Tuesday, January 20, 2026

Tips and Tricks for New Café Remix Events

Lately, two new event types have gained prominence in Café Remix, which would be Café Pop-Up and Full-Belly Adventure, using the Slow Cooking and One-Minute Cooking frameworks respectively. So prominent they are that they have almost completely displaced the original events where the frameworks first appeared (Outdoor Tea Party and Pokémon visits). Given their prominence, it seems important to try to provide helpful tips and tricks for playing through these events, in a way similarly to each other.

As explained, both of these events use the "food storage box" item, of which five are earned each day. The ones earned for each day of an event instance don't have to be used on that day, meaning that they can accumulate, but like certain efforts, it's best not to delay using them until the end, for it would mean a lot of effort when that comes. The ones earned (also exchanged) for an event instance are also lost when the event ends, so it means having the commitment for their usage as an event progresses.

For Café Pop-Up, the strategy is pretty much the same as an Outdoor Tea Party: fill the points of the other guest Pokémon until the feature guest appears, then fill the points of the feature guest to earn as many rewards as possible for it. After that, the other guest Pokémon can have the rest of their points filled up as well and their rewards obtained. Since Pelipper becomes an additional guest for those who purchase a Mighty Menu, those who do so should also try to prioritize filling its points up as well along with the guest.

Then, for Full-Belly Adventure, earning points continuously is an effort in the same vein as a regular Pokémon visit, as is purchasing a Mighty Menu and/or High Score Skips (the latter also applying to the above). It often takes a while to earn enough coins to exchange for the feature visit and its associated resources, including cookies, but ideally, it's the first thing one should exchange for. After that, it's all about exchanging for all other necessary and useful items, which definitely depends on one's status for those items.

Even if the new Café Remix events are not all that different from their previous (particularly, non-paid) iterations, a lot of their underpinnings remain the same, so some tips and tricks apply equally well. For their other aspects - especially the limited play and payment aspects - there are other applicable tips and tricks to make the best of time and any payment that has been made. Following that, it's still a matter of continuing to do one's best with the staff Pokémon and to maintain their prominence alongside the events.

Seven years ago: Cosplay: Toys Week Season 2
Nine years ago: All in the Cards
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Monday, January 19, 2026

Changing Club Campfire Rewards in Pokémon Go

From one overdue post on Pokémon Go comes another one, this time on a more social aspect pertaining to the game. As I had presented around a year ago, usage of the Campfire app alongside Pokémon Go can also beget in-game rewards under the Club Campfire banner by checking in to various community meetups within the Campfire app. Some months after I had made the discussion, however, the rewards were expanded and furthermore changed, which rendered a few of my points obsolete. Since the rewards have been pretty much stable since then, now it becomes rather imperative to make a discussion about them.

Now, the player can no longer manually choose rewards; instead, they're determined by the meetup (as the event it's associated with). Community Day, as a highlight, has a page of Party Play tasks and a second page of catching tasks, while others are composed of just a single page - although Community Day also had just one page for some time. The meetups can now be for Spotlight Hour, Research Day, Hatch Day, Raid events, Max Battle events, PvP events, and "other" events in addition to Community Day, all having their own tasks (certainly) along with the specific rewards that are furnished, which may be lucrative.

To obtain the tasks for the rewards, one needs to check in as usual and then claim the 500 XP bonus - technically a completed Timed Research page - within one hour (an important point, lest they are lost), which also serves as a "check" for participation in the meetup. After that, again as usual, the tasks need to be completed within eight hours, which should be sufficient, moreover if there are no Party Play tasks to deal with. The tasks are made complementary to one's objectives, and it should be possible to make good on completing the tasks.

Since the tasks and rewards can no longer be chosen manually, though, a player has to be rather proactive, especially for the Party Play tasks. They're supposed to be for meetups after all, so a friend or another player should be handy for that purpose. At any rate, the expanded tasks and rewards become further incentives to attend supported meetups (of which there can be even more of them now) and increment the Community Member medal. In doing so, the effort might just pave the way for other achievements.

Yet after all, Pokémon Go is still a game of people-linking as much as it is about Pokémon catching (and battling, caring, and so on), so the expansion of the Club Campfire meetups and the associated rewards is only natural and could be considered somewhat necessary. Beyond that, players (Trainers) can and should enjoy the increased flexibility that comes along with them for whatever Pokémon accomplishments they can muster when they gather in groups.

Seven years ago: Peace
Eight years ago: Suspending My Disbelief
Nine years ago: Ash, Satoshi, or... Ali?
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Sunday, January 18, 2026

Pokémon Go Community Day, 1/18/2026

So, that familiar "togetherness" thing is this month's main edition of Community Day in Pokémon Go. Something that may be indicated for this year's editions is that they will encapsulate variety, including a few things that the game really needs to get on. The latter may be especially true for the featured Pokémon of this edition because of its possibly immense power and extreme musical ability courtesy of some sticks.

Those sticks are drumsticks, of course, for the featured Pokémon is Grookey, the Grass-type first partner from the Galar region, also making it likely that the rest of its friends will also make themselves present later this year. Being a first partner, the move of Frenzy Plant as its special move should have already been a given, though it also has the opportunity to learn its signature move of Drum Beating by TM. This is complemented by the bonus of triple catch Stardust, which is always wonderful to have and earn.

For the rest of the bonuses, they're as regular as regular can be. They are double Candy and Candy XL chance, three-hour Incense and one-hour Lure Modules (with its extra appearances), trade discounts and extra Special Trades, photo bombs, and special backgrounds in the wild (since the Classic Piplup edition) and from Research. Speaking of which, Field Research is of the usual sort, and there is also the paid Special Research with the title of "Grooving with Grookey". The "groove" also applies to the rest of the bonuses.

Being that it was my "special day" the other day, I decided to do something special and visit a faraway community to interact with them... though their place remains familiar for other purposes, which also became a part of my day today. I caught just enough Shiny Grookey to have a stock, and I caught a few special ones with the special background. The main purpose of evolution today was just to obtain a few that needed the Frenzy Plant move, while others (as the G-Max Rillaboom I already had) could use the Drum Beating move.

With regard to variety, as far as that goes, first partners that not only have their "super" moves but also signature moves of their own presents a good kind of variety, as shown in editions of Community Day in the past few years and even today. This year will surely have that and more - which are to be determined soon - and the sticks that Grookey and its species family wield are the lead-off for that variety and all the ways it may be realized.

Two years ago: Memories of Kanto
Three years ago: 1000 Species Is Real!!
Four years ago: My Pokémon Identity
Five years ago: Pokémon Body Pillows
Seven years ago: Rivalries
Eight years ago: (Almost) A Pokémon Party
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Saturday, January 17, 2026

In Solitude and In Togetherness

Thanks to Ash yesterday, as well as the context of posts from past years below, today is indicated as my "anniversary" - that is, my birthday. It's a happening that has had its own dynamics, especially with Pokémon, if those past years are of any indication. That seems to want to apply to this year as well, given the circumstances that surround it; one of them was the thing yesterday, and the other... well, that's tomorrow, and I'll save that for then. Right now, though, there is another circumstance that when taken together with those other ones becomes the state of matters for today.

For that, celebrations can and do occur whether one is in solitude or in the company of loving people, whoever those loving people may be. That's something that people may choose to have happen, or might happen to people regardless of what they do. Even for celebrations centered on Pokémon - or at the least ones involving its most fervent fans - this may still be the case, and all that they can do is to "go with the flow" for how those celebrations play out. With that, the current occasion of my own birthday seems to have to play out to both celebrations of solitude and togetherness. 

Certainly, it was evident that yesterday's anniversary party could be construed in part as an "early" birthday celebration. As always, I'm bringing - or technically I brought - my Pokémon flavor to the celebration, which is something I chose to do. As for today being the actual day, the weather dictated that I wouldn't be able to find togetherness even if I wanted to, so it was a "forced" solitude in some ways. Meanwhile, as a preview for tomorrow, there is a familiar kind of Pokémon togetherness to celebrate, even if it may not exactly re-warrant my birthday to come up. Yet it still may be OK.

After all this time, Pokémon still has a way of making togetherness and solitude enjoyable in either circumstance and however they're (forced to be) chosen. The circumstance of my birthday might make realizing that more important, especially given how long I've been around and how long Pokémon has been around. Following that first step, the next step is ensuring that all my Pokémon and other dealings reflect just that.

Every day is a good day for all things that are one and many (people included), and if they happen to be Pokémon things that can be enjoyed by the same number of people, then that's fitting for me and others in our singularity and multitudes for them.

On that note, I've got one and many things to do. Happy one-and-many birthday to me.

One year ago: My, How Time Flies
Three years ago: A Legendary Existence
Four years ago: Unique Touches
Five years ago: Wishes for Good Days
Six years ago: Always Together
Seven years ago: Wonderful Opportunities
Nine years ago: A Pokémon Party?
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Friday, January 16, 2026

Cosplay: Bocchi Noizu 3rd Anniversary

Me: OK, now here's something different.

Goh: It's a Friday! You don't usually have something like this going on today.

Me: That's true, but today also happens to be an off day, so it kind of makes sense to schedule something for today.

Ash: Well, I'm all for it!

Me: Sure! In fact, our friends from Bocchi Noizu have asked us - you - to perform (that is, sing).

Goh: Nice!

Ash: So, whatcha got?

Me: Well, I'm thinking about our (Pokémon) anthem, a pirate anthem, and... something a little different - it could be the "childhood" anthem of some people.

Ash: That's a lot. But I can do them all.

Pikachu: Pi pika! ["Should be nice!"]

Me: We should know the first two by heart. The third... that's my call to make it even more different.

Ash: Hey, it's in English!

Goh: OK, that's unique.

Me: But it does help our case a bit. How'd you do? 

Ash: I did mostly great! But... maybe the mix was a bit of a problem on the "pirate anthem"?

Goh: Well, maybe you can have Ash do it again.

Ash: I think that's a good idea! One of the other performers said I could do that.

Me: Let me think about that - if and when we get the chance, I think that could happen.

Ash: Awesome! 

Pikachu: Pika, pika chu. ["Seems a good idea."]

Goh: So, this is a Bocchi Noizu festival. It's got everything we'd expect, right? 

Ash: Performers - one of them me, of course.

Goh: Check.

Ash: Games - I even got to try one.

Goh: OK, we know that's not our thing, but we can always try.

Me: The result was probably not what we'd expect.

Ash: Yeah. And then there was the character parade.

Pikachu: Pika pika. ["As usual."]

Goh: Sure thing. How'd that go?

Ash: I didn't win anything. It was an "off" day, but all the other characters were "on".

Goh: Shoot. At least you got something for your performance, right.

Ash: Just a little, for our friend. I hear it'll be special for him soon.

Me: Hehe, you're right about that - but I'll deal with that on my own.

Goh: I guess it's a special "off" day too where it's a bit "on".

Me: You can say that again.

Ash: Happy anniversary, Bocchi Noizu! [whispering] And happy your "anniversary".

Goh: Oh!

Me: Certainly, thanks. 

Three years ago: I'm a Legend!
Six years ago: Only Women Like You
Seven years ago: Pokémon Conversations
Nine years ago: My Pokémon Anime Epoch
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Thursday, January 15, 2026

Lego Pokémon: Breakout Sets, Breakout Prices

It was only in the second year of this blog that I discussed about Pokémon in toy block form, although at that time I did not "name names" to keep things fair. Many years later, now I can finally name one name, and it would be the most renowned one of all the names in this field of toys, which would be Lego. The famed toy block maker has finally collaborated with Pokémon and produced a few "breakout" sets for that collaboration. Yet that also comes with another "breakout" concern, which would be for the price - but that's to be discussed later. What matters first is the initial scope of this collaboration, as the way it's manifested.

The "breakout" sets involve a few facets from the first generation. Specifically, they would be block models of Pikachu on a stand (also featuring the Poké Ball), Eevee with movable parts, the fully evolved first partners, and even the Pokémon Center building (where Pokémon get healed, of course). Those who pre-order the evolved first partners set will also get the Kanto badge case set, including all its badges. As for piece counts, the sets for Eevee, Pokémon Center, and the badge case only have a few hundred pieces, while the Pikachu set has around 2000 pieces and the first partners one has close to 7000, so these need some commitment.

"Commitment" also applies to the price, the other "breakout" concern I mentioned. The sets go for hundreds of dollars, almost in line with the investment for a Nintendo Switch 2. Being that Lego is renowned for its toy blocks, the price point seems to justify that; yet even so, it still seems to be absurdly expensive, and the fact that it's with Pokémon - which lately has some expensive things of its own - doesn't help matters much. As such, some fans have taken to complain on social media regarding the affordability of these novel toy block sets.

For those who can afford the prices of the sets (that is, have some money to throw around), they'll be looking at a unique take on the featured facets as above. As with any toy block model, they're a bit "rough around the edges", but that's part of their charm. The selected facets by their ties to the first generation are quite nostalgic for older fans yet remain of interest for newer ones. Personally, I'd want to have the Pikachu set and build it regardless of the cost or commitment needed to obtain and process it as such, but that's quite a dream.

After being in the shadows for many years, Lego finally coming out with collaboration sets involving Pokémon is a welcome sight to see, even if the prices for the sets aren't exactly "welcoming". But for what could look like the first batch of such sets, the "breakout" aspect is also still welcoming regardless. It makes for a great toy block Pokémon future with the ones of renown being included in that picture and presenting their offerings for the franchise.

Five years ago: I Need Good Energy
Seven years ago: Keeping Up with VGC
Eight years ago: Here Comes an Ex-Raid
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Wednesday, January 14, 2026

The Challenge of Using Excess Stamina in Café Remix

As I had discussed a long time ago when I started getting my efforts in Café Remix going, the way that most puzzles are played in the game is through the use of Stamina. Fast forward to today, and that still remains true... except now it seems there's so much of that to go around, and yet it might be hard - thus, a challenge - to use up all of that. This situation might also apply to other players, so I thought I'd bring it up and make a little discussion out of it.

The easiest and simplest way to use up a lot of excess Stamina is by using them in and for Staff Training, where they can be used three at a time to make the staff earn lots of EXP at once. Of course, this now faces stiff competition against Tarts, which are now plentiful (and excessive) due to the game events and Daily Training. The challenge then becomes how to use enough Stamina for the staff Pokémon as needed and then filling up the rest with Tarts to use those.

Meanwhile, those who have been neglecting to play the Extra orders will likely need to not neglect them now, for the Stamina can also be used quickly there as well. In particular, some of these may demand to be replayed (thereby using up more Stamina) if one doesn't have the right staff member and/or they're not capable enough. But once that gets cleared out, more of them can certainly be cleared, and that makes it a useful way to dump excess Stamina.

It is certain that players will have to use at least some of the Stamina in the main orders if they haven't done so, although for some players (like me), this might still get a little divisive due to certain progresses. Yet it may be that what awaits them after completion of the last main order (#2400) could also be attractive, and that may just be reason enough to keep dumping Stamina into the main orders and get them cleared out and done for other possibilities.

Given the way that things work now in Café Remix, quite a bit of effort in the management of game items, including Stamina as the focus of this post, is needed to make sure they don't pile up too much and/or become unused. With the three sub-focuses as above with regard to Stamina, the challenge of its usage presents itself to me and other current players of this game, and we'll just have to tackle that challenge head-on as we get more things going here.

Five years ago: "Post-Shuffle" Activity
Six years ago: Fusion without Confusion
Seven years ago: Pokémon Theme Park Ideas
Eight years ago: Playing the Meta Game
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