Wishes do come true: Jirachi, the Wish Pokemon, has arrived in Pokemon GO via a quest called Thousand Year Slumber.This Jirachi Pokemon GO Special Research guide will be updated over time to help you on your way.
If we consider Deoxys a Legendary (which it’s not) due to its EX raid status, Jirachi is the game’s third Mythical creature added following both Mew and Celebi. As with the other two, Jirachi is locked behind a lengthy Special Research quest chain. It’ll take a bit of work to capture this beautiful little star, but it’ll all be worth it when you add one of the cutest Pokemon in the whole franchise to your team. Don’t @ me.
Jirachi first appeared in Pokemon Ruby and Pokemon Sapphire, the franchise’s third generation games back in the early 2000s. Like other Mythical Pokemon, Jirachi wasn’t actually obtainable in the game on its own. Instead, players in the States had to pre-order a copy of the GameCube game Pokemon Colosseum and use a special disc. Europe and Australia had to transfer it using a Game Boy Link Cable from a finished copy of Pokemon Channel. It was a pain, to be sure, but after spending hundreds of hours trying now-debunked unlock rumors, the real method was a welcome reprieve.
???? We’re excited to announce that Jirachi is now available for ALL Trainers via Special Research! ????
Oh…but that’s not all.
The Ultra Bonus announcement is finally here! pic.twitter.com/32DRdIQCwO— Pokémon GO (@PokemonGoApp) August 20, 2019
Jirachi Release Date – Pokemon GO Guide
With the Pokemon GO Fest events now behind us, the question of the Jirachi Special Research release date became a hot topic. The creature was exclusive to the events throughout the year, but has now followed in the footsteps of Mew and Celebi to make a worldwide debut shortly after.
After a week of teasing Jirachi, the mythical pokemon finally debuted on August 21, 2019, a few hours after the Twitter teases were expected to end.
Jirachi Special Research Guide – Tasks List & Strategy
With Jirachi now officially in the game, it’s time to work towards the seven-part Special Research quest needed to capture the Wish pokemon.
Like past Special Research events, don’t expect a quick and easy completion. The special research mission is largely expected to entertain players over the summer, but you’re free to complete it as and when you’re able. We’ve detailed all but the final set of Special Research missions down below alongside the rewards for each and a general strategy for completing them.
We’ll update this guide as and when each research step is discovered.
A Thousand Year Slumber 1/7
- Catch 25 Pokemon – 1000 XP
- Spin 10 PokeStops or Gyms – Encounter (Jigglypuff)
- Make 3 new friends – Encounter (Feebas)
Rewards: 1x Mossy Lure, 1x Glacial Lure, 1x Magnetic Lure
Strategy: Don’t transfer that Feebas! You’ll need to make one your buddy for the next step. A simple walk around your town should be enough for the rest. Use local Facebook/Discord groups or Twitter to find friend codes. We’re all after the same thing.
A Thousand Year Slumber 2/7
- Catch 3 Whismur – x10 candy
- Evolve a Feebas – 1500 XP
- Earn a Gold Hoenn medal – 1500 XP
Rewards: 2000 Stardust, 10 PokeBalls, 3 Incense
Strategy: Look around urban environments for Whismur. They’re usually pretty common, and you’ll want to keep one for the next step.
As for Feebas, you’re going to need to walk one for 20 KM and use 100 candy to evolve it. The upcoming Water Festival will make this a breeze, but after that, you’ll likely need to burn Rare Candy. The Hoenn medal might be a struggle if you don’t already have it. There’s no real way to speed that up.
A Thousand Year Slumber 3/7
- Take a Snapshot of Loundred – Encounter (Snorlax)
- Make 3 Great Thrown in a Row – 2000 XP
- Earn 3 Candies walking with your Buddy – 2000 XP
Rewards: 20x Silver Pinap Berry, 3x Star Piece, 2000 Stardust
Strategy: Probably the easiest step of the lot. The 3 Whismurs should give you enough candy to evolve into Loundred (with berries). Great throws in a row are simply a matter of patience at this point (use Nanabs). If you don’t happen to have enough Whismur candy, just walk the thing to tick off the third task, too.
A Thousand Year Slumber 4/7
- Catch 50 Psychic or Steel Type Pokemon – 2500 XP
- Power up Pokemon 10 times – 2500 XP
- Send 10 Gifts to Friends – 2500 XP
Rewards: 1 Fast TM, 1 Charge TM, 1 Premium Raid Pass
Strategy: Outside of increased Psyduck and Slowpoke spawns during the Water Festival, you’ll be relying on common Pokemon spawns like Hoothoot, Aron, and Abra to get the brunt of this done.
A Thousand Year Slumber 5/7
- Battle a Team Leader 3 Times – Encounter (Kricketune)
- Win against another Trainer 7 times – 3000 XP
- Win 5 Raids – 3000 XP
Rewards: 3x Rary Candy, 20x Ultraball, 3000 Stardust
Strategy: You can battle team leaders at any time by tapping the Nearby list and swiping to the left tab. Also remember most players can tackle 1* and 2* raids solo with high-level players able to solo up to 4* raids with good counters. Ultra and Best Friends can battle each other from anywhere in the world to clear this mission. Otherwise, you’ll need to find local players or use a second account to continue.
A Thousand Year Slumber 6/7
- Take 5 photos of Steel or Psychic Pokemon – Encounter (Chimecho)
- Make 3 excellent curveball throws – Encounter (Bronzong)
- Spin a PokeStop 7 days in a row – 4000 XP
Rewards: 10x Silver Pinap Berry, 10x Star Piece, 5000 Stardust
Strategy: There’s nothing too difficult here. There are plenty of YouTube videos detailing how to get good at Curveball throws. But if you’re keeping up with your PokeStop spin streak, you’ll likely clear this one without much thought.
A Thousand Year Slumber 7/7
- To be confirmed.
Jirachi Stats & Competitive Use – Pokemon GO Guide
Although surprisingly strong in the main games, mythical Pokemon rarely served a purpose in Pokemon GO prior to the PVP update. According to GamePress, its signature charge move, “Doom Desire,” got a slight PVP nerf before release. It now requires another fast attack to activate this staggeringly strong move. It’s still a great PVP choice, but this slight change was enough to make it lose ground against a few more picks than before. It’s almost mandatory to use both your PVP shields to really get the most out of it.
Like the last two mythical Pokemon, Jirachi can’t be used to defend gyms.
In raids, Jirachi will fit a similar role to Metagross — a Pokemon many players will have in abundance thanks to its Community Day earlier this year — due to its identical typing and similar stats. This means Jirachi won’t really stand out to those with a full team of “Meteor Mash” Metagross at their disposal. However, it can still serve a great general pick in most raids due to its high stats and relatively rare type combination.
Jirachi will help newcomers put up a fight in most raids, but veterans will likely already have better picks that are easier to max out!
Jirachi Optimal Movesets for PvP And Raids – Pokemon GO Guide
Jirachi currently has access to five moves total: two fast and three charge. Those are listed down below.
- Fast Moves
- Confusion
- Charge Beam
- Charge Moves
- Psychic
- Doom Desire
- Dazzling Gleam
It’s signature charge move, “Doom Desire,” rivals that of the Community Day starter moves like Frenzy Plant and the aforementioned Meteor Mash on Metagross.
A mix of Confusion and Doom Desire is the way to go in PVE. That’s due to same-type ability bonus (STAB) activating on each move. Things remain mostly the same in PVP. Although opting for Dazzling Gleam over Doom Desire will allow Jirachi to counter Dark-type Pokemon that would otherwise easily beat it.
Unlock Dazzling Gleam as a secondary move, but only if you have the candy to spare — and don’t already have a tanky Community Day Metagross.
All in all, Jirachi will be a welcome addition to players who missed out on the October 2018 Metagross Community Day. It’s rare Steel/Psychic typing and exclusive charge move gives it a fairly neutral spot in high-level raids and PVP. Jirachi is not the best at anything; nor is it the worst. But its unique resistances and ability to counter Dark-type Pokemon if needed could prove useful to players in need of a strong all-rounder. Just be prepared to put some work into both catching and leveling it up!
