Niantic really leaned into the “time travel” aspect of Celebi and basically repeated the sale boxes and only added/removed at most 1 item per box. The change was so minimal, I had to double check if anything DID change, and oh boy, something did change. Let’s get into the analysis by seeing what each box has in store for us.
| Special | Great | Ultra | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Premium Raid Pass | 2 | 4 | 10 |
| Super Incubator | 4 | 10 | |
| Incubator | 2 | ||
| Lucky Egg | 12 | ||
| Incense | 3 | 6 | |
| Star Piece | 6 | 14 | |
| Ultra Ball | 20 | ||
| Price | 480 | 780 | 1480 |
| Box value analysis | |||
| Coin Saved per Box (Incubator & Raid Pass) | 20 | 420 | 1520 |
| Coin Saved per Box (Incubator only) | n/a | 20 | 520 |
| Coin Saved per Box | 207.5 | 1170 | 3145 |
| Percent Discount (Incubator & Raid Pass) | 4.00 | 35.00% | 50.67% |
| Percent Discount (Incubator only) | n/a | 2.50% | 26.00% |
| Percent Discount | 30.18% | 60.00% | 68.00% |
Before the verdict, I would like to reiterate that I chose to not use the standard price of Lucky Egg, Incense, and Star Piece, since the comparison should be more on the price of buying in bulk. It would be misleading to compare it to the base price which is in principle designed to be more expensive than bulk to encourage consumers to spend more. That being said, I used the bulk price of these items when buying an 8-item bundle.
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Our Verdict
The real savings is when you want both Incubators and Raid Passes. If you only plan on Incubators, you’ll see that you’re only saving spare change, but if you just want Raid Passes and Raid Passes alone, you’re better off buying separately from the store.
Special Box
The only thing that changed in this box is swapping the Lucky Egg for Incense, which is honestly a bad deal for low level players who only opt for this Box for its low price. However, like the previous Special Box, you actually save 20 coins if you account for everything that is really valuable for players, namely Incubators and Premium Raid Passes. Plus points if you also need Ultra Balls but honestly, you can get Ultra Balls for free when spinning Stops and Gyms.
Great Box
This box changed the least, bumping up the Incense from 5 to 6. It may not be the jaw dropping change one expected, but given how much the Ultra Box changed (more on that later), this becomes an attractive box for those short on cash, considering at the same price of 4 Super Incubators, you’re also getting Premium Raid Passes and more. Like the last Great box, this Great Box does what the Special Box can’t do, which is a good deal even if you’re not really spending that much money.
Ultra Box
The subtraction of 2 Super Incubators and 2 Premium Raid Passes made this deal worse than the last Ultra Box. The only saving grace of this Ultra Box is that you now get Star Pieces rather than Incense, which is better for some players, specifically those who need to grind for Stardust. That’s not to say that the Ultra Box is a bad deal. It’s still the best deal you can get. 10 Super Incubators is still 2000 coins when you buy it on the shop, so you’re still saving big, plus the the additional Raid Passes, Lucky Eggs, and Star Pieces. This is still the best box, but you can’t fault us from being disappointed since the last box had 2 more Incubators and Raid Passes.
Overall thoughts
If you plan on buying PokeCoins and want to make the most of it, according to our analysis, Ultra Box has the best bang to your buck. If you are short on cash, Great Box is still a great deal, and does not disappoint from an overall discount standpoint. Only opt for Special Box if you really can’t buy Great Box. These boxes are great for those who want Incubators and Raid Passes. If you plan on buying it solely for the Raid Passes, you are better off buying it separately from the store.
If you are still not done on the Celebi Research, buying these box can help you finish the tasks more quickly, especially the task that requires you to hatch 9 eggs. If you’re done with the quest like me, there’s never a bad time to stock up on Raid Passes, Incubators, and even Lucky Eggs to prepare for the inevitable release of Generation IV. You’ll be needing these items to hunt for new Generation IV Raid Bosses and Babies, and double that New Pokemon XP. Even if Generation IV gets released next year, it’s better to be prepared for it, and these boxes will make you take that first step towards preparation.
PS: I got a lot of flak from bashing on Incubators. Most of those comments have a great point, specifically those who said that the Raid Bosses are badand those who said that we need the Incubators for the Hatch 9 Eggs. To those players, I say I’ve heard you and I’ve considered all your points in making this post. Thank you for all of those comments! You make my posts better, which I really appreciate.
