Vortex Gaming

Coming February 21st, Pokémon GO Tour: Unova will kick off its live event. As the name suggests, you can meet Pokémon from the Unova region, the main stage of Pokémon Black and White, and it's a great opportunity to meet the legendary Pokémon Kyurem.

This year, offline events will be held in two locations, LA in the US and New Taipei City in Taiwan, but on March 1st and 2nd, 'Pokémon GO Tour: Unova - Global' is also scheduled, where trainers from all over the world can participate in the event. The 'Road to Unova' event, which offers a variety of fun things to do between the on-site event and the global event, is also in the works.

One day it's heavy snow, the next day it's freezing... The weather that was preventing outdoor activities is gradually warming up these days. Why not play 'Pokémon GO' again with the event? If you use the newly introduced Tour Pass, you'll get a variety of rewards.

'Pokémon GO Tour' is a large-scale event held every February. Since the first event in 2021 with the Kanto region as its theme, events with the Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh regions as their themes have been held every year. The theme for this year is the 'Unova region', the main stage of Pokémon Black and White, and we have prepared a variety of events that both existing and new users can participate in.

Since 2023, Pokémon GO Tour has had two formats. A 'live event' is held first, where you can meet new Pokémon in a specific country, and then a 'global event' is held where users from all over the world can participate. This year's Pokémon GO Tour live events will be held in Los Angeles, USA and New Taipei City, Taiwan, and will run for three days from February 21st to 23rd.

There is another difference between the live and global events. You have to purchase a ticket to participate in the live event, but the global event is free to participate in. However, on-site, you can join the enthusiastic atmosphere unique to the site, as well as participate in the various live events that have been prepared. Visiting the photo zone for participants or the team lounge to socialize with people from the same team will also be a very valuable experience.

On-site event participation tickets are $30 based on LA, and if you purchase a ticket, you can play the event game for one day. We also support a variety of options that can be purchased additionally for those who want to enjoy all the experiences the game offers with additional benefits.

In particular, this 'Pokémon GO Tour' in LA has a special meaning. It also includes donation activities for victims of the recent wildfires in Southern California. Niantic and The Pokémon Company recently donated a total of $1 million (approximately 1.3 billion won) each to local relief organizations, showing that they are going beyond a simple event to contribute to the local community.

LA on-site participants can participate in the donation drive held at the Rose Bowl Stadium, and the proceeds from the event will also be used for local recovery and relief efforts.

The on-site event will also be held in Taiwan, which is close to Korea (relatively). This event, which will be held in New Taipei City, will be held around the huge Metropolitan Park in New Taipei.

New Taipei City is a huge city that surrounds Taipei, the capital of Taiwan. It's like Gyeonggi-do in Korea, but it's easier to understand if you think of it as one city. New Taipei Metropolitan Park is the largest park in the city, located in northern New Taipei City. The vast park, which can accommodate about 600 soccer fields (0.7 hectares), consists of grasslands, wetlands, and riverside areas, and also plays an important role in preventing urban flooding.

As with LA, various live events are prepared in New Taipei City, and Pikachu sun visors are also distributed. If you are actually participating, it is best to head to the park before the first-come-first-served sun visors are sold out. In addition, a community hub will be added for the various travelers who have gathered in Taiwan from all over the world. If you're an E, you might be able to introduce yourself and make new Pokémon GO friends.

So, what are the fun things you can find at this 'Pokémon GO Tour: Unova'? Of course, not only will a large number of Pokémon from the Unova region appear, but the legendary Pokémon White Kyurem and Black Kyurem will also appear in Pokémon GO for the first time.

Trainers who defeat 'Black Kyurem' or 'White Kyurem' in Raid Battles during the event period will be given the opportunity to catch 'Kyurem'. After that, you can collect various energies and resources such as 'Kyurem Candy' to combine them into 'Black Kyurem' or 'White Kyurem'.

In addition, trainers who participate in Legendary Raid Battles during this event period may also acquire a new special background when catching Pokémon. For example, 'Reshiram' may have a background with a 「Pokémon Black」 motif, and 'Zekrom' may have a background with a 「Pokémon White」 motif. 'Kyurem' that you meet after defeating 'Black Kyurem' or 'White Kyurem' in a Raid Battle can have one of the two backgrounds.

There are also unique backgrounds obtained by combining Kyurem, Reshiram, and Zekrom with opposing color backgrounds. For example, combining Reshiram with a background with Kyurem with an opposing background. White Kyurem, which is created in this way, is said to have a more special background.

The energy required to combine Kyurem ('Volt Energy', 'Blaze Energy') can be obtained through Raid Battles. If you participate in the on-site event held in LA or New Taipei City, you can collect the energy first.

In addition to 'Kyurem', which can be obtained through Raid Battles, Pokémon that you normally wouldn't be able to see will appear in large numbers during the 'Pokémon GO Tour: Unova' period. Shiny 'Meloetta', which appears for the first time in Pokémon GO, is one example. You can purchase a long-term research ticket that is sold before the event and embark on a journey to find a Shiny Meloetta, and the research has no expiration date, so you can complete it at your own pace.

'Deerling', which has different colors depending on the season, also appears for the first time. During the event period, the Pokémon that appear with the season change every hour, and the appearance of Deerling also changes according to the four seasons. To collect all the Deerling, you have to catch one every hour. Of course, you can also aim for Shiny Maractus, Sigilyph, and Bouffalant that come out of eggs.

Pokémon GO Tour: Unova starts with the weather getting warmer. However, there are many reasons to start 'Pokémon GO' again through this opportunity, besides the weather. One of them is the newly introduced 'Tour Pass' system.

The 'Tour Pass', which was first unveiled last January, is a system where you can collect 'Tour Points' by playing Pokémon GO, raise your rank, and earn more event bonuses. From basic activities such as catching Pokémon, completing Raid Battles, and hatching eggs to detailed activities, you can raise the rank of the pass as if you were clearing challenges.

It is also worth noting that this Tour Pass is provided free of charge to all Pokémon GO trainers. The pass will be given to everyone at 10:00 AM on February 24th and will end at 6:00 PM on March 2nd when the 'Unova - Global' Tour ends.

A paid service, 'Tour Pass Deluxe', is also sold for trainers who want to complete the pass faster. If you upgrade to 'Tour Pass Deluxe', you can immediately meet the Mythical Pokémon 'Victini' and receive both free and deluxe rewards. The 'Shiny Charm' that you get as the final reward can make one friend a Shiny Friend (!), and if you trade Pokémon with that friend, both of you will get 'Shiny Pokémon'.

There's another reason to come back besides the 'Tour Pass'. Various bonuses are also applied to commemorate the event. From 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM on the event date based on Korean time,The distance required to hatch eggs placed in Incubators is halved!

In addition, all trainers will have no limit on the number of Remote Raids they can use on March 1st and 2nd, can make up to 6 special trades per day, and the number of 'Stardust' required to trade Pokémon is also halved.

Various convenience updates are also worth noting. You can more easily see the Pokémon you have collected and the Pokémon you have not yet collected through the Pokémon Encyclopedia visual update, and Pokémon will appear in much more diverse locations than before, greatly increasing the number of places where Pokémon appear in rural areas and suburbs.

What Pokémon GO has proven over the past 8 years of service in Korea is that it is most enjoyable when you are together. By gathering in the neighborhood with people you don't know to do raids, it has made us feel the strong bond between neighbors that is usually difficult to feel.

Although there will be no offline on-site event in Korea this time, there is no need to be too disappointed. If you look for a 'Community Meetup' where people who will enjoy the Global Tour together gather, you will be able to meet other players who enjoy 'Pokémon GO' nearby.

On the official website's Community Day Map, you can check local Pokémon GO communities around the world, and easily find meetups arranged by community ambassadors and leaders. When the event day comes on March 1st, you can visit the place you found in advance and travel through the Unova region with the gathered trainers.

Of course, there are also various ways to find local Pokémon GO users in Korea. You can find meetups created through various community apps, and you can also enjoy this 'Pokémon GO Tour: Unova - Global' by sitting in a nearby meetup through the Campfire app serviced by Niantic, which will provide a unique experience.

There's one more piece of exciting news.From February 28th to March 2ndAn offline event commemorating the 'Pokémon GO Tour: Unova' will be held in the front yard of the Hyundai Department Store on the 1st floor in Sinchon.

At the on-site promotion commemorating 'Pokémon GO Tour: Unova - Global' (3/1~3/2), various spaces will be decorated to help trainers enjoy the event more interestingly. From photo zones where you can take pictures together to battle zones where you can compete with staff, and even real-life PokéStop-shaped structures. It will be a space where trainers nearby can gather together and enjoy 'Pokémon GO: Unova- Global'.

Of course, you can also get prizes by completing missions. There are goods that can be obtained by completing field research, participating in battles or raids, and uploading to SNS, as well as goods that are immediately provided to purchasers of 'Tour Pass Deluxe'.

You can complete the 'Tour Pass' mission and receive goods. It seems to be a good opportunity for trainers who have been enjoying the game steadily, as well as new trainers who are starting 'Pokémon GO'. If you are looking for a friend to participate in the event with, why not visit Sinchon this time?

Please refer to the official blog for more information on “Pokémon GO Tour: Unova- Global”.

웹진 인벤김규만 기자
2025-02-21