How to prepare for Pokemon Go Kanto Tour: everything you need to know

Brent Koepp
Pokemon GO Tour: Kanto

Pokemon Go is gearing up to celebrate the series’ 25th anniversary with the Kanto Tour on February 20. Here is everything you need to do prepare for the limited-time event. 

Niantic is having Pokemon Go players return to Gen I with the Kanto Tour on February 20. The 25th anniversary celebration will feature all original 151 ‘mon.

Players looking to catch every single monster and complete their ‘Dex will need to be prepared. Here is everything you need to get ready for the special event.

Kanto tour Pokemon Go
The Pokemon Go Kanto tour features two versions.

Pokemon Go Kanto Tour – choosing a version

One of the main gimmicks of the paid event is choosing between a Red or Green version. Players can pick which one based on the monsters they prefer – which you can see here.

However, there is actually more strategy to this that some may overlook. Before committing, you should talk to friends and family and pair up with someone who will select the opposite.

Working together with a buddy will make catching all 151 ‘mon much easier, as you can just trade between one another. Each version has exclusive boosted spawn rates so instead of wasting time, have your partner scoop up Pokemon on their side and vice versa.

Screenshot of Pokeballs in Pokemon Go
Go players will need a lot of Pokeballs to catch 151 ‘mon.

Pokemon Go Kanto Tour – Poke Balls

Without a doubt, the most important items for this event are Poke Balls. Having to catch 151 characters will require a lot. If you are going for Shinies then expect to tear through your inventory quick. In the days leading up to the Kanto Tour, hop in a car and have someone drive you around.

As a passenger, you can easily swing by 10-20 PokeStops in no time at all. By the time you loop around, all the same locations will be refreshed. Repeat this and stack up on as many Balls as you can. Gifts are another way to quickly build up items.

If you have a large friends list, chances are they are also looking to stack up on items. Send everyone Gifts, and they will give back in return. Free apps like PokeRaid or forums like Reddit are also a fast way to add friends to exchange Gifts.

Pokemon Go Kanto Tour – other items

Other important items include Lucky Eggs, Incense, Star Pieces, Revives, and Potions. You can get these from the above methods as well, but we wouldn’t worry too much about them.

Players will be participating in a lot in Raids which will reward you these. Five-star battles in particular will have you stocked up in no time. Trainers should mainly focus on Pokeballs going into the event.

Screenshot of Pokemon Go transfer to Home.
Transfer duplicate Pokemon to Home.

Pokemon Go Kanto Tour – making room

Again, 151 Pokemon is a lot. Unless you’ve paid for an incredible amount increase to your storage, you are probably going to find yourself running out of room quick. No one wants to spend all day constantly stopping to transfer a duplicate.

Use this time now to go through your entire storage, and start moving things over. If you have multiple Shinies or Legendaries, sign up for the Home service and retire these epic ‘mon to your bank. While it’s a hard decision to make, Trainers should also transfer common or weak characters.

You will also need room for your items. We recommend getting read of berries like regular Razz and Nanab Berries. You will again get plenty of these in Raids anyway, and they take up a surprising amount of space.

Screenshot of Pokemon Go Kanto Celebration.
Pokemon Go will go back to Gen I with the Kanto Tour on February 20th.

Pokemon Go Kanto Tour – list & tag

The new tagging feature will allow you to identify Kanto-specific ‘mon. Use this to keep a running list of the original 151 Gen I ‘Dex. As you capture each character, check it off.

As we mentioned above, you can even break this list into halves, and have a buddy with the opposite version focus on their half. That way you can meet up towards the end of the day and swap.

It might seem like simple advice, but things can get overwhelming fast. Staying organized will keep you focused, and not wasting valuable time. Those looking to Shiny hunt can also benefit from keeping track of which ‘mon they still need in the rare variant.

Pokemon Go Kanto Tour – Set your clock

The Kanto Tour officially goes live on February 20 at 9:00AM. The event only lasts 12 hours and wraps up at 9:ooPM local time. So make sure to set your alarm, as you don’t want to sleep in and waste any precious time.

If you haven’t already, make sure to pay the $11.99 in the shop for your ticket. We also recommend saving up some money, as realistically you will probably have to buy a handful of Remote Raid Passes.

About The Author

Brent is a former writer at Dexerto based in the United States, who covered topics such as Pokemon, Gaming, and online Entertainment.