Even unlucky Pokémon Go fans enjoyed ‘gold standard’ Slumbering Sands and everyone wants more

Slumbering Sands is over in Pokémon Go, but players wish it wasn’t; they’re praising Niantic for the event and hoping future events come with similar charm.

During Slumbering Sands in Pokémon Go (which ran from June 7 to June 12), everyone was treated to double XP, surprise encounters, boosted Shiny odds, nice research rewards, and an adorable new costumed Slakoth line. In a June 12 Reddit thread, players discussed what made this event more worthwhile than some of the previous ones—and many quickly agreed it should be the litmus for future events in this style.

At first glance, the biggest appeal seems like it has something to do with the Shinies. Not only did Shiny Komala make its Pokémon Go debut, but it also came with boosted Shiny odds when encountered via Field Research. The same went for the cute Slakoth wearing a visor. The extra little Shiny boost made their introductions all the more special and encouraged players to hunt and do the Field Research. “The field research really motivated me to grind. I walked even more than usual to do a ton of field research,” one player said. “I never get shiny luck normally and was shocked when my first Komala encounter was shiny,” another added.

Unfortunately, other players were not so lucky. But even if they ended the event without finding any Shinies, multiple players admitted they still liked Slumbering Sands. “Got zero shinies but loved the XP boost,” one stated. The great thing about the double XP for catching Pokémon was it had nothing to do with luck, and any player could easily benefit. So even if you walked away empty-handed on the Shiny side of things, it’s not like your time was completely wasted since more XP was your consolation prize. And if we happen to stumble upon Shinies during that time, then that’s a bonus and something else to celebrate.

With overall positive feedback on the event, Pokémon Go players like the original poster hope Niantic will “continue to add variety to events like this instead of just more tickets.” Indeed, it would definitely be nice to sprinkle in more perks like boosted XP and Shiny odds during future events. That way, Go players will be eager to hop back into the handheld game, catch more ‘mons, and crush more research tasks.

The game’s next big event is Pokémon Go Fest 2024: Madrid on June 14.