The annual Pokémon GO Tours are an incredible opportunity for Trainers to catch elusive Pokémon, accumulate Candy and Stardust, and encounter those coveted Shiny Pokémon. Pokémon GO Tour: Hoenn – Global, taking place February 25 and February 26, 2023, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. local time each day, is no exception. There’s a lot happening in just two days, so Trainers hoping to make the most of the event can get a head start. Here are five things you can do right now to get ahead on the adventure celebrating Hoenn.

Repping Ruby or Selecting Sapphire

To start off, you’re going to choose either a Ruby or Sapphire badge. During the event, Trainers can represent their chosen team by completing Field Research tasks. The team that completes the most tasks per hour will determine which Pokémon will appear in the wild—and which Pokémon will surge forth in Primal Raids! If team Sapphire floods the competition by completing the most Field Research, Trainers will see a swell in Primal Kyogre raids and more encounters with Minun, Illumise, Wailmer, Lunatone, and Rainy Form Castform. If team Ruby comes in hot, Primal Groudon raids will erupt more frequently, and Trainers will be more likely to see Plusle, Volbeat, Trapinch, Solrock, and Sunny Form Castform. And don’t get down if your team doesn’t win—work on those Field Research tasks and the tide may change in your favor the next hour.

Storage, Storage, Storage

You’ll have the opportunity to catch a lot of Pokémon during Pokémon GO Tour, but the big question is: will you have sufficient storage space for these Pokémon? The last thing you want during the event is to have to stop your tour of beautiful Hoenn to transfer Pokémon because you’ve run out of space. Fortunately, the maximum Pokémon Storage capacity was recently increased to 6,250, and the Item Bag capacity was increased to 5,250. If you haven’t already, you can take advantage of this by purchasing that additional storage. It’s also a good idea to transfer your extra Pokémon before the event in case the expanded storage doesn’t cut it. And don’t forget to pay attention to your Egg storage, because the following event Pokémon will be hatching from Eggs.

• 2 km Eggs: Pichu, Igglybuff, Treecko, Torchic, Mudkip, Azurill, and Wynaut

• 5 km Eggs: Surskit, Gulpin, and Cacnea

• 7 km Eggs: Trapinch, Feebas, Bagon, and Beldum

• 10 km Eggs: Torkoal, Tropius, and Relicanth

Picking Your Pokémon

Whether you’re looking for Shiny Pokémon, are missing a few entries in your Pokédex, or are looking for Pokémon to round out your GO Battle League team, it can be difficult to focus with so much going on. But knowing which Pokémon you can expect to encounter and how you can find them—whether in Eggs, raids, or specific habitats—is a good first step. If you’re planning on participating in lots of raids, power up the Pokémon that you plan to use in these raids. If you’re interested in a Pokémon that will appear in a specific habitat, make sure you’re playing when that habitat is active.

The following Pokémon will appear in raids.

• One-star raids: Treecko, Torchic, Mudkip

• Five-star raids: Normal Forme Deoxys, Attack Forme Deoxys, Defense Forme Deoxys, Speed Forme Deoxys

• Primal Raids: Primal Kyogre, Primal Groudon

There are four themed habitats that will rotate throughout the event. Different Pokémon will appear in the wild when each habitat is active. Check out the list below to see which Pokémon are drawn to certain habitats.

• Blistering Sands: Torchic, Poochyena, Lotad, Nincada, Makuhita, Nosepass, Aron, Numel, Cacnea, Baltoy, Bagon

• Eerie Mists: Ralts, Surskit, Whismur, Meditite, Spoink, Zangoose, Seviper, Chimecho, Absol, Snorunt, Luvdisc, Beldum

• Verdant Earth: Treecko, Zigzagoon, Wurmple, Seedot, Shroomish, Slakoth, Skitty, Mawile, Electrike, Roselia, Gulpin, Swablu

• Ancient Shores: Mudkip, Taillow, Wingull, Carvanha, Barboach, Corphish, Lileep, Anorith, Feebas, Spheal, Clamperl

The following Shiny Pokémon will appear in Pokémon GO for the first time!

• Shiny Unown H, Shiny Surskit, Shiny Gulpin, Shiny Torkoal, Shiny Cacnea, Shiny Tropius, Shiny Relicanth

Battle-ready Trainers won’t want to miss the opportunity to stock up on Catch Candy to pump up these GO Battle League regulars.

• Great League: Azumarill, Swampert, Pelipper, Medicham, Altaria, Whiscash, Walrein, Defense Forme Deoxys

• Ultra League: Swampert, Pelipper, Walrein, Defense Forme Deoxys, Obstagoon

• Master League: Metagross, Kyogre, Groudon

Ready to Research

As always, research will play an important role in Pokémon GO Tour. In addition to special Field Research, which you can pick up by spinning PokéStops, there are two big research opportunities—Special Research: Chasing Legends and Masterwork Research: Wish Granted. During the former, Rhi from the GO Ultra Recon Squad will ask you to research Red and Blue Orbs, which seem to be connected to Primal Kyogre and Primal Groudon. You don’t have to buy a ticket for Special Research: Chasing Legends, but keep an eye on your research throughout the weekend to make sure you don’t miss anything.

Trainers can purchase a ticket for Masterwork Research: Wish Granted for US$4.99 (or the equivalent pricing tier in your local currency). Tickets are available for purchase until March 20, 2023, at 10:00 p.m. PDT. But if you know you’re going to do the research, it’s a good idea to buy the ticket early so you can spend the event working on your research tasks. As a reward for completing the research, Trainers will earn an encounter with Shiny Jirachi—certainly a wish come true!

Gear Up for Adventure

In addition to making sure you have all the necessary gear in Pokémon GO—Poké Balls, Raid Passes, Berries, and other equipment—it’s important to gather the necessary supplies outside of the game as well. Whether you plan on playing all day or for a brief period of time, it’s a good idea to have drinks and snacks to ensure you’re well-fueled. Bring a phone charger to ensure you don’t lose power. If you’re planning on doing lots of walking, make sure you wear comfortable shoes. Sunscreen is always a good idea if you’re going to be outside, even if it’s not particularly sunny or warm. It’s more fun playing with friends, so consider planning to meet up with friends for raids and other Pokémon GO adventures. And, as always, be aware of your surroundings while playing.

Have a Tour-riffic event, Trainers!