How to Unlock Pokémon in PokéBonk: All 79 League Challenges

Complete every League prerequisite, then resolve the eligible encounter. Ordinary partners still require capture; since v0.8.63, the five League legendaries join as soon as they are weakened in their recruitment encounter. Throw a Poké Ball if you also want the shiny form.

The current client defines 79 League partners. The 151-entry Kanto Pokédex includes evolution forms and other reference entries; it is a different count. A Pokédex record is not a promise that every form can be independently selected from the League.

October 27 update: v0.8.56 lowered Lickitung’s single-run healing challenge from 8,000 to 7,000 HP; its 15 League member requirement remains. This one row was checked against v0.8.59; the other 78 challenge entries retain the v0.8.18 snapshot. The current card is authoritative. Official release and configuration.

For practical routes to Gastly’s 600 reactions, sleep counters, Mewtwo recruitment and Looks that do not progress, use the unlock and cosmetic challenge checklist.

Why 79 League partners but 151 Pokémon?

79 is the recruitable partner roster; 151 includes the Kanto forms in the reference scope. Evolved forms belong to those partner lines. You do not need 151 separate League recruitments or a random encounter with every final evolution.

A practical order is to work on a reachable challenge, finish the run, then resolve the newly eligible recruitment encounter. A full progress bar does not itself add that partner to the League; ordinary partners and legendaries have different final steps.

Popular unlock targets

These are v0.8.18 challenge definitions except for the separately checked Lickitung update above. The full table below preserves all 79 entries and identifies the League-size gates. Use the exact wording: a single-run requirement cannot be completed by adding together many short attempts.

Complete the challenge, then recruit

1. Read every requirement and progress counter on the partner's League card.
2. Complete them all; roster-size and battle conditions can apply together.
3. Start an eligible later run. For an ordinary partner, weaken and capture it before it escapes.
4. For Articuno, Zapdos, Moltres, Mewtwo or Mew, v0.8.63 secures League recruitment when you weaken the eligible encounter. Confirm the join message. A shiny still needs its Poké Ball interaction.
5. Check the League before planning the new partner's build.

This changes the recruitment finish, not every encounter's prerequisites or allowed mode. In particular, a Survival milestone Boss is not automatically the solo Classic recruitment encounter described in the Mewtwo checklist.

Unlock the other starters

A new player chooses one of Bulbasaur, Charmander or Squirtle. That one becomes the first League member.

For either of the other starters, finish two runs, win or lose, then capture it when it appears in a later run. You do not need to clear a map just to satisfy the two-run challenge. You still need to complete the subsequent capture.

Our starter comparison explains their real passives, opening moves, Ultimates and signature fusion pairs.

Read the challenge correctly

Lifetime goals accumulate across runs. A target such as 5,000 total KOs or 250 berries does not have to be completed in one session.

Single-run goals use your best result from one run. Four separate runs with 1,000 healing each do not satisfy a 4,000-healing-in-one-run challenge.

League-size requirements count partners already in your League. They are not the number of different Pokédex forms you have seen, evolutions reached, or enemy species defeated.

All listed conditions are required. For example, Eevee requires 15 League members and having played 10 different Pokémon. Simply reaching 15 members is not enough. Mew requires the other 78 League members.

Support Alpha capture is a separate system. Recruiting an Alpha to accompany the current run does not, by itself, add that species to the playable League. A shiny capture also does not replace the regular League recruitment requirement. Follow the League’s own challenge and capture flow.

All 79 League challenges

The table lists the checked client conditions. “None” in the League-size column means there is no additional roster-size gate, not that the partner is unlocked automatically. All other requirements still apply. Ordinary partners require capture; the legendary recruitment exception above is a later v0.8.63 rule.

Plan your next unlock

Start with a requirement you can make progress on using a familiar partner. Pidgey requires four completed runs, while the remaining starters need two. These are straightforward goals to track as you learn the opening, without assuming a successful map clear.

For a specific target, work backward from the condition:

• Pikachu asks for KOs in rain. Check whether your current run and kit can produce that context; ordinary KOs in dry weather do not advance the same counter.
• Eevee needs League size and varied partner use. Finish runs with partners you have already recruited rather than only repeating one starter.
• Zubat asks for healing within one run. Bulbasaur’s recovery passive offers a mechanic to investigate, though this is a planning suggestion rather than a tested fastest route.
• Mewtwo has multiple late requirements, including the three legendary birds. Use the table as a checklist, not a claim that one completed condition is enough.

If your target is not selectable yet, check three things: the whole challenge is complete, the follow-up encounter was resolved under its ordinary or legendary recruitment rule, and the partner is now shown as a League member. If progress did not save, resolve the connection or account issue before attempting another long single-run challenge.

Permanent upgrades from the Lab can support later attempts. When you have chosen the next partner, the fusion recipe list helps you plan a specific pair rather than spreading upgrades without a goal.

Shiny legendaries and repeat encounters

The v0.8.77 announcement gives Articuno, Zapdos, Moltres, Mewtwo and Mew their own per-account shiny chance, rising with attempts until guaranteed. A recruited legendary can return when its shiny is due. Recruitment and catching that shiny remain separate results.

The announcement does not give a fixed attempt count or starting percentage, so this guide does not promise either. Follow the eligible encounter and current account prompts; do not treat every Boss kill in every mode as a guaranteed attempt.

Sources and checks

October 29 follow-up: legendary recruitment and shiny announcements were checked in the official v0.8.78 history; the current capture path confirms the recruitment exception. Other numeric challenge conditions retain their separately dated snapshots.

Once recruited, choose a practical route in strong builds: Vileplume control, Tauros movement, or Gengar Ghost. Recruitment and shared-move prerequisites are listed separately in each guide.

Keep exploring

• PokéBonk Unlock Challenges: Gastly, Sleep, Mewtwo & Looks
• Best PokéBonk Starter: Bulbasaur vs Charmander vs Squirtle
• PokéBonk Evolution Guide: Starter Levels & Eevee Branches
• Best PokéBonk Builds: Starter Routes, Upgrades & Fusions
• PokéBonk Lab Upgrades: All Costs & What to Buy First