The Spotlight Hour event happens every Tuesday in Pokémon GO, and on May 17th the weekly celebration will highlight Magikarp. From 6 to 7 pm local time, players will be able to log in to Pokémon GO where they will encounter the Kanto Water-type which will take over the map. The Spotlight Hour event is a perfect opportunity for trainers to try to catch a Shiny Magikarp, as well as obtain the necessary amount of Candy needed to evolve it into a Gyarados.
During the May Spotlight Hour in Pokémon GO, trainers who participate will be able to take advantage of a special bonus that will be live for the duration of the hourly event. For the May 17 Magikarp Spotlight Hour, the bonus is double XP for any Pokémon that players evolve. Players who have stocked up on Pokémon in their inventory can wrack up a lot of experience points to boost their Trainer level by evolving as many Pokémon as they can during the Magikarp celebration.
In Pokémon GO, Magikarp requires over 400 candy to evolve into Gyarados, which makes it one of the more difficult Pokémon to obtain. The May 17 Spotlight Hour's boosted spawn rates of Magikarp will allow players to easily stack up enough candy to obtain the powerful evolution. Trainers who are really lucky can even score a Perfect stat Shiny Magikarp, and then evolve it into a Shiny Gyarados. With the April Pokémon GO Mega Evolution update overhauling the mechanic, Mega Gyarados has also become one of the game's most powerful Pokémon.
How To Participate In Magikarp Spotlight Hour In Pokémon GO
To participate in the Magikarp Spotlight Hour, players only need to log in to Pokémon GO on Tuesday, May 17th from 6 to 7 pm local time. Once the event starts, Magikarp will start spawning across the map at increased rates. Players can use the hour to catch as many Magikarp as they can possibly find, as they will have a chance to catch a perfect Magikarp or even a golden Shiny version of the Water-type. Trainers can check to see if they have a perfect stat Magikarp by clicking the "Appraise" button on the Pokémon's page.
Pokémon GO players will also be able to collect enough Magikarp Candy to evolve it into Gyarados simply by catching a ton of the Water-type during the Spotlight Hour. In Pokemon GO's Battle League mode, Gyarados has become an incredible fighter in the Ultra League and Master League due to its high CP. Even after the Spotlight Hour ends, players who still need more candy will be able to use the Pokémon GO Transfer feature to get rid of the hundreds of extra Magikarp now in their inventory, which will net them a substantial amount of Candy.
After Magikarp, fellow Red and Blue Pokémon Seel will get its own Spotlight Hour on Tuesday, May 24. Compared to other Spotlight Hours though, the Magikarp event stands out due to it allowing players to quickly obtain 400 Candy for its evolution Gyarados. While Gyarados has always been popular in the mobile game, it's become more sought after the Mega Evolution update in April. Mega Gyarados is a great pick to battle Pokémon GO raid bosses, especially now that the incredibly difficult Legendary Raids have been added to the game.
