What Pokemon Will Appear During Pokemon Go’s Solstice Event?

Pokemon Go‘s Solstice Event starts next week, which will bring with it a wave of Fire-Type and Ice-Type Pokemon. While Fire and Ice definitely sounds a bit like Game of Thrones, there won’t be any Dragons appearing during this event…unless you count Charizard (who isn’t really a Dragon-Type Pokemon!)

Anyways, there’s going to be a lot of great Pokemon spawning next week, so we’ve come up with a handy guide to all the Pokemon you should keep an eye out for. Some of these Pokemon could also be pretty useful in gyms when Pokemon Go rolls out its new gym system later this summer.

Charmander, Charmeleon, Charizard

One of the big prizes of the Solstice event will likely be the chance for players to get another Charizard on their team. Charizard isn’t the strongest Fire-Type Pokemon in Pokemon Go, but it’s definitely in the upper echelon.  

Charmander, Charmeleon, and Charizard were all part of Pokemon Go‘s New Year Event, so this isn’t the first time that players have had a chance to get this powerful Fire-Type Pokemon. 

If you’re trying to get a Charizard, be sure to use a Pinap Berry on any Charmander you encounter in the wild in order to get the extra candy.

Cyndaquil, Quilava, Typhlosion

The other Starter Pokemon appearing during Pokemon Go‘s Solstice event is the Johto Starter Pokemon Cyndaquil and its evolved forms Quilava and Typhlosion. Typhlosion has identical stats to Charizard, so these two Pokemon will pack the same punch in battle. It’s arguable that Typhlosion is even better than Charizard, since it’s a pure Fire-Type Pokemon and doesn’t have the weaknesses that come with being a Flying-Type.

We haven’t seen too many Typhlosion in our local gyms, although it’s probably because Cyndaquil is hard to find in a lot of areas. If you don’t see Cyndaquil much, be sure to take advantage of the Solstice Event and make some progress towards finally filling out your PokeDex.

Houndour and Houndoom

For some players, the Solstice Event marks the best chance for players to get a Houndoom. Houndour can’t be obtained via hatching eggs, so the only way you can get a Houndour is by catching it in the wild. Of course, Houndour is an uncommon Pokemon, so there’s still a devil dog-sized hole in the PokeDex of many Pokemon Go players. 

Houndoom isn’t exactly an impressive Pokemon in Pokemon Go’s metagame, although it does have some play as a Dark-Type attacker. After all, Houndoom is the strongest Dark-Type Pokemon in the game next to Tyranitar, which is an even harder Pokemon to obtain. 

Growlithe and Arcanine

The second strongest Fire-Type Pokemon in Pokemon Go is the loyal, majestic and dog-likeArcanine.

Arcanine is probably the best gym defender of all the Fire-Type Pokemon in the game, which is why you’ll occasionally still see it hanging around in the middle of high level gyms. Like any Fire-Type Pokemon, it’s ability to attack gyms are hindered by the overabundance of Vaporeon and Rhydon in most gyms, but that might change next month with the rollout of the new gym system. 

Arcanine is a great Pokemon to stock up on, so be sure to catch any Growlithe you find in the wild. 

Vulpix, Ninetales, Ponyta and Rapidash

Vulpix and Ninetales are also confirmed to appear in the Solstice event, as Vulpix appeared in the promotional image for the event. Vulpix and Ninetales are surprisingly weak for a Fire-Type Pokemon, although a lot of fans still like them because they’re so cute. 

While not confirmed, we’re guessing that Ponyta and Rapidash will also start spawning during the event. Rapidash has a marginally stronger Attack stat than a lot of other Pokemon, but it’s still definitely a step below Pokemon like Charizard or Arcanine. Still, the Solstice event will be a good spot to fill any Fire-Type sized holes in your PokeDex.

Flareon

We were a bit surprised to see Flareon on the promotional picture for Pokemon Go‘s Solstice event, due to how it evolves. While Flareon is the strongest Fire-Type Pokemon in the game, it’s one of Eevee’s divergent evolutions. That means there’s only a 20% chance to evolve Flareon under normal circumstances. 

We don’t know if Flareon will be spawning in place of Eevee (which is a relatively common Pokemon in most areas) or Eevee will be popping up with greater frequency during the event. After all, Slugma was part of Adventure Week even though it wasn’t a Rock-Type Pokemon, as it evolved into the Fire/Rock dual-type Magcargo.

Possible Other Fire Types

There are four Fire-Type Pokemon who we think won’t be part of the Solstice Event. Slugma and Magcargo almost definitely won’t be part of the event, as they just appeared as part of Adventure Week. Although Pokemon Go has used Pokemon multiple times in other events, we feel like there’s no need for Slugma given the abundance of Fire-Type Pokemon already confirmed for the event.

The other two Pokemon are Magby and Magmar. Magby won’t be spawning in the event as it’s only obtainable via egg hatching. Its evolved form Magmar COULD be part of the event, but we’re a bit skeptical given it was left off the promotional picture. Magmar is a pretty well-known Fire-Type Pokemon though, so don’t be surprised if ends up popping up next week.  

Seel and Dewgong

There’s not an abundance of Ice-Type Pokemon in Pokemon Go, so we’re expecting just about every Ice-Type Pokemon to be part of the event. We know that Dewgong will be part of the Solstice Event as it appeared in the promotional picture, and it’s likely that Seel will also be one of the Pokemon spawning during the event. Seel is already a common Pokemon in Pokemon Go, but we’ve seen that the game typically includes pre-evolutions in events, even if they don’t fit the event’s theme.

Dewgong isn’t particularly powerful, but it does have some usefulness as a Dragonite-killer, provided you’re good at dodging attacks. You likely already have a Dewgong in your collection, but now’s the chance to get an even stronger one for your team.

Jynx and Smoochum

The only Ice-Type Pokemon that won’t be spawning during the Solstice Event is Smoochum, the Baby Pokemon version of Jynx. However, it’s almost a sure thing that there will be tons of Jynx for players to catch starting next week.

Jynx is already a common Pokemon in Pokemon Go, but it does have the strongest Attack stat of any Ice-Type Pokemon currently in the game. It also has the second highest CP of any Ice-Type Pokemon, so maybe this is a good excuse to stock up on Jynx candies and power up a Jynx to help take down any Dragonite you find in gyms. 

Lapras

For a lot of Pokemon Go players, the Solstice Event marks only their second opportunity to find a Lapras. Lapras was a featured Pokemon during the Water Festival event, although many players complained it never spawned in their area.

Lapras’s usefulness has dimmed somewhat since it was nerfed in February 2017, but it still has some play as a gym defender. With a new gym system looming, Lapras could get another day in the sun, so try to hunt down one of these rare Pokemon while you can.

Shellder and Cloyster

Besides Lapras, the only other Ice-Type Pokemon that has any viability in gyms is Cloyster. Cloyster has one of the highest Defense stats of any Pokemon in Pokemon Go, and has access to a full compliment of powerful Ice-Type attacks.

Like Seel, we’re guessing that Shellder will also spawn during the event since it can evolve into Cloyster. Shellder was recently pulled out of Pokemon Go‘s egg pools, so this is a good chance to stock up on Shellder candies if you need to power up a Cloyster for use in the new gyms later this summer.

Sneasel, Swinub and Piloswine

Gen 2 added three Ice-Type Pokemon to Pokemon Go, but none of them are very useful in the game. Sneasel is a rare Dark-Type Pokemon, but it’s practically useless in the game’s current state. You might want to stock up on Sneasel candies, as Pokemon Go will eventually add its evolved form Weavile into the game with the addition of Gen 4 Pokemon.

Swinub and Piloswine are also Ice-Type Pokemon with limited effectiveness. Despite looking like it can take a hit or two, Piloswine has a terrible Defense stat, so don’t expect it to hold up in a gym battle. Like Weavile, Piloswine has an evolved form in a later generation, so there might be some use to thinking ahead. 

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