Let's be real: Monday is usually the worst day of the week. You're back at work, the weekend is a distant memory, and the "Sunday Scaries" have turned into a full-blown reality. But if you’re still grinding in Pokémon GO, Niantic actually gave us a reason to stop dreading the start of the week. It’s called Max Monday Pokémon GO, and honestly, it’s the most chaotic hour of the game right now.
Forget Raid Hours for a second. We’ve been doing those since 2019.
Max Monday is the newer, purple-tinted cousin that focuses entirely on Dynamax and Gigantamax encounters. Every Monday from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. local time, Power Spots across the map basically go into overdrive. Instead of the usual random assortment of bosses, one specific Pokémon takes over every single Power Spot.
If you’ve missed out on a specific Dynamax form or you’re hunting that elusive 100% IV (Hundo) for your Max Battle team, this is the window.
The Core Loop of Max Monday Pokémon GO
The format is purposely simple. It mirrors the "Spotlight Hour" or "Raid Hour" rhythm we've grown used to. For sixty minutes, you aren't looking at Gyms; you're looking at those jagged purple towers known as Power Spots.
You need Max Particles (MP) to play. No particles, no entry.
Unlike regular Raids where you can just throw money at the screen for more passes, Max Particles have a daily cap. This means if you haven't been walking your 2km sets or visiting Power Spots during the day, you’re going to hit a wall fast. You can't just "whale" your way through twenty Max Battles in an hour unless you’ve strategically saved your MP collections for the late afternoon.
Wait, it gets trickier.
Because Max Battles happen at Power Spots and not Gyms, the density can be weird. In some suburban areas, you might have three Power Spots on one block. In others? You’re driving ten minutes between battles.
Why This Event Actually Matters for the Meta
Most people think Dynamax is just a gimmick. They’re wrong.
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With the introduction of Tier 6 battles and the eventual rollout of more Gigantamax forms, having a stable of high-level Max Pokémon is becoming a requirement for end-game content. Max Monday Pokémon GO is currently the most efficient way to farm Candy XL for these giants.
Take Dynamax Beldum, for example. When that was the featured mon, the local community went feral. Metagross is already a beast, but a Dynamax Metagross? That’s a literal tank.
Recent and Upcoming Max Monday Features
Niantic doesn't always announce these months in advance, but we’ve seen a clear pattern lately.
- January 5, 2026: Dynamax Drampa made its big splash.
- January 12, 2026: Dynamax Caterpie (don't laugh, Butterfree is surprisingly decent in some tiers).
- January 19, 2026: Dynamax Beldum (the one everyone actually wants).
- January 26, 2026: Dynamax Roggenrola.
You’ll notice a mix of "filler" Pokémon and absolute meta-relevant powerhouses. That’s the Niantic way. They want you to show up every week just in case.
Honestly, the shiny rates don't seem significantly boosted during this hour—at least not to Community Day levels. But because you can squeeze in so many battles back-to-back, your effective odds of finding a shiny Dynamax Drampa or Bulbasaur are much higher than just playing casually.
The Strategy: How Not to Waste Your Hour
If you show up at 6:00 p.m. with 0 Max Particles, you’ve already lost.
The most successful players I know treat the Monday morning commute as a "prep phase." They collect their 300 MP from walking and hit their daily limit of 800 MP well before the clock strikes six.
Don't forget the "Max Particle bank" trick.
You can technically go slightly over the 1,000 MP storage limit if your final collection of the day is a large one. If you’re at 750/1000 and you claim a 300 MP reward from a Research task, you’ll end up at 1050. It’s a small optimization, but in a 1-star battle that costs 250 MP, that extra 50 can be the difference between doing three battles or four.
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Also, focus on your Max Moves.
If you are going into a 3-star or 5-star Max Monday battle, you cannot rely on just tapping the screen. You need to have your Max Guard and Max Spirit leveled up. I’ve seen groups of four people fail a boss simply because everyone was focused on Max Attack and nobody bothered to heal the team.
It’s embarrassing. Don't be that person.
Common Misconceptions About Max Battles
One big thing people get wrong is thinking they can use their regular Level 50 Shadow Mewtwo in these fights.
You can’t.
Only Pokémon caught from Max Battles (or those special ones from the "To the Max" research) can Dynamax. This essentially reset the "power creep" for the entire game. You’re building a brand new army from scratch.
Max Monday Pokémon GO is basically Niantic’s way of fast-tracking that rebuilding process.
Another weird detail: Power Spots can "expire" or move. Unlike Gyms which are static, Power Spots are tied to a dynamic map. I’ve seen people plan a route on Sunday only to find out half their spots vanished by Monday night. Always check the map at 5:55 p.m. to see where the clusters are.
Is it Worth the Hype?
It depends on where you live.
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If you’re a rural player, Max Monday can be frustrating. If you only have two Power Spots in your town, the event lasts about eight minutes for you. But for city players? It’s a "Max Battle Train."
We usually get a group of five or six people, pile into two cars (or walk if the weather isn't trash), and just hit every purple beam we see. There’s a weird social energy to it that regular Raids have lost over the years. Since you can’t do these remotely, you actually have to see people.
It feels like 2016 again, just with bigger, weirder-looking Pokémon.
Actionable Steps for Next Monday
To make the most of the next Max Monday, follow this timeline:
- Morning: Do not claim any Max Particles from your "Daily 2km" walking until you are ready to manage your storage.
- Afternoon (4:00 p.m.): Hit your daily 800 MP limit from Power Spots. Then, and only then, claim your walking rewards to "overflow" your storage.
- Evening (5:45 p.m.): Open Campfire. Look for the "Flare" icons or dense clusters of Power Spots.
- The Event (6:00 p.m.): Prioritize 1-star battles if you want to farm many encounters for a shiny. Focus on 3-star or higher if you need the specific Pokémon for your battle team.
- Post-Event: Don't forget to place your Pokémon in the Power Spots you just cleared. You'll earn candy based on how many other people battle there after you leave.
The Dynamax system is clearly here to stay, and the rewards—like the massive XP drops and the ability to get legendary Dynamax forms—are only going to scale up.
Stop ignoring those purple spots.
Get your Max Particles in order.
The next Max Monday Pokémon GO event is only a few days away, and if it's a meta-relevant Pokémon like Beldum or Drilbur, you'll regret sitting it out while everyone else is powering up their giant steel tanks.
Next Steps for You: Check your current Max Particle count in the "Power" tab of your bag. If you're at the cap, spend a few on leveling up a Max Move today so you can start collecting more particles immediately tomorrow morning. Keep an eye on the official Pokémon GO blog or Leek Duck for the specific featured Pokémon announcement for the coming week.