The week of May 11–17, 2026 in Pokémon GO has three big windows: a Tuesday 21:00 JST last call for the carryover 
Nihilego and 
Mega Camerupt raids, a Wednesday raid rotation that adds 
Xurkitree as the Asia-Pacific 5★ Legendary plus 
Mega Glalie Mega Raid, and the headline event — 
Deino Community Day Classic on Saturday with the Brutal Swing evolution bonus for 
Hydreigon. This guide ranks every event and Pokémon for the week into Highest / Mid / Low priority so you can plan around it without burning out.
All times below are shown in JST, matching the Japanese in-game event schedule. If you play outside Japan, check your in-game Today View for your local event window.
Schedule Overview (May 11–17, 2026)
This week has four key windows to remember:
- Tuesday 21:00 JST — last call for Nihilego and Mega Camerupt
- Wednesday 06:00 JST — raid rotation (Xurkitree 5★ Asia-Pacific, Mega Glalie Mega Raid, Shadow Cresselia continues)
- Wednesday 18:00–19:00 JST — Xurkitree Raid Hour
- Saturday 14:00–17:00 JST — Deino Community Day Classic
| Date / Time (JST) | Event | Priority |
|---|---|---|
| —5/12 (Tue) 21:00 | Last call: Nihilego 5★ Legendary Raid & Mega Camerupt Mega Raid end together |
Highest / Low |
| 5/11 (Mon) 6:00–21:00 |  Max Monday: Growlithe spawns (evolves to Dynamax Arcanine with 50 Candy, no evolution item required) |
Low |
| 5/12 (Tue) 10:00 – 5/18 (Mon) 20:00 |  Spring Marathon 2026 (Flittle / Espathra debut, 1/2 Egg Hatch Distance, 2× PokéStop XP) |
Mid |
| 5/13 (Wed) 6:00 – 5/19 (Tue) 21:00 | Xurkitree 5★ Legendary Raid (Asia-Pacific exclusive; Raid Hour 5/13 18:00–19:00) |
Highest |
| 5/13 (Wed) 6:00 – 5/19 (Tue) 21:00 | Mega Glalie Mega Raid |
Mid |
| —6/2 (Tue) 20:00 |  Shadow Cresselia Shadow Legendary Raid (4-week run, no rush this week) |
Mid |
| ★ 5/16 (Sat) 14:00–17:00 | Deino Community Day Classic (3-hour live window; Brutal Swing evolution unlocked through 21:00, $1.99 ticket) |
Highest |
The pattern this week is straightforward: Tuesday 21:00 to close out Nihilego and Mega Camerupt, Wednesday morning to flip into Xurkitree / Mega Glalie / Shadow Cresselia, and a focused 3-hour Saturday afternoon for Deino Community Day Classic — the highest-leverage window of the month for Dark-type DPS thanks to the Hydreigon Brutal Swing evolution bonus.
Carryover Last Call — Until 5/12 (Tue) 21:00 JST
Bottom line: Get your final high-IV Nihilego before the Tuesday 21:00 cutoff. Mega Camerupt is mostly a Mega Energy top-up — skip if you do not need it.
Nihilego is a Rock / Poison Ultra Beast 5★ Legendary Raid boss closing the carryover slot.
- Type: Rock / Poison
- Role: Top-end Poison-type attacker
- Poison ranking: #3 overall (excluding Mega and Shadow)
- Why grind now: Nihilego is the cleanest non-Mega, non-Shadow Poison DPS option in the game and rotates out of legendary slots quickly
Mega Camerupt ends with the same Tuesday 21:00 cutoff. The main appeal is the Mega Energy top-up — there is nothing critical to grind out unless you specifically want Mega Camerupt for the Pokédex or a future Fire/Ground need.
If you have to pick one, prioritize Nihilego. Shadow Cresselia runs through 6/2 (Tue) 20:00, so it does not need any rush this week — but note that the Shadow Raid requires 8 Lite Crystals, so start farming the materials early.
Max Monday: Growlithe → Arcanine (5/11 6:00–21:00)
Bottom line: Spawn-only window with no Max Hour spike. Dynamax Arcanine has solid trio coverage but middling raw DPS — useful for newer trainers, optional for veterans.
Monday's Max Monday slots Growlithe as the Dynamax spawn from 06:00 to 21:00 JST. Evolving costs 50 Candy with no evolution item, producing 
Arcanine with the Dynamax tag. There is no concentrated 3-hour burst this time, so plan to pick up spawns gradually through the day.
- Stat profile: Balanced — no single stat is outstanding, which translates to "jack of all trades, master of none" in raw DPS terms
- Max Battle role: Can run Max Flare / Max Strike / Max Lash, giving Fire / Electric / Dark coverage on one Pokémon — the trio coverage is the real selling point
- Fire-type Max Battle ranking: #9 — behind
Cinderace, Flareon, and Darmanitan
If you already have stronger Fire-type Dynamax options like Cinderace or Darmanitan, Dynamax Arcanine is optional. For trainers still building out their Max Battle roster, the trio coverage makes Growlithe a worthwhile catch this Monday — but it is not a "must-grind" window.
Spring Marathon 2026 — Flittle Debut (5/12 10:00 – 5/18 20:00)
Bottom line: Worth participating mostly for Egg-hatch and PokéStop XP bonuses. Flittle / Espathra debut is fun for the Pokédex, but expect Battle League play rather than raid relevance.
Spring Marathon 2026 runs from 10:00 JST on Tuesday through 20:00 JST on Monday 5/18, introducing two debutants from the Paldea region:
- Flittle (Psychic): debuts in 5 km Eggs and as a GO Pass-bonus encounter. Evolves to Espathra with 50 Candy
- Espathra: stat-line is not jaw-dropping — expect Battle League niche use rather than gym / raid impact
- Marathon Visor Pikachu: available through a free Timed Research; finishing the 21,000 XP goal guarantees one encounter
Event-wide bonuses:
- 1/2 Egg Hatch Distance
- 2× PokéStop XP (3× with the Deluxe Marathon ticket)
The egg-hatch and PokéStop XP combo make this a strong week for casual XP grinding even if you skip the new Pokémon. Flittle's "what is this thing?" debut moment is also a good excuse to check our individual Pokédex pages for the Paldea additions as they roll out.
Xurkitree 5★ Legendary Raid (5/13–5/19, Asia-Pacific Exclusive)
Bottom line: Top-tier Electric attacker with an attack stat of 330 — one of the strongest in the entire game. Highest-priority raid grind for Asia-Pacific trainers.
Xurkitree is an Electric Ultra Beast 5★ Legendary Raid boss, available exclusively in the Asia-Pacific region from 5/13 (Wed) 06:00 to 5/19 (Tue) 21:00 JST. Raid Hour is on 5/13 from 18:00–19:00 JST.
- Type: Electric (mono)
- Attack stat: 330 — among the highest in the game
- Weakness: only Ground (single weakness — easy to slot into raid teams)
- Electric ranking: #5 overall — and crucially, the top option that does not require Elite TMs or specific gating
- Recommended moveset: default electric kit (no Elite TM required)
The pure-Electric typing means Xurkitree only takes super-effective damage from Ground-type moves, which makes it forgiving in real raid lobbies. The Pokémon ranked above it in the Electric DPS chart all come with friction — 
Shadow Electivire is hard to obtain, 
Mega Manectric requires Mega Energy, and 
Thundurus and 
Regieleki need event-restricted special moves. Xurkitree puts up that DPS without any of those steps.
Ultra Beast regional split (5/13–5/19):
| Region | 5★ Legendary Raid Boss |
|---|---|
| Asia-Pacific (incl. Japan) | Xurkitree |
| Americas |  Buzzwole |
| Europe / Middle East / Africa / India |  Pheromosa |
Of the three Ultra Beasts, Xurkitree has the strongest non-conditional Electric attacker case — Asia-Pacific trainers got the best slot in the rotation this round.
Mega Glalie Mega Raid (5/13–5/19)
Bottom line: The only Mega Ice DPS pick available right now — modest absolute power, but strategically valuable for the upcoming winter Ice Candy bonuses.
Mega Glalie runs as a Mega Raid boss from 5/13 (Wed) 06:00 through 5/19 (Tue) 21:00 JST.
- Type: Ice (mono)
- Stats: attack-leaning, decent overall raid grade
- Ice ranking: #6 overall (including Mega and Shadow)
- Mega-only Ice tier: top — Mega Glalie is the strongest Mega Ice DPS the game currently offers
The deeper context is that Ice has historically been a thin attacker pool, so even the top Mega Ice slot does not match the absolute peak DPS you see in Fire or Electric. That said, Mega Glalie is the only Mega Ice option, so banking the Mega Energy now is a smart move ahead of any future winter Ice Candy boost. Treat this as a strategic stockpile rather than a raw-power grind.
Shadow Cresselia (Continuing through 6/2 Tue 20:00)
Bottom line: 4-week Shadow Legendary Raid window — no rush this week. Start farming Lite Crystals (8 needed) ahead of time.
Shadow Cresselia continues from the previous week through 6/2 (Tue) 20:00 JST — a full 4-week run. There is no need to push hard on it during the May 11–17 window. Use the extra time to stockpile Lite Crystals, since each Shadow Legendary attempt requires 8.
Trainers torn between Nihilego and Mega Camerupt on Tuesday should always lean Nihilego if their IV pool is still weak — Nihilego is a near-final Poison attacker piece, while Mega Camerupt is mostly a Mega Energy top-up.
Deino Community Day Classic (Saturday 5/16, 14:00–17:00 JST)
Bottom line: The biggest window of the week. The Brutal Swing evolution bonus turns Hydreigon into a top-tier non-Mega / non-Shadow Dark attacker — clear your Saturday afternoon and evolve all the way through by 21:00 JST.
Deino Community Day Classic runs Saturday 5/16 from 14:00 to 17:00 JST. This is a "Classic" return of the original Deino Community Day rather than a brand-new event. Deino floods the wild for shiny hunts during the 3-hour live window, and the evolution bonus stays open through 21:00 JST that day.
Evolution chain: Deino → Zweilous → Hydreigon. Evolving all the way to Hydreigon during the bonus window unlocks the Dark-type Charged Move Brutal Swing.
Event-wide bonuses:
- 3× Catch XP
- 3-hour Incense duration
- $1.99 USD ticket (optional Special Research)
Zweilous (Mid-Stage, PvP Niche)
Zweilous is the mid-stage form. You almost never use it for gyms or raids in this form, but it has a Super League niche similar to 
Dragonair or 
Shelgon — mid-evolution Pokémon that occasionally make Battle League cuts.
- Recommended PvP moveset: Dragon Breath → Body Slam
- Strategy: Catch and IV-check enough Deino during the live window to bank a PvP-grade Zweilous before evolving the rest into Hydreigon
Hydreigon (Final Evolution)
Bottom line: Top-tier non-Mega / non-Shadow Dark attacker with Brutal Swing. Tyranitar's main rival — and a step ahead in raw DPS.
Hydreigon is the final evolution and the real reward of the event.
- Type: Dark / Dragon
- Stat profile: Strong across the board with a high attack stat — not "jack of all trades" like Arcanine
- Dark ranking (excl. Mega and Shadow): #4 overall
- Recommended raid moveset: Bite → Brutal Swing
- Use cases: Gym attacking, Dark raid lobbies, fastest Team GO Rocket clears versus Psychic / Ghost lineups
Hydreigon's main rival in the non-Mega / non-Shadow Dark slot is 
Tyranitar, but Hydreigon edges out Tyranitar on raw DPS once Brutal Swing is locked in. The species ahead of Hydreigon in the Dark chart are 
Zoroark (low bulk), 
Absol (low bulk), and 
Darkrai (limited availability). Hydreigon is the Pokémon you can actually farm in volume on Saturday — build a "Hydreigon fleet" rather than a single copy.
Shadow Hydreigon: if you saved Shadow Deino from a previous Team GO Rocket window, evolve at least one all the way through to Shadow Hydreigon during this Community Day Classic to lock in Brutal Swing. With Mega and Shadow included, Shadow Hydreigon ranks #5 in Dark DPS overall, and it tears through Team GO Rocket Psychic / Ghost specialists.
Weekly Priorities
Highest priority (do not miss):
- 5/12 (Tue) by 21:00 JST — last call for Nihilego
- 5/13 (Wed) 18:00–19:00 JST — Xurkitree Raid Hour (Asia-Pacific)
- 5/16 (Sat) 14:00–17:00 JST — Deino Community Day Classic; evolve to Hydreigon by 21:00 JST for Brutal Swing
Each of these is a top-of-tier move for its type slot — Poison, Electric, and Dark attackers respectively.
Mid priority:
- Mega Glalie Mega Raid (5/13–5/19) — only Mega Ice option, banks Mega Energy for future winter boosts
- Shadow Cresselia (continuing through 6/2 Tue 20:00) — start now if you have not, but no rush this week
Low priority:
- Max Monday Growlithe / Dynamax Arcanine (5/11) — spawn-only window, optional unless you need the trio coverage
- Mega Camerupt last call (5/12 Tue 21:00) — Mega Energy top-up only
Rumor: Gold Bottle Cap in July GO Pass (Unconfirmed)
Bottom line: Datamine speculation only — treat as rumor until official Niantic confirmation.
One rumor circulating in the data-mining community right now is that the Gold Bottle Cap — the premium item that lets you set every IV of a single Pokémon to maximum — could be available through the July GO Pass. The hypothesis is that it returns around the GO Fest Global window, similar to past distributions.
Speculation splits two ways:
- It might appear as a paid GO Pass reward
- Or it might be a free distribution, since this year's GO Fest itself was free to attend
Until Niantic posts an official announcement, this is still in the "wait and see" bucket. We are watching it closely — and if confirmed, expect a separate "who should you use a Gold Bottle Cap on?" guide built in the same style as our existing Rare Candy ranking.
Wrap-Up: Rare Candy Ranking
Decisions about Rare Candy remain one of the most-asked questions in the community. We maintain a cross-category ranking that lines up the best targets across Gym attackers, Raid attackers, Team GO Rocket clears, Max Battle, and PvP — so you can see at a glance who deserves your candy stockpile right now:
Keep an eye on the Gold Bottle Cap rumor while you plan, but for the May 11–17 window the priorities are clear: Tuesday last call for Nihilego, Wednesday raid rotation around Xurkitree and Mega Glalie, and Saturday's Deino Community Day Classic centered on the Hydreigon Brutal Swing evolution.
Thanks for reading — see you in the next weekly plan.