Pokémon Go is hosting a special Community Day event focused on the Water-type starter Pokémon, Sobble. The event will take place on Saturday, July 4, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. in local time zones.

During the event, Sobble will appear significantly more frequently in the wild, with an increased chance of encountering its shiny variant. Players will also have opportunities to find Sobble with special themed backgrounds. According to research from The Silph Road, the shiny rate for Pokémon during Community Day events typically sits around 1 in 24, making it likely for players to find multiple shiny Sobble within the three-hour window.

To maximize shiny encounters, players can use Incense to attract Pokémon and then quickly tap on each Sobble to check for shininess, running away from non-shiny encounters. This method is particularly useful for players with limited time or Poké Balls. A visual cue to identify already checked Pokémon is that they will face the player's avatar.

Evolving Sobble and Hydro Cannon

Evolving a Drizzile, Sobble's evolved form, into Inteleon between 2 p.m. and 9 p.m. local time on the event day will grant Inteleon the exclusive Charged Attack Hydro Cannon. For players who miss this window, there will likely be another opportunity to obtain Hydro Cannon during a Community Day weekend event in December. Alternatively, players can use an Elite TM to teach the move to Inteleon at any time.

Inteleon, when equipped with Water Gun and Hydro Cannon, is a potent Water-type attacker for PvE content like raids and gyms. It ranks as the sixth-strongest non-Mega, non-Shadow, non-legendary Water-type attacker, according to Dialgadex, outperforming many other options. However, Inteleon is generally considered too fragile for competitive play in PvP leagues.

It's worth noting that while Gigantamax forms of Inteleon exist and are the best Water-type Gigantamax Pokémon, the Sobble caught and evolved during this event will not be Gigantamax-capable. Players with an existing Gigantamax Inteleon can still use the Sobble Candy obtained from the event to power it up.

Community Day Bonuses and Tips

The following bonuses will be active during the Sobble Community Day:

  • A quarter reduction in egg hatch distance for eggs placed in Incubators during the event.
  • Double Stardust for catching Pokémon.
  • Double candy for catching Pokémon.
  • Doubled chance for trainers at level 31 and above to receive XL Candy when catching Pokémon.
  • Incense will last for three hours.
  • Lure Modules will last for one hour.
  • Sobble will appear in special photobombs when taking snapshots.
  • One additional special trade will be permitted.
  • The Stardust cost for trading Pokémon will be halved.

Players are encouraged to utilize Incubators and apply Incense to maximize their gameplay during the event. Furthermore, activating Mega Evolution for Water-type Pokémon such as Blastoise, Slowbro, Gyarados, Swampert, or Sharpedo, or using Primal Reversion with Kyogre, will grant bonus Sobble Candy for each Pokémon caught.

A beneficial bonus for this Community Day is the extended effect of Lure Modules at PokéStops. Lure Modules activated during the event will continue to increase Pokémon spawns for up to four hours after the event concludes, meaning players can still encounter more Sobble, including those with increased shiny rates, until 9 p.m. local time.