How to prepare for Rivals’ Week in Pokemon Go – everything you need

Brent Koepp
rivals' week pokemon go

Now that the Easter celebrations are over, Rivals’ Week is soon approaching in Pokemon Go. The hit mobile game is focusing on ‘mon that have an established rivalry throughout the event with Special Research, Raids, and more.

The five-day festivities start on Tuesday, April 13 at 10:00 AM and play out until Sunday, April 18 at 8:00 PM, both in players’ local time zone so mark your calendars.

As is common with every event, Niantic is giving fans a ton of things to do throughout the week, including Skrelp and Clauncher’s debut, boosted spawn rates for certain monsters, a new Egg pool, and more.

How to prepare for Pokemon Go Rivals’ Week

As mentioned previously, Poison/Water-type Skrelp and Water-type Clauncher are making their debut in Pokemon Go. Both monsters are from Generation VI, and debuted in the X & Y games on Nintendo 3DS in 2013. This also means that their evolutions, Dragalge and Clawitzer, will also appear in the mobile title for the very first time since its launch back in July 2016.

One of the other notable goings-on during the week is that Therian Forme Landorus is also making its debut. The one-third part of the Forces of Nature will be available through 5-star Raids, meaning players will want to stock up on Raid and Remote Raid Passes – the latter of which Niantic is giving away for free on every Monday in April.

With multiple activities going on at once, Rivals’ Week is not an event Trainers will want to go into unprepared. Here’s how to prepare for it to ensure you’re getting the most out of the celebration.

Pokemon Go Skrelp and Clauncher
Claunch and Skelp will make their Go debut during Rivals’ Week.
  • Stock up on Raid/Remote Raid Passes: With Therian Forme Landorus being added into the game during Rivals’ Week, you’re going to want to add it to your Pokedex. Make sure you’re taking advantage of the free Passes being given out through April as monsters such as Nidoqueen and Zangoose are also appearing in the PVE mode.
  • Make sure you have enough Poke Balls: With Hitmonchan, Meditite, Makuhita, and more having boosted spawn rates for the celebration, you’re going to want to ensure you’ve got enough Balls to catch ’em all – especially if you’re Shiny hunting.
  • Incubators are a must: Cute creatures like Elekid, Magby, and Tyrogue are hatching from 5KM Eggs, so you’ll need Incubators to hatch them. Unfortunately, if you don’t have some stocked up already, you’re more than likely going to have to fork out real money to buy some in the shop.
  • Don’t forget Star Pieces: The event is giving fans 2x the amount of Stardust for the entire week when catching Pokemon, so if you’re trying to increase your Trainer Level, now’s the perfect time. Just whack on a Star Piece when you’re going on a catching spree and you’ll earn double the double!
  • Save up your Pinap Berries: With Clauncher and Skrelp making their debut, you’re going to want to evolve them into Clawitzer and Dragalge. Use a Pinap Berry when catching them so you can collect Candy quicker for seamless evolutions.
Screenshot of Forces of Nature Legendary in Pokemon Go.
Therian Forme Landorus will be in 5-star Raids.

Team Go Rocket spawns will also be increased during Rivals’ Week, so it’s the perfect time to complete any related Research Tasks you’ve been holding onto. Keep your eyes on the sky for balloons and check your local PokeStops frequently.

The event starts on April 13, so make sure you’re fully prepared to go head to head with some of the best rivalries in the Pokemon series.