How to Catch a Smeargle in Pokemon Go
This mischievous critter can now photobomb your snapshots.
In a recent Pokemon Go update, a new loading screen was added prominently featuring the painting Pokemon Smeargle, giving players a preview of something to come.
Smeargle is now available to capture in Pokemon Go, but players won’t encounter it in the traditional way. Smeargle is part of the game’s new Snapshot feature, which allows players to take pictures of the Pokemon they have in their collection.
Specifically, to capture Smeargle, players need to take one or more pictures of a Pokemon in their collection, in an attempt to have Smeargle “photobomb” one of those pictures.
Smeargle won’t show up in the live camera view; instead, after you take one or more pictures, you’ll need to tap the back button in the top-left corner of the screen to view the pictures you’ve taken and see whether Smeargle appeared in any of them.
If not, you can try again with the same or a different Pokemon, and continue to take pictures until Smeargle eventually appears.
If Smeargle photobombed one of your pictures, it will spawn on the in-game map when you leave the Snapshot mode. From there, you can attempt to capture Smeargle like you would any other Pokemon. However, there’s one more thing to keep in mind.
In the “core” series of Pokemon games, Smeargle knows a move called “Sketch,” which allows it to permanently copy the last move used by its opponent in battle. In Pokemon Go, Smeargle has a similar setup. When players capture Smeargle in the mobile game, it will know the battle moves of the Pokemon it photobombed.
With the addition of Smeargle to Pokemon Go, a new in-game Medal, called Cameraman, is also available for players to earn as they have multiple “surprise encounters” with Smeargle over time.
Have you encountered Smeargle in Pokemon Go? Let us know in the comments, or tweet us @superparenthq.
Brandy Berthelson has been writing about video games and technology since 2006, with her work appearing on sites including AOL Games, Digital Spy, and Adweek’s Social Pro Daily. When she’s not gaming, Brandy enjoys crafting, baking, and traveling with her husband.
