It’s time to stock up on Poké Balls and clear your schedule — Pokémon Go is hosting a Machop Community Day Classic on Saturday, May 24, and it’s packed with reasons to get outside and start catching.
From 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. local time, Machop will be flooding the map, giving Trainers a great chance to snag shinies, grind Stardust, and prep for the arrival of a big new addition the next day.
More Machop, More Shinies
The main highlight? Increased shiny odds for Machop. If you’ve played Community Days before, you probably already know the drill. These events usually offer around a 1 in 24 chance of finding a shiny — so if you keep moving and tapping throughout the three-hour window, you’re very likely to walk away with at least a few green Machop.
Don’t have hours to spare? That’s okay. Just drop an Incense and go shiny-checking: tap each Machop that appears, look for the sparkle, and back out if it’s not shiny. Pro tip: once you tap a Pokémon, it will face your character, so you can quickly tell which ones you’ve already checked.
Get the Exclusive Move: Payback
If you evolve Machoke into Machamp anytime between May 24 at 2 p.m. and May 31 at 10 p.m., your new Machamp will learn the exclusive move Payback. It’s a Dark-type charged move, which isn’t essential for PvE battles but can come in handy in specific PvP matchups.
If you miss this evolution window, don’t worry too much — you’ll likely have another shot during the December Community Day weekend, when Niantic usually lets players evolve past Community Day Pokémon for legacy moves. Or you could just use an Elite TM.
Is Machamp Still Worth Powering Up?
Short answer: absolutely.
Machamp remains one of the best non-legendary Fighting-types for raid battles and general PvE content. While it’s technically outclassed by Legendaries and Megas like Terrakion, Lucario, and Mega Blaziken, a well-leveled Machamp still puts in work — especially if you’re tackling Team GO Rocket leaders or need a solid counter for certain raids.
For PvE battles, Counter + Dynamic Punch is still the go-to moveset. However, if you’re planning ahead for Gigantamax Machamp, which launches the day after the event, you might want to hang onto your best IV Machops and save some candy. Gigantamax Machamp is expected to shine in Max Battles, and it may prefer a slightly different moveset depending on the game mode — possibly something like Low Kick, since it charges energy faster.
In PvP, Shadow Machamp is actually pretty viable. According to PvP experts, a combo of Karate Chop, Cross Chop, and Stone Edge gives it strong coverage and fast pressure in Great and Ultra Leagues.
Community Day Bonuses
Of course, no Community Day would be complete without some juicy in-game bonuses. Here’s what’s on the table for this event:
- 3× Stardust from catches
- 3-hour Incense duration
- 3-hour Lure Modules
- Snapshot photobomb surprise from Machop
- Timed Research with more Machop and shiny chances until May 31
So even if you can’t play the full three hours on Saturday, you’ll have extra chances to get shiny Machop through the Timed Research event, which continues through the end of the month. And yes, the boosted shiny odds stick around for that, too.
Tips to Maximize the Event
Here are some quick tips to get the most out of your time:
- Pop a Star Piece during the event to triple your Stardust gains even further.
- Use a Mega Evolution (like Mega Heracross, Lucario, Blaziken, or Medicham) to earn bonus Machop Candy per catch.
- Try the quick catch technique to speed up encounters and cover more ground.
- Trade before evolving — Machop evolves into Machoke with 25 candy, but Machoke to Machamp normally costs 100 candy. If you trade Machoke, the evolution becomes free!
Why This Event Matters
For newer players or anyone still building out their team, this event is a goldmine. Between the triple Stardust, the flood of Machop, and the chance to evolve into a top-tier fighter with a legacy move, there’s a lot to gain in a short amount of time.
Plus, with Gigantamax Machamp arriving just one day later, this is your last-minute prep window to stockpile candy, get high-IV options, and build your dream fighter. If you’re into Max Raids, PvE grinding, or just want a flex-worthy shiny lineup, this is your shot.
So, clear your calendar for Saturday, charge your phone, and get ready to throw hands — metaphorically and literally.
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