'Pokémon Go' Delibird Update: Everything you need to know about the gift-giving Pokémon
The Pokémon Go Gen 2 update has been out for over a month, but there are still a few holdouts. Pokémon Go is still without Gen 1 rarities like Mewtwo and the Legendary Birds, while Gen 2 is missing its legendary Pokémon as well.
More surprising, Pokémon Go is also missing a couple of non-legendary Gen 2 creatures: Smeargle and Delibird. These pocket monsters weren't ultra-rare or super powerful in Gold and Silver, so we're not really sure what the hold up is.
We've told you all you need to know about Smeargle. So here's some info on the delightful Delibird before it comes to Pokémon Go — whenever that may be.
Pokémon Go update: Delibird in the main games
If you couldn't tell from the GIF above, Delibird is essentially the Santa Claus of the Pokémon world. That is to say that Delibird is a Pokémon constantly bearing gifts. Classified officially by the Pokédex as the "Delivery Pokémon," Delibird (get it? delivery bird) isn't trying to hide its gift-giving nature.
Half of its attacks even fit within the theme. Which is to say, one attack. Surprisingly, Delibird only learns a total of two attacks on its own. The first is Present and the second is Drill Peck.
Present randomly either deals damage or heals the opponent. When healing, it recovers one-fourth of the receiver's HP. When dealing out damage, it offers a base power of 40, 80 or 120. For reference, puny attacks like Peck and Ember do 40 base damage while moves like Outrage and Dragon Ascent do 120. So Present can actually be pretty deadly.
Pokémon Go update: Why isn't Delibird in Pokémon Go?
That's a good question. The most prominent rumors as to when Delibird will arrive suggest during a potential holiday 2017 event. It is the Santa Claus Pokémon, after all. Sure, we just named it that, but look at the red and white. The event announcement practically writes itself.
Unlike Smeargle, whose absence is mostly due to not knowing how his signature move Sketch would integrate into Pokémon Go, it's very clear what Delibird's role should be in the game. It's less a matter of how and more a matter of when. We can only hope Niantic delivers us this delivery Pokémon in nine months time.
More Pokémon Go news and coverage
If you're booting up the game for the first time in a while to catch some Gen 2 Pokémon, be sure to check out Mic's guides on how to get stardust, how to determine how long it will take you to reach level 40, the kind of Pokémon you get from 10-kilometer eggs, how to create new PokéStops, how to maximize your chances of catching Pokémon and how PokéStops distribute Pokémon eggs. Also check out how to catch Gen 2 baby Pokémon, our analysis of post-balance update Chansey and Rhydon and everything you need to know about finding the long-awaited Pokémon Ditto.
