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Binacle 100% perfect IV stats, shiny Binacle preview in Pokémon Go

Everything you need to know about Binacle’s Spotlight Hour.

This week’s Spotlight Hour is all about the Two-Handed Pokémon, which really narrows it down... We’re not going to count how many Pokémon have a total two hands, but we are going to tell you that this is a great opportunity to look for a perfect Binacle and shiny Binacle in Pokémon Go.

The obviously barnacle Pokémon (FIFY, Pokémon Company) is a cool Pokémon to see hit a Spotlight Hour, as its left-field use in Ultra League is actually interesting, unlike the Water/Rock-type seen last week. It’s second only to Relicanth in its type bracket, and Relicanth is still a Pokémon that many trainers are missing, thanks to the way February’s Pokémon Go Hoenn Tour was designed.

Even if you’re not keen on PVP, you should still try to catch as many Pokémon as possible during this week’s Spotlight Hour because of the double catch candy bonus that runs alongside the event.

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Watch as battle Guzzlord - one of the Ultra Beasts in Pokémon GoWatch on YouTube

Binacle 100% perfect IV stats in Pokémon Go

This week’s Spotlight Hour is a great opportunity to catch a Binacle with perfect IV stats.

Binacle.

'Perfect' means two things in Pokémon Go, depending on how you plan to use a given Pokémon. First, there’s the maxed out, 100% IV version, which is the 15/15/15 you’re looking for your 4* Pokédex, raids and Master League. Yet, because of how CP is calculated using three stats, a perfect IV Pokémon is generally only ever the best version of itself in the Master League.

Of course, you can’t see the IV of a Pokémon without catching it first, but with a little research beforehand, you can quickly spot a perfect Binacle based on the CP alone.

If you’re at Level 30 (or above), you’ll ideally be looking for the following CPs for a perfect 15/15/15 Binacle:

  • Level 30 (wild CP maximum) – 811 CP
  • Level 35 (weather-boosted wild CP maximum) – 878 CP
  • The wild CP value aligns with your Trainer Level until you reach Level 30 and, due to the majority of the player base now being above this level, we’ve kept to these values for the sake of simplicity. These values will, however, be different if you’re currently below Level 30.

    Is Barbaracle good in PVP?

    It’s actually not bad in the lower leagues, though its double-weakness to grass can be a bit of a liability. Where it will really shine, most likely, is a limited meta/special cup where Grass-types are restricted. Beyond that, weaknesses to Fighting, Electric and Ground are all that really hold it back. That said, some move updates wouldn’t go amiss in making what better be the Five-Handed Pokémon (nope, it’s somehow the Collective Pokémon) a little more meta relevant.

    Barbaracle.

    Barbaracle Fury Cutter (Fast), Stone Edge (Charged) and Cross Chop (Charged). Stone Edge is its only STAB move, but Fury Cutter is fast charging and Cross Chop is great anti-Abomasnow tech. All told, this is a spammy, agile Pokémon that can apply decent shield pressure.

    In Great League this means easy wins against Alolan Ninetails, Trevenant, Sableye, Walrein and Noctowl. Losses, meanwhile, will come from the meta-relevant Galarian Stunfisk, Lanturn, Swampert, Medicham and Altaria.

    Ultra League offers similarly reasonable wins and losses against a good chunk of the meta. Talonflame, Charizard and Pidgeot will all go down like a tonne of feathers (weighs the same as a tonne of bricks, after all), as will Alolan Muk and Umbreon. It’s not all upside, however — Swampert, Giratina, Cresselia, Cobalion and Walrein will all cause you grief.

    Master League is pretty much a no-go for Barbaracle, thanks to its lack of bulk in the big leagues. It’ll beat most of the Flying-types, especially the Legendary ones, but not all of them. Dragonite and Gyarados are losses to look out for, along with Metagross, Dialga and Mewtwo.


    The World of Wonders season has come to Pokémon Go. Rivals Week is currently running in Pokémon Go. You can now catch Wiglett and, if you don't have one already, Diancie through the Glitz and Glam quest. There's also the Rediscover Kanto and World of Wonders quests to complete! Don't forget to try out Routes, Gift Exchange and Party Play while you're hunting down rare Pokémon, fighting in the Go Battle League or competing in PokéStop Showcases.


    Is there a shiny Binacle in Pokémon Go?

    Yes, though it’s a little odd. Shiny Binacle was released during Water Festival 2022, making this its first anniversary of being in the game, and an excellent chance to go shiny hunting as a result!

    Binacle’s evolution line. (Image credit: pokemon.com)

    What does shiny Binacle look like?

    As you can see below, shiny Binacle is a rather simple one, swapping orange for pink, brown for a greeny brown and ivory for light green. It’s a cool-looking shiny for sure, and looks a bit like it has picked up some moss during its time on the side of a rock at low tide.

    Shiny Barbaracle simply copies Binacle’s homework, the same colours are swapped for slightly more pastelly versions of the same colours. You can see a preview of both below.

    Binacle family shiny comparison
    by u/TopAssistance2 in TheSilphRoad

    Thanks to Reddit user TopAssistance2 for the literally handy preview.

    Other tips for this Spotlight Hour

    Aside from trying to catch a shiny Binacle in Pokémon Go, there are a couple of other good reasons to partake in this week’s Spotlight Hour:

    • The best reason is, of course, the double catch candy bonus running throughout the hour. This gives you the chance to gather Candy twice as fast as usual, with each Binacle caught giving up to 13 Candy if you use a Pinap/Silver Berry with a Mega-Evolved Pokémon of the same type, instead of the base three.
    • This bonus also extends to your research rewards. Remember, you don’t need to catch these Pokémon when you complete the task; if you run away, you can 'bank' up to 200 Pokémon for times like this, or when you want to maximise a Star Piece or Lucky Egg bonus.
    • If you’re a newcomer, this Spotlight Hour is the perfect time to collect enough Binacle Candy to fully evolve this Pokémon and add its evolution to your Pokédex.
    • Thanks to Binacle being a Water/Rock-type, catching a bunch during this Spotlight Hour will add progress to your respective catch bonus medal.

    Spotlight Hour events only last for an hour – 6pm to 7pm (local time). Next week’s spotlight hour shows off Sunkern, and brings back the double transfer Candy bonus. Make sure you start tagging which Pokémon you want to transfer now!

    Good luck finding a perfect Binacle!

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