Please note, this is purely a speculation post and we’ll provide a full event guide once this information is released.
The Pokémon Worlds Championships is set to return to Yokohama, Japan from 11-13 August 2023. This is will be a first for the pinnacle of Pokémon trainers, as it will not only be the first time the grand stage has been hosted in Asia, but it’s also the first time that the Generation 9 of Pokémon will debut for the VGC category through Pokémon Scarlet & Violet.
So what could this mean for Pokémon GO? All we know so far is that there will be an in-game event 11-13 August, and that PvP raid boss Cresselia will feature in tier 5 raids. So what else could we see?
Last year’s World Championships tie-in event featured a heavy focus on the PVP Great League, since this is the official tournament format. With the return of Zacian and Zamazenta in raids, a chance to grab some older Community Day exclusive moves, a special London Worlds Championships outfit for Pikachu and wild spawns featuring meta relevant Pokémon as well as some Galarian forms, it was definitely an event celebrating the Galar region. With the Paldean region based on the Iberian Peninsula, and only just being launched last year, we’re unlikely to see that same focus, but maybe just one Pokémon being launched in GO would be enough?
Wooper (Paldean)
GroundPoison
Paldean Wooper was the first confirmed Paldean regional form to be announced for Pokémon Scarlet & Violet, and was instantly a hit among fans. It’s evolution, Clodsire, was also received well for it’s early game viability and it’s overall cute, but derpy, design. With a straight level up evolution in the main series games, this could make an easy release of the Ground and Poison type into Pokémon GO, and a good tie in if my list of suspected spawns comes to be.
Wild Encounters & Field Research
The following Pokémon have varying levels of success in the PVP Great League at the moment, with some getting buffs with recent moveset changes, while others have got legacy moves which are now more viable.
As we’re looking forward to the Paldean region, you might expect to see more Pokémon that get evolutions in the future featured in Field Research for this event:
Featured Attacks
If we were to get another wave of Community Day moves during the event, a personal selection would be these Pokémon:
| Pokémon | Exclusive move |
|---|---|
Ampharos
|
Dragon Pulse Dragon |
Altaria
|
Moonblast Fairy |
Beedrill
|
Drill Run Ground |
Machamp
|
Payback Dark |
Roserade
|
Bullet Seed Grass / Weather BallFire |
Garchomp
|
Earth Power Ground |
Anything else?
Since there’s no costume for Pikachu in the official artwork for Yokohama it may be unlikely that we get to see another event costume for the Pokémon mascot. Any other speculation would be purely based on what we saw with last year’s event, but I wouldn’t expect Niantic to follow the same formula beat for beat, especially as Worlds weekend falls between three GO Fest events.
But what would you want to see? Whether it’s a hopeful launch of more Paledean Pokémon, or another new release. Let us know in the comments.
