Lured Up - A Pokémon GO Podcast

Lured Up Podcast Live Streamed on - 10/15/25 Publish Date - 10/17/25 The wait for the Level 80 rebalance made October 15th one of the longest days ever. From little to no communication from Niantic, Trainers had no clear answer as to when the rebalance would happen. As the day went on patience grew thin, the anger started boiling over, and the crash outs began. Finally, at around 4pm ET the update launched and the community took a deep breath and focused on the path ahead. The last week of gameplay included the Harvest Festival and Solosis Community Day, which gave Trainers some fun and varied gameplay. Mossy Lures covered the gameboard and the events and bonuses stacking made for an awesome Sunday. Even with the failed launch of Weekly Challenges, many Trainers had an awesome time playing over the weekend. The Legends Z-A event hits this week, and the event is a bit lackluster. While it does bring a branching Timed Research, this event on paper seems to be a bit slower than what we have been used to lately. This weekend however, brings the return of Mega Rayquaza which will surely bring Trainers out. We look to Pokebattler and GO Hub to put together a Raid Guide and Battle Party.pro-tip, bring Ice. We close things out with a discussion around November’s Into The WIld event. With an event ticket and it’s own GO Pass, it begs the question of how much is too much. The overlapping spending opportunities press our ability to say no, especially when the Silver Bottle Cap is part of the rewards for the Deluxe GO Pass. Let us know what you thing, not just about the amount of event tickets, but the newer trend of overlapping GO Passes, which may put some Trainers over budget. Harvest Festival Solosis Community Day Level 80 Rebalance Weekly Challenges Weekly Challenge Fail Legends Z-A Event Mega Rayquaza Raid Day Mega Rayquaza Pokebattler Mega Rayquaza GO Hub Into The Wild Stay up to date by adding our Google Calendar to your account! LuredUp@PokemonProfessor.com     Voicemail and SMS: 732-835-8639  Connect with us on multiple platforms! https://linktr.ee/PokemonProfessorNetwork  Hosts Ken Pescatore Adam Tuttle Writer and Producer Ken Pescatore Executive Producer  Xander Show music provided by GameChops and licensed through Creative Commons ▾ FOLLOW GAMECHOPS ▾ http://instagram.com/GameChops http://twitter.com/GameChops http://soundcloud.com/GameChops http://facebook.com/GameChops http://youtube.com/GameChops http://www.gamechops.com Intro Music Lake Verity (Drum & Bass Remix)  Tetracase GameChops - Ultraball http://gamechops.com/ultraball/ https://soundcloud.com/tetracase  https://soundcloud.com/MegaFlare0 Break Music National Park Mikel & GameChops GameChops - Poké & Chill http://smarturl.it/pokechill https://twitter.com/mikel_beats Outro Music Vast Poni Canyon CG5 & GlitchxCity (Future Bass Remix) GameChops - Ultraball http://gamechops.com/ultraball/  http://soundcloud.com/cg5-beats https://soundcloud.com/glitchxcity Pokémon And All Respective Names are Trademark and © of Nintendo 1996-2025 Pokémon GO is Trademark and © of Niantic, Inc.Lured Up and the Pokémon Professor Network are not affiliated with Niantic Inc., The Pokémon Company, Game Freak or Nintendo. #pokemon #pokemongo #podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Lured Up Podcast 366 - Find Your Way Live Streamed on - 10/7/25 Publish Date - 10/10/25 It’s another news heavy week as Niantic continues to pump out blog after blog. With the last week including Mega Metagross and DMAX Duraludon, many Trainers had an active and busy weekend of gameplay and it doesn’t appear to be letting up anytime soon. This next week brings us the Harvest Festival, which if Trainers want to make the most of, will put the GO Plus+ on the back burner and require faces to be in front of screens. This is a great technique by Niantic to get Trainers re-engaged with focused gameplay. GMAX Grimmsnarl has been announced for the GO Wild Area, as the event keeps getting stronger and stronger. This event has cemented its place in the annual major event lineup and is getting the features and releases to back that up. Hopefully we will see significant differentiation between it and other events like GO Fest or GO Tour. Perhaps they can deliver a unique experience via a GO Pass or Special Research. We skim over a bunch of events that will arrive in the coming weeks, with the most notable being the return of Mega Rayquaza. This is one of those events that will have the hand of Eternatus reaching into Trainer’s pockets and urging them to Raid as much as possible. There aren’t too many Pokémon that will bring people out than Rayquaza. Still no word on if we will see any guaranteed Meteorites or how that will work this time around. Wayfarer has detailed their 2025-2026 roadmap, and it looks to become a more personal tool. From monthly recognition emails to the mention of a new Wayfarer map, this is a great time to get involved. We discuss the incredible feeling of having a POI added to the game as well as the agony of defeat when things get rejected. Some Wayfinders consider Wayfarer its own game, and the roadmap is looking to support it with new tools and features. Make sure you check out the Wayspotters Podcast to learn more about how you can get involved! Mega Metagross Raid Day Steel Skyline October Content Update Harvest Festival GO Wild Area October GO Pass Halloween GO Pass Mega Rayquaza Raid Day Legends Z-A Event Festival of Lights Golden Goal Time Halloween Part 1 Wayfarer Road Map Ingress Intel Map Wayfarer Test LuredUp@PokemonProfessor.com     Voicemail and SMS: 732-835-8639  Connect with us on multiple platforms! https://linktr.ee/PokemonProfessorNetwork  Hosts Ken Pescatore Adam Tuttle Writer and Producer Ken Pescatore Executive Producer  Xander Show music provided by GameChops and licensed through Creative Commons ▾ FOLLOW GAMECHOPS ▾ http://instagram.com/GameChops http://twitter.com/GameChops http://soundcloud.com/GameChops http://facebook.com/GameChops http://youtube.com/GameChops http://www.gamechops.com Intro Music Lake Verity (Drum & Bass Remix)  Tetracase GameChops - Ultraball http://gamechops.com/ultraball/ https://soundcloud.com/tetracase  https://soundcloud.com/MegaFlare0 Break Music National Park Mikel & GameChops GameChops - Poké & Chill http://smarturl.it/pokechill https://twitter.com/mikel_beats Outro Music Vast Poni Canyon CG5 & GlitchxCity (Future Bass Remix) GameChops - Ultraball http://gamechops.com/ultraball/  http://soundcloud.com/cg5-beats https://soundcloud.com/glitchxcity Pokémon And All Respective Names are Trademark and © of Nintendo 1996-2025 Pokémon GO is Trademark and © of Niantic, Inc.Lured Up and the Pokémon Professor Network are not affiliated with Niantic Inc., The Pokémon Company, Game Freak or Nintendo. #pokemon #pokemongo #podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Lured Up Podcast 365 Live Streamed on - 9/30/25 Publish Date - 10/3/2025 When you think about it, this week was completely normal. Wake up, open the game, go to work, come home, go to bed, then repeat. The culture of routines that this game has created provide Trainers with the consistent backbone to their day. As Pokémon GO Trainers, we really do have a unique approach to how we game, with gameplay styles that are diverse and personalized. Being a current Pokémon GO Trainer is a great thing.  Mega Camerupt gave IRL Trainers the opportunity to have another day of grinding which could evolve into a Trade Day afterparty. With most events happening on Sundays, it lines up perfectly, but for next Saturday’s Meta Metagross Raid Day, we may see the first stand alone Trade Day Campfire events. We can’t hype up enough how awesome Trade Days are and how they managed to create a weekly event that pairs perfectly with off screen activities.  Looking at the October Calendar, we see a balanced month of events, new releases, and the return of the Halloween Event. Mega Metagross has been a long time coming so we put together a Battle Party and check out Pokebattler and GO Hub to review what counters to bring. Hopefully we see some fun and unique battle parties out there as the Counter list is exceptionally diverse. Let us know what you are bringing! We wrap things up by spending a hypothetical $20 in the webstore and opening a conversation about spending in general. One thing the game does well is to tap into our emotions to influence spending, even when the purchase may not lead to what you want or expect. Impulsive behaviors, FOMO, and so many other factors play a role in how much and how often we spend. Does this give Trainers agency to be an individual, or does it drive Trainers apart? We dig in deep! Completely Normal Mega Camerupt Raid Day Steel Skyline October Content Update Harvest Festival Mega Metagross Raid Day Mega Metagross GO Hub Mega Metagross Pokebattler Pokémon GO Web Store LuredUp@PokemonProfessor.com     Voicemail and SMS: 732-835-8639  Stay up to date by adding our Google Calendar to your account! Connect with us on multiple platforms! https://linktr.ee/PokemonProfessorNetwork  Hosts Ken Pescatore Adam Tuttle Writer and Producer Ken Pescatore Executive Producer  Xander Show music provided by GameChops and licensed through Creative Commons ▾ FOLLOW GAMECHOPS ▾ http://instagram.com/GameChops http://twitter.com/GameChops http://soundcloud.com/GameChops http://facebook.com/GameChops http://youtube.com/GameChops http://www.gamechops.com Intro Music Lake Verity (Drum & Bass Remix)  Tetracase GameChops - Ultraball http://gamechops.com/ultraball/ https://soundcloud.com/tetracase  https://soundcloud.com/MegaFlare0 Break Music National Park Mikel & GameChops GameChops - Poké & Chill http://smarturl.it/pokechill https://twitter.com/mikel_beats Outro Music Vast Poni Canyon CG5 & GlitchxCity (Future Bass Remix) GameChops - Ultraball http://gamechops.com/ultraball/  http://soundcloud.com/cg5-beats https://soundcloud.com/glitchxcity Pokémon And All Respective Names are Trademark and © of Nintendo 1996-2025 Pokémon GO is Trademark and © of Niantic, Inc.Lured Up and the Pokémon Professor Network are not affiliated with Niantic Inc., The Pokémon Company, Game Freak or Nintendo. #pokemon #pokemongo #podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Lured Up Podcast 364 Live Streamed on - 9/23/25 Publish Date - 9/26/25 This week had a first with Scopely retweeting Pokémon GO which reminded Trainers that the Niantic acquisition was completed months ago. With the comments being somewhat tame so far, we inappropriately speculate on if we think the hyper passionate and emotional X mob will give Scopely a fair chance on social, or if the baton will be passed directly to them from Niantic. With the team members being the same, we know the same devs are still pushing the buttons. As for social, particularly NianticHelp, we are yet to see the names and branding flip to reflect Scopely. We know one thing for sure, we hope Scopely is ready to take on PGO social media. We start with a recap of the last week of gameplay including the Psychic Spectacular: Taken Over and Shadow Groudon Raid Weekend. While the event pace has slowed down a bit, the Today View is more stacked than ever, with multiple Timed and Special Research stacking on top of each other. With three upcoming weekends of Max Battle and Raid Days, we talk about what kind of value we get from DMAX vs Mega Pokémon. This week brings us Mega Camerupt, followed by DMAX Duraludon releasing along with its Shiny, followed up by Mega Metagross which has been a long time coming. With most Trainers having already invested in good IV Metagross, what appeals to you more: DMAX or Megas? Large scale IRL events are in the news this week as City Safaris in Valencia and Amsterdam are happening this weekend, and a Save-The-Date post was shared for GO Tour. With both of these events having a unique presentation and feel, they compliment GO Fest events well, and promote travel, which is something we feel makes this game so special. No worries if you can’t travel, GO Tour Global will be happening one week after the in person event. Finally we wrap up with a conversation about a topic that has been around for a while. Content creators being rude to the developer and claiming that it is constructive criticism. With so many ways to sway a community, and so many avenues as a creator to speak directly to the developer, we question why some on social media insist on slipping in a dig when commenting about the game.  Psychic Spectacular: Taken Over Shadow Groudon Raid Weekend Completely Normal Mega Camerupt Raid Day Mega Camerupt Pokebattler Mega Camerupt GO Hub Steel Skyline Mega Metagross Raid Day City Safaris Dancing in the Moonlight Harvest Festival Scopely enters the chat Joe Merrick JRESeawolf As The Pokéball Turns David Hernandez GoFundMe Buy Some Merch! Stay up to date by adding our Google Calendar to your account! LuredUp@PokemonProfessor.com     Voicemail and SMS: 732-835-8639  Use code FULLHEAL at https://tgacards.com/ for 10% off your order! Connect with us on multiple platforms! https://linktr.ee/PokemonProfessorNetwork  Hosts Ken Pescatore Adam Tuttle Writer and Producer Ken Pescatore Executive Producer  Xander Show music provided by GameChops and licensed through Creative Commons ▾ FOLLOW GAMECHOPS ▾ http://instagram.com/GameChops http://twitter.com/GameChops http://soundcloud.com/GameChops http://facebook.com/GameChops http://youtube.com/GameChops http://www.gamechops.com Intro Music Lake Verity (Drum & Bass Remix)  Tetracase GameChops - Ultraball http://gamechops.com/ultraball/ https://soundcloud.com/tetracase  https://soundcloud.com/MegaFlare0 Break Music National Park Mikel & GameChops GameChops - Poké & Chill http://smarturl.it/pokechill https://twitter.com/mikel_beats Outro Music Vast Poni Canyon CG5 & GlitchxCity (Future Bass Remix) GameChops - Ultraball http://gamechops.com/ultraball/  http://soundcloud.com/cg5-beats https://soundcloud.com/glitchxcity Pokémon And All Respective Names are Trademark and © of Nintendo 1996-2025 Pokémon GO is Trademark and © of Niantic, Inc.Lured Up and the Pokémon Professor Network are not affiliated with Niantic Inc., The Pokémon Company, Game Freak or Nintendo. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Lured Up Podcast 363 Live Streamed on - 9/16/25 Publish Date - 9/19/25 The Concierge Event kept Trainers busy and having a good time with a fun encounter pool and Shiny hunts. If you haven’t watched Concierge on Netflix yet, it is something you should do ASAP. Pokémon GO deals with such a high volume of Pokémon, it is nice when animation reminds us that Pokémon have personalities.Having Flabébé Community Day over the weekend broke things up nicely, while the fan favorite Trade Day closed out the weekend. The Psychic Spectacular is back and this time it has been Taken Over by Team GO Rocket. Perfect for Trainers trudging through Level 44, this may have been the shortest gap between Team GO Rocket events. We run through the event and dig in to the updated Shadow lineups from Grunts and Team Leaders. Rescuing Shadow Incarnate Form Tornadus should be on everyone’s list, and should be somewhat quick to complete as you can get a Super Rocket Radar from Research. Shadow Groudon comes back to us this weekend so we put together a little Raid Guide and Battle Party to get you prepped. With some fun counters including Mega Evolution and Shadow Pokémon, we hope you have a sizable Raid Party that allows you to get creative with things. Some highlights from our parties include Ken bringing 3 Hundo Kyogres, with each of them being a little bit different, and Adam bringing Pokémon like Golisipod that may have never seen a Raid Battle to date! While we do have some info on Mega Camerupt Raid Day and Solosis Community Day, we close things out with a conversation around game-life balance, and how it may take you being a bit creative to get the most gameplay in. We discuss ways to have the game be less invasive on your personal and professional lives, and how there is so much value in playing this game solo. Has the onslaught of events impacted the adventure aspect of this game? Perhaps it is up to the Trainer to revisit a more adventurous play style and get out there, even without an active event or group to meetup with. Pokémon Concierge Celebration Flabébé Community Day Psychic Spectacular: Taken Over Shadow Groudon Raid Weekend Shadow Groudon GO Hub Shadow Groudon Pokebattler New Grunt Shadows New Arlo Shadows New Sierra Shadows New Cliff Shadows Mega Camerupt Raid Day Solosis Community Day Stay up to date by adding our Google Calendar to your account! LuredUp@PokemonProfessor.com     Voicemail and SMS: 732-835-8639  Use code FULLHEAL at https://tgacards.com/ for 10% off your order! Connect with us on multiple platforms! https://linktr.ee/PokemonProfessorNetwork  Hosts Ken Pescatore Adam Tuttle Writer and Producer Ken Pescatore Executive Producer  Xander Show music provided by GameChops and licensed through Creative Commons ▾ FOLLOW GAMECHOPS ▾ http://instagram.com/GameChops http://twitter.com/GameChops http://soundcloud.com/GameChops http://facebook.com/GameChops http://youtube.com/GameChops http://www.gamechops.com Intro Music Lake Verity (Drum & Bass Remix)  Tetracase GameChops - Ultraball http://gamechops.com/ultraball/ https://soundcloud.com/tetracase  https://soundcloud.com/MegaFlare0 Break Music National Park Mikel & GameChops GameChops - Poké & Chill http://smarturl.it/pokechill https://twitter.com/mikel_beats Outro Music Vast Poni Canyon CG5 & GlitchxCity (Future Bass Remix) GameChops - Ultraball http://gamechops.com/ultraball/  http://soundcloud.com/cg5-beats https://soundcloud.com/glitchxcity Pokémon And All Respective Names are Trademark and © of Nintendo 1996-2025 Pokémon GO is Trademark and © of Niantic, Inc.Lured Up and the Pokémon Professor Network are not affiliated with Niantic Inc., The Pokémon Company, Game Freak or Nintendo. #pokemon #pokemongo #podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Lured Up Podcast 362 Live Streamed on - 3/9/25 Publish Date - 3/12/25 We think Trainers had a lot more fun celebrating Kanto than they thought they would. With a diverse spawn pool, plenty of fan favorites, and some nice bonuses, it really was a good time. Last weekend we had Mega Sharpedo, which was surprisingly popular, bringing out strong numbers on the ground, with a good helping of Remote Raiders as well. It was a bit nice to only have a single 2-5pm event over the weekend, as it gave us time to recover, prep, and spend time with our families! We hope this is the pacing we see moving forward. Trade Days may be one of the best incentives to IRL play that we have seen in a long time. Who knew that just adding an additional Lucky Trade would motivate people to reach the end of an event and want to keep the gameplay going with a trade session. We are major supporters of this new bonus, and think it will only grow in popularity as Communities build it into their meetup schedules. Nothing better than grabbing some food after an event, talking shop, and banging out 100 trades. There is still a lot of September gameplay left this month with the return of the Psychic Spectacular, Shadow Groudon Raid Weekend and the newly announced Completely Normal event. Even though this Psychic Spectacular is a Taken Over event, the core event has been a staple on the Pokémon GO annual calendar for years. We take a close look at Niantic’s blog’s for the event over the last few years and how they have changed. From fully detailed spawn lists with images, to just a list, to a now, very shortened list, the community has feelings. For some it is a non-issue, but for others, they feel mistreated, almost assuming Niantic has some malicious intent in removing a few Pokémon from this list. Adam brings up a good point in how this game rarely if ever surprises us. Maybe this is a simple way to add some actual surprise in needing to adventure a bit to get the big picture. Finally, we touch on how some quality of life and interface updates have upset some Trainers online, reminding us that some people will simply be upset at anything and everything. Kanto Celebration Mega Sharpedo Raid Day Concierge Celebration Trade Days Flabébé Community Day Psychic Spectacular: Taken Over Shadow Groudon Raid Weekend Completely Normal Psychic Spectacular Blog 2023 Pyschic Spectacular Blog 2024 Stay up to date by adding our Google Calendar to your account! LuredUp@PokemonProfessor.com Voicemail and SMS: 732-835-8639 Use code FULLHEAL at https://tgacards.com/ for 10% off your order! Connect with us on multiple platforms! https://linktr.ee/PokemonProfessorNetwork Hosts Ken Pescatore Adam Tuttle Writer and Producer Ken Pescatore Executive Producer Xander Show music provided by GameChops and licensed through Creative Commons ▾ FOLLOW GAMECHOPS ▾ http://instagram.com/GameChops http://twitter.com/GameChops http://soundcloud.com/GameChops http://facebook.com/GameChops http://youtube.com/GameChops http://www.gamechops.com Intro Music Lake Verity (Drum & Bass Remix) Tetracase GameChops - Ultraball http://gamechops.com/ultraball/ https://soundcloud.com/tetracase https://soundcloud.com/MegaFlare0 Break Music National Park Mikel & GameChops GameChops - Poké & Chill http://smarturl.it/pokechill https://twitter.com/mikel_beats Outro Music Vast Poni Canyon CG5 & GlitchxCity (Future Bass Remix) GameChops - Ultraball http://gamechops.com/ultraball/ http://soundcloud.com/cg5-beats https://soundcloud.com/glitchxcity Pokémon And All Respective Names are Trademark and © of Nintendo 1996-2025 Pokémon GO is Trademark and © of Niantic, Inc. Lured Up and the Pokémon Professor Network are not affiliated with Niantic Inc., The Pokémon Company, Game Freak or Nintendo. #pokemon #pokemongo #podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Here is the scene… You are winding down towards the end of your Raid Day, walking down a hill with the remaining members of your Campfire. You reach the waterfront just as the sun is dropping below the horizon, lighting up the gameboard in an amber glow. Trainers are scattered about, and everyone is having an incredible time. Sounds like the best, right? We think so.  We kick things off with a recap of the last week, with another triple threat weekend. The Kanto Celebration has us smiling when Snorlax appears, as our weekend brings us Rookidee Community Day and Mega Gyarados Raid Day. The calendar fatigue has been real, and sometimes you need a hard reset. The repetitive nature we see in this game sometimes makes it easy to pick an event to sit out, or at least the event that will bring the least amount of FOMO. Mega Sharpedo will debut this weekend, with a Raid Day that should be popular with the Community. Mega Raids can be done with fewer Trainers than some Legendaries, so Mega Raid Days can move quickly, offer high accessibility, and breathe new life into existing Pokémon already in our storage. Adam can brush off his multiple hundo Sharpedo and decide what to do with his squad of Hundo Carvana. The addition of Trade Days make any Sunday event more attractive, and something tells us there will be plenty of Shiny Mega Sharpedo trades going down. We glaze over the remaining events of the month, as we have over a week until they arrive. Team GO Rocket is back with the Psychic Spectacular: Taken Over, which takes us into Shadow Groudon Raid Weekend. The pacing remains high, which pairs well when the community is feeling good. The September GO Pass however, has some Trainers feeling a bit left out. Our final convo of the game is about player expectation, and how like the Timed Incubator, you get out what you put in. With Niantic slash Scopely putting more and more into IRL gameplay, the experience itself can sometimes outweigh the event. That is the lightning in a bottle. The experience behind community events, the magic that happens off screen, the friendships that we make along the way. All of these things create an environment that Trainers of all skill levels, ambitions, or financial investment can get behind. That environment is what some perspectives on line are lacking, as Community experiences aren’t created through paid tickets, rewards, or bonuses. The Campfire events are becoming the star of the show, and we are here for it. Rookidee Community Day Mega Gyarados Raid Day Kanto Celebration Mega Sharpedo Raid Day Mega Sharpedo GO Hub Mega Sharpedo Pokebattler GO Pass Trade Days Psychic Spectacular: Taken Over Shadow Groudon Raid Weekend Stay up to date by adding our Google Calendar to your account! LuredUp@PokemonProfessor.com     Voicemail and SMS: 732-835-8639  Connect with us on multiple platforms! https://linktr.ee/PokemonProfessorNetwork  Executive Producer  Xander Show music provided by GameChops and licensed through Creative Commons ▾ FOLLOW GAMECHOPS ▾ http://instagram.com/GameChops http://twitter.com/GameChops http://soundcloud.com/GameChops http://facebook.com/GameChops http://youtube.com/GameChops http://www.gamechops.com Intro Music Lake Verity (Drum & Bass Remix)  Tetracase GameChops - Ultraball http://gamechops.com/ultraball/ https://soundcloud.com/tetracase  https://soundcloud.com/MegaFlare0 Break Music National Park Mikel & GameChops GameChops - Poké & Chill http://smarturl.it/pokechill https://twitter.com/mikel_beats Outro Music Vast Poni Canyon CG5 & GlitchxCity (Future Bass Remix) GameChops - Ultraball http://gamechops.com/ultraball/  http://soundcloud.com/cg5-beats https://soundcloud.com/glitchxcity Pokémon And All Respective Names are Trademark and © of Nintendo 1996-2025 Pokémon GO is Trademark and © of Niantic, Inc.Lured Up and the Pokémon Professor Network are not affiliated with Niantic Inc., The Pokémon Company, Game Freak or Nintendo. #pokemon #pokemongo #podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Lured Up Podcast 360 Live Streamed on - 8/26/25 Publish Date - 8/29/25 The Max Finale has come and gone and shockingly, the Community is split over how they feel about the event! OK, maybe not so shockingly, but the event did have some ups and downs. This caused emotions to flare online, even though Trainers on the ground seemed to be having the times of their lives. We knew with the lead in of Dark Skies that we had to come up with a game plan to maximize our gameplay. Do we spend the MP on the DMAX throughout the week, or do we hold back for the GMAX over the weekend. The GO Pass created a solid free to play foundation for Trainers to have agency over how they wanted to play, with the Finale itself feeling like a 16 hour long MAX Battle event. It only took about 1 or 2 Eternatus Max Battles for Trainers to figure out how they wanted their day to go, with the bulk of Trainers we interacted with, putting a low to zero priority on battling Eternatus.  That being said the other GMAX stole the show as spawns without a shiny boost felt a bit lackluster, even with the incredibly high spawn density. This was an Eternatus focused event, but oddly enough, for many Trainers, the Eternatus chase was over once they hit level 60 on their GO Pass. Only a small amount of Trainers were in for the long Eternatus haul, meaning not only an investment of money but also of time. Doing enough Battles to max out Eternatus could cost $200 or more. This caused the online community to sharpen their pitchforks, as the combo of FOMO and sunk cost fallacy collided.  Trainers on the ground seemed to have a blast, with Campfire meetups driving the train. Trainers had an incredible time and put in some serious distance while trekking throughout the event. It almost seemed like some were simply looking for an egg to throw, but to each their own right? The Max Finale was only part of the news this week, as Season 20, Tales of Transformation was announced, along with a level rebalancing that will bring the max level all the way up to 80! The roller coaster of emotions and feelings is doing loops and we are here to make sense of it all.  Dark Skies and the Max Finale G47IX Dark Skies Infographic G47IX Max Finale Infographic Sunkissed Shores Mega Gyarados Rookidee Community Day Tales of Transformation Leveling Update Pokémon Concierge Celebration Kanto Celebration Mega Sharpedo Raid Day Stay up to date by adding our Google Calendar to your account! LuredUp@PokemonProfessor.com     Voicemail and SMS: 732-835-8639  Use code FULLHEAL at https://tgacards.com/ for 10% off your order! Connect with us on multiple platforms! https://linktr.ee/PokemonProfessorNetwork  Hosts Ken Pescatore Adam Tuttle Writer and Producer Ken Pescatore Executive Producer  Xander Show music provided by GameChops and licensed through Creative Commons ▾ FOLLOW GAMECHOPS ▾ http://instagram.com/GameChops http://twitter.com/GameChops http://soundcloud.com/GameChops http://facebook.com/GameChops http://youtube.com/GameChops http://www.gamechops.com Intro Music Lake Verity (Drum & Bass Remix)  Tetracase GameChops - Ultraball http://gamechops.com/ultraball/ https://soundcloud.com/tetracase  https://soundcloud.com/MegaFlare0 Break Music National Park Mikel & GameChops GameChops - Poké & Chill http://smarturl.it/pokechill https://twitter.com/mikel_beats Outro Music Vast Poni Canyon CG5 & GlitchxCity (Future Bass Remix) GameChops - Ultraball http://gamechops.com/ultraball/  http://soundcloud.com/cg5-beats https://soundcloud.com/glitchxcity Pokémon And All Respective Names are Trademark and © of Nintendo 1996-2025 Pokémon GO is Trademark and © of Niantic, Inc.Lured Up and the Pokémon Professor Network are not affiliated with Niantic Inc., The Pokémon Company, Game Freak or Nintendo. #pokemon #pokemongo #podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Lured Up Podcast 359 Live Streamed on - 8/19/25 Publish Date - 8/22/25 Delightful Days: Taken Over Pokémon GO Worlds Event Dark Skies and the Max Finale G47IX Dark Skies Infographic G47IX Max Finale Infographic GMAX Battle Update Sunkissed Shores The Max Finale is finally here and we can finally push through it so we can all rest, right? There is still no end in sight to the onslaught of events, even with the Max Finale at our doorstep. With next Season coming before you know it, and a new Pokémon release with its Shiny available on day one coming the day immediately following the Max Finale! This drum is getting as worn down as our endurance, with no end in sight. Delightful Days: Taken Over and the Pokémon GO Worlds Event kept us very busy last week, with the welcomed and missed Giovanni loop. Shadow Kyogre Raid Weekend was a popular event, and luckily everything seemed to work properly. We would be lying if we didn’t hear a harsh lack of faith from the Community, with some feeling surprised there wasn’t an issue. Definitely not a good position for Niantic/Scopely wants to be in heading to the Max Finale.  Dark Skies will do it best to dry up your inventory of consumables prior to the Max Finale. We don’t want, however, to look past how much gameplay is available as F2P. We highly recommend having a plan and strategy to go after what you want, while working within the F2P bubble (to start) before worrying about how expensive the event “could” be. With a non-stop barrage of DMAX and ultimately GMAX Pokémon to face, be sure to manage your MP rewards from the GO Pass and work timing to your advantage. Study the schedule and figure out when you want to attack and when you want to recover.100 person GMAX lobbies should make it a bit easier for in-person Communities to take things down, while also allowing remote Trainers to not constantly be hit with a full lobby when trying to get in. We touch on Sunkissed Shores and the release of Shiny Dondozo, before inappropriately speculating on the future of the game. We talk about what we would like to see from the game and if this non-stop event pace is actually sustainable. What will be the first to fold? Our excitement, energy, or wallets? Let us know how you feel! LuredUp@PokemonProfessor.com     Voicemail and SMS: 732-835-8639  Use code FULLHEAL at https://tgacards.com/ for 10% off your order! Connect with us on multiple platforms! https://linktr.ee/PokemonProfessorNetwork  Hosts Ken Pescatore Adam Tuttle Writer and Producer Ken Pescatore Executive Producer  Xander Show music provided by GameChops and licensed through Creative Commons ▾ FOLLOW GAMECHOPS ▾ http://instagram.com/GameChops http://twitter.com/GameChops http://soundcloud.com/GameChops http://facebook.com/GameChops http://youtube.com/GameChops http://www.gamechops.com Intro Music Lake Verity (Drum & Bass Remix)  Tetracase GameChops - Ultraball http://gamechops.com/ultraball/ https://soundcloud.com/tetracase  https://soundcloud.com/MegaFlare0 Break Music National Park Mikel & GameChops GameChops - Poké & Chill http://smarturl.it/pokechill https://twitter.com/mikel_beats Outro Music Vast Poni Canyon CG5 & GlitchxCity (Future Bass Remix) GameChops - Ultraball http://gamechops.com/ultraball/  http://soundcloud.com/cg5-beats https://soundcloud.com/glitchxcity Pokémon And All Respective Names are Trademark and © of Nintendo 1996-2025 Pokémon GO is Trademark and © of Niantic, Inc.Lured Up and the Pokémon Professor Network are not affiliated with Niantic Inc., The Pokémon Company, Game Freak or Nintendo. #pokemon #pokemongo #podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Lured Up Podcast 358 Live Streamed on - 8/12/25 Publish Date - 8/15/25 With less than two weeks until the GO Fest Max Finale, the event calendar will not be giving anyone a calm before the storm. It’s time to start strategizing on how to best prepare for the lead up to Eternatus. From item and storage maintenance, to banking consumable items, it is in your best interest to start thinking about how you want to approach the event. The Dark Skies rollout of Max Battles should help you focus on what you want, and we know the community wants to get after Eternamax Eternatus. The recap kicks off with Cozy Companions and Munchlax Hatch Day, which worked well at bringing together catching, grinding, and hatching. The six hour window took some pressure off and gave Trainers time to put in some kilometers. The rates for Shiny Munchlax were strong, so the event was generally well received. Sunday’s Ultra Unlock: Origin Raid Day however, was the opposite. Early reports from New Zealand came through saying that the Shiny Rate wasn’t boosted, with some Trainers throwing up triple digit Raid counts and walking away without a single Shiny. For us in the US, we typically don’t worry about things that break early, as they tend to get fixed well before the Eastern Time Zone. Niantic Help put out a tweet stating that they have identified an issue regarding the Shiny rate during the event, but they unfortunately didn’t mention anything about fixing it. The broken Shiny rate put a damper on enthusiasm and absolutely cut many Trainer’s days short. What would have been the perfect six hour grind, quickly turned into scorned pockets of resentful Trainers. The Tweet stated that compensation was coming, but the conversation moved to what and how it would work. Trainers had already invested significant time and in some cases a lot of money into the event, so a makeup day would just mean they would have to reinvest. A packed calendar makes it hard to even fit another 6 hour event in. Could this come in Timed Research based on how many Raids you won? Time will tell! Cozy Companions Munchlax Hatch Day Ultra Unlock: Origin Raid Day Niantic Help Isn’t Helping Delightful Days: Taken Over Shadow Kyogre Battle Party G47IX Delightful Days Taken Over Pokémon GO Worlds Event Worlds Stream Bonuses Eternatus Adventure Effect Max Finale Community Celebrations Dark Skies and the Max Finale G47IX Dark Skies Infographic G47IX Max Finale Infographic Stay up to date by adding our Google Calendar to your account! LuredUp@PokemonProfessor.com     Voicemail and SMS: 732-835-8639  Use code FULLHEAL at https://tgacards.com/ for 10% off your order! Connect with us on multiple platforms! https://linktr.ee/PokemonProfessorNetwork  Hosts Ken Pescatore Adam Tuttle Writer and Producer Ken Pescatore Executive Producer  Xander Show music provided by GameChops and licensed through Creative Commons ▾ FOLLOW GAMECHOPS ▾ http://instagram.com/GameChops http://twitter.com/GameChops http://soundcloud.com/GameChops http://facebook.com/GameChops http://youtube.com/GameChops http://www.gamechops.com Intro Music Lake Verity (Drum & Bass Remix)  Tetracase GameChops - Ultraball http://gamechops.com/ultraball/ https://soundcloud.com/tetracase  https://soundcloud.com/MegaFlare0 Break Music National Park Mikel & GameChops GameChops - Poké & Chill http://smarturl.it/pokechill https://twitter.com/mikel_beats Outro Music Vast Poni Canyon CG5 & GlitchxCity (Future Bass Remix) GameChops - Ultraball http://gamechops.com/ultraball/  http://soundcloud.com/cg5-beats https://soundcloud.com/glitchxcity Pokémon And All Respective Names are Trademark and © of Nintendo 1996-2025 Pokémon GO is Trademark and © of Niantic, Inc.Lured Up and the Pokémon Professor Network are not affiliated with Niantic Inc., The Pokémon Company, Game Freak or Nintendo. #pokemon #pokemongo #podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Lured Up Podcast 357 Live Streamed on - 8/5/25 Publish Date - 8/9/25 We hope your calendar is clear this month, because we have a non-stop barrage of events that will require more effort, more time, and even more dedication if you plan on staying ahead of the FOMO. We see the return of 6 hour daily events on top of an already hectic and unrelenting calendar throughout the month. With Max Finale being the highlight, the rest of the month keeps the momentum going strong, and offers a bit of everything. That being said, when is too much, too much? Our weekly recap touches on Adventure Week, Fossil Research Day, and Gigantamax Butterfree Max Battle Day. Sweet Storm brings us some fun Timed Research and Cozy Companions brings us two new dex entries and a new Shiny to chase. This weekend has 12 hours of reservation events happening while Cozy Companions looms over them, and tickets and Timed Research is packed in the shop. We truly hope you can sustain the mayhem! THis weekend gives some diverse gameplay with Munchlax Hatch Day, where the 5 hour window seems to make good sense, while Origin Raid Day, will keep us reaching into our pockets if we want to make the most of the event. With Scopely in the hot seat, the new monetization strategy isn’t about the microtransactions and pop ups that we previously feared, but instead about an incredible amount of rotating, time sensitive products in the store that can drastically improve the playability of nearly every event. We put together a little Raid Guide and Battle Party for Origin Forme Palkia and Dialga, which depending on your group’s numbers, may lend itself to some diverse and unique Battle Parties. While it will be easy to pack your party filled with Rayquaza, we encourage you instead to get creative and bring out some Pokémon that may not have seen the Raid arena yet. Make sure to tag us on Social with your parties or send us an email or text! After the break we did in to next season’s save the date post, which includes an incredible amount of Raid Days. As mentioned earlier in the show, I think we all may need to adjust to Scopely’s new normal, and either break the stigma of spending on digital goods or learn to have some restraint without triggering FOMO. Adventure Week Fossil Research Day Gigantamax Butterfree Max Battle Day Sweet Swarm Cozy Companions Munchlax Hatch Day Ultra Unlock: Origin Raid Day Pokémon GO Hub Palkia Raid Guide Pokémon GO Hub Dialga Raid Guide Save the Dates Stay up to date by adding our Google Calendar to your account! LuredUp@PokemonProfessor.com     Voicemail and SMS: 732-835-8639  Use code FULLHEAL at https://tgacards.com/ for 10% off your order! Connect with us on multiple platforms! https://linktr.ee/PokemonProfessorNetwork  Hosts Ken Pescatore Adam Tuttle Writer and Producer Ken Pescatore Executive Producer  Xander Show music provided by GameChops and licensed through Creative Commons ▾ FOLLOW GAMECHOPS ▾ http://instagram.com/GameChops http://twitter.com/GameChops http://soundcloud.com/GameChops http://facebook.com/GameChops http://youtube.com/GameChops http://www.gamechops.com Intro Music Lake Verity (Drum & Bass Remix)  Tetracase GameChops - Ultraball http://gamechops.com/ultraball/ https://soundcloud.com/tetracase  https://soundcloud.com/MegaFlare0 Break Music National Park Mikel & GameChops GameChops - Poké & Chill http://smarturl.it/pokechill https://twitter.com/mikel_beats Outro Music Vast Poni Canyon CG5 & GlitchxCity (Future Bass Remix) GameChops - Ultraball http://gamechops.com/ultraball/  http://soundcloud.com/cg5-beats https://soundcloud.com/glitchxcity Pokémon And All Respective Names are Trademark and © of Nintendo 1996-2025 Pokémon GO is Trademark and © of Niantic, Inc.Lured Up and the Pokémon Professor Network are not affiliated with Niantic Inc., The Pokémon Company, Game Freak or Nintendo. #pokemon #pokemongo #podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Lured Up Podcast 356 Live Streamed on - 7/29/25 Publish Date - 8/1/25 We are starting to hear chatter in the Community over whether the Scopely influence is making its way to in-game decisions. The patching of the micro-drift exploit, which Trainers have used for years to allow them to use a local Raid Pass on a Raid that is just out of normal reach, has caused a bit of a revolt. From Trainers saying they are boycotting, to confusion over why this of all things was patched while other bugs still persist. Any way you look at it, the Community always has something to target, and this month’s flavor of the month is this patch and how it ties to Remote Raiding. In actual gameplay news, we begin with a recap of the last week of events including the wrap up of Steel & Scales, DMAX Latios & Latias, and the kickoff of Adventure Week. Multiple events through the week and double weekend events are becoming more common, leaving Trainers with less and less downtime. Is this a sustainable pace? Will this cause Trainers to back off? All we know is that we want it all and it is getting tougher and tougher to keep up. The August content update absolutely slams the calendar, as it doesn’t even allow for a single day of vanilla encounters. Do we miss seeing what the Seasonal spawns bring to the table or do we want the constant variety that events bring to the gameboard? In the first two weeks of the month, we see multiple different events, bringing new Pokémon or Shinies to the table, along with a plethora of tickets. Let’s not forget about the GO Pass and Eggs-pedition Access which ask for spending before the month even kicks off.  With all of this spending, there is no wonder why Trainers don’t want to reach further into their pockets for Remote Raid Passes. The real question is, has the game moved on from even listening to them?  DMAX Latios & Latias Adventure Week August Content Update August Monthly Spending Fossil Research Day Gigantamax Butterfree Max Battle Day Sweet Swarm Cozy Companions Munchlax Hatch Day LuredUp@PokemonProfessor.com     Voicemail and SMS: 732-835-8639  Use code FULLHEAL at https://tgacards.com/ for 10% off your order! Connect with us on multiple platforms! https://linktr.ee/PokemonProfessorNetwork  Hosts Ken Pescatore Adam Tuttle Writer and Producer Ken Pescatore Executive Producer  Xander Show music provided by GameChops and licensed through Creative Commons ▾ FOLLOW GAMECHOPS ▾ http://instagram.com/GameChops http://twitter.com/GameChops http://soundcloud.com/GameChops http://facebook.com/GameChops http://youtube.com/GameChops http://www.gamechops.com Intro Music Lake Verity (Drum & Bass Remix)  Tetracase GameChops - Ultraball http://gamechops.com/ultraball/ https://soundcloud.com/tetracase  https://soundcloud.com/MegaFlare0 Break Music National Park Mikel & GameChops GameChops - Poké & Chill http://smarturl.it/pokechill https://twitter.com/mikel_beats Outro Music Vast Poni Canyon CG5 & GlitchxCity (Future Bass Remix) GameChops - Ultraball http://gamechops.com/ultraball/  http://soundcloud.com/cg5-beats https://soundcloud.com/glitchxcity Pokémon And All Respective Names are Trademark and © of Nintendo 1996-2025 Pokémon GO is Trademark and © of Niantic, Inc.Lured Up and the Pokémon Professor Network are not affiliated with Niantic Inc., The Pokémon Company, Game Freak or Nintendo. #pokemon #pokemongo #podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Lured Up Podcast 355: You Only Get One Live Streamed on - 7/22/25 Publish Date - 7/25/25 Did you play with the sound on during the Summer Concert Event? If not, you really missed out on some of the game’s best music to date. Masuda had our blood pumping with some inspiring and motivational music to grind to, but only if you had the sound on! While we are at it, Happy Birthday to Professor Willow, who we hope one day will benefit from Trainers playing the game with sound on! Our weekly recap touches on how last weekend was very busy, with the aforementioned Summer Concert overarching over GMAX Battle Day for Lapras and Quaxly Community Day. We share our experience and get real for a moment to discuss Ken’s weekend and how sometimes it is clear to see just how important this game is to us. While many of us wish we could be out there 24/7 on the grind, life sometimes has other plans that take priority. As always, finding balance to manage it all may be the most difficult part of this game. This weekend brings us DMAX Latios and Latias which will hopefully inspire at a minimum, small groups of 4 to get out there to take them down. With their being a pair of DMAX available, the Shiny hunt will surely be on as we grind through the event. With the Steel and Scales Ultra Unlock carrying us through, we still have the benefit of 4x Catch XP and Stardust, which will make a bunch of DMAX Battles very fruitful. We also have GMAX Butterfree on the horizon, which is keeping in line the importance of the Max Battle mechanic to the overall scope of the game. We finally have details on the Max Finale which has some Trainers scratching their heads. While we can battle Eternamax Eternatus in Max Battles, we won’t be able to catch it. Instead, we will earn the much needed Candy and Candy XL for the one and only Eternatus encounter we will have as part of the Max Finale Go Pass. While keeping it cannon, it is still a departure from what we are used to when battling Raid or Max Battle bosses. It looks like Eternatus will be more like Zygarde or Zarude, where we will only have one in our inventory. Clearly, this will be a strong contender for the next Golden Bottle Cap that comes around. Summer Concert Gigantamax Lapras Max Battle Day Community Day: Quaxly  DMAX Latios & Latias Adventure Week Gigantamax Butterfree Max Battle Day Rookidee Community Day GO Fest: Max Finale Stay up to date by adding our Google Calendar to your account! LuredUp@PokemonProfessor.com     Voicemail and SMS: 732-835-8639  Use code FULLHEAL at https://tgacards.com/ for 10% off your order! Connect with us on multiple platforms! https://linktr.ee/PokemonProfessorNetwork  Hosts Ken Pescatore Adam Tuttle Writer and Producer Ken Pescatore Executive Producer  Xander Show music provided by GameChops and licensed through Creative Commons ▾ FOLLOW GAMECHOPS ▾ http://instagram.com/GameChops http://twitter.com/GameChops http://soundcloud.com/GameChops http://facebook.com/GameChops http://youtube.com/GameChops http://www.gamechops.com Intro Music Lake Verity (Drum & Bass Remix)  Tetracase GameChops - Ultraball http://gamechops.com/ultraball/ https://soundcloud.com/tetracase  https://soundcloud.com/MegaFlare0 Break Music National Park Mikel & GameChops GameChops - Poké & Chill http://smarturl.it/pokechill https://twitter.com/mikel_beats Outro Music Vast Poni Canyon CG5 & GlitchxCity (Future Bass Remix) GameChops - Ultraball http://gamechops.com/ultraball/  http://soundcloud.com/cg5-beats https://soundcloud.com/glitchxcity Pokémon And All Respective Names are Trademark and © of Nintendo 1996-2025 Pokémon GO is Trademark and © of Niantic, Inc.Lured Up and the Pokémon Professor Network are not affiliated with Niantic Inc., The Pokémon Company, Game Freak or Nintendo. #pokemon #pokemongo #podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Lured Up Podcast 354: Fatigue Live Streamed on - 7/15/25 Publish Date - 7/18/25 We hope you were able to get out and grind through the Ultra Unlock: Hisui Celebration. 4x Catch XP and Stardust is wild, and we will have another shot at it soon when part 2 of the Ultra Unlock drops in about a week. Lilligant Raid Day was fun and being a three star boss made is super accessible and easy for most Trainers to at least use all of their free passes for the day. The event madness will keep pushing on through the end of the month, led by the Water Festival that just dropped on the day of this recording. The Summer Concert event has been announced and it will make for a very busy weekend. Not only do we have two scheduled events this weekend with GMax Lapras and Quaxly Community Day, but now we have an overarching event to boot. In fact, we will only see a single day of vanilla spawns for the rest of the month due to the onslaught of events. The packed calendar, event tickets, consumables, and research some Trainers put into the game are seriously taking a toll on core Trainers. Many are tired and feeling the burn in a bunch of different ways. Not only do we have events running for the rest of the month, but we also have the IRL Road Trip event kicking off in Europe. A ton of creators will be featured at the event, including some friends of ours so make sure you stop them to say hi! Finally, to close out the month, DMAX Latios and Latias are swooping in for a Max Battle weekend. We have been saying it for weeks - this game is asking a lot of its players. Is this what we want? Ultra Unlock: Hisui Celebration  Hisuian Lilligant Raid Day Water Festival Summer Concert Gigantamax Lapras Max Battle Day Community Day: Quaxly  Road Trip Dates DMAX Latios & Latias LuredUp@PokemonProfessor.com     Voicemail and SMS: 732-835-8639  Use code FULLHEAL at https://tgacards.com/ for 10% off your order! Connect with us on multiple platforms! https://linktr.ee/PokemonProfessorNetwork  Hosts Ken Pescatore Adam Tuttle Writer and Producer Ken Pescatore Executive Producer  Xander Show music provided by GameChops and licensed through Creative Commons ▾ FOLLOW GAMECHOPS ▾ http://instagram.com/GameChops http://twitter.com/GameChops http://soundcloud.com/GameChops http://facebook.com/GameChops http://youtube.com/GameChops http://www.gamechops.com Intro Music Lake Verity (Drum & Bass Remix)  Tetracase GameChops - Ultraball http://gamechops.com/ultraball/ https://soundcloud.com/tetracase  https://soundcloud.com/MegaFlare0 Break Music National Park Mikel & GameChops GameChops - Poké & Chill http://smarturl.it/pokechill https://twitter.com/mikel_beats Outro Music Vast Poni Canyon CG5 & GlitchxCity (Future Bass Remix) GameChops - Ultraball http://gamechops.com/ultraball/  http://soundcloud.com/cg5-beats https://soundcloud.com/glitchxcity Pokémon And All Respective Names are Trademark and © of Nintendo 1996-2025 Pokémon GO is Trademark and © of Niantic, Inc.Lured Up and the Pokémon Professor Network are not affiliated with Niantic Inc., The Pokémon Company, Game Freak or Nintendo. #pokemon #pokemongo #podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Lured Up Podcast 353 - Every Day For Nine Years Live Streamed on - 7/8/25 Publish Date - 7/11/25 We hope you don’t have much to do outside of Pokémon GO this week because the game has turned the events and bonuses up to eleven! Starting with a recap of the last week of gameplay, we discuss Community Day Classic’s two day format, and how it takes some of the stress out of playing the event. The weekend format was great for some more low-key gameplay that let you play when it worked for you. The 9th Anniversary Event brought us the Gimmighoul chase and made those without access to a Scarlet & Violet feel the burn of FOMO. Niantic Cat also walked across the keyboard and didn’t activate the Shiny, so the availability was extended by a day. In Red Bank, Ken and the crew threw down 13 Golden Lures that brought the Community out to play. Trainers were tracking down Field Research and zooming in to their maps to find Gimmighoul. We hope you were able to take part in something similar on your local gameboard. Solgaleo is in Five Star Raids for the first time and many of us are ready to Raid. We take a look at both Pokebattler and GO Hub to put together a Battle Party to make quick work of it. Even without the Shiny being available, Fusions were a top priority on the grind, so the Hundo chase was on.Expect the same when Lunala comes around, so plan ahead! Plenty of July events were either teased or detailed this week as well. The Water Festival is returning and bringing new regional forms of Tatsugigi. It opens a discussion about Raid locking newly released Pokémon and how the Regional lock adds an additional barrier of entry to them. With Remote Raiding being the main option for collecting the regional trio, it calls for you to reach into your wallet if you want them all now.  Other events like Gigantamax Lapras Max Battle Day and the Ultra Unlock Steel and Scales event have also been detailed, keeping the momentum going strong. We wonder if this pace is sustainable outside of the GO Fest window, and how Scopely will approach the non-stop barrage of events. After all, this game has come a long way in 9 years, with events pushing players to play, rather than the vanilla state of the game.  Finally we wrap up with a little reflection on the last 9 years of the game and of Lured Up. We are VERY grateful for everything that the game has brought us, from the countless hours of gameplay to the incredible friends we have made. Pokémon GO has been a more consistent presence in our lives than most other things. We hope you have had a long and positive experience with the game, and hope the “forever game” moniker holds true. 9th Anniversary Event Community Day Classic: Eevee Hisuian Lilligant Raid Day Solgaleo GOHub Solgaleo Pokebattler Water Festival Gigantamax Lapras Max Battle Day Ultra Unlock: Steel and Scales Reflecting on 9 Years of Pokémon GO LuredUp@PokemonProfessor.com     Voicemail and SMS: 732-835-8639  Use code FULLHEAL at https://tgacards.com/ for 10% off your order! Connect with us on multiple platforms! https://linktr.ee/PokemonProfessorNetwork  Hosts Ken Pescatore Adam Tuttle Writer and Producer: Ken Pescatore Executive Producer: Xander Show music provided by GameChops and licensed through Creative Commons ▾ FOLLOW GAMECHOPS ▾ http://instagram.com/GameChops http://twitter.com/GameChops http://soundcloud.com/GameChops http://facebook.com/GameChops http://youtube.com/GameChops http://www.gamechops.com Intro Music Lake Verity (Drum & Bass Remix)  Tetracase GameChops - Ultraball http://gamechops.com/ultraball/ https://soundcloud.com/tetracase  https://soundcloud.com/MegaFlare0 Break Music National Park Mikel & GameChops GameChops - Poké & Chill http://smarturl.it/pokechill https://twitter.com/mikel_beats Outro Music Vast Poni Canyon CG5 & GlitchxCity (Future Bass Remix) GameChops - Ultraball http://gamechops.com/ultraball/  http://soundcloud.com/cg5-beats https://soundcloud.com/glitchxcity #pokemon #pokemongo #podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Lured Up Podcast 352 Live Streamed on - 7/2/2025 Audio & VoD Publish Date - 7/4/2025 We started this episode with ambitious intentions. We had planned to cover the onslaught of news and events that packed the July calendar, and discuss the monetization shift the gameplay flow has seen over the last few months. Instead, we ended up talking shop about GO Fest Global for the entire show! The GO Fest Global weekend was incredible and was filled with amazing gameplay and core memories. Adam shares his experiences playing with the Tri-City Pokémon GO group out of Rochester, NH and Ken talks about his NJ tour to 6 different Community Ambassador meetups. This weekend brought out the best in the Community, and Ken learned a ton simply by getting out of Red Bank. From exceptionally chill vibes in Hudson County, NJ to the diehard Trainers in Essex County, the event amplified just how many different ways this game can be enjoyed.Not only is the game played by so many different walks of life, but the areas of the game that are important to different Trainers was completely diverse. With some Communities just there to hang out with friends, to others tracking their hundos to the last minute of the event. In the end, it was all about friends getting together to share their passion in an environment filled with positivity.  This was definitely a fun episode, with a ton of laughs, interaction with the chat, and both hosts using their Gold Bottle Caps. Against the wishes of the chat, Adam decided to Hyper Train 3 HP points on his Shiny Zamazenta with a NJ Background. It was one of the most fun moments we have had on the podcast ever, with the chat nearly falling out of their chairs. Ken decided to take a fun Pokémon, Rockstar Pikachu, and take it from Nundo to Hundo. Something tells me that Adam will be done a lot sooner than Ken will be! Huge thank you to all of the new viewers and listeners this week. We really fo appreciate all of the support, and feel so fortunate to be able to make this show every week. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you Trainers. You are exactly why we do what we do. LuredUp@PokemonProfessor.com     Voicemail and SMS: 732-835-8639  Use code FULLHEAL at https://tgacards.com/ for 10% off your order! Connect with us on multiple platforms! https://linktr.ee/PokemonProfessorNetwork  Hosts Ken Pescatore Adam Tuttle Writer and Producer Ken Pescatore Executive Producer  Xander Show music provided by GameChops and licensed through Creative Commons ▾ FOLLOW GAMECHOPS ▾ http://instagram.com/GameChops http://twitter.com/GameChops http://soundcloud.com/GameChops http://facebook.com/GameChops http://youtube.com/GameChops http://www.gamechops.com Intro Music Lake Verity (Drum & Bass Remix)  Tetracase GameChops - Ultraball http://gamechops.com/ultraball/ https://soundcloud.com/tetracase  https://soundcloud.com/MegaFlare0 Break Music National Park Mikel & GameChops GameChops - Poké & Chill http://smarturl.it/pokechill https://twitter.com/mikel_beats Outro Music Vast Poni Canyon CG5 & GlitchxCity (Future Bass Remix) GameChops - Ultraball http://gamechops.com/ultraball/  http://soundcloud.com/cg5-beats https://soundcloud.com/glitchxcity Pokémon And All Respective Names are Trademark and © of Nintendo 1996-2025 Pokémon GO is Trademark and © of Niantic, Inc.Lured Up and the Pokémon Professor Network are not affiliated with Niantic Inc., The Pokémon Company, Game Freak or Nintendo. #pokemon #pokemongo #podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Lured Up Podcast 351 Live Streamed on - 6/25/25 Publish Date - 6/27/27 This week Ken is joined by Jamal Harvey of the Wayspotters Podcast! Jamal sits in for Adam and joins the fray to dive into the last week of Pokémon GO action. We kick things off with a gameplay recap, touching on Yamper’s Paw Prints, Jangmo-o Community Day, and the start of Ancients Recovered. All of this action is coming just a week before GO Fest Global, which calls for Trainers to really put a lot of gameplay and potential spending on the table. As we gear up for Global we cover additional details on the Ultra Unlocks, as July content is just around the corner. While Niantic has shared their July Content update, there is still plenty of content left in June. Global Challenges and Ultra Unlocks make their return for Global, and we have dates in July for events that can be boosted if we meet the criteria. With Trainer’s 100% track record of completing the Global Challenges, we are confident that we will see all three tiers of Ultra Unlocks impact future events. Thanks to Niantic, we are giving away GO Fest: Global tickets across our social media channels. Make sure you check out LuredUp.com for links to everywhere you can enter! There are a few bits of miscellaneous news to cover this week as we peek into the July Content Update. Quaxly has been picked as the January Community Day Pokémon. Europe follows Japan’s lead and is hosting their own stamp rally, as Americans patiently wait their turn to take part in this cool new feature.  A wild story has rocked the Wayfarer World as gameboards near a few different Marine bases have been wiped clean. With adjacent towns that have completely built gameboards being impacted, we are hoping that this isn’t something that continues. We speculate on what can be the cause, we have a quick one-liner from Niantic in the forums, pretty much telling us that there is nothing they can do, and that Trainers should move on from their concerns. We all know however, that Wayfinders aren’t the type to not jump head first down the rabbit hole. Yamper’s Paw Prints Ancients Recovered Community Day: Jangmo-o GO Fest Global Ultra Unlocks Adventure Effects Global Ticket Giveaway Community Ambassador Video 9th Anniversary Event July Content Update Community Day: Quaxly Stamp Rally Jacksonville, NC LuredUp@PokemonProfessor.com     Voicemail and SMS: 732-835-8639  Use code FULLHEAL at https://tgacards.com/ for 10% off your order! Connect with us on multiple platforms! https://linktr.ee/PokemonProfessorNetwork  Hosts Ken Pescatore Adam Tuttle Writer and Producer Ken Pescatore Executive Producer  Xander Show music provided by GameChops and licensed through Creative Commons ▾ FOLLOW GAMECHOPS ▾ http://instagram.com/GameChops http://twitter.com/GameChops http://soundcloud.com/GameChops http://facebook.com/GameChops http://youtube.com/GameChops http://www.gamechops.com Intro Music Lake Verity (Drum & Bass Remix)  Tetracase GameChops - Ultraball http://gamechops.com/ultraball/ https://soundcloud.com/tetracase  https://soundcloud.com/MegaFlare0 Break Music National Park Mikel & GameChops GameChops - Poké & Chill http://smarturl.it/pokechill https://twitter.com/mikel_beats Outro Music Vast Poni Canyon CG5 & GlitchxCity (Future Bass Remix) GameChops - Ultraball http://gamechops.com/ultraball/  http://soundcloud.com/cg5-beats https://soundcloud.com/glitchxcity Pokémon And All Respective Names are Trademark and © of Nintendo 1996-2025 Pokémon GO is Trademark and © of Niantic, Inc.Lured Up and the Pokémon Professor Network are not affiliated with Niantic Inc., The Pokémon Company, Game Freak or Nintendo. #pokemon #pokemongo #podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Lured Up Podcast 350 Live Streamed: 6/18/25 Audio Published: 6/22/25 We are in that weird time frame between IRL and Global GO Fest that makes it difficult to decide if you need to rest or get back out there. We’ve had a bit of everything in addition to GO Fest this month, with GMAX Inteleon and Phantom Ruins keeping us busy last week, along with Remote Raiding in Paris. The game’s pace doesn’t care what is going on as the events are still coming in heavy. Jangmo-o Community Day and Yamper’s Paw Prints and the recently updated Ancients Recovered will guide us right into Global, but there is plenty to unpack. Hyper Training has been announced as part of an Ancients Recovered GO Pass that will have Trainers reaching in their Pockets right before GO Fest. FOMO might be an issue for some Trainers with a $19.99 price tag being a lot to ask. The timing of expensive tickets comes at the end of the Niantic/Scopely deal which has led to a lot of speculation about who made the call on the pricetag. With the Community already being cautiously optimistic of Scopely’s direction, the optics on this aren’t the best. What we do know is that you will be able to take a Nundo all the way to a hundo, with scaling tasks depending on the amount of IVs you want to train. This could finally be a bit of end-game content that keeps hardcore Trainers dedicated to their tasks, while also building a strong bond with the Pokémon they are Hyper Training. Sounds awesome, but that pricetag though… We will be recording our next episode before Global arrives, but we still dig into some event prep, with most of our storage and Pokémon still being a mess from Jersey City, there is plenty of cleanup to do. Our ball management took a hit, and hopefully everyone had enough time to recover and restock. Most importantly, we recommend taking a good look at the different habitat spawn pools and timing, to help you figure out when and how to focus your time.  If you are in New Jersey for Global, you should come out to meet Ken as he will be playing with 6 different Ambassador Communities across the state! Check out the details at LuredUp.com! Phantom Ruins Yamper’s Paw Prints Ancients Recovered Hyper Training Community Day: Jangmo-o MLB Partnership GO Fest Global LuredUp@PokemonProfessor.com     Voicemail and SMS: 732-835-8639  Use code FULLHEAL at https://tgacards.com/ for 10% off your order! Connect with us on multiple platforms! https://linktr.ee/PokemonProfessorNetwork  Hosts Ken Pescatore Adam Tuttle Writer and Producer Ken Pescatore Executive Producer  Xander Show music provided by GameChops and licensed through Creative Commons ▾ FOLLOW GAMECHOPS ▾ http://instagram.com/GameChops http://twitter.com/GameChops http://soundcloud.com/GameChops http://facebook.com/GameChops http://youtube.com/GameChops http://www.gamechops.com Intro Music Lake Verity (Drum & Bass Remix)  Tetracase GameChops - Ultraball http://gamechops.com/ultraball/ https://soundcloud.com/tetracase  https://soundcloud.com/MegaFlare0 Break Music National Park Mikel & GameChops GameChops - Poké & Chill http://smarturl.it/pokechill https://twitter.com/mikel_beats Outro Music Vast Poni Canyon CG5 & GlitchxCity (Future Bass Remix) GameChops - Ultraball http://gamechops.com/ultraball/  http://soundcloud.com/cg5-beats https://soundcloud.com/glitchxcity Pokémon And All Respective Names are Trademark and © of Nintendo 1996-2025 Pokémon GO is Trademark and © of Niantic, Inc.Lured Up and the Pokémon Professor Network are not affiliated with Niantic Inc., The Pokémon Company, Game Freak or Nintendo. #pokemon #pokemongo #podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Lured Up Podcast 349: Jersey Baby Live Streamed on - 6/11/2025 Audio Publish Date - 6/13/2025 GO Fest: Jersey City is a wrap and our feet are killing us! This weekend is the highlight of our gameplay year and we made the most of it! Liberty State Park was the perfect venue for the event, with spread out habitats, plenty of room for Trainers, and an incredible view of the New York skyline! There is plenty to unpack about the event, but we kick things off with the weekly update.  Trainers in the USA will have two weeks to wait before GO Fest Global, and the game’s momentum continues to push. With GMAX Inteleon coming this weekend, followed by the Yamper’s debut and a week of Regi Raids. All of that comes before next weekend’s Jangmo-o Community Day! Many Trainers are feeling one of two ways, either needing a break from the game or wanting more of it. Either way, the train keeps chugging along.  Our GO Fest conversation covers a few different topics surrounding the event. From it being a month earlier than last year, to the park location and layout, to the different habitats. This year felt a bit different, with some things being great, and some things that we hope are improved on next year. The immersion was incredible, with the different habitats feeling like they had their own personality. While The Nobel Fields and Sunken Treasure felt a bit sparse, the Magnetical Marvels and Carnival Grounds felt exciting and alive. Some areas of the park were very light on POI, with all Trainers noticing the lack of Power Spots. All in all the City Experience really powers the more focused gameplay elements of the weekend, with many Trainers putting their heads in their phones while outside of the park. Some severe weather on Saturday afternoon made it challenging for a large amount of Trainers, the crowds were there to play as they made the most of a very wet situation.  Our Friday night meetup at the Pixel Lab was a huge success, as we packed the place and had a ton of fun gaming all night. We want to extend a huge thank you to all the Trainers that made it out, as it was so great to see everyone in person and spend time with the Community.  GO Fest is always a time that motivates us, and reminds us to stop and reflect on what we have done with this podcast, network, and of course this community. Thank you so much to everyone for their continued support! It means the world to us! Phantom Ruins GMAX Inteleon Counters Yamper’s Paw Prints Ancients Recovered Community Day: Jangmo-o GO Fest: Jersey City GO Pass Pokémon Professor Instagram Stay up to date by adding our Google Calendar to your account! LuredUp@PokemonProfessor.com     Voicemail and SMS: 732-835-8639  Use code FULLHEAL at https://tgacards.com/ for 10% off your order! Connect with us on multiple platforms! https://linktr.ee/PokemonProfessorNetwork  Hosts Ken Pescatore Adam Tuttle Writer and Producer Ken Pescatore Executive Producer  Xander Show music provided by GameChops and licensed through Creative Commons ▾ FOLLOW GAMECHOPS ▾ http://instagram.com/GameChops http://twitter.com/GameChops http://soundcloud.com/GameChops http://facebook.com/GameChops http://youtube.com/GameChops http://www.gamechops.com Intro Music Lake Verity (Drum & Bass Remix)  Tetracase GameChops - Ultraball http://gamechops.com/ultraball/ https://soundcloud.com/tetracase  https://soundcloud.com/MegaFlare0 Break Music National Park Mikel & GameChops GameChops - Poké & Chill http://smarturl.it/pokechill https://twitter.com/mikel_beats Outro Music Vast Poni Canyon CG5 & GlitchxCity (Future Bass Remix) GameChops - Ultraball http://gamechops.com/ultraball/  http://soundcloud.com/cg5-beats https://soundcloud.com/glitchxcity Pokémon And All Respective Names are Trademark and © of Nintendo 1996-2025 Pokémon GO is Trademark and © of Niantic, Inc.Lured Up and the Pokémon Professor Network are not affiliated with Niantic Inc., The Pokémon Company, Game Freak or Nintendo. #pokemon #pokemongo #podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Lured Up Podcast 348: Coming Together Live Streamed on - 5/28/25 Publish Date - 5/31/25 With a Shadow Raid Day and a GMAX Battle Day behind us, we share our feelings behind the impact that Remote Raid Passes have had on our IRL Communities. While Ken’s heart is still firmly with the IRL crowd, he was pleased to share that the impact felt from remoters was positive all around. Adam however, is still down on the mechanic, feeling like the magic and exclusivity that Max Battles brought to the game has been ripped away from us. This will be an ongoing topic, and we are eager to hear what everyone thinks. GO Fest Osaka is this weekend and it brought 100 person lobbies for GMAX Rillaboom! It is easy to go big at an event like that, so it will be interesting to see how Rillaboom lobbies do as part of the Serene Retreat event that the rest of the world has. It may actually be tougher because the GMAX Battles are spread out over the weekend. Let us know how you do! There are a few small bits of news to cover like new Masuda music coming to the game for GO Fest, the return of the Regis to Raids, and Jangmo-o being selected as our June Community Day Pokémon. Niantic Spatial has also officially branched off as the Scopely deal is now complete. Recon will be their new mapping mechanic and as far as we can see, all the criteria for Ingress submissions will stay the same. We are wondering if many PGO Trainers that played Ingress will be hanging up the game for good. Finally we dig into our GO Fest: Jersey City plans, as we have an incredibly packed weekend ahead of us. We are excited to announce that we have been selected as Notable Trainers for the fourth year in a row! Thank you to everyone for the support as we hope to meet you in person at the Notable Trainer Tent! We also have our full schedule posted on LuredUp.com, including info for our Friday night meetup at The Pixel Lab in downtown Jersey City! We can not wait for next week to meet you out there! Final Strike: GO Battle Week Max Battle Day: GMAX Machamp Serene Retreat GMAX Rillaboom Counters Masuda Music Ancients Recovered Jangmo-o Community Day Niantic Spatial: Recon Recon Criteria Notable Trainers Jersey City Schedule Stay up to date by adding our Google Calendar to your account! LuredUp@PokemonProfessor.com     Voicemail and SMS: 732-835-8639  Use code FULLHEAL at https://tgacards.com/ for 10% off your order! Support the show by bookmarking and shopping at TCGPlayer.com using this link - https://bit.ly/TCGPlayerAffiliate  Connect with us on multiple platforms! https://linktr.ee/PokemonProfessorNetwork  Hosts Ken Pescatore Adam Tuttle Writer and Producer Ken Pescatore Executive Producer  Xander Show music provided by GameChops and licensed through Creative Commons ▾ FOLLOW GAMECHOPS ▾ http://instagram.com/GameChops http://twitter.com/GameChops http://soundcloud.com/GameChops http://facebook.com/GameChops http://youtube.com/GameChops http://www.gamechops.com Intro Music Lake Verity (Drum & Bass Remix)  Tetracase GameChops - Ultraball http://gamechops.com/ultraball/ https://soundcloud.com/tetracase  https://soundcloud.com/MegaFlare0 Break Music National Park Mikel & GameChops GameChops - Poké & Chill http://smarturl.it/pokechill https://twitter.com/mikel_beats Outro Music Vast Poni Canyon CG5 & GlitchxCity (Future Bass Remix) GameChops - Ultraball http://gamechops.com/ultraball/  http://soundcloud.com/cg5-beats https://soundcloud.com/glitchxcity Pokémon And All Respective Names are Trademark and © of Nintendo 1996-2025 Pokémon GO is Trademark and © of Niantic, Inc.Lured Up and the Pokémon Professor Network are not affiliated with Niantic Inc., The Pokémon Company, Game Freak or Nintendo. #pokemon #pokemongo #podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices