April’s Research Breakthrough encounter reward is another non-legend

The Pokemon Go April Research Breakthrough encounter has been revealed as Alolan Exeggutor and will come with extra Stardust as a bonus.

It will be available from April 1, 1pm PDT (4pm EDT and 8pm GMT) until May 1, 1pm PDT (4pm EDT and 8pm GMT). The pride of the Alolan people replaces Ferroseed which also came with extra Stardust.

Update: April 2020 changes to Pokemon Go Trainer Battles has made Alolan Exeggutor more viable for GO Battle League.

Alolan Exeggutor underwhelming?

One thing that will stand out more than anything about Alolan Exeggutor is that it’s not a legendary Pokemon. This is obvious but when it comes to Research Breakthrough encounters this has become the expectation.

It’s an expectation that Niantic have being doing their best to change in recent months. 2020 has seen Lapras, Woobat, Ferroseed and now Alolan Exeggutor as the rewards – a clear step down from the array of legends that were rewards of 2019 and prior.

Some Pokemon Go players will have seen this coming from a mile away. Earning yourself a legend every week was a relatively simple task – after all, most of the tasks to get the seven field research stamps aren’t exactly difficult.

This meant there were too many trainers getting too many legends and too easily. This has left Niantic in the situation they’re in now whereby trainers will be inevitably disappointed by the announcement of non-legendary species. We have shared our thoughts on how how to fix this developing Pokemon Go Research Breakthrough reward issue.

Alolan Exeggutor effective in GO Battle League?

With all the hype surrounding GO Battle League at the moment, many trainers will be wondering whether Alolan Exeggutor has a place in any of your teams. The general consensus is that it doesn’t.

Neither its stats or moveset scream pick me. However, its dragon and grass typings do give it a place if used astutely.

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Crucially, it has double resistance to electric, grass and water-types. These are all types which can catch you out, so if you can manage the battle to arrange this match-up Alolan Exeggutor will almost certainly get the job done.

On the flip side however, it is vulnerable to bug, dragon, fairy, flying and poison-types. It is also doubly weak to ice-types which may be a problem in Great League with Azumarill so commonly used.

In terms of its moves its Fast Move is an obvious decision. Bullet Seed may have slightly better energy generation but Dragon Tail does nearly twice as much damage per turn.

Its Charge Moves are more debatable however. Its only dragon-type move, Dragon Pulse, isn’t great but does offer some important differentiation in attack. Therefore, really, that should be one of your moves – if running two of course.

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It then becomes a debate between Seed Bomb and Solar Beam. The latter hits like a truck but does require 80 energy. Seed Bomb needs just half the energy but only hits for 55, in comparison to Solar Beam’s 150.

As a result most will favor Seed Bomb but if you can manipulate the matchup so you have the aforementioned type advantage and your opponent has used their Protect Shields, Solar Beam could be an interesting weapon to have in your back pocket.

We suggest you don’t go out of your way to get one, though. There are better options in all of Great, Ultra and Master League. In terms of Research Breakthrough encounters in Pokemon Go, it now seems certain we have seen the last of legendary Pokemon.