Swinub takes the spotlight once more in Pokémon Go’s Community Day Classic, bringing a frosty chance to expand your icy lineup and chase that subtle sparkle of its shiny form. Here’s how to make the most of the bonuses, moves, and rare encounters waiting beneath the snow.
How do I catch a shiny Swinub?
Catch a shiny Swinub by focusing your Community Day efforts on increased spawns during the window, using Ultra Balls for catches, and timing your throws to land excellent or great throws with a curved Poké Ball path for bonus chances.
According to research conducted by Pokémon community site The Silph Road, 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 Swinub to check for shiny ones, running from any that aren’t shiny. Notably, any Swinub 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 Swinub’s evolution learn?
During Swinub Community Day Classic, evolving Piloswine into Mamoswine before the event ends-or up to two hours afterward-will teach it the exclusive Charged Attack Ancient Power. This move isn’t normally available through standard TMs, making it a limited-time addition for players who evolve during the event window. Ancient Power adds extra coverage in battles, enhancing Mamoswine’s utility in both raids and PvP formats.
If you evolve Piloswine into Mamoswine between 2 p.m. until 10 p.m. in your local time, it will learn the charged moveAncient Power.
If you miss out on evolving it during this period, you may be able to evolve it during a Community Day weekend event in December to get Ancient Power. If you don’t want to wait, you can use an Elite TM to get the move.
How does Mamoswine do in the meta?
Mamoswine remains one of the strongest Ice- and Ground-type attackers in Pokémon Go. Its high Attack stat and access to Powder Snow and Avalanche make it a powerful choice against Dragon-, Flying-, and Ground-type raid bosses. In PvP, it sees most play in Master League formats, where it threatens popular picks like Dragonite, Garchomp, and Togekiss. However, its double weakness to Steel- and Fighting-type moves means it must be used carefully and supported by strong teammates.
For raids and other PvE activities, Mamoswine is up there as one of the best non-legendaries in the game, thanks to strong moves and survivability, meaning this Community Day is a great opportunity to come away with one or two strong Swinubs to evolve and level up to add to your attacking party.
If you’re looking to take Mamoswine into PvP, then consider the Master League only, which is only then it will come into its own. If you do want to try anything lower than that, then the community (such as Warsawawa on Reddit) suggests using middle evolution Piloswine instead.
Unusually for a Community Day, the exclusive charged move Ancient Power should be ignored in favor for the likes of Avalanche (ice-type) or High Horsepower (ground-type). Ideally, you’d want both of these – assuming you can afford the candy and stardust cost for the second move slot – giving you strong coverage to make use of Mamoswine’s dual-typing.
How do I make the most of Swinub Community Day?
Use Pinap Berries while catching Swinub to boost your Candy gains and walk with Mamoswine as your buddy to earn bonus Candy while exploring. Take advantage of the increased spawn rates by moving through areas with several PokéStops or active Lures, and use Incense to draw more Swinub to your location. Save your best IV Swinub for later evolution into Mamoswine after the event, ensuring it learns its exclusive move. If shiny hunting is your goal, focus on tapping every spawn quickly to check more Pokémon within the event window.
The following bonuses will be active during Swinub Community Day:
- Tripled Stardust for catching Pokémon
- Incense lasts three hours
- Lure Modules lasts three hours
- Swinub special photobombs when taking snapshots
Best moveset for PvP Mamoswine with Ancient Power
Powder Snow and Avalanche form the core of the best PvP moveset for Mamoswine, delivering high-pressure Ice-type damage with excellent energy generation. Adding Ancient Power as the second charged move provides Rock-type coverage against Fire, Flying, and Steel threats, plus a 10% chance to boost Attack and Defense.
Optimal Movesets by League
Mamoswine excels most in Master League due to its high stats (247 Attack, 146 Defense, 242 Stamina), but performs well across tiers.
| League | Fast Move | Charged Moves | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Master | Powder Snow | Avalanche, Ancient Power | Spam Avalanche for bulkier foes; Ancient Power hits Fires/Steels resisting Ice. |
| Great | Powder Snow | Avalanche, High Horsepower | High Horsepower for Grounds; outperforms Piloswine in speed despite less bulk. |
| Ultra | Powder Snow | Avalanche, Bulldoze | Bulldoze offers cheap Ground pressure; skip Mud Slap for better EPT. |
Key Strengths and Tips
Powder Snow’s 7.2 DPS/4.0 EPT fuels 45-energy moves like Avalanche (85 damage) quickly, making Mamoswine a top Ice attacker.
Ancient Power (60 damage, 45 energy) lags in raw power without STAB but shines for coverage; pair with Elite TM if needed post-Community Day.
Avoid Mud-Slap leads unless facing pure Ice-weak foes, as Powder Snow generates energy 50% faster for spamming.
Mamoswine PvP IVs for Master League
For Master League PvP, perfect IVs of 15 Attack / 15 Defense / 15 Stamina are the best for Mamoswine, maximizing its bulk and damage output at Level 50 (around 3763 CP).
Why Perfect IVs?
Master League has no CP cap, so high Attack boosts damage and CMP (Charged Move Priority) while balanced Defense/Stamina ensures longevity against top threats like Mewtwo or Dialga.
Lower Attack IVs (e.g., 0/15/15) are ideal for capped leagues to sneak under limits with more bulk, but they hurt Mamoswine’s Master League performance.
Stat Breakdown
At Level 50 with 15/15/15:
| Stat | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Attack | High for Ice/Ground pressure. | |
| Defense | Solid vs. physical hits. | |
| Stamina | Top-tier HP pool. |
Power up hundos (100% IVs) first; anything 90%+ works if moves are optimal (Powder Snow/Avalanche/Ancient Power).
