Pokemon GO wrapped up their Pokemon GO Summer Tour 2018 in Yokosuka, Japan over the weekend. Not only did they wrap up the tour, but trainers worldwide completed the final stage of Professor Willow’s Global Challenge unlocking a number of bonuses.
Trainer Bonuses
The bonuses went live on September 3rd and give trainers 3x Stardust per catch, 2x stardust per hatch, and a guaranteed 3,000 stardust for completing each raid battle. Star Pieces which allow trainers to gather double the amount of Stardust will also last for an entire hour, double what they normally last. These bonuses will be in effect until September 10, 2018.
Trainers, 3× Catch Stardust, 3K Stardust guaranteed per Raid Battle, 1-hour Star Pieces, and 2× Hatch Stardust bonuses are now live! GO out and collect that Stardust! We’re excited to see what discoveries Professor Willow makes with your research task contributions. Stay tuned… pic.twitter.com/0y8ejtX5Uv
— Pokémon GO (@PokemonGoApp) September 3, 2018
Moltres Day
But the trainer bonuses aren’t the only boon trainers unlocked. Moltres Day is now officially a go for trainers on September 8, 2018.
Moltres will appear for three hours across at gyms across the globe. Trainers will even get a chance to capture a Shiny Moltres.
Here’s the specific times for when Moltres will appear in each of the regions:
The Asia-Pacific region: 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. JST (GMT +9)
Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and India: 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. UTC (GMT +0)
The Americas and Greenland: 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. PDT (GMT −7)
Along with a chance at encountering a Shiny Moltres, trainers will also get bonus Raid Passes. Trainers can earn up to five Raid Passes by spinning the Photo Disc at Gyms. There is a catch, you can only have one of these Raid Passes at a time. They do not stack.
Ultra Bonus
The Pokemon Go team also announced they will be unveiling the Ultra Bonus following Moltres Day.
The most prominent theory about what the Ultra Bonus will be is a Mewtwo Day.
Currently Mewtwo is only available through the Pokemon Go EX raid system. An EX Raid is a special event given to a few select trainers via invitation after they’ve defeated a legendary raid at certain gyms in big parks or at sponsored stores. The invitation requires players to attend the raid location at a specific time as well.
As the system stands, it highly favors urban players and limits trainer growth and progression in game. Mewtwo is not only necessary for completionists for the Pokedex, but he is also one of the strongest attackers in the game, essential for any player wanting to dominate gyms.
This theory would make Mewtwo accessible to trainers who have not been lucky enough to get invited into an EX raid and capture the powerful Pokemon.
Deoxys
However, there is a variation to the theory. Some believe that along with Mewtwo Day, Pokemon GO will introduce a new mythical Pokemon in Deoxys. The theory goes that with the introduction of Deoxys into the EX raid system, Mewtwo will be made available outside the EX raid system.
Deoxys was originally introduced in Generation III in Pokemon Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald on the Game Boy Advance. The Pokemon is a mythical Psychic-type that can also take three other forms. Those forms are normal, attack, defense, and speed. The Pokemon’s design changes depending on its form.
The Pokemon came about via a mutation of a virus from space. It’s signature move is Psycho Boost. If Deoxys was introduced into the game it could become a powerful ally for trainers everywhere.
What are you hoping the Ultra Bonus will be?