Pokémon Go has begun releasing the Gen 2 Pokémon from the Johto Region in Pokémon Gold and Pokémon Silver video games. Starting soon, you'll be able to evolve Espeon, Umbreon, Steelix, Kingdra, Porygon2, Blissey, and more. But, you'll need more than just Candy to do it — you'll need the all-new Evolution Stones!
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Which Gen 1 Pokémon have new evolutions in Gen 2?
With the release of Gen 2, some Pokémon that currently have no evolutions now get their first, and some with existing evolutions now get extra or split evolutions. Here's the list!
- Golbat to Crobat
- Gloom to Bellossom (split)
- Poliwhirl to Politoed (split)
- Eevee to Espeon (split)
- Eevee to Umbreon (split)
- Slowpoke to Slowking (split)
- Onix to Steelix
- Scyther to Scizor
- Seadra to Kingdra
- Porygon to Porygon 2
- Chansey to Blissey
You don't have to have already evolved Pokémon, like Golbat, Gloom, Polywhirl, or Seadra for a new third-stage or split evolution. You simply have to have the base level Pokémon and enough candy to do both evolutions. You certainly can keep the evolved ones ready to evolve again, but you can also keep your options open, in case you catch an even better base level with higher CP and stats.
What candy do you need to evolve and how much?
A lot. At least for most of them. And you also need Evolution Items for some!
- 100 Zubat candy for Crobat
- 100 Oddish candy + Sun Stone for Bellossom (split)
- 100 Poliwag candy + King Rock for Politoed (split)
- 25 Eevee candy for Espeon (split)
- 25 Eevee candy for Umbreon (split)
- 50 Slowpoke candy + King Rock for Slowking (split)
- 50 Onix candy + Metal Coat for Steelix
- 50 Scyther candy + Metal Coat for Scizor
- 100 Horesea candy + Dragon Scale for Kingdra
- 50 Porygon candy + Up-Grade for Porygon 2
- 50 Chansey candy for Blissey
Wait, what are Evolution Items and how do they work?
Evolution Items are items that trigger new or newly split evolutions. You collect them from PokéStops, like you do Pokémon Eggs, and use them to unlock the new Gen 2 evolutions and splits.
- Sun Stone: Evolve Gloom to Bellossum (and Gen 2 Sunkern into Sunflora).
- Kings Rock: Evolve Poliwhirl to Politoed, Slowpoke to Slowking
- Metal Coat: Evolve Onix to Steelix, Scyther to Scizor
- Dragon Scale: Evolve Seadra to Kingdra
- Up Grade: Evolve Porygon to Porygon 2
They're less common than Pokémon Eggs so you'll have to hit a lot of PokéStops to get them. They're also single-use only, which means you'll need to get one for each evolution you want to perform. Yeah.
Right now, most people seem to get at least one — and very rarely more than one — during their 7-day streak spin. There are reports of people getting one — and very rarely more than one — during other spins as well. That's after 300 to 500 spins, though, making Evolution Items the lowest drop-rate items in the game, by far.
So, keep on spinning!
More on how to use Evolution Items in Pokémon Go Gen 2 {.cta large}
What about Espeon and Umbreon?
You don't need Evolution Items to evolve Eevee into Umbreon or Espeon, but since they're the 4th and 5th split evolutions, you may not want to leave it to pure chance either.
When Pokémon Go launched there was an Easter egg that let you force Eevee to evolve into Flareon, Jolteon, or Vaporeon by re-naming them after their trainers, the brothers from the original animated series: Pyro, Sparky, and Rainer respectively.
The same trick works for Gen 2. Here are the trainer names you need to use:
- Sakura: Espeon
- Tamao: Umbreon
Remember, it only works for the first Espeon and Umbreon you evolve, so choose wisely — your highest stat (IV) and CP Eevee's!
If you've already used the nickname trick and want to get more Umbreon or Eevee, you'll need to use friendship:
- Make the Eevee you want to evolve your Buddy.
- Walk with your Eevee Buddy for at least 10 KM.
- While keeping Eevee your Buddy, hit the Evolve button:
- During the day to get Espeon.
- At night to get Umbreon.
Note: Pokémon Gen 2 is brand new and groups like Silph Road are still testing the exact limits and parameters of these mechanics. So, we'll update if/as needed. Meanwhile, If you notice anything different, let us know in the comments below!
What about Chansey to Blissey and Golbat to Crobat?
You can evolve Chansey to Blissey immediately. You just need 50 Chansey Candy to do it. Same with Golbat to Crobat. Evolve away, just have 100 Zubat Candy ready to pay for it.
Don't worry about the movesets, those will get reset again at random. Just make sure you choose as high a stat (IV) and CP Chansey or Golbat as possible to evolve!
How do you evolve Tyrogue into Hitmonchan, Hitmonlee, and... Hitmontop?!
Hitmonchan and Hitmonlee have a new base form in Pokémon Go Gen 2 named Tyrogue. If you had Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan before, their Candy has now been merged into Tyrogue Candy and you can use it to evolve any future Tyrogue you catch or hatch into any of the Hitmon.
Everyone is still trying to figure out what the trick is for determining which Hitmon you get, but the leading theory is that it involves an homage to the original game. If true, when you evolve Tyrogue, you get:
- Hitmonlee when Attack is the highest stat.
- Himonchan when Defense is the highest stat.
- Hitmontops when HP is the highest stat.
So, before you evolve, evaluate your Tyrogue. If the stat that gets called out — or gets called out first in the event of a really high IV Tyrogue — is HP, you should be good to go for a Hitmontop.
Once we can verify it works consistently, we'll update and let you know.
Should you save your best Pokémon for the new evolutions?
You'll always want a good evolution if you can get one, and that means a Pokémon that's appraised really well in game terms, and has high CP and high stats (IV). Since movesets are what can really make a difference, though, and they're determined at random when you do the evolution, it's impossible to guarantee any results. (Beyond "if at first you don't get a good moveset, evolve and evolve again!")
The Pokémon with the highest potential CP, and the ones you'll want to max out, are:
- Blissey (3000+)
- Espeon (3000)
- Scizor (2800+)
- Porygon2 (2500+)
Gen 2 is so... today. What new evolutions will come to Pokémon Go with Gen 4?
Sigh. Okay. LOL.
- Magneton to Magnezone
- Lickitung to Licklicky
- Rhydon to Rhyperion
- Happiny (baby) to Chansey
- Tangela to Tangrowth
- Mime Jr. (baby) to Mr. Mime
- Electabuzz to Electivire
- Magmar to Magmortar
- Eevee to Leafeon
- Eevee to Glaceon
- Porygon2 to Porygon-Z
- Munchlax (baby) to Snorlax
- Togetic to Togekiss
There are also Gen 3 and Gen 4 pre- and post-evolutions for some of the new Pokémon introduced in Gen 2. Stay tuned!
Any Pokémon Go Gen 2 questions?
If there's anything else you want to know about the evolutions or about Pokémon Go in general, drop it in the comments below.
