An upcoming Community Day featuring Deino in Pokémon GO will add a post-event boost to Raid Battles, giving players an extended chance to find and capture it. Pokémon GO has struggled with backlash in recent months for rolling back changes to gameplay made during the Covid-19 Pandemic. These changes, like increased Community Day durations, better Incense potency, and Remote Raid Pass availability improved safety and greatly increased accessibility for those previously unable to play. The removal of these benefits has created friction in the Pokémon GO community, with no solutions offered by Niantic.
Community Days in Pokémon GO have been hit particularly hard by the recent rollbacks. For several years, the duration of Community Days gave players a 6-hour window to catch featured Pokémon species. This middle-of-the-day timeframe was inclusive and offered even those with weekend commitments the chance to participate. However, after the reveal of the Pokémon GO 2022 roadmap that aimed to get players back outside, the duration was changed to a 3-hour timeframe. This window has moved around, with some events happening earlier in the day, and others happening right in the middle of the afternoon.
However, according to PokemonGoLive, an exciting opportunity has been included in the upcoming Deino Community Day for Pokémon GO, offering players the chance to spawn Deino by completing Raid Battles. The Deino Community Day, which will happen on Saturday, June 25, 2022, from 11 AM to 2 PM local time, will be followed by a five-hour window in which Zweilous will appear in 4-Star Raid Battles. From 2 PM to 7 PM local time, players will be able to battle Zweilous in these Raids, with success causing Deino to spawn around the Pokémon GO Gym the battle took place at. The Deino will continue to appear for 30 minutes after the completion of the Raid, acting as a type of pseudo-Lure.
While this new addition to Community Day events in Pokémon GO will greatly increase the chances for players to catch the rare Dark/Dragon-type Pokémon, it isn't a perfect fix. For those living in rural or suburban areas, it is likely potential Raid Battles will be difficult to find, and harder to participate in due to limited player numbers. Additionally, the boosts and benefits from the actual Community Day event will no longer be in effect, negatively impacting those unable to participate earlier in the day. The Raids will also block Remote participation, preventing access to the Raids from a distance.
While Pokémon GO events can be enjoyable, and the extended opportunity to spawn Deino will be helpful to many players, the game is still frustratingly behind on accessibility. While getting players out into the community is the mission statement of Pokémon GO, Niantic must do more to improve gameplay for those with mobility challenges or players who live in non-urban locations. Without these changes, those who would like to play Pokémon GO will continue to be barred from the game's basic functions, and many may choose to skip the mobile app for a different game or activity.
Source: PokemonGoLive, PokemonGoApp/Twitter