Get ready to thread your way through Pokémon GO’s October Community Day as Sewaddle, the Sewing Pokémon, takes center stage! From 2 to 5 p.m. local time on October 5, 2024, players can catch a flood of Sewaddle with a boosted chance to find shiny variants, enjoy exclusive bonuses like quarter egg hatch distances and double candy, and evolve Swadloon into a Leavanny wielding the new fast move Shadow Claw. Plus, special raids and photobomb surprises will keep trainers on their toes throughout the day.
How do I catch a shiny Sewaddle?
To catch a shiny Sewaddle in Pokémon GO, your best opportunity is during the Sewaddle Community Day event, held on October 5, 2024, from 2 PM to 5 PM local time. During this event, Sewaddle will spawn much more frequently in the wild, and the shiny encounter rate is significantly boosted to about 1 in 24, compared to the usual rarity outside the event. Using items like Incense and Lure Modules, especially in rainy or sunny weather where Sewaddle is weather-boosted, can increase spawn rates further. Additionally, completing Research tasks and participating in 4-star raids during the event can also yield encounters with shiny Sewaddle. After catching a shiny Sewaddle, evolving it will result in shiny Swadloon and shiny Leavanny, completing the shiny evolutionary line.
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 Sewaddle to check for shiny ones, running from any that aren’t shiny. Notably, any Sewaddle 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 Sewaddle’s evolution learn?
During Pokémon GO’s Sewaddle Community Day, evolving Swadloon into Leavanny between 2 p.m. and 10 p.m. local time grants Leavanny the exclusive fast move Shadow Claw, a Ghost-type attack. This move is unique to the event and cannot be normally learned by Leavanny, providing it with additional coverage in battles. If you miss evolving during the event window, you can still teach Shadow Claw to Leavanny later using an Elite TM.
If you evolve Swadloon into Leavanny from 2 p.m. until 10 p.m. in your local time, it will learn the fast move Shadow Claw.
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 Shadow Claw. If you don’t want to wait, you can use an Elite TM to get the move.
How does Leavanny do in the meta?
Leavanny holds a niche but respectable position in the Pokémon GO meta, particularly in the Great and Ultra Leagues. Its Bug/Grass typing combined with the Community Day exclusive fast move Shadow Claw gives it improved coverage and faster charged moves like Leaf Blade, allowing it to deal significant damage quickly. However, its relatively low bulk makes it somewhat fragile, and it struggles against common Flying- and Fire-type meta threats. While it can shine in certain matchups thanks to its resistance to Fighting-type moves and flexible moveset, Leavanny is generally considered a mid-tier option rather than a top contender. Its usefulness diminishes in the Master League due to its lower max CP, and it is not favored for PvE content or raids compared to stronger Grass or Bug attackers.
Leavanny is a “just OK” bug-type attacker for PvE content, but even with its best moveset (Bug Bite and X-Scissor), it fails to beat out Heracross, Pinsir, and as well as higher-investment picks like Pheromosa and Genesect (predictably).
Leavanny also isn’t much of a use in PvP. Though the addition of Shadow Claw to its moveset is new, it doesn’t improve its rankings much or do anything groundbreaking.
How do I make the most of Sewaddle Community Day?
To make the most of Sewaddle Community Day in Pokémon GO, focus on maximizing the event bonuses and opportunities. Start by placing eggs in incubators to benefit from the 1/4 hatch distance reduction and activate an Incense to increase Sewaddle spawns for the full three hours. Use Pinap Berries when catching Sewaddle to double your candy gain, which is also doubled during the event. Make sure to stock up on Poké Balls beforehand to avoid running out. Evolve your Swadloon into Leavanny during the event window to get the exclusive fast move Shadow Claw. Take advantage of the extended bonuses until 10 p.m., including reduced Stardust costs for trades and an extra special trade. Also, participate in the special four-star Swadloon raids starting after the event to continue catching Sewaddle nearby. Don’t forget to snap some photos during the event for a surprise and keep an eye out for special PokéStop showcases and shiny Sewaddle spawns, which have a higher encounter rate during this time.
The following bonuses will be active during Sewaddle Community Day:
- 1⁄4 hatch distance for eggs placed into Incubators during the event
- 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
- Sewaddle special photobombs when taking snapshots
- One additional special trade
- Stardust cost halved for trading
That said, you should definitely put your eggs into Incubators, pop an Incense, and try to nab some powerful Sewaddle.
If you can Mega Evolve Venusaur, Beedrill, Pinsir, Scizor, Heracross, Sceptile, or Abomasnow, you’ll score additional Sewaddle Candy per catch. Using Primal Reversion on Kyogre or Groudon will work as well.
In addition to all this, Niantic is still running special four-star raids from 5-10 p.m., where if you clear the Swadloon raid, Sewaddle 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 Sewaddle you wanted, you can try raiding for another chance.
How can I maximize my chances of catching a shiny Sewaddle during Community Day
To maximize your chances of catching a shiny Sewaddle during Pokémon GO’s Sewaddle Community Day, follow these key strategies:
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Play actively during the event window from 2 to 5 p.m. local time on October 5, 2024, when Sewaddle spawn rates and shiny encounter rates are significantly boosted to about 1 in 24 or 1 in 25, much higher than usual.
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Use a combination of Lure Modules and Incense to increase Sewaddle spawns. Attach a Lure Module to a PokéStop in an area with rainy or sunny weather (Sewaddle’s Weather Boost conditions), then activate Incense and move around within the Lure’s radius to maximize spawns.
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Take advantage of event bonuses such as double candy for catches and quarter egg hatch distances to quickly build your candy stock and hatch more Sewaddle from eggs.
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If short on time or Poké Balls, use Incense and quickly tap each Sewaddle to check for shinies, fleeing from non-shiny ones. Sewaddle you’ve already checked will face your avatar, helping you keep track.
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Participate in special four-star Swadloon raids from 5 to 10 p.m. local time after the main event. Defeating Swadloon in raids triggers Sewaddle spawns nearby for 30 minutes, offering a second chance to catch shiny Sewaddle.
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Complete Community Day-themed Field Research tasks that reward Sewaddle encounters, which may also yield shiny variants.
By combining these approaches-maximizing spawns through weather, Lures, and Incense, leveraging event bonuses, and using raids and research tasks-you can significantly improve your odds of catching a shiny Sewaddle during Community Day.
What weather conditions most boost Sewaddle’s shiny spawn chances during Community Day
The weather conditions that most boost Sewaddle’s shiny spawn chances during Pokémon GO’s Sewaddle Community Day are Rainy and Sunny weather. Sewaddle is weather-boosted in these conditions, leading to more frequent spawns and thus higher opportunities to encounter shiny variants during the event.
