Niantic is continuing to work its way through the Pokemon that have yet to appear in Pokemon GO, and Snom and Frosmoth will finally make their Pokemon GO debut during August's Cozy Companions event. However, while the Snom line has been a fan-favorite ever since it was introduced in Pokemon Sword and Shield, due to factors like its design and unique typing, Pokemon GO players hoping to have their own Frosmoth will have to pay a frustratingly high price first.
The community currently has a variety of complaints about Pokemon GO's events and updates, taking issue with things ranging from limited availability to region-locked Pokemon, and Snom's introduction may add another grievance to the list. Though Snom will not be the first Pokemon to force players to meet certain requirements before it can be evolved, the above-average number of criteria that must be met to evolve this otherwise "ordinary" Pokemon seems ill-thought out. While the requirements won't stop players from evolving Snom into Frosmoth altogether, some may feel that doing so is simply not worth the time and effort.
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Breaking Down Pokemon GO's Snom and Frosmoth Debut
Similar to the Normal/Ghost-type Hisuian Zorua line and the Mythical Fire/Water-type Volcanion added earlier this year, Snom and Frosmoth will bring a unique type combination to Pokemon GO when they make their debut in August. Indeed, these Pokemon are Ice/Bug-type, and it was this never-before-seen dual-type, and Snom's appealing design, that cemented the Gen 8 Pokemon's popularity. This love for Snom came even despite its limited competitive viability, type weaknesses, and available moves, and Pokemon GO has the perfect opportunity to capitalize on its debut and make the most out of this fan-favorite Pokemon.
However, Niantic may have already tripped at the first hurdle due to the arguably unnecessary requirements that must be fulfilled to evolve Snom into Frosmoth, which are as follows:
- Players need 400 Snom Candies.
- Players must earn 10 hearts with Snom as their buddy.
- Players must evolve Snom at night.
While there are other Pokemon in Pokemon GO that have high candy costs or time-based criteria attached to their evolutions, those requirements are typically reserved for rare, special, or strong Pokemon, ultimately balancing the high cost of performing the evolution with the reward of receiving a standout Pokemon. So, while it is understandable that fellow Bug-types Larvesta and Wimpod need 400 candies to evolve into their stronger Volcarona and Golisopod counterparts, this balance does not quite apply to Snom and Frosmoth, as they are comparatively weaker Pokemon.
Pokemon GO Isn't To Blame For Snom's Evolution Method
The list of evolution methods in Pokemon games is ever-growing, and Pokemon GO has endeavored to be as faithful as possible when translating them into the mobile game format. Pokemon GO gets some of these evolution methods right, such as having to turn Inkay upside-down or having to trade Shelmet and Karrablast together, but others, like Ursaluna's full moon requirement and Pawmot's lengthy 25km walk, have proven more controversial. Ultimately, however, Niantic's adapted methods have followed the mainline Pokemon games as best they can, and that is true once again with Snom's evolution.
In Sword and Shield and Scarlet and Violet, Snom could only evolve by leveling up with high friendship at night, similar to Pokemon like Umbreon and Espeon. Therefore, Snom's evolution requirements aren't as abnormal as they might seem at first, and they are not dissimilar to Pokemon GO's adapted Eevee evolutions, some of which are time- or friendship-based. Regarding the high candy cost, Niantic appears to apply a 400 candy requirement to the more iconic, popular, or notable Pokemon of each generation, such as Bewear, Toxtricity, and Melmetal, which means Snom may have fallen victim to its own success.
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