Complete guide to Pokemon GO’s Misunderstood Mischief

Pokemon GO is going to be doing a lot for Halloween in 2021 with the Season of Mischief event and Misunderstood Mischief special research.

The 90-day event featured a variety of perks for players with the centerpiece being a new special research questline called Misunderstood Mischief. Misunderstood Mischief was a different take on the established special research framework in Pokemon GO, with a staggered release for each step.

Not much information was given for Misunderstood Mischief initially but it wound up being a wide-ranging affair that gave players rewards including a powerful shadow Pokemon and a fresh, new mythical in Hoopa. Here’s everything there is to know about this big special research event.

Misunderstood Mischief quests, rewards

Misunderstood Mischief has a unique format. While most special researches are available simultaneously and offer players the opportunity to sprint through them, this special research will instead see each step released one-by-one. As of September 1, only one part of the event is available to play. The other 15 are set to come in the future.

Here is a running tally for each step, and what the rewards are for each:

Misunderstood Mischief Step 1

• Make 10 Nice Throws (one Incense)
• Use an Incense (10 Poke Balls)
• Take three Snapshots of wild Psychic-type Pokémon (10 Nanab Berries)

Rewards: Wild Gothita appears, 1,000 XP, and 500 Stardust

Misunderstood Mischief Step 2

• Claim Reward (720 Stardust)

Rewards: 720 XP

Misunderstood Mischief Step 3

• Make five curveball throws (15 Poke Balls)
• Catch 10 different species of Pokemon (five Great Balls)
• Earn 5,000 Stardust (three Max Revives)

Rewards: Wild Hoopa appears, 1,000 XP, and 500 Stardust

Misunderstood Mischief Step 4

• Claim Reward (720 Stardust)

Rewards: 720 XP

Misunderstood Mischief Step 5

• Power up Pokemon 10 times (15 Great Balls)
• Catch 20 psychic-type Pokemon (wild Abra appears)
• Evolve three psychic-type Pokemon (10 Revives)

Rewards: Wild Wobbuffett appears, 10 Hyper Potions, 10 Hoopa Candy

Misunderstood Mischief Step 6

• Claim Reward (720 Stardust)

Rewards: 720 XP

Misunderstood Mischief Step 7

• Take a snapshot of your buddy (wild Furfrou appears)
• Catch a Furfrou (One fast move TM)
• Earn a heart with your buddy (One charged move TM)

Rewards: 15 Furfrou Candy, One Unova Stone, wild Minccino appears

Misunderstood Mischief Step 8

• Claim Reward (720 Stardust)

Rewards: 720 XP

Misunderstood Mischief Step 9

• Hit three nice curveball throws (15 Slowpoke Candy)
• Transfer 30 Pokemon (wild Galarian Slowpoke appears)
• Evolve one Slowpoke (1,990 XP)

Rewards: Five Max Potions, 40 Mega Slowbrow energy, wild Shedinja appears

Misunderstood Mischief Step 10

• Claim Reward (720 Stardust)

Rewards: 720 XP

Misunderstood Mischief Step 11

• Earn three candies from walking with Buddy (10 Yamask Candy)
• Catch 30 ghost-type Pokemon (10 Phantump Candy)
• Catch 30 dark-type Pokemon (10 Pumpkaboo Candy)

Rewards: 15 Ultra Balls, 40 Mega Gengar Energy, wild costumed Pikachu appears

Misunderstood Mischief Step 12

• Claim Reward (720 Stardust)

Rewards: 720 XP

Misunderstood Mischief Step 13

• Make a new friend (wild Meditite appears)
• Send 10 gifts to friends (wild Chinchou appears)
• Use 20 berries to catch pokemon (two Silver Pinap Berries)

Rewards: Wild Blitzle appears, one Poffin, 10 Dedenne Candy

Misunderstood Mischief Step 14

• Claim Reward (720 Stardust)

Rewards: 720 XP

Misunderstood Mischief Step 15

• Defeat five Team Go Rocket grunts (one Rocket Radar)
• Defeat three Team Go Rocket leaders (one Super Rocket Radar)
• Defeat Team Go Rocket boss Giovanni (one Lucky Egg)

Rewards: Two Silver Pinap Berries, 40 Mega Houndoom Energy, wild Absol appears

Misunderstood Mischief Step 16

• Claim Reward (2,000 XP)
• Claim Reward (2,000 XP)
• Claim Reward (2,000 XP)

Rewards: 20 Hoopa Candy, one Star Piece, wild Dusknoir appears

Misunderstood Mischief next step launch date

Misunderstood Mischief’s second and third parts arrived on September 5. Parts 4 and five will likely come out shortly thereafter, most likely on September 8 for a miniature event designed to celebrate the launch of Malamar.

The Season of Mischief is a 90-day event that will run from September 1 to December 1. Misunderstood Mischief is technically 16 parts, but is likely to include multiple pages that are simply a gift to players. Part two had no challenge or tasks, and just gave players 720 XP and Stardust.

Alongside this was the surprise that Hoopa was made available during just the third step. This makes it unclear what the ultimate prize will be for the event, but that’s an exciting prospect nonetheless.

How to catch Hoopa in Pokemon GO

The mythical Pokemon Hoopa can be captured by completing step three of the Misunderstood Mischief special research. Hoopa appears as a wild Pokemon in the rewards for completing the challenges

Hoopa had been appearing regularly in Pokemon GO since Pokemon GO Fest, with the gen-six Pokemon opening ringed rifts in the sky that introduce new and returning rare Pokemon to the game. This has served as lore for many recent content releases, most notably the introduction of Galarian Pokemon such as Wooloo and Skwovet. Fans have been reminded of Hoopa’s impact with the rings hanging in the sky for weeks.

As a way of closing the door on this motif, Niantic added Hoopa to the game and made it catchable in the questline. That’s not the end for the Pokemon, though.

Hoopa has been exclusively shown in Pokemon GO in its cutesy Confined form. Hoopa’s alternate Unbound form is a terrifying presence and will be appears in a follow-up special research. Players that are looking for powerful, rare Pokemon didn’t have to wait for Unbound Hoopa however, as step 15 gives players access to the incredibly powerful Shadow Lugia, which is worth adding to any lineup.

Is Malamar good in Pokemon GO?

Malamar will likely be a generally mediocre Pokemon in Pokemon GO.

Malamar has a strong psychic-dark typing that is weak to fairy and doubly weak to bug, but highly resistant to psychic attacks. Everything else hits for neutral damage.

While the typing is strong, Malamar doesn’t really hit particularly hard and has a limited move set. It will have STAB Psycho Cut or Peck for quick moves, and Hyper Beam, Psybeam, Foul Play, and Superpower as options for charge attacks. Its CP ceiling is quite low, topping out at just 2,359 at level 40. Malamar might be usable in Great League play, but won’t be very useful in any other PVP or PVE setting.