Halloween Part 1: Charizard, Pikachu, Zubat Breakdown
what's actually worth your time / candy
Get ready for spooky fun during Halloween Part 1, running from October 27th to November 1st! This event introduces new costume mons: Zubat wearing a top hat and Pikachu wearing a hat and caplet. Keep an eye out for spooky surprises on the overworld map; tapping them may grant event-themed encounters, candy for featured mons, or even rare candy. Don't miss the 2x catch candy bonus from the free Go Pass, or upgrade to the Deluxe Pass for a massive 3x catch candy bonus!
Mega Charizard Y remains a top-tier Fire-type attacker, ranking #4 overall with Fire Spin and Blast Burn. Its raid boosted hundo CP is 2064. Mega Charizard X, while currently less dominant, is expected to gain significant relevance with a future Dragon Claw+ move. Raiding both forms now is a smart move to accumulate Mega Energy, allowing you to power them up to Mega Level 4 when their boosted moves are released. Counters for Charizard (Fire/Flying, 2.56x weak to Rock, 1.6x to Water, Electric) include Shadow Rhyperior, Mega Diancie, Primal Kyogre, Zekrom, and Mega Ampharos.
The new costume Pikachu (Electric, 1.6x weak to Ground) is likely a collector's item, as it may not evolve. Avoid using raid passes on it if possible; instead, aim for free catches in the wild or from field research. The real value is its candy, which can power up Mega Raichu Y, the game's best Electric-type attacker. Zubat wearing a top hat (Poison/Flying, 1.6x weak to Electric, Ice, Psychic, Rock) can evolve into Golbat and Crobat, making it a good target for collectors and shiny hunters, despite its evolutions lacking meta relevance.
With up to 3x catch candy available, this event is perfect for stocking up! Always use Pinap Berries for 12 candy per catch (14 with Silver Pinap). Tap on spooky overworld items for a chance at rare candy or Pikachu candy. Don't forget to Mega Evolve a mon that shares a type with what you're catching (e.g., Mega Charizard Y for Fire/Flying types) to boost candy, XL candy, and XP per catch. This is especially useful for powering up your top attackers!
Knowing the perfect IV (hundo) CP values is key to efficient hunting. Use Hundo Hunter to quickly identify top-tier mons. For Charizard, look for CP 1651 (raid), 2064 (raid boosted), 2476 (wild), or 1238 (research). For Pikachu, hundo CPs are 536 (raid), 670 (raid boosted), 804 (wild), or 402 (research). For Zubat, aim for 381 (raid), 476 (raid boosted), 571 (wild), or 285 (research). Good luck, trainers!