For the past couple of years, Niantic has consistently been running special events in Pokemon GO. Last year, it had a special fighting-type event called Battle Showdown, which has now returned and will last until March 12 at 1:00pm Pacific time.

Like the previous Battle Showdown event, the main hook for Pokemon GO players is the chance to catch fighting-type Pokemon they may still need for their collection. While the event is live, Pokemon GO fans can expect to see more of Mankey, Machop, Makuhita, and Meditite in the wild, which should make getting their evolved forms much easier as well. And to spice things up, players may also encounter shiny Machop or shiny Mankey while they're out fighting-type catching Pokemon.

While Pokemon GO players are playing the game during Battle Showdown, they have some bonuses to look forward to, including double stardust for catches, battling, and fighting in raids. Players will also earn double XP for earning Gym Badges. Additionally, Trainer Battles will yield a total of five rewards per day, whereas team leader challenges will yield up to three rewards. Rare Candy is now included in the pool of battle rewards while the Battle Showdown event is live.

pokemon go machop and mankey

And finally, Niantic is also introducing a new move to Pokemon GO as part of Battle Showdown. The new move is called Power-Up Punch, which can be learned by most fighting-types and some other Pokemon as well. Unlike the other Battle Showdown bonuses, Power-Up Punch is a permanent addition to the game, meaning players can get it even after the event ends on March 12.

Battle Showdown isn't the only thing Pokemon GO fans have to look forward to this month. They can also battle the legendary Pokemon Dialga in gyms, as well as participate in the next Community Day event. Niantic's tendency to announce surprise in-game events could mean that there are other special events to look forward to as well that have yet to be announced, so Pokemon GO fans should stay tuned for more information.

Pokemon GO is out now for iOS and Android mobile devices.

Source: Pokemon GO