The Water Festival was so well received by trainers that they caught over half a billion Magikarp in Pokémon GO.
Events in Pokémon GO continually bring variety to the game with different bonuses like double experience points, discounts in the shop, or higher chances of encountering certain Pokémon. Just recently, the Water Festival took place, where trainers had a higher chance of encountering Squirtle, Magikarp, Croconaw, and other Water-type Pokémon. This event was particularly well received by trainers, as the catch numbers of Magikarp now show. Niantic must be proud of the community!
Outsider Pokémon Especially Popular
The event succeeded in promoting a Pokémon that is generally unpopular to the center of attention. We are talking about Magikarp, which is not necessarily known for its battling capabilities. This fish is considered one of the weakest Pokémon in Pokémon GO and has now become a crowd favorite thanks to the event.
Shortly after the start of the Water Festival, it became known that Shiny Pokémon in Pokémon GO would appear. However, initially, only the Shiny forms of a specific Pokémon species and their evolution are set to be available. For this, the developers chose none other than Magikarp and its (much more interesting) evolution Gyarados .
More than 500 Million Magikarp Caught
The Niantic team seems to be satisfied with the trainer activity of the last event. On Twitter, they announced that during the Water Festival over 589 million Magikarp were caught. It would also be interesting to see another statistic showing how many of these catches were Shiny Pokémon.
The higher chance of encountering Water-type Pokémon lured many trainers outdoors and to Water biomes. Previously, some players might have ignored wild Magikarp and saved their Poké Balls for “better” specimens. Since it became known that they exist in special forms, there has even been targeted searches for them. Thus, the event was a success not only for the trainers but also for the many Magikarp, which have found a home because of it.
