Complete guide to catching, evolving, and finding Shiny Drilbur in Pokemon Go with advanced strategies and event tips
Introduction: The Unova Mole’s Power
While this sturdy Ground-type mole Pokemon might seem unassuming at first glance, dedicated trainers know that Drilbur represents a valuable investment for any serious Pokemon Go roster. Originating from the Unova region (Generation 5), this digging Pokemon serves as the essential precursor to one of the game’s most formidable Steel-type attackers.
Understanding Drilbur’s role requires looking ahead to its evolution: Excadrill. In competitive main-series battles, Excadrill earned a fearsome reputation thanks to its unique Ground/Steel typing, impressive base stats, and versatile movepool that allowed it to handle numerous threats.
This combat prowess translates remarkably well to Pokemon Go’s mechanics. Excadrill functions as a premier Steel-type raid attacker, particularly valuable against Fairy, Ice, and Rock-type raid bosses. It also holds its own in PvP battles, especially in the Master League where its typing provides key resistances. Therefore, acquiring and evolving Drilbur isn’t just about collection—it’s a strategic move for enhancing your battle capabilities.
How to Catch Drilbur: Multiple Methods Explained
The most reliable method to obtain Drilbur is during Pokemon Go’s Sustainability Week event. From Monday, April 22, 2024, at 10:00 AM local time through Friday, April 26, 2024, at 8:00 PM local time, Drilbur will be hatchable from 2km Pokemon Eggs. This presents an excellent opportunity, as event egg pools typically feature increased hatch rates for the highlighted Pokemon.
Outside of this limited-time event, trainers have several consistent avenues for encountering Drilbur. It can spawn in the wild, particularly in sunny or clear weather which boosts Ground-type appearances. Drilbur also appears as a potential reward encounter for completing certain Field Research tasks, as a prize for defeating Team Go Rocket Grunts (especially those using Ground-type Pokemon), and as a possible reward from the Go Battle League. Occasionally, it features in one-star Raid battles, providing a guaranteed catch opportunity.
Pro Tips for Efficient Catching:
- Weather Boost: Hunt during Sunny/Clear weather for increased wild spawns and higher-level Drilbur (up to level 35).
- Egg Strategy: During Sustainability Week, focus on clearing egg inventory space before the event starts to maximize 2km egg acquisition.
- Research Stacking: Save completed Field Research encounters that reward Drilbur until you have a Star Piece or Lucky Egg active for bonus Stardust/XP.
- Common Mistake: Don’t waste Premium Battle Passes on Drilbur raids unless you desperately need candy—its one-star raids are easily soloable with a regular pass.
Evolving Drilbur into Excadrill: Candy Management
The evolution from Drilbur to Excadrill requires 50 Drilbur Candies. This is a standard evolution cost for single-stage evolutions in Pokemon Go. There is no special item requirement, unlike some other Pokemon evolutions.
Candy acquisition follows standard mechanics: catching a Drilbur yields 3 Candy (or 6 with a Pinap Berry, 9 with a Silver Pinap Berry). Transferring a Drilbur to Professor Willow provides 1 additional Candy. Walking with Drilbur as your Buddy Pokemon will also generate Candy—1 Candy per 3km walked.
Advanced Candy Farming Strategies:
- Berry Optimization: Always use Pinap Berries when catching Drilbur if your throw confidence is high. Silver Pinap Berries are best saved for high-IV or weather-boosted specimens.
- Trading for Candy: Trade Drilbur with friends—the trade yields 1 Candy for the trader, and if traded from 100km+ apart, you get 3 Candies total.
- Mega Evolution Boost: Activate a Mega-Evolved Ground or Steel-type Pokemon (like Mega Steelix) before catching or transferring Drilbur for +1 bonus Candy per action.
- Common Evolution Mistake: Avoid evolving your first Drilbur immediately. Wait to catch several, compare IVs, and evolve your strongest specimen, preferably one with 15 Attack IV for maximum damage output.
Once evolved, Excadrill becomes a formidable addition to your team. Its best moveset for raids is Metal Claw (Fast) and Iron Head (Charged). For PvP, consider Mud Shot with Drill Run and Iron Head for coverage.
Shiny Drilbur Hunting Guide
Yes, Shiny Drilbur is available in Pokemon Go. Its Shiny form was released alongside its standard variant, meaning it has been obtainable since Drilbur’s debut in the game. However, like most Shiny Pokemon, its base encounter rate is approximately 1 in 500 (the standard full-odds rate).
Your odds improve dramatically during events like Sustainability Week. During such featured events, Shiny rates for the highlighted Pokemon are often boosted to approximately 1 in 64 (or sometimes 1 in 128), making this the optimal time to hunt.
Visually, Shiny Drilbur swaps its usual blue-gray body for a paler gray tone, with its distinctive stripes changing from blue to a noticeable red. This color scheme reverses upon evolution—Shiny Excadrill gains bright blue markings on its primarily gray body. While not the most dramatic color palette change in the game, the red stripes make Shiny Drilbur easily distinguishable during quick-catching sessions.
Efficient Shiny Hunting Techniques:
- Fast-Catch Method: Master the fast-catch technique to check more spawns per hour during events.
- Incense & Lures: Use Daily Adventure Incense and regular Lures during event hours to maximize spawn points.
- Community Coordination: Join local Discord or WhatsApp groups where trainers call out Shiny sightings—some areas may have Shiny “nests” or clusters during events.
- Pity Timer Awareness: While not officially confirmed, many trainers believe Pokemon Go has soft mercy systems—the more you check, the better your eventual odds.
Advanced Trainer Strategies
Beyond simply acquiring Drilbur and Excadrill, strategic trainers should consider several optimization approaches to maximize their utility.
Battle Preparation: Excadrill’s dual typing gives it resistances to Normal, Flying, Rock, Bug, Steel, Psychic, Dragon, Fairy, and Poison attacks (double resistance to Poison). It’s weak to Fire, Fighting, Ground, and Water moves. Use it strategically against raid bosses like Tapu Lele, Terrakion, or Nihilego where its typing shines.
Resource Management: Stockpile Drilbur Candy beyond the 50 needed for evolution. Excadrill benefits from powering up, especially for Master League PvP where it often needs to be at or near level 40. Consider using Rare Candies on Excadrill only if you have surplus—it’s generally better used on Legendary Pokemon.
Team Building: Excadrill pairs well with Pokemon that cover its weaknesses. Consider teams with Kyogre or Gyarados to handle Fire and Ground threats, or Togekiss to counter Fighting types. In raids, pair Excadrill with other top Steel-types like Metagross or Shadow Metagross for maximum damage output.
Long-Term Investment: Hold onto high-IV Drilbur (especially 15/15/15 or 15/14/12+ for PvP) for potential future Community Day events. While not announced, many Pokemon eventually receive Community Days featuring exclusive moves.
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That’s everything trainers need to know about catching Drilbur in Pokemon Go. For more Pokemon Go content, check out the links below:
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