Pokemon GO: How to Get Excellent Throws for Dragon Week Ultra Unlock 2020
Pokemon GO players have been haunted by the challenge of landing Excellent Throws since the introduction of the first Mythical Pokemon, Mew, and Field Research. Most recently, the challenge has made its way back in the form of skill-based Timed Research tasks unlocked by players worldwide during GO Fest 2020.
Dragon Week, the first of three Ultra Unlock 2020 bonus weeks, features increased Dragon-type Pokemon spawns, the opportunity to capture Rayquaza in Raid Battles, and a new set of Timed Research challenges. The Pokemon GO event runs from July 31 - August 7, 1 PM (PDT), so players have until then to take advantage of the event and complete the Timed Research.
The Ultra Unlock 2020 Dragon Week Timed Research tasks consist almost entirely of catching Dragon-type Pokemon and landing skillful Poke Ball throws, so players will need to brush up on their tossing technique. Between Parts 3 and 4 of the Dragon Week Timed Research, players will have to land four Excellent Throws total - One Excellent Throw to complete Part 3, and three Excellent Throws to complete Part 4. Fortunately, these Excellent Throws do not have to be consecutive.
The general strategy for scoring an Excellent Throw - which occurs when a Poke Ball lands directly on a Pokemon's target circle, while the circle is tiny - involves mostly patience. Some users go so far as drawing guidelines on their phone-screens, but the simple truth is that Excellent Throws require precision to land, and they will only become easier with true Poke-practice and dedication.
As a general rule of thumb, a Pokemon's target circle becomes "Excellent sized" when it's at its smallest. This is often, but not always, once the circle has become approximately the size of, or just smaller than, the Pokemon's head (this obviously doesn't hold true for Pokemon like Clefairy, with ambiguous head-neck situations). Once the circle is small enough, Pokemon Trainers need only focus directly hitting the circle with their Poke Ball of choice.
In this case, any throw will work, even a double bounce throw, so players should go with their forte. That being said, one commonly used technique is as follows: starting at the bottom left of the screen, prep a left-curving ball, then throw it diagonally upwards and to the right, releasing the ball at approximately halfway across the screen. (See image below.)
To ensure that the circle doesn't change sizes before their throw is completed, players should wait for the Pokemon to initiate an attack before aiming their throw. A Pokemon's target circle won't change size while the Pokemon is loading up an attack animation, so as long as players release before the attack is over, they can take their time preparing a throw.
To maximize chances of an Excellent Throw, players should also be selective about what they're trying to catch. Certain Pokemon feature a larger target circle, so Excellent Throws will feel much easier to secure. This is the case for a vast majority of Legendary Pokemon, and for a good number of Dragon-type Pokemon, so it's the perfect opportunity to take advantage of Dragon Week's myriad bonuses, like Rayquaza. Dratini, Dragonair, and Vibrava, for example, also offer relatively large target circles.
Players can also try and "farm" a single Pokemon for multiple Excellent Throws if they find themselves with a particularly easy target. Provided the Pokemon doesn't flee, a player can land more than one Excellent Throw on the same target, and have it count towards the same quest. With Dragon Week spawns to assist, and the option to focus on landing Excellent Throws whenever possible, instead of consecutively, players are sure to have an Excellent time dragon-hunting this week.
Pokemon GO is available now on the App Store and Google Play.
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