Get ready to dive into the lush world of Pokémon GO as Bellsprout takes center stage for its Community Day on April 20th, from 2 to 5 PM local time. This event is your golden opportunity to catch shiny Bellsprout, earn triple Stardust, and unlock the exclusive move Magical Leaf for Victreebel, all while enjoying a bouquet of bonuses designed to supercharge your gameplay. Whether you’re aiming to complete special research quests or dominate Weepinbell raids, this guide will help you make the most of Bellsprout’s moment in the spotlight.
How do I catch a shiny Bellsprout in Pokémon Go?
To catch a shiny Bellsprout in Pokémon Go, the best opportunity is during the Bellsprout Community Day event, which typically lasts three hours and features significantly increased spawn rates and shiny odds-approximately 1 in 24 during the event. Use Incense and Lure Modules to attract more Bellsprout, and quickly tap each one to check for shiny variants, as shiny Bellsprout have a distinct coloration. Completing event-specific Field Research and Special Research tasks can also reward encounters with shiny Bellsprout. After the event, participate in Weepinbell raids to maintain increased spawn rates and continue your shiny hunt. Preparing by expanding your Pokémon storage, stocking up on Poké Balls, and practicing quick-catching will maximize your chances of finding a shiny Bellsprout.
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 Bellsprout to check for shiny ones, running from any that aren’t shiny. Notably, any Bellsprout 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 Bellsprout’s evolution learn?
During the Pokémon GO Bellsprout Community Day, if you evolve Weepinbell into Victreebel either during the event or up to five hours afterward, Victreebel will learn the exclusive fast move Magical Leaf. This Grass-type move has a power of 10 in Trainer Battles and 16 in Gyms and raids, making it a valuable addition to Victreebel’s moveset for both PvP and PvE scenarios.
If you evolve Weepinbell into Victreebel from 2 p.m. until 10 p.m. in your local time, it will learn the fast move Magical Leaf.
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 Magical Leaf. If you don’t want to wait, you can use an Elite TM to get the move.
How does Victreebel do in the Pokémon Go meta?
Victreebel holds a strong position in Pokémon GO’s PvP meta, especially in the Great and Ultra Leagues. With the Community Day move Magical Leaf, Victreebel significantly improves its performance, outclassing many common water and mud-type Pokémon and securing wins against notable threats like Cresselia, Venusaur, and Sableye in various shield scenarios. Its typing, moveset, and stats make it a versatile contender, particularly effective in the Great League where it can handle a wide range of opponents. In the Ultra League, Victreebel also remains a top contender, especially in no-shield situations. Additionally, both Shadow and non-Shadow versions with Magical Leaf excel in PvE for raids and gym attacks compared to their regular counterparts. Overall, Victreebel is a worthwhile pick for trainers looking to strengthen their PvP lineup following the Bellsprout Community Day.
You can use Victreebel in raids and gyms with Magical Leaf and Leaf Blade, but know that it is at the bottom rung when it comes to grass-type attackers. It’s usable and fine, but it gets outclassed by many things, like Kartana and every grass-type starter Pokémon. Victreebel may be better as a poison-type attacker, even more so when it’s a Shadow Victreebel, but it still falls behind popular picks like Roserade or Mega Beedrill.
PvP expert JRE47 says that Magical Leaf is an improvement for Victreebel in PvP, giving it an edge against common opponents, especially if it’s a Shadow Victreebel.
How do I make the most of Bellsprout Community Day?
To make the most of Bellsprout Community Day in Pokémon GO, focus on maximizing your catching time during the event hours from 2 PM to 5 PM local time. Take advantage of the bonuses such as triple Stardust and double Candy for each catch, as well as extended durations for Incense and Lure Modules, which last three hours during the event. Use these items to increase spawn rates and catch as many Bellsprout as possible, boosting your chances of finding a Shiny. Complete the special Research tasks available, including the event-exclusive Field Research and the purchasable All About Bellsprout Special Research, to earn valuable rewards like Stardust, candies, and encounters with Bellsprout and its evolutions. After the event, participate in Weepinbell 4-star raids to trigger additional Bellsprout spawns around the raid location, maintaining increased shiny rates. Additionally, take advantage of reduced Stardust costs for trades and the extra special trade allowed during the day to optimize your collection and resources.
The following bonuses will be active during Bellsprout 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
- Bellsprout 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 powerful Bellsprout.
If you can Mega Evolve Venusaur, Beedrill, Gengar, Sceptile, Groudon, or Abomasnow, you’ll score additional Bellsprout Candy per catch.
In addition to all this, Niantic is still running special four-star raids from 5-10 p.m., where if you clear the Weepinbell raid, Bellsprout 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 Bellsprout you wanted, you can try raiding for another chance.
How can I maximize my chances of catching a Shiny Bellsprout during Community Day
To maximize your chances of catching a Shiny Bellsprout during Community Day, follow these key strategies:
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Spend as much time as possible catching Bellsprout during the event’s three-hour window (2 PM to 5 PM local time), as increased spawn rates significantly boost shiny encounter odds to about 1 in 24.
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Use Incense and Lure Modules to increase spawn rates around you; these last for the full three hours during Community Day, attracting more Bellsprout to catch.
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Participate in Weepinbell 4-star raids after the event (from 5 PM to 10 PM local time). Winning these raids triggers a 30-minute period of increased Bellsprout spawns around the raid location, offering additional shiny hunting opportunities.
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Complete the All About Bellsprout Special Research (available for a small fee), which grants multiple Bellsprout encounters, some with shiny potential, alongside useful rewards like Incense and Stardust.
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Quick-catch efficiently to maximize the number of Bellsprout caught within the event time, increasing your shiny odds.
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Prepare in advance by clearing Pokémon storage, stocking up on Poké Balls, and planning routes with clustered PokéStops to optimize Lure Module use.
By combining these tactics-maximizing catches during peak spawn times, leveraging event bonuses, and engaging in post-event raids-you significantly increase your chances of encountering and catching a Shiny Bellsprout during Community Day.
How do boosted spawn rates and raids increase my shiny Bellsprout chances
Boosted spawn rates and raids increase your chances of encountering a Shiny Bellsprout primarily by increasing the number of Bellsprout you can encounter, thereby raising the total opportunities to find a shiny variant. During Community Day and similar events, Bellsprout’s wild spawn rate is significantly increased, meaning you see many more Bellsprout than usual, which indirectly improves your shiny odds by sheer volume of encounters.
Raids, especially Weepinbell raids after Community Day, also contribute by spawning more Bellsprout around the raid location for a limited time (about 30 minutes). This surge in spawns gives you additional chances to catch Bellsprout with the same boosted shiny odds as during the event.
Moreover, raids have inherently better shiny rates for the raid boss Pokémon compared to wild encounters. While wild shiny rates during Community Day are about 1 in 24 to 1 in 25, raid shiny odds can be even better, sometimes around 1 in 10 to 1 in 20 for featured raid bosses. Additionally, catching a shiny in raids is easier because you use Premier Balls, which guarantee a catch if you hit the shiny Pokémon, reducing the risk of losing the shiny encounter.
In summary, boosted spawn rates flood the area with Bellsprout, increasing shiny encounter chances by volume, while raids provide both increased spawn opportunities post-event and improved shiny odds with guaranteed catch mechanics, making both methods effective for shiny hunting.
