Pokémon GO Johto Collection Challenge Guide – How to Catch Them All

The massive Pokémon GO Tour: Kanto event is coming up fast, which means it’s time for another of the countdown events that focuses on one of the other regions in the main series. This time it’s Johto, the Gen 2 locale that came just after Kanto’s original release. And just like with Unova, Sinnoh, and Hoenn there’s a lot to do during the Johto Celebration Event, but the biggest is the Johto Collection Challenge. This timed research tasks players with catching a set number of Johto Pokémon, with rewards if you catch them all. But this can be tougher than you think, so here’s our Pokémon GO Johto Collection Challenge guide below, including how to catch some of the tougher characters.

Johto Collection Challenge Guide

If you just need to know how to complete the Johto Collection Challenge in Pokémon GO then scroll down for help in how to catch all the species you need. Before that though, we wanted to break down the event and answer some frequently asked questions. So here’s all you need to know about the Johto Collection Challenge.

When is the Johto Collection Challenge

Players will receive the timed research task for the Johto Collection Challenge in their Today menu on Tuesday, January 26th at 10am in their local time. You then have just over five days to catch them all, with the task timing out on Sunday, January 31st at 8pm, also in your local time.

What Pokémon do you have to Catch for the Johto Collection Challenge

All you need to do to complete the Johto Collection Challenge in Pokémon GO is catch all the featured Pokémon before the timer runs out. Here’s the full list with tips on some of them further down.

• Chikorita
• Cyndaquil
• Totodile
• Sudowoodo
• Sunkern
• Murkrow
• Smeargle
• Miltank
• Larvitar

Many of these will be simple, with them appearing regularly in the wild. However, others might take more work. We’ve provided links and additional guides for those down below.

What Rewards do you get for Completing the Johto Collection Challenge

Catching all of the Pokémon species above during the event will award you with 15 Poké Balls, 10 Ultra Balls, and an Incense. This might not seem like enough to warrant all the effort, but it will also add to your Elite Collector Badge. While it doesn’t have any in-game effect, those bragging rights will be big and players everywhere are trying to complete the set.

How to Complete the Johto Collection Challenge

All you need to do to complete the Johto Collection Challenge in Pokémon GO is to catch the nine required species while the timed research is available. Sounds easy, but even with boosted spawns some of these Pokémon will be difficult to catch. And they must actually be caught, as hatching them from eggs will not count.So we’ve broken down the species in different groups, based on what we know about how to catch them all.

How to Catch Chikorita, Cyndaquil, and Totodile

Chikorita, Cyndaquil, and Totodile shouldn’t be too difficult to catch for the Johto Collection Challenge. They will appear much more frequently in the wild and should be easy to find if you play regularly. If you are struggling with any of them you can use Incense and/or a Lure on a Poké Stop to try to get more of them to appear. They will also be spawning in one star raids so watch nearby gyms if you still need one. With enough play you should check these three off your list pretty quickly.

How to Catch Sudowoodo

Sudowoodo will be one of the most difficult Pokémon to catch since they do not appear to be boosted in the wild and aren’t on the official list for raids. Like Plusle and Minun from the previous Celebration Event, Sudowoodo will be locked to Field Research tasks. We will update here when we know which one. (UPDATE: See how to catch Sudowoodo here)

How to Catch Sunkern and Murkrow

Sunkern and Murkrow are similar to the three starter Pokémon in the Johto Collection Challenge in that they are being boosted in the wild. Spawns should pop up at a fairly regular pace, but will still be a bit rare for some, depending on their location or luck. To help you might need to use an Incense or Lure to get more spawns, increasing the odds of a Sunkern or Murkrow popping up for you.

How to Catch Smeargle

Smeargle, as always, is a special case for the Johto Celebration Event. Check out our full guide on how to catch Smeargle for tips. In short, you need to take some pictures.

How to Catch Miltank and Larvitar

Update: More tips for catching Miltank are here.

Taking the places of Shieldon and Cranidos from previous challenges, Miltank and Larvitar will be one of the tougher Pokémon to catch for the Johto Collection Challenge. While they can and likely will spawn in the wild for many players, even with a boost they can be rare. So instead you’re reliant on a bit of luck as they will appear in raids at gyms. For more info, see our complete guide on how to catch Miltank and Larvitar.

And that’s how to complete the Johto Collection Challenge in Pokémon GO. Check back for any updates as the event unfolds.