"These Sinnoh starters are a menace": Pokemon GO Road to Sinnoh leaves players frustrated

Pokemon GO's Road to Sinnoh event saw the return of the region's beloved starter Pokemon Chimchar, Turtwig, and Piplup in the wild and raids. Their first evolutions, Monferno, Grotle, and Prinplup, were also made available, but trainers are having a tough time catching them. This led to a frustrated post by Redditor u/Conhound, sharing the difficulty they've had catching the starters:

"These Sinnoh starters are a menace. Razzes gone. Pokeballs gone. Weather Boosted Turtwig. 11 attempts to catch one Piplup. Life is suffering."

Many Pokemon GO players agreed to Conhound's post in the comments, sharing stories of how many resources they've spent trying to catch the Sinnoh starter trio during their time in the Road to Sinnoh event. However, other trainers pointed out the simple truth of the matter: that starter Pokemon have always been tough catches in Niantic's mobile title.

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Pokemon GO players share their frustrations with catching Sinnoh starters during Road to Sinnoh

Although Pokemon GO's starter 'mons have historically had fairly low catch rates (the Sinnoh starters reportedly have a catch percentage of 10%, while their first evolutions clock in at 7%), trainers nonetheless vented their struggles and lamented their loss of berries. Even with auto-catchers or well-placed Poke Ball throws, players remarked that they experienced several starters fleeing.

Some trainers wondered why, since the Road to Sinnoh event was focused on the Sinnoh region, Niantic did not make the starter Pokemon easier to catch. While there are several likely answers, the most straightforward one suggests that having hard-to-catch starters leads to players staying engaged in the event and spending real-world money to get more Poke Balls for their catching pursuits.

Fans remarked on the irony of starter Pokemon being difficult to catch since they're given away for free in the main Pokemon games. User u/Additional-Curve-4 even remarked that they'd disabled their auto-catcher because they'd completely run out of Poke Balls. Some Pokemon GO trainers simply wanted more catch candy for the starters they already had, complicating matters further.

While many Pokemon GO players shared their disappointment and struggle in catching Sinnoh's starters, others simply brushed the issue off. This is understandable, as Sinnoh's starters seemingly haven't had their base capture rates altered for the Road to Sinnoh event, so catching them during this event would be no different than if they were caught outside of it.

Moreover, with the global portion of the Pokemon GO Sinnoh Tour taking place on February 24 and 25, 2024, there will be no shortage of Chimchar, Piplup, or Turtwig to encounter and catch, including their evolutions. Still, it's understandable for fans to need a place to blow off steam as they watch continuous starter Pokemon - including shinies - flee from them somewhat regularly.

Although Niantic is unlikely to change Sinnoh's starter Pokemon catch rates for February's Sinnoh-themed events in Pokemon GO, trainers can at least take heart knowing that they have plenty of opportunities to catch all three of the starters. Moreover, if they're landing many excellent throws, they should be able to make progress toward shiny Shaymin's Masterwork Research questline.