Pokémon GO Community Day for November 2026 features Pawniard on Saturday, November 21, from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. local time. Evolve Bisharp by 9:00 p.m. local to get a Kingambit that knows the Dark-type Charged Attack Kowtow Cleave (75 power in Trainer Battles, 85 in Gyms and raids). Until 9 p.m., Kingambit also needs only one Dark- or Steel-type raid win instead of the usual 15.
Everything below comes from Niantic’s official November Community Day post (published Oct 21, updated Oct 28), checked Nov 6, 2026 at 05:00 UTC. Details that only fan sites list are labelled. November 21 is also Eternamax Eternatus day, so there’s a plan for the whole Saturday further down.
Table of Contents
Quick answer: Pawniard Community Day at a glance
- When: Saturday, Nov 21, 2026, 2:00-5:00 p.m. local time. Some bonuses run until 9:00 p.m.
- Featured attack: evolve Bisharp during the event or up to four hours afterwards for a Kingambit with Kowtow Cleave.
- Easier Kingambit: until 9:00 p.m. local, defeat 1 Dark- or Steel-type Raid Boss with Bisharp as your buddy, instead of 15.
- Candy: 50 Pawniard Candy for Bisharp, then 100 for Kingambit (150 in total), and you get 2× Candy for catches during event hours.
- Shiny: Shiny Pawniard is more common during the event, and Pawniard can have this year’s Special Background.
- Paid extras: US$1.99 Special Research (3 Special Background Pawniard, a Premium Battle Pass, a Rare Candy XL), or the US$1.99 Ultra Ticket Box on the web store with 5 Ultra Balls added.
Pawniard is November's Community Day Pokémon: Saturday Nov 21, 2-5 p.m. local. Image: Pokémon GO / Scopely
Pokémon GO Community Day November 2026: times in UTC
Community Day runs on local time, so it starts in New Zealand and ends in Hawaii. This table converts the three key times for November 21, when daylight saving has ended in North America and Europe.
| Location (time zone) | Event hours 2-5 p.m. local, in UTC | Kowtow Cleave and bonus deadline (9 p.m. local), in UTC |
|---|---|---|
| Auckland (UTC+13) | Nov 21, 01:00-04:00 | Nov 21, 08:00 |
| Sydney (UTC+11) | Nov 21, 03:00-06:00 | Nov 21, 10:00 |
| Tokyo (UTC+9) | Nov 21, 05:00-08:00 | Nov 21, 12:00 |
| India (UTC+5:30) | Nov 21, 08:30-11:30 | Nov 21, 15:30 |
| Berlin, Paris (UTC+1) | Nov 21, 13:00-16:00 | Nov 21, 20:00 |
| London (UTC+0) | Nov 21, 14:00-17:00 | Nov 21, 21:00 |
| New York (UTC-5) | Nov 21, 19:00-22:00 | Nov 22, 02:00 |
| Los Angeles (UTC-8) | Nov 21, 22:00 – Nov 22, 01:00 | Nov 22, 05:00 |
| Honolulu (UTC-10) | Nov 22, 00:00-03:00 | Nov 22, 07:00 |
Event bonuses: what runs until 5 p.m. and what runs until 9 p.m.
Niantic splits the bonuses into two windows. If you can only play in the evening, the 5-9 p.m. bonuses still give you lures that attract Pawniard and cheaper trades.
| Bonus | Active (local time) |
|---|---|
| Pawniard spawns more often in the wild (Shiny chance up) | 2:00-5:00 p.m. |
| 2× Candy for catching Pokémon | 2:00-5:00 p.m. |
| 2× chance of Candy XL for Trainers level 31+ | 2:00-5:00 p.m. |
| 1/4 Egg hatch distance (Eggs placed in an Incubator during the event) | 2:00-5:00 p.m. |
| Incense lasts three hours (not Daily Adventure Incense) | Activated 2:00-5:00 p.m. |
| Snapshot surprise (Pawniard photobombs) | 2:00-5:00 p.m. |
| Lure Modules last one hour, and regular Lures have a very high chance of attracting Pawniard | 2:00-9:00 p.m. |
| One extra Special Trade (two for the day) and 50% less Stardust for trades | 2:00-9:00 p.m. |
| Evolve Bisharp for Kingambit with Kowtow Cleave | 2:00-9:00 p.m. |
| Kingambit evolution needs 1 Dark- or Steel-type raid win (instead of 15) | 2:00-9:00 p.m. |
Niantic says Pawniard drawn to regular Lure Modules keep the higher Shiny chance and can have a Special Background. Leek Duck’s event page (read Nov 6) adds that the one-hour Lure bonus doesn’t apply to Golden Lure Modules.
How to evolve Bisharp into Kingambit on Community Day
Normally Kingambit takes real work. Niantic’s Crown Clash post from Kingambit’s May 2025 debut sets the standard rule: defeat 15 Dark- or Steel-type Pokémon in Raid Battles with Bisharp as your buddy. Bisharp doesn’t have to do the fighting. On Community Day, from 2 to 9 p.m. local, that drops to a single Dark- or Steel-type Raid Boss.
- Collect Candy. Pawniard evolves into Bisharp for 50 Candy (Serebii). Bisharp needs 100 more Candy for Kingambit, according to Pocket Tactics’ Bisharp guide (updated Jun 2, 2026). The 2× Candy bonus from 2 to 5 p.m. is the time to farm.
- Make Bisharp your buddy before you raid. Pick the Bisharp you want as Kingambit (best IVs or Shiny).
- Win one Dark- or Steel-type raid. Niantic’s November content update lists Darkrai (a pure Dark type) in five-star raids from Nov 16 to Nov 24 (see our November 2026 events and raids calendar). Niantic hasn’t published the one- and three-star lineups for Nov 21 yet. The rule says “Raid Boss”, and nothing says Max Battles count, so plan on a regular raid.
- Evolve before 9:00 p.m. local. That’s both the Kowtow Cleave deadline and the end of the reduced requirement.
Does Bisharp have to be your buddy? The two sources disagree
Niantic’s post, updated on Oct 28 “for accuracy”, asks for the raid win “with Bisharp as your buddy”. It then says the bonus “will apply to all of your Bisharp regardless of whether they are your Buddy Pokémon”. Leek Duck’s page has an Oct 28 correction that says the opposite: only the Bisharp that is your buddy gets the bonus.
The safe approach works under both readings. Do the raid with your best Bisharp as buddy and evolve that one first. Then check whether your other Bisharp also show the reduced requirement before you spend Candy on them.
Kowtow Cleave: is Kingambit worth building?
Kowtow Cleave is Kingambit’s signature Dark-type move. Niantic gives it 75 power in Trainer Battles and 85 power in Gyms and raids. PvPoke’s recommended Kingambit moveset uses Foul Play as its Dark-type charged move, so the useful comparison is with that.
| Charged move | Trainer Battles (power / energy) | Gyms and raids (power / energy / duration) | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kowtow Cleave (Dark) | 75 / 40 | 85 / not published / not published | Niantic (power); PvPoke game data (PvP energy) |
| Foul Play (Dark) | 65 / 40 | 70 / 50 / 2.0 s | PvPoke; Pokebattler |
| Dark Pulse (Dark) | 80 / 45 | 80 / 50 / 3.0 s | PvPoke; Pokebattler |
In PvP, PvPoke’s open game data (updated Nov 3) gives Kowtow Cleave the same 40 energy as Foul Play but 10 more power. That makes it a straight upgrade on paper. PvPoke’s current overall rankings (Oct 31) still use the pre-event Low Kick / Foul Play / Iron Head set. With that set, Kingambit ranks 415th of 1,154 in Great League, 185th of 851 in Ultra League and 79th of 409 in Master League. Expect those ranks to change once Kowtow Cleave is added to its move pool. Bisharp itself ranks far lower in every league (858th, 556th and 315th).
In raids, Kowtow Cleave’s 85 power is 15 more than Foul Play’s 70, per Pokebattler’s move data. Niantic hasn’t published its raid energy cost or duration, though, so don’t count on Kingambit as a top Dark attacker until simulators add the move.
Kingambit debuted in May 2025's Crown Clash; on Nov 21 it can learn Kowtow Cleave. Image: Pokémon GO / Scopely
Pawniard Community Day Special Research and Ultra Ticket Box
The Community Day-exclusive Special Research costs US$1.99 (or your local pricing tier). Niantic lists these rewards:
- 3 encounters with Pawniard that have a Special Background
- Additional Pawniard encounters
- 1 Premium Battle Pass
- 1 Rare Candy XL
The research has no medal and no story. Tickets aren’t refundable. You can gift one to a friend at Great Friends or higher: tap the ticket in the shop, then tap Gift instead of Buy. You can’t gift to someone who already bought or received one. Niantic hasn’t said when tickets go on sale yet.
Leek Duck’s listing shows three steps of catch, throw, Berry and spin tasks. Named rewards include 20 Ultra Balls per step, an Incubator, an Incense, a Charged TM, 3 Silver Pinap Berries, a Rocket Radar, the Premium Battle Pass and 10,000 XP. Some steps also give Bisharp encounters. The Pawniard Community Day Ultra Ticket Box on the Pokémon GO Web Store includes an event ticket plus 5 Ultra Balls at no extra cost, also for US$1.99.
Free Field Research
Everyone gets November Community Day Field Research: catch Pawniard to earn Stardust, Ultra Balls and more Pawniard encounters. Leek Duck lists “Catch 3 Pawniard” (rewards such as 5 Great Balls, 2 Ultra Balls, 2 Pinap Berries or 500 Stardust), plus “Catch 5 Pokémon while in a Party” and “Catch 50 Pokémon”. Those last two give a Pawniard encounter with a Special Background. Leek Duck lists Field Research Pawniard at 574-614 CP. Checking in at a Community Ambassador meetup also unlocks Timed Research with Special Background Pawniard.
November 21 plan: Eternatus Max Battles, then Community Day
Niantic’s Dynamax Trails post puts Eternamax Eternatus at most Power Spots on the same Saturday, from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. local. Community Day starts right when it ends. Here’s the day in order:
| Local time, Sat Nov 21 | What’s on | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Before 11:00 a.m. | Dynamax Trails (Nov 16-23) | Set your best Bisharp as buddy; stock Poké Balls and Incense |
| 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. | Eternamax Eternatus takes over most Power Spots | Max Battles for Eternatus Candy and Candy XL (it can’t be caught; the catch comes from GO Pass: Dynamax Trails) |
| 2:00-5:00 p.m. | Community Day core hours | Catch Pawniard for 2× Candy, run Incense, hatch Eggs |
| Any time before 9:00 p.m. | Reduced Kingambit requirement | Win one Darkrai raid (or another Dark- or Steel-type raid) with Bisharp as buddy |
| 5:00-9:00 p.m. | Lure, trade and evolution bonuses | Lure a PokéStop for more Pawniard, make your two Special Trades, evolve Kingambit before 9 |
Remote raiding gets easier that weekend. Niantic raises the daily Remote Raid limit from 10 to 30 from Nov 20 at 1:00 p.m. to Nov 21 at 6:00 p.m. PST (Nov 20 21:00 UTC to Nov 22 02:00 UTC). That’s useful if no Darkrai raid is in walking distance. The full week of Max Battles is in our Pokémon GO Max Battle schedule.
Eternamax Eternatus takes over most Power Spots from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. local on Nov 21, just before Community Day. Image: Pokémon GO / Scopely
More Pokémon GO events around Community Day
- Nov 14-15: GO Wild Area: Global, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. local. Our GO Wild Area Global 2026 guide separates what’s free from what the US$11.99 ticket adds.
- Thursday Nov 19, 6-7 p.m. local: a Grookey, Scorbunny and Sobble Spotlight Hour with 2× Catch Candy, per the Dynamax Trails post. Weekly picks are in our Pokémon GO Spotlight Hour page.
- Nov 24, 10 a.m. – Nov 30, 8 p.m. local: Twilight Wishes, with a GO Pass and more Shiny Staryu and Elgyem, per Niantic’s Twilight Wishes post.
FAQ
What time is Pokémon GO Community Day in November 2026?
Saturday, November 21, 2026, from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. in your local time. Lure, trade and evolution bonuses last until 9:00 p.m. local.
How do you get Kowtow Cleave in Pokémon GO?
Evolve Bisharp into Kingambit between 2:00 and 9:00 p.m. local on November 21. Niantic hasn’t said whether Elite TMs will teach the move later.
How much Candy do you need for Kingambit?
Pawniard to Bisharp takes 50 Candy, and Bisharp to Kingambit takes 100 (Pocket Tactics). That’s 150 Pawniard Candy for a fresh Pawniard. On Community Day the raid requirement drops from 15 Dark- or Steel-type raid wins to 1.
Can Kingambit be Shiny?
Yes. Pawniard’s Shiny chance is higher during the event, and Leek Duck notes that a Shiny Pawniard evolves into Shiny Bisharp and Shiny Kingambit.
Is there a Pawniard Community Day ticket?
Yes. It’s optional: the US$1.99 Special Research gives 3 Special Background Pawniard, a Premium Battle Pass and a Rare Candy XL. The core event, Field Research and the Kingambit evolution are free.
Sources: Pokémon GO: November 2026 Community Day: Pawniard (Oct 21, updated Oct 28); Pokémon GO: Dynamax Trails (Oct 28); Pokémon GO: Crown Clash (Apr 2025); Leek Duck: Pawniard Community Day (read Nov 6, 2026); Pocket Tactics: Bisharp evolution (Jun 2, 2026); Serebii: Bisharp in Pokémon GO; PvPoke open-source rankings and game data (Oct 31 / Nov 3); Pokebattler move data. All checked Nov 6, 2026, 05:00 UTC.
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Featured image: AI-generated illustration
