-up. After all, hatching multiple eggs is one of the best ways to getting many Stardust in a short amount of time. If you plan on hatching eggs for the EXP, the box also has Lucky Eggs. Overall Thoughts If you plan on raiding a lot or want to prepare for the next Raid Boss, the Ultra Box is the best box you could buy right now. If you plan on hatching Eggs instead, the Adventure Box is the box for you. If you plan on preparing for the next PvP tournament and don’t have any Star Pieces left, the Great Box is the only one that offers them. If you still have Star Pieces, the Adventure Box is a great option since hatching Eggs with the Star Piece bonus is one of the fastest ways to get Stardust in a short amount of time, but you can also buy the Ultra Box if you need more Fast TMs Even if you don’t plan on hatching eggs or raiding during this event, you can hoard those Incubators and Raid Passes for future Generation IV Pokémon, since there is still 1 unreleased Baby Pokémon (Mime Jr.) which you will need to hatch in the future to complete the Sinnoh Dex, and the remaining Legendary Pokémon for Generation IV might be released via Raids as well.
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 At last, we got the information for both Acid Spray and Leaf Tornado. Exciting right?! Well… don’t get your hopes up. These moves seem to only play a special role in PvP. It is also worth mentioning that both moves are Charge Moves. Nonetheless, here’s a New Moves Analysis to look at how these moves compare to the others of the same typing that are already available in-game.
TLDR:
By NO means should you use Acid Spray as a move to take down a gym or raid boss. It is literally worthless. Although, it seems Niantic added this move to complement PvP battles. Which isn’t a bad thing. At least they are showing PvP some love and it proves they care to improve the overall meta. It is also worth noting that poison moves, at least at the moment, aren’t desired in raid battles. Until we get more grass and Fairy-type Pokémon introduced into raids, then we will see more of a poison raid meta. But for now, poison moves aren’t that useful. The only Pokémon that have this move available to learn are Arbok, Victreebel, Tentacruel, Muk, Alolan Muk, Quagsire, Qwilfish, Octillery, and Swalot. As you can already see, Leaf Tornado has no place in gyms or raids. Even Seed Bomb outperforms it having similar energy costs. If the cooldown was a lot faster, say 1.5, then there could be a use for it. Regardless, Solar Beam and Frenzy Plant will still be kings of the gym and raid grass-type meta for now. We have to remember that only Shiftry and Victreebel can learn Leaf Tornado. They both have decent attack stats, but overall there are plenty of other Grass-types that outrank them in terms of TDO in raids. Even IF Leaf Tornado was a great move, Shifty and Victreebel would more than likely still sit on the sidelines to the likes of Roserade, Venusaur, Tangrowth, Sceptile and when it is released, Leafeon. The one and only sole purpose Acid Spray seems to have is to allow your fast moves to deal more damage. Dropping your opponents DEF by 33% yields a great advantage of dealing more TDO overall. However, trying to build up 50 energy before your opponent can get off a charge move first is often unlikely. It also doesn’t help that Acid Spray does a measly 20 damage. The risk does not outweigh the reward. An easy fix would be to reduce the energy down to 45 (perhaps even 40). For now, there are just too many moves that cost less energy to activate, which means more shields burned, which in turn means more damage dealt in the long run. If you can make any tactical use of lowering the opponent’s DEF by 33% for 50 energy, go for it, but we don’t see when this would be a better choice than say Poison Fang or Sludge Bomb. Conclusion: we’re definitely not excited for Acid Spray. Leaf Tornado is the weakest grass charge move in the PvP scene, but it has the added effect of decreasing your opponent’s ATK by 20% (1 stage) per activation. Given that only Shiftry and Victreebel can learn it, this makes for an interesting shift in the meta. Leaf Tornado seems to be intended as a second charge move. Coupling it with Leaf Blade will result in a surprisingly sturdy combo, especially if you’re lucky to get an activation early on. Remember, debuffs still go through shields, so even if your opponent shields, it will still get the ATK reduction. In conclusion, Leaf Tornado is an excellent addition to the PvP scene for an extra layer of strategy on two different Pokémon that we haven’t seen in the meta before until now!  Trainers, It’s been nearly a year since I wrote an article explaining how The Shiny Charm from the main series Pokémon Games would be a welcome addition to Pokémon Go (You can read the original article here.) The question is: Do I still feel this way in 2019?
So far in 2019, we’ve seen an abundance of new shiny Pokémon forms released, an increase in event frequency, and also new types of events. This means that we have been given more ways to encounter Shiny Pokémon than ever before! Research Tasks, Wild Encounters, Raid Battles, Community Day, Limited Time Events…the list goes on. So, why would we need a way to increase our chances of finding certain Shiny Pokémon? Before I answer that, let’s take a look at what it is and how it could work as an item within Pokémon Go: The Shiny Charm, What’s That? Fans of the more recent main series of Pokémon games will have, no doubt, heard of The Shiny Charm. It’s a stone that basically increases the odds of finding shiny Pokémon in the game. This is a Key Item that can be obtained by completing either the whole national Pokédex in Generation 6 games or the Regional Pokédex in Generation 7 games. As a comparison, the “odds” of stumbling across a Shiny Pokémon randomly in Generation 6 or 7 games are 1 in 4095. This means you may play the game for 1000 hours and never see one – Whilst In Pokémon Go, the odds were determined to be Approx. 1 in 450 for Wild Encounters….which some players believe is already too low. What Does it Do and How is it Linked to Shiny Pokémon? Once you have obtained the Shiny Charm, your chances of encountering a Shiny Pokémon by various means is increased by 3x. Yes 3x! This means that, instead of a base rate (in the later games) of 1 in 4095, you can instead enjoy an improved rate of 1 in 1365. If you use what’s called “The Masuda Method” to breed Pokémon using a foreign Ditto or Pokémon, the odds are increased again to 1 in 512. You can read my article on Pokémon Breeding and how it could be implemented in Pokémon Go here. There are various other means to encounter Shiny Pokémon, however – Such as “chaining” in the Let’s Go series. This can reduce the odds of finding a shiny to below 1 in 275!! How could it work in Pokémon GO? In my previous article, I talked about how I believe it could be rewarded for completing gold medals for each region of Pokémon. While I still think that this is a plausible idea, I was talking about the item as if it was always active and non-consumable. (meaning it would just exist in your bag like the Camera or Infinite Incubator) I now think that if it were to be released, then it may be more likely to be a consumable item. One that may have a 30-minute timer on it just like Incense, Lucky Eggs, and Star Pieces. When would they be used? In Pokémon Go and Pokémon games in general, Shiny Hunting has a lot of grey areas. Odds have to be worked out by dedicated teams (such As The Silph Road Research Division – “Love you guys” – ShinyhunterLiam) as no actual indication of shiny odds have ever been hinted at or mentioned by Niantic or Nintendo itself. Results have been shared amongst communities but we all know that person who seems to get multiples of every single shiny Pokémon, at every event. (Sam Cook – You know who you are! ¬_¬) -However, random is random and so us shiny hunters hunt on. What I have noticed from the fine work the guys over at TSR have done on Shiny Rates is that there is a bit of a gap between the lower rates of Shiny Pokemon Encountered on Community Days and Legendary raids, to that of Wild Encounters. The Big Downfall The majority of players have mixed opinions about Shiny Pokémon. Some wish there were more available, some wish they would slow down on the release of them, and others just don’t care for them at all. One thing is for sure though, and that is that giving players another way to encounter Shiny Pokémon will mean more Shinies obtained, more Shinies obtained means that certain Pokémon forms would be devalued. Enough players already feel that Community Day Shinies are practically worthless because they are so readily available. I have to agree with this, as when discussing potential trades with other players, you find that nobody wants those “common” shinies. A lot of players might scoff at the idea of an item that increases the odds of a Shiny Pokémon being discovered but I think its a viable idea that has some merit when used sparingly. I was recently at an Alolan Marowak Raid with my friend Sadie and then again at an Absol raid with my pals Ryan and James. Raids in which all three of them got a Shiny (2 x Absol and 1 x Marowak). When this happens, it takes a lot of effort and energy to not be super mad and salty, but at the moment, you feel a mixture of anger, bitterness and then, later on, appreciation. I couldn’t help but think that having an item that you could pop right before going into the raid that would give you an increased chance at red Absol would be so handy given its low drop-rate. We all know a player like Ryan Ramsey from my community that managed to bag not one, not two, not three, but FOUR shiny Latias’ but after 50+ Groudon raids, couldn’t get a Neon Yellow Groundon. It would need to have some limits though – I feel that if the code worked similar to how it does for the main series games then it could increase the odds by maybe one or two times without being too overpowered – imagine having 1 in 25 odds of a Shiny Absol instead of 1 in 75? Maybe it could even have a one Pokémon Limit whereby once you get the shiny, it doesn’t work anymore on that Pokémon – A shiny hunters dream and secret weapon. Parting Thoughts Does the Shiny Charm have a place in the game in 2019, given the number of shinies already dropping? I believe so…I think that it’s one of those items that may require careful planning before using it in a similar vein to that of Star Pieces or Lucky Eggs to maximize the benefits from it. Ultimately though, adding this item would be a gamble for Niantic. They could implement it as a consumable but there would be some mixed reviews and opinions so it would take some careful thought.  Pokemon Go will be hosting a spring equinox event in the coming months, details of which have now been made public. The augmented-reality mobile game became an overnight sensation upon release in the summer of 2016, but soon faced the inevitable challenge of keeping players coming back after the initial buzz of Pokemon nostalgia had worn off. To combat the decline in users, Pokemon Go has increasingly held special events and Community Days that feature specific Pokemon for a limited time and also offer added bonuses, unique moves and the potential to catch shiny or legendary creatures.
A recent example of such a festival came earlier in 2019, in recognition of Lunar New Year. This celebration increased players' chances of catching 12 Pokemon that each related to a specific zodiac creature, including the rare Miltank. Following on from that event, Pokemon Go are offering players another stab at catching the legendary Dragon-type Pokemon Rayquaza over this current weekend in a Raid Battle. Pokemon Go's next major event, however, will be in commemoration of the 2019 spring equinox. Fittingly, Grass-type Pokemon will take center stage in the forthcoming festival, which Niantic have now confirmed will run from March 19th to March 26th. During this period, Grass types will appear more frequently in the wild and act as Raid bosses for trainers to take on. Additionally, Solrock and Lunatone, which each appear in only one hemisphere at a time, will switch locations. Field research obtained between these dates will also offer challenges in relation to nabbing certain Grass-type critters, and two new techniques will be added permanently to the game's array of battle moves: Acid Spray and Leaf Tornado. This isn't the first time that Pokemon Go has held a Grass-based springtime extravaganza, and previous years have seen Easter-themed events bring out baby Pokemon, creatures with egg-related designs, and extra chances to hatch your own Pokemon eggs. While the benefits and bonuses seem to change year upon year, Pokemon Go's springtime events have rapidly become an annual occasion on the Poke-calendar, much like their Christmas and Halloween celebrations. Grass-type Pokemon are fairly common in Pokemon Go during regular gameplay, so the prospect of extra Bellsprouts and Exeggcutes roaming the streets perhaps isn't as exciting for players as previous special events have been (although the potential of catching shiny versions of each partaking creature will certainly add to the appeal). Having the opportunity to capture Lunatone or Solrock - depending on the hemisphere in which you reside - does, however, offer the opportunity for some trainers to flesh out their Pokedex a little and add a unique creature to their collections.  Pokemon Go players who missed their chance to catch Rayquaza last year will have soon have another opportunity to do so. Niantic is bringing the Legendary Sky High Pokemon back for a special Raid event this weekend--but like before, it won't be around for very long.
From March 15-18, Rayquaza will make an encore appearance in Raid Battles around the world. Before you can capture the Legendary Pokemon, you'll first need to team up with other players in-person and battle it. If your group manages to defeat it, you'll receive a handful of Premier Balls along with an opportunity to catch it. Rayquaza is a dual Dragon/Flying-type, which makes it particularly susceptible to Ice-type attacks, so you'll want to bring along Pokemon such as Mamoswine and Lapras to battle it. Dragon is also one of the few Pokemon types that is vulnerable to itself, so other Dragon Pokemon such as Giratina and Salamence should prove to be effective as well. Niantic periodically brings back previous Legendary Pokemon for special Raid Weekend events such as this one. Last month, the Eon Pokemon Latias returned for a limited time, and Niantic has teased that its twin, Latios, will also come back for a Raid event in the near future. In other Pokemon Go news, the game's next Community Day event takes place on Saturday, March 23. The featured Pokemon this time will be Treecko. The Legendary Pokemon Dialga is also set to show up in Raid Battles until March 28.  Defense Forme Deoxys is a Tier 5 EX Raid Boss in Pokémon GO. Best Defense Form Deoxys Counters in Pokémon GO are strong Ghost and Dark-types such as Gengar, Mewtwo, Weavile, and Tyranitar. Defense Forme Deoxys has a Raid Boss CP of 36170, can be caught with the following CP Values:
The best case scenario for Defense Deoxys is a manageable trio with full teams of Lick/Shadow Ball Gengars, with Fog and Best Friend boosts. Defense Deoxys makes the Regi-Trio look easy, so do this with large groups. Ideally, use 4-9 high-level players, or 10-20 lower leveled players when fighting this raid boss. This guide lists the best counters, forme stats, and which moves Defense Forme Deoxys can have in Pokémon GO. Defense Forme Deoxys Counters Defense Forme Deoxys raid counters are very similar to the previously listed Formes’ counters, so you should already have some of these powered up by the time you face this Forme of Deoxys. A table that compares Times-to-Win and Death Count is available below, however, this is a formatted list to show and explain the top counters in realistic situations.  Discount Attackers
If you do not have access to any of the fine counters listed above, this alien will still bow to any of these counters:
Final Notes You will most certainly have a big group, as it is an EX Raid you are attending, so your main focuses should be enjoying the group time, and doing as much damage as possible, to get as many Premier Balls as possible, to catch Defense Deoxys.  Pokémon Go Legendary Pokémon had been hotly anticipated for some time, eventually arriving a full one year after the game released.
Fans of the classic games will remember them fondly - from the flying trio Articuno, Zapdos, Moltres to the elusive Mewtwo and Mew in Red, Blue and Yellow to Gen 2's Gold, Silver and Crystal, Legendary beasts Raikou, Entei, Suicune, and beyond. These are amongst the game's rarest creatures, and can be caught from multiple sources - from Raids to Field Research rewards - depending on the month in question. Pokémon Go Legendary Lunch Hour time and details A new event is being trialled in Pokémon Go - the Legendary Lunch hour. For one hour this week, there will be increased Legendary Raids to complete, allowing you to schedule some dedicated battling time in the diary.
Going by other regions which has already had their Legendary Lunch Hour, all Gyms with no active raids or scheduled EX Raids will have an Egg appear at 11:50am, which will all hatch into Dialga, and be available for an hour. (Thanks clergy1989 on reddit for clarifying.) If all goes to plan, the Legendary Lunch hour could become a weekly event. Let's see how this first one goes! Dialga counters, other Legendary Pokémon currently available Legendaries are primarily caught in Raid battles, and much challenging than standard encounters, so will require as many players as possible to take them down. Living in major cities with gyms at popular landmarks will naturally attract players without organising before hand - just look out for the blue and white Egg, and get there for the countdown, and provided you are in a popular spot, other players should be there waiting for it to begin. Otherwise, joining Facebook or Discord groups for your town or area is a popular way to organise groups. In battle, you essentially want to field powerful Pokémon with strong opposing Types. You can also get Legendaries by completing a week's worth of Research quests. Like Legendaries in Raids, these rotate regularly, and focus on previously released Legendaries for those who missed them. How to catch Legendaries and how to unlock Legendary Raids in Pokémon Go Niantic finally unlocked Legendary Pokémon in Pokémon Go following Pokémon Go Fest. Summer 2017 saw Legendary birds Moltres, Articuno and Moltres come and go, with Legendary beasts Raikou, Entei, Suicune here for Autumn - and the start of a Gen 3 Legendary rollout over the winter, starting with Groudon. Though they are similar to standard Raid Battles in many ways, there are several differences in both their appearance and capture:
How to capture Legendary Pokémon Like other Raid encounters, once a Legendary's defeated you have to then catch it. This is difficult seeing as, according to research available from Pokémon Go community The Silph Road, your chances are pretty slim.
 Hello all! February was an interesting month for Pokémon GO filled with many events and surprises! From returning events and new ones, to new mechanics being introduced to the game, let’s take a look at the beautiful graphic OrangeHeart put together for the month of February and dive right in! 
 Trainers, Niantic is experimenting with events! Legendary Lunch Hour is a new type of event that lasts from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. in your local time zone and increases the number of Tier 5 raids in your area. This event type is currently in “trial” phase and its future depends on the player engagement throughout the trial period.
The general idea behind the Legendary Lunch Hour is to provide a new raiding window for players who are stuck at work and who can’t organize their schedules around the time when an egg decides to pop up. As somebody who is clearly the target demographic for this event, it makes me fairly excited – there’s nothing worse than opening Pokemon GO after leaving work and realizing that there are no eggs around you. The first installment of the Legendary Lunch Hour will be on March 13. From 12:00 to 1:00 PM, beginning at 11:50am (your local time) the Gyms in your area will feature increased spawns of T5 eggs that will have a timer of 10 minutes. Once an egg hatches, the raid will last one hour.* In order to get ready, make sure you read through our Dialga Counters Raid Guide. *This process is subject to change. Official Announcement Legendary Lunch Hour: A New Experiment! To give you more ways to enjoy Pokémon GO, we’re trying out a new event called Legendary Lunch Hour! From 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. in your local time zone, there will be an increased number of raids to test your battle skills alongside your friends, coworkers, and classmates. The first Legendary Lunch Hour will take place on March 13, and with your help, we hope to make this an event you can enjoy every week! Date + Time
Features
Pokémon Go March Field Research quests, how Special Research quests and Research Breakthroughs work3/7/2019  Pokémon Go Research quests are a major addition for the game in 2018, introducing new activities for players to accomplish.
Multiple challenges can be completed per day as part of undergoing Field Research quests, providing unique rewards as part of Research Breakthroughs, while Special Research quests chance to uncover never before seen Pokémon, including the elusive Mythical Pokémon Mew. Research quests and rewards change every month. For example, the first three months were based on the original Legendary Birds, which were the Research Breakthrough reward for that month, with quests to match - so with Moltres as the reward, we saw Fire-themed quests and rewards, for example. Pokémon Go March Field Research quests and rewards The March Field Research - which is the same as both January and February - and has the reward of various Legendary Pokémon from Field Research throughout the year - Entei, Raikou, Suicune, Ho-Oh, Lugia, Regirock, Regice and Registeel - for the seventh day. Usually, the rewards from PokéStops are based on the reward Pokémon's Type, but with so many available, there's no fixed Type for now. Pokémon Go Field Research quests explained Field research are daily missions collected one at a time by spinning a PokéStop, and will involve finding certain creatures, engaging in battles and more. Every day PokéStops will give you a new quest, and each type of quest can have one of many different rewards, from previously Raid-exclusive consumables such as TMs and Rare Candy and common items such as Poké Balls. Examples of quest types include:
Some of these quest rewards even give you the chance to catch a mystery Pokémon. There's nothing exclusive here, but there does include uncommon and rare Pokémon, such as Tangela and Chansey, depending on the quest in particular. It's also worth knowing that the quests and associated rewards on offer rotate in a monthly basis. Additionally, some quests can have different rewards, so 'Make 5 Nice Throws' could offer you Balls or the chance to catch a mystery creature. So if you are after a particular Pokémon, make sure you get the variant that has the creature catch as a reward. Finally, it's also worth knowing that if you pick up a quest, you are free to delete it and catch another by spinning another Pokéstop. You can also complete as many as you like in a day - so when you have space in your inventory, return to a PokéStop to start quest. Spin the same Pokéstop and you'll just get the same quest again though - Pokéstops give out set rewards, that are generally tailored to their location, which refresh every day at midnight. So if you want a new quest you'll need to spin another stop. Research Breakthroughs explained Completing one Field Research quest per day will give you a stamp. Get seven stamps - which will take seven days - completes something known as a Research Breakthrough. These have even greater rewards - including Stardust and Mystery Items - as well as an encounter with a very rare or Legendary Pokémon. You'll also receive plenty of other items too - including a chance at Rare Candy, Pokéballs, Berries, 2,000 Stardust, 3,000 XP, and a Sinnoh Stone. The best news about these Research Breakthrough catches is they cannot run away - it has a flee chance of 0 per cent - so the pressure is off. However, it has the same catch rate as normal, so be prepared for it to break out of your balls. This means you can use Pinap Berries, or even use it as a chance to rack up some of the harder throwing-based Special Research streaks, without any risk of it running away. It also comes with strong IVs, too, as if the Pokémon was appearing in a Raid encounter or Egg. It always appears at level 15, which is the same for all mystery Pokémon caught from Field Research rewards. If you're curious, here is all the Research Breakthrough rewards so far: Research Breakthrough rewards in 2018:
Finally, the question is - when do the special reward Pokémon change in your Research Breakthrough progress? It's when you claim the reward for your final Field Research task. So, you can complete the task, but just don't claim the reward for that task before 1pm PST / 9pm UK time of the first of the month, as doing so will activate the arrival of the Special Research reward at the top of the screen. If it's before then, it'll be the reward for the month before (so in October, this was Suicune). Wait until after, it'll be the next month's (so in November, this is Shedinja). To clarify further, this is when you complete the task, not open it. Even if you then open it after the change, it'll be the prior month's Pokémon. To be safe, wait until it's the new month if you want to get the latest creature. What are Special Research quests? Special Research quests, meanwhile, are story-based questlines with unique rewards. Unlike Field Research quests, these are fixed objectives that every player will face, and appear in the game infrequently. The first available is 'A Mythical Discovery', with the arrival of the game's first Mythical creature - Mew - as the end reward. Our A Mythical Discovery explains the eight steps required to unlock Mew, which includes finding specific Pokémon, participating in Raid and Gym battles, and reaching a certain Trainer level. The arrival of Gen 2's Celebi suggests this is how other Mythicals - such as, we assume, Gen 3's Jirachi - will be released in the game, but as we've now seen with Spiritomb they won't always be restricted to Mythical Pokémon only. Everything else you need to know about Research quests in Pokémon Go Though the quest features are well explained in the game, there's some nuance that will help you get the most out of each objective you undertake.
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