OK, so the time has come for the main Community Day of this month, as opposed to the Classic edition earlier this month. And "time" may very well be an appropriate descriptor for it, because this month's Community Day has a few things going in relation to the descriptor, some of which might be favorable, and others might be less so. But then, that always seems to happen for certain editions of Community Day, depending on their features and/or "bones". For this one, though, the descriptor seems to apply quite well.
This month, the featured Pokémon is Stufful. Now, if that seems odd, that's because this is the first time the Pokémon has appeared in Pokémon Go. That makes it not only the first Community Day with a seventh-generation Pokémon that is native from Alola, but also the first Community Day where a Pokémon directly debuts; all previous ones have had their debuts much earlier, but never for the first time, until today. Along with that, its evolved form Bewear (and necessarily both of their Shiny forms for Community Day) accompanies the debut, and when evolved as such with a whopping 400 Candy, gives it the exclusive move of Drain Punch, a Charged Move. While it doesn't have a Mega Evolution, breaking the prior pattern with this, the 400 Candy requirement preserves it, in a way.
New Pokémon or not, there are the other familiar "bones". The main bonus for this one is tripled catch XP, but it is also supplemented by bonuses of doubled catch Candy and doubled chance of Candy XL, given the steep requirements for Stufful's next evolution stage of Bewear. As usual, Incense or Lure Modules are extended to three hours and may (and should) be employed to catch as many Stufful as possible; this also goes for photo bomb surprises, which should help to guarantee a few. Also as usual is the plethora of item packs in the Shop, as free Ultra Balls and the Coin-paid Community Day Box, as well as the optional paid Special Research, this time titled "Strong Stuff" and discussing the powerful fury behind the cuddly faces of the two species that make up this species family.
A few other niceties and changes also accompany this Community Day. During the event period, including the move window, trades are discounted by half and an additional Special Trade is permitted. There is also what is called a "Group Play Bonus", where if enough Pokémon are caught from a Lure Module installed in a PokéStop, the tripled catch XP bonus becomes increased to quadruple for half an hour, necessitating an element of cooperation. There is also one major change: Community Day is now back to three hours, from 2 PM to 5 PM, in line with the earlier Classic edition. The rationale for this is that very few Trainers play the full six hours, and so the duration was reduced. While it does make things less flexible from a scheduling perspective, at least presently it may be the necessary change.
Ever since they were introduced, Field Research has always been complementary of this event, and that remains the case for this one. In addition to "catch 3" tasks, some tasks now could be "use a Pinap Berry", "walk 1 km", or "spin 5 PokéStops" with much of the same rewards, though Stufful Candy is also thrown in as rewards in some PokéStops to alleviate the Candy requirements for Bewear further. Likewise, the paid Special Research awards Candy copiously, making it even more valuable. The walking tasks may also be considered an adjunct to a concurrent Timed Research for an environmental initiative, which also requires walking. Finally, those in certain parts of the world can enjoy local meetups, and with support from Niantic, they'll likely get a few bonus Sponsored PokéStops with courtesy.
In fact, that's exactly what happened. Because of the meetup in the great metropolis, a few other major cities with major Trainer bases received those PokéStops, including mine and in the place where I've had Community Days in the past. Naturally, that was the prompt for my community to gather where they are, and gather we did. In the process, that also changed my initial plans for a Community Day closer to home, though it was still not that far away. Thanks to the many PokéStops and Trainers installing Lure Modules, there was many Stufful to go around. I caught a good number of Shiny Stufful, traded one in a mirror Lucky Trade, and evolved that along with the best one I found and one for Ultra League - I couldn't find one that was perfect for Great League, but that may come along with time.
Sometimes, there are times for surprises in the way things go - even for Community Day - and it may be said that today is and was a pleasant surprise. A debuting Pokémon, some changes to the workings, and meetups around the world and even local ones all make up that pleasant surprise, even (still) in the face of current conditions and the time change that may be a little undesirable. Regardless, every Trainer - like me - desires a good time, and Community Day still ought to be able to provide that, no matter what is involved.
One year ago: The (Post-"General") Longest Journey
Two years ago: Touching and Caring for Pokémon
Three years ago: Pokémon for a Puzzle Professor
Four years ago: (A Late) Local Ex-Raid, 4/23/2018
Five years ago: Luffy and Infernape
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