The last few months of Research Breakthroughs in Pokemon GO have been pretty exciting. Trainers who earned seven stamps were able to redeem them for a chance at an encounter with a number of popular Legendary creatures, including metagame relevant Pokemon like Kyogre and Groudon. A new rotation starts tomorrow though and players will no longer have the Legendary chances, but instead will get a shot at a very exciting new look for Eevee.
After a summer full of Pikachu hats, it is finally time for another Pokemon to get some headwear. The September and October Research Breakthrough rewards offer a chance to encounter Eevee wearing a flower crown in Pokemon GO. Players who are extra lucky may even get the chance to encounter a shiny flower crown Eevee.
Earning a flower crown Eevee isn't too difficult for players who consistently login to the game and complete Tasks. Pokemon GO players should used to the Research Breakthrough gameplay loop now, but the summer did bring in some new players. The basic idea is simple: Complete Daily Tasks to earn stamps. After earning seven stamps, players can claim a Research Breakthrough, which offers an encounter with a special Pokemon (flower crown Eevee in this case). We'll break down the steps here just in case anyone is new to Research Breakthroughs...
Complete A Task Every Day
In order to have the highest chance at encountering a shiny flower crown Eevee, players will need to earn as many Research Breakthroughs as possible during the two month window. That means that players should visit a Pokestop and complete a Task on a daily basis. This will ensure that they can claim a Research Breakthrough every seven days for the full two months.
Save Easy Tasks
One trick to ensuring that you have a Task to claim every day is to save easy ones. This means that if you are out and pick up three simple Tasks and accomplish all of them, don't claim them all on the same day. Instead, only claim one per day, so you're always ready to check the next day's item off the list.
Get Lucky
In terms of actually securing a shiny encounter, that is all going to come down to luck. The best thing you can do is complete Tasks every day, to make sure you earn as many Research Breakthroughs as possible. After that, it's all down to a roll of the dice.
If All Else Fails, Find a Trade
Trainers who don't get lucky enough to earn a shiny flower crown Eevee are not totally out of luck. Communicate with your local PoGO group at Battle Raids, Community Days, or on Discord to find players willing to trade the shiny flower crown Eevee for something in your own collection.
"We’re excited to share a few changes to Research Breakthrough rewards in the coming weeks!
Research Breakthrough Updates
From September 1, 2019, at 1 p.m. PDT (GMT −7) to November 1, 2019, at 1 p.m. PDT (GMT −7), Eevee wearing flower crowns will be available as Research Breakthrough encounters.
If you’re lucky, you might encounter a Shiny Eevee with a flower crown!
Eevee wearing flower crowns will be the exclusive Pokémon appearing in Research Breakthroughs during this time. Don’t miss your chance to evolve them into all the available Eevee Evolutions in Pokémon GO!"
Collecting shiny Pokemon doesn’t give the trainer any kind of advantage in battle, but it is still a fun additional challenge to add into the game. Shiny Pokemon are perfect for leaving in Gyms to show off to the rest of the community.
Eevee may not own the metagame in the same way its evolutions did during the first year of Pokemon GO, but it is still one of the franchise's most popular creatures. The many evolutions available are sure to make flower crown Eevee a very popular variant spawn. Completionists will be doing everything they can to make sure they acquire at least one flower crown version of Eevee and each of its evolutions. That's a tall order, but with the help of trades and careful planning it's definitely achievable.
Be sure to check back in the coming days for more Pokemon GO strategy guides, news, and updates. Until then, good luck out there, trainers!
Pokemon GO is available now in select regions on Android and iOS devices.