Whether you’ve invested in a new Pokémon GO Plus+ or not, there are some good things to be had this weekend during the Catching Some Z’s Event. Let’s take a quick look at what to grind for with a PvP Field Guide!
DROWSING IN SORROW
Komala
Normal
New release KOMALA (the so-called “Drowsing Pokémon”) is cute, no doubt, and has more than its fair share of fans in the Pokémon fanbase. But as far as usefulness in PvP (or even PvE)? Not really seeing it, honestly.
It’s a Normal type with a decent moveset… Rollout for the best fast move, and then Play Rough, Bulldoze, and Payback as charge moves with wide coverage between them. Pretty good, right? Plenty of impactful Normals in PvP with a set of moves akin to this… Dunsparce, Lickitung, Miltank, Zangoose, and others we’ll cover later in this article, like Snorlax and Dubwool.
But here’s the problem: most of those have a good PvP total stat product (all 2000 or higher), AKA an emphasis on bulk rather than high Attack. The one exception is Zangoose, who is able to overcome its sub-1600 stat product thanks to having a crazy good combination of high pressure and high energy from Shadow Claw, and cheap charge moves like Night Slash and Close Combat. While it’s true that Komala’s Rollout generates even more energy than Claw (4.33 Energy Per Turn rather than Shadow Claw’s 4.0 EPT), it low damage output leaves much to be desired. And the bigger problem is that, unlike the 35-45 energy of Zangoose’s charge moves, every one of Komala’s charge moves costs 60 energy. Not even the speedy charging of Rollout can make up for that. Heck, even those tankier Normals I mentioned have cheaper moves, like 45-energy Drill Run and/or Rock Slide, 55-energy Ice Beam and/or Thunderbolt, and in many cases, 35-energy Body Spam Slam. Komala and its barely 1600 stat product has none of that.
So while the other meta Normals pull very respectable numbers in PvP, and across a variety of metas, Komala just… can’t do that, at any level. I mean, even with the dream of getting the same Body Slam that powers many other Normals, it’s just not happening, folks. (Heck, not even with Body Slam AND a Close Combat-esque move it learns in MSG: Superpower.) I don’t see much of a future for the Drowsing Pokémon, I’m sorry to say. Those Normals can’t ALL be great.
Thankfully though, this event offers some other great PvP targets. Let’s go through them and end on a happy note!
GOTTA CATCH ‘EM ALL!
Dubwool
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- DUBWOOL!! Need I say more? WOOLOO is back, for many of us for the first time since 2021 during its debut event and Spotlight Hour, both in August of that year. It’s very possible you haven’t seen a single one in the wild in nearly TWO YEARS. It is available this season as a (possible) GBL reward encounter, but that won’t net you good PvP IVs. If there is one thing I’d do during the Z’s event, it would be to hunt down as many Wooloo as possible, because in case you needed a reminder, Dubwool is excellent in PvP since it got Double Kick, and in multiple formats, like this week’s Great League Remix, last week’s Retro Cup, and even in Ultra League! And note that Ultra requires a FULLY maxed out, Level 50 Dubwool, so if nothing else, grind for those XLs while they’re available! No telling if Niantic will make us wait another two years for the next opportunity, seeing as how they seem to be treating it like a psuedo-Legendary in terms of rarity!
Snorlax
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- SNORLAX has been a decent PvP option from the very beginning, and while some of the other Normals I highlighted earlier have passed it by in overall utility, it remains a fixture, and retains a nice spot in Ultra League epsecially (as a Shadow, in particular). Its usefulness in Master League has fallen off over time, to the point that it’s more just an option in ML Premier these days, and in Great League, it’s one more likely to emerge in Limited metas (like Retro Cup) these days than in Open play. Heck, even its pre-evolution has kind of passed it by in GL. Still, Snorlax is a good boy to have in your arsenal, so nighttime cap or not, make sure you come out of this event with a good one, as it’s a boosted wild spawn. If nothing else, grind them for XLs for a potential ML candidate, if you don’t have one of those yet.
OTHER TARGETS OF OPPORTUNITY
Once you’ve caught all the Komala and Snorlax around you, more potential targets during the event include:
Wigglytuff
NormalFairy
- JIGGLYPUFF (for a good Great League WIGGLYTUFF, boosted this season with the addition of Disarming Voice)
Vigoroth
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- SLAKOTH (for a good VIGOROTH, still one of the best options in Open Great League and a large number of Limited metas
Ursaluna
NormalGround
- TEDDIURSA (maybe for an Ursaring, but primarily for a Master League URSALUNA, newly buffed with Ice Punch (note, however, that an Elite TM is required for High Horsepower)
Ampharos
Electric
- MAREEP is, in my own opinion, a lower priority than the others, but there’s no denying that AMPHAROS has become a very good spice option (at least), particularly in Ultra League
- And speaking of spice, SWADLOON is an intriguing option for raiders (3-star Raid during the event), as I remain convinced that LEAVANNY is going to break out in Ultra League one of these days! I guess GALARIAN SLOWPOKE is a decent 1-Star Raid target, if you’re into that, though you should be all stocked up on those from this past March’s Community Day, yeah?
IN CONCLUSION (TL;DR)
So just a real quick review of this real quick little article:
- WOOLOO! If you do nothing else this event, scoop up as many of them as you can. It’s been almost two years since the last opportunity, folks!
- Among the better PvP spawns available outside of Wooloo, we have Snorlax, Slakoth, Jigglypuff, Teddiursa (XL grinding time!), and a few others. AFTER you scour the area for all the Wooloo!
- For raids, Swadloon and Galarian Slowbro are alright. Regieleki? Yeah, don’t bother.
Alright, that’s it for today… short and sweet. Good hunting during this sleepy little event, folks!
Until next time, you can always find me on Twitter (@JRESeawolf), Threads, or Patreon.
Catch you next time, Pokéfriends!
