Pokémon GO Tour: Johto is just around the corner, taking place on Saturday, February 26, 2022, from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. local time. And while 12 hours might sound like plenty of time to catch, battle, raid, and research, a little planning will go a long way if you want to maximize your GO Tour experience. Whether it’s stocking up on useful items or brushing up on handy skills, we’ve compiled some tips and tricks to help you get into top shape ahead of the event. And because the Johto region has plenty of powerful Pokémon that perform well in the GO Battle League, we’ve made sure to call out a few that you may want to look out for along the way.

Coordinate with friends

• If you buy a ticket for the event, you’ll get to choose between Gold Version and Silver Version, each of which features different Pokémon for you to catch. If you want to obtain all the Pokémon available during the event, you’ll need to find a friend who chose the other version and trade Pokémon with them.

Take time for trades

• A Special Trade allows Trainers to swap Pokémon that can’t be traded normally—including Pokémon and Pokémon forms not currently registered to your Pokédex, Legendary Pokémon, and Shiny Pokémon—and you’ll have the opportunity to make up to six of them during the event. But considering how much there will be to do during the day, it may be a good idea to coordinate your Special Trades ahead of time. They tend to require a lot of Stardust, too, so you’ll want to make sure you have plenty to spare.

Stock up on useful items

• If you have an event ticket, different Pokémon will be attracted to Incense at different points in the day, and you’ll want to catch as many different species of Pokémon as possible. Start collecting Incense now so you won’t run out!

• Throughout the event, you’ll earn double the Candy for hatching Eggs, and Eggs will be hatching at one-quarter of the normal Hatch Distance. Make sure to have Incubators at the ready!

• Gather Star Pieces and Lucky Eggs to maximize the Stardust and XP you gain by catching Pokémon and participating in raids.

• Save up a few Poffins to maximize the number of hearts you can earn with your buddy during the event.

Start strategizing

• Plan your raid teams in advance so you can fit in as many raids as possible. If you need some inspiration, check out this Lugia raid guide.

• Research tasks often involve evolving Pokémon, so hold onto some Pokémon that you know you want to evolve. Consider adding a tag so you can easily find (and evolve) these Pokémon when the time comes, and make sure you have all the items and Candy you’ll need to evolve them.

• Practice your nice, great, and excellent throws. Research tasks often challenge you to make these types of throws in succession, so you’ll want to be in good throwing form when the event begins.

• Powering up Pokémon is another common research task. Create a tag for Pokémon that you’d like to power up so you can complete any such tasks quickly and efficiently.

Take care of yourself!

• Plan your snacks and meals in advance. There’s a lot to do during Pokémon GO Tour: Johto, and you don’t want to play hungry! Take the time to prepare all the meals, drinks, and snacks you could possibly need ahead of time to avoid any unscheduled breaks in your GO Tour adventure.

GO Battle League Pokémon to look out for

During Pokémon GO Tour: Johto, you’ll mainly be catching Pokémon originally discovered in the Johto region. While you’ll want to catch as many different species of Pokémon as possible, there are some that may prove particularly helpful on your quest to master the GO Battle League. If you’re interested in utilizing any of these Pokémon for your GO Battle League lineup, try to catch a lot of them to collect the Candy you’ll need to power them up and teach them a second Charged Attack.

Pokémon discovered in Johto that perform well in the Great League include Meganium, Azumarill, Politoed, Umbreon, and Skarmory. Azumarill in particular is regarded as one for the best Pokémon for the Great League, so you should make it a priority to catch as many Marill and Azumarill as possible if you’d like to add Azumarill to your Great League lineup. Skarmory is also a favorite of many Trainers, though the others are excellent as well.

In the Ultra League, Meganium, Typhlosion, Umbreon, Steelix, and Skarmory are all handy to have available, especially if you teach them a second Charged Attack. And given that many of these Pokémon perform well in both the Great League and the Ultra League, you’ll want to make sure you maximize your Candy collection if you plan to power up one for each league.

As for the Master League, one Pokémon soars above the rest: Lugia. Like Azumarill in the Great League, Lugia is considered one of the top Pokémon to bring into Master League battles. Of course, powering up a Pokémon for the Master League is a challenge in and of itself. With no CP limits, you’ll want your Lugia to be as strong as possible—and that means lots of Candy. The fiery Ho-Oh also tends to be a popular choice in the Master League, though it doesn’t quite match Lugia’s level of dominance.

Enjoy making the most of your Pokémon GO Tour: Johto experience, Trainers!