YEAR OF THE DOG Pokémon Go’s Lunar New Year update is out NOW! Eevee, shiny Poochyena and Rayquaza are here – what is the year of the dog event about?

YEAR OF THE DOG Pokémon Go’s Lunar New Year update is out NOW! Eevee, shiny Poochyena and Rayquaza are here – what is the year of the dog event about?

Pokémon Go is celebrating Chinese New Year with a special Year of the Dog event

THE Pokémon Go Lunar New Year event is here!

This special event only lasts until the 17th which means there's not a lot of time to enjoy all it has to offer. Here's the latest info on the Chinese New Year celebration...

All "dog type" Pokemon now come with extra Stardust!

What is happening for Lunar New Year on Pokemon Go?

Hot on the heels of the Valentines Event, Pokemon Go is celebrating Chinese New Year in style.
For two days, Pokemon like Poochyena, Growlithe, Snubbull, Eevee and Elecktrike can be caught along with bonus Stardust.
Although there isn't really a "dog type" in the game, these Pokemon are pretty much all dogs - although we're not sure if Eevee really counts!
There is a good chance that shiny Eevees will be dotted around the world which means you could evolve one into 5 different shiny Pokemon!
What is guaranteed, however, is that Poochyena is a shiny Pokemon and can be caught right now.

How is Chinese New Year celebrated?

The global celebrations are an explosion of light and sound, involving bell ringing, lighting firecrackers and watching traditional lion dances.
Chinese families gather together for a reunion dinner on New Year's Eve, and clean their houses to sweep away bad fortune on New Year's Day.
Traditionally, kids would be given red envelopes stuffed with 'lucky money' and positive wishes on New Year's Day.
Some teens now have red envelope apps, so their relatives can transfer cash digitally.

How do you catch Rayquaza?

Rayquaza is a tier 5 legendary raid boss in Pokemon GO. You will need 4 to 5 trainers in order to actually beat this immensely powerful creature.
The best counters are Articuno, Dragonite, Jynx, Lapras and Kyogre.

What is the new Quest feature?

According to data miners on The Silph Road, who have examined a recent update, Niantic will introduce a brand new feature to the game - Quests.
Pokémon Go will have a brand new multi-layered quest system that aims to transform the way we play.
Of their discovery, they said: "We're looking at the beginnings of an in-game quest system that appears to encapsulate all of the mechanics available in Pokemon GO, even incorporates characters who grant them, and pre-conditions that suggest increasing levels of difficulty and progress."
It seems as though the new system will change the way trainers interact with PokéStops and Pokémon battles.
The objectives of the quests could include winning gym battles, hatching Pokémon eggs or even some brand new ideas that aren't in the game yet.
Even more interesting is the fact that an NPC will be giving you these quests which means that one of the professors like Oak or Willow could be in the game soon.

Deoxys is one of the most powerful Pokémon ever.

When are Deoxys coming to Pokémon Go?

Those same dataminers have discovered a new legendary Pokémon hidden in the code.
The psychic type Deoxys, one of the most powerful Pokémon in the entire series, could be part of the next legendary event raid bosses.
As Kyogre is still available until February 14, this would make excellent timing for Niantic to release a brand new legendary.

Kyogre is one of the most difficult legendaries to catch.

How do you catch Kyogre and what are the best counters to take in battle?

In Pokemon GO, the water-type is a Tier 5 Legendary Raid Boss and with a CP of 51,968.
You should have a party of at least 4-5 if you hope to have a chance of defeating Kyogre and capturing it.
He is notoriously difficult to capture due to the distance from the player - this means that throwing a curve ball can be a high-risk play.
Because Kyogre floats you will find that it hovers from left to right, once again making this capture extremely difficult.

We would advice that you practice throwing curveballs against other Pokemon, from both left and right sides of the screen.
As Kyogre is straight water-type, forming your team quite an easy process.
The only problems comes down to the amount of damage it can do, simply turning your hard-counters into mince meat.
The best counters are:

Raikou - Raikou is the best Kyogre counter in the game and can take on any variation of movesets with relative ease.
Zapdos - the legendary bird has incredible DPS against Kyogre but can be destroyed by a big combo.
Sceptile - new to Generation 3, Sceptile is an amazing grass counter with access to Leaf Blade. Can do serious damage.
Exeggutor - this Pokemon can hit Kyogre fast but can be destroyed in one with blizzard - be careful.
Venusaur - solid grass-based DPS and has more survivability than Exeggutor.
Jolteon - really good lightning DPS but incredibly squishy - take care if taking Jolteon.

Will iPhones and iPads will be affected by the upcoming update?

In a blog post, Niantic wrote: "In an upcoming update to Pokemon Go, we will end support for Apple devices not capable of upgrading to iOS 11."
"This change is a result of improvements to Pokemon Go."
The post says the new update will push the game "beyond the capabilities" of older operating systems.
"Trainers using affected devices may no longer be able to access their Pokemon go accounts from that device, or use their PokeCoins or other items in their bags."
The important thing to note is that you don't actually need to upgrade to iOS 11 to continue playing.
You just need to make sure you have a smartphone that is capable of receiving Apple's iOS 11 update.
That means the iPhone 5C, launched as recently as 2013, won't be eligible.
It's no surprise that Pokemon Go fans are already moaning about Niantic's decision to cut them off.

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