Get ready, Trainers! Pokémon GO’s Ponyta and Galarian Ponyta Community Day is galloping back on September 14, 2024, from 2 PM to 5 PM local time, bringing shiny variants, exclusive moves, and a trove of bonuses that will electrify your gameplay. Whether you’re aiming to evolve Rapidash with the powerful Wild Charge or hunting for rare Candy and Stardust, this event is your perfect chance to boost your collection and battle prowess in style.
How do I catch a shiny Ponyta in Pokémon Go?
To catch a shiny Ponyta in Pokémon GO, the best opportunity is during the Ponyta & Galarian Ponyta Community Day event, where both variants spawn abundantly with significantly increased shiny encounter rates-approximately 1 in 24 during the event. To maximize your chances, use Incense and Lure Modules near PokéStops with sunny weather for standard Ponyta or windy weather for Galarian Ponyta, as these conditions boost their spawn rates. Actively encounter as many Ponyta as possible, tapping each to check for shininess, and flee non-shiny ones to conserve Poké Balls. Additionally, evolving Ponyta during the event or shortly after grants special moves. The event also offers bonuses like double candy, triple Stardust, and extended Incense and Lure durations to help you catch more. If you miss the wild spawns, participating in special four-star raids after the event can also yield Ponyta spawns around the gym for 30 minutes.
As per old research by the now-defunct website The Silph Road (via Wayback Machine), Shiny rates on Community Days are about 1 in 24, which means that if you keep playing throughout the three-hour window, you should find quite a few shiny Pokémon.
If you’re short on time or Poké Balls, you can pop an Incense, then quickly tap each Ponyta to check for shiny ones, running from any that aren’t shiny. Notably, any Ponyta you’ve already tapped will face where your player is standing, so that should help identify which ones you may have already checked.
What Community Day move does Ponyta’s evolution learn?
Evolving Ponyta or Galarian Ponyta during the Ponyta Community Day event or up to five hours afterward grants their evolutions, Rapidash or Galarian Rapidash, the exclusive charged move Wild Charge, an Electric-type attack. This move is unique to the Community Day and significantly enhances Rapidash’s performance in PvP battles, particularly in the Ultra League, although it has limited impact in PvE. Trainers can also use an Elite TM later to teach Wild Charge if they miss the event window.
If you evolve Ponyta or Galarian Ponyta into Rapidash or Galarian Rapidash from 2 p.m. until 10 p.m. in your local time, it will learn the charged move Wild Charge.
If you miss out on evolving it during this period, you will likely be able to evolve it during a Community Day weekend event in December to get Wild Charge. If you don’t want to wait, you can use an Elite TM to get the move.
How does Rapidash do in the meta?
Rapidash’s performance in the current Pokémon Go meta is mixed but promising, especially with the addition of the exclusive Community Day move Wild Charge. Kantonian Rapidash benefits significantly from Wild Charge, particularly in the Ultra League, where it can compete as a strong Fire-type attacker with a respectable win rate, making it a viable choice for PvP battles. It gains useful matchups against popular meta Pokémon like Azumarill and Malamar, especially when it has a shield advantage. However, its pure Fire typing leaves it vulnerable to common counters like Water, Ground, and Rock types. Galarian Rapidash, on the other hand, is more niche, performing best in limited formats such as the Psychic Cup, and Wild Charge is more of a sidegrade for it rather than a major upgrade. Overall, Kantonian Rapidash with Wild Charge is recommended for Great and Ultra League PvP, while Galarian Rapidash remains a situational pick.
For PvE content, you won’t really need to use either Rapidash or Galarian Rapidash. Kantonian Rapidash is outclassed by many fire-types, including Reshiram, Chandelure, Blaziken, Blacephalon, and even Flareon just to name a few. Galarian Rapidash is a decent fairy-type attacker with Fairy Wind and Play Rough, if you missed out on the Tapu Legendaries. It’s also outclassed by quite a few Pokémon (Gardevoir, Sylveon, Primarina, Florges) but still works if you need it to.
For PvP, it’s the other way around. Galarian Rapidash won’t see any use, but Kantonian Rapidash is actually a half-decent contender for Ultra League when set up with Incinerate, Wild Charge, and Flame Charge.
How do I make the most of Ponyta Community Day?
To make the most of Ponyta Community Day in Pokémon Go, focus on maximizing the event bonuses and opportunities. The event runs for three hours, from 2 to 5 p.m. local time, with triple Stardust and double candy for catching Ponyta and Galarian Ponyta, plus increased chances for XL candy for higher-level trainers. Activate Incense and Lure Modules during the event to extend their duration to three hours and boost spawns. Use a Star Piece to further increase Stardust gains. Prioritize catching as many Ponyta as possible, checking quickly for shiny variants by tapping and fleeing non-shinies. Evolve Ponyta or Galarian Ponyta during the event or up to five hours afterward to get Rapidash or Galarian Rapidash with the exclusive charged move Wild Charge. Additionally, participate in special four-star raids from 5 to 10 p.m. to encounter more Ponyta with boosted shiny rates. Take advantage of cheaper trades, extra special trades, and photobombs in AR photos for a full event experience.
The following bonuses will be active during Ponyta Community Day:
- Tripled Stardust for catching Pokémon
- Doubled candy for catching Pokémon
- Doubled chance for level 31 trainers to get XL candy from catching Pokémon
- Incense lasts three hours
- Lure Modules lasts three hours
- Ponyta special photobombs when taking snapshots
- One additional special trade
- Stardust cost halved for trading
That said, you should definitely pop a Star Piece and an Incense and try to nab some Ponyta.
Ponyta and its Galarian form have different typing, meaning that you will need to Mega Evolve different Pokémon to get bonus candy. It doesn’t really matter which Ponyta you choose to focus on, as they both share the candy type for evolving and powering up. For regular Kantonian Ponyta (fire-type), you can Mega Evolve Charizard, Houndoom, Blaziken, or Groudon (via Primal Reversion). For Galarian Ponyta (psychic-type), you can Mega Evolve Alakazam, Slowbro, Gardevoir, Medicham, Latias, Latios, or Rayquaza.
In addition to all this, Niantic is still running special four-star raids from 5-10 p.m., where if you clear the Ponyta raid, Ponyta will spawn in a 300-meter radius around the gym for 30 minutes. These raids cannot be done remotely. If the usual 2-5 p.m. spawn increase doesn’t get you the Ponyta you wanted, you can try raiding for another chance.
How can I maximize my Ponyta and Galarian Ponyta catches during Community Day
To maximize your Ponyta and Galarian Ponyta catches during Community Day, follow these key strategies:
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Use Incense and Lure Modules starting exactly when the event begins to extend their full duration and attract more Ponyta spawns.
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Activate a Star Piece to triple the Stardust earned from catches, making the most of the 3x Stardust bonus during the event.
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Mega Evolve appropriate Pokémon to boost Candy and Candy XL gains: for Kantonian Ponyta, use Fire-type Mega Evolutions like Houndoom, Blaziken, or Groudon; for Galarian Ponyta, use Psychic-type Mega Evolutions such as Alakazam, Gardevoir, or Latias.
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Focus on catching every Ponyta you encounter without catching any before the event starts, as non-event catches won’t count toward Community Day bonuses.
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Spin as many PokéStops as possible for extra Field Research tasks and resources to support your catching spree.
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Check each Ponyta quickly for shininess by tapping and fleeing non-shiny ones to maximize encounter rate and shiny hunting efficiency.
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Take advantage of the extra special trade and halved Stardust cost for trades during the event to optimize your collection and IV improvements.
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Consider participating in special four-star Ponyta raids after the event hours for additional catching opportunities if needed.
By combining these tactics, you can efficiently catch more Ponyta and Galarian Ponyta, maximize Stardust and Candy gains, and increase your chances of obtaining shiny and high-IV Pokémon during Community Day.
What are the best ways to increase shiny Ponyta and Galarian Ponyta chances during Community Day
To increase your chances of encountering shiny Ponyta and shiny Galarian Ponyta during Community Day, focus on maximizing the number of Ponyta spawns you encounter, as shiny odds improve with more encounters. Key strategies include:
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Use Incense and Lure Modules to boost spawn rates, activating them right when the event starts to maximize their duration.
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Take advantage of weather conditions: Ponyta spawns more frequently in sunny weather, while Galarian Ponyta spawns more in windy weather. Find PokéStops in these weather conditions to increase targeted spawns.
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Walk around actively within the area of effect of your Incense and Lures to encounter more Ponyta and Galarian Ponyta.
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Quickly tap each Ponyta to check for shininess and run from non-shiny ones to maximize encounter rate without wasting Poké Balls.
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Participate throughout the full three-hour event window to benefit from the approximately 1 in 24 to 1 in 25 shiny rate typical for Community Days.
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Spin many PokéStops for additional Field Research tasks and resources that may yield Ponyta encounters.
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Consider completing Ponyta raids after the main event hours, as these also offer shiny chances and spawn Ponyta nearby for a limited time.
By combining these methods-weather-boosted spawns, Incense and Lure usage, active movement, and efficient shiny checking-you significantly improve your odds of finding shiny Ponyta and Galarian Ponyta during the Community Day event.
