Want all 18 Vivillon patterns in Pokémon GO? You do not need to travel to 18 places. The key is collecting Postcards from Gifts sent by friends in different regions, then earning Scatterbug encounters through the Vivillon Collector medal.
This is a practical collection guide, not a limited-time event announcement. It explains what to pin, how to identify the region you need, how much Candy to save, and which mistakes can waste your progress.
How Vivillon collecting works
Vivillon is a Bug/Flying-type Pokémon with region-dependent wing designs. Pokémon GO introduced Scatterbug, Spewpa and Vivillon in December 2022, with 18 postcard-based patterns to collect. The Postcard’s origin determines the regional Scatterbug encounter and the pattern that Pokémon can eventually become. The Pokémon Company’s introduction explains the core system.
Instead of searching the wild for every different butterfly, think of Vivillon as a postcard collection challenge:
- Receive a Gift from a friend whose Postcard comes from a participating Vivillon habitat.
- Pin the Postcard before opening the Gift.
- Build progress on that habitat’s Vivillon Collector sub-medal.
- Claim the Scatterbug encounter when the regional medal reaches its requirement.
- Catch Scatterbug, collect Candy, then evolve it through Spewpa into Vivillon.
You can repeat the process for additional encounters and work on multiple regions at the same time.
Step by step: pin a friend’s Postcard
- Open your Trainer Profile, then the Friends tab.
- Select a friend who has sent you a Gift.
- Tap the unopened Gift to view its Postcard.
- Tap the pin icon to save that Postcard.
- Open the Gift if you wish, and check the Vivillon Collector medal to see which regional progress increased.
Important: according to the official Pokémon GO Postcard Book help page, you cannot save a friend’s Postcard after opening the Gift. Pin first; open second. You can also pin Postcards from your own Gifts before sending them, but the current help page says your own-Gift pins count toward Scatterbug progress only twice per day.
If a pin does not advance a medal, check the location. Pokémon GO’s help documentation warns that not every geographic area is assigned to a Vivillon habitat.
Where to check your Vivillon region map
Open your Trainer Profile and find the Vivillon Collector medal. Its sub-medals track regional progress, and the medal details include a habitat map. You can also access the Vivillon map from its Pokédex entry. This in-game map is more reliable than guessing a pattern solely from a friend’s country, because a large country may cover more than one habitat.
When a regional medal grants an encounter, catch that Scatterbug and note the region immediately. If you run from the encounter, the official help page says you can reopen it from that region’s medal page.
All 18 Vivillon patterns in Pokémon GO
Here is a collection checklist of the 18 habitats documented for Pokémon GO. Use the medal map to locate each habitat; these are pattern names, not a guarantee that any particular country always corresponds to one pattern.
- Archipelago
- Continental
- Elegant
- Garden
- High Plains
- Icy Snow
- Jungle
- Marine
- Meadow
- Modern
- Monsoon
- Ocean
- Polar
- River
- Sandstorm
- Savanna
- Sun
- Tundra
A useful collector habit is to keep a simple note with three columns: pattern needed, friend/Postcard region, and Scatterbug caught. That helps prevent unnecessary duplicate evolutions.
How much Candy do Scatterbug and Vivillon need?
Every Vivillon collection starts with the same evolution line:
- Scatterbug → Spewpa: 25 Scatterbug Candy.
- Spewpa → Vivillon: 100 Scatterbug Candy.
- Total for one complete evolution: 125 Scatterbug Candy.
If you want one evolved Vivillon for each of the 18 patterns, that is 2,250 Scatterbug Candy in evolution costs alone. You can gradually collect Candy from catching Scatterbug and other normal in-game Candy sources, so there is no need to rush all 18 evolutions in one session.
Practical tip: Before evolving, label or tag your regional Scatterbug and double-check which pattern you are working toward. A rare-region encounter is more useful to your collection than evolving yet another duplicate of a pattern you already own.
Five mistakes to avoid
- Opening first, pinning later: You lose the chance to save that Gift’s Postcard after opening it.
- Assuming every Postcard counts: Some locations do not correspond to a Vivillon habitat.
- Ignoring the medal map: A friend’s home country alone is not a precise habitat lookup.
- Forgetting your own-Gift limit: The current help page allows only two own-Gift pins per day to contribute to Scatterbug encounters.
- Spending Candy on duplicates too early: Collect the region-specific Scatterbug you need before deciding which ones to evolve.
Do you need to keep every Postcard?
No. Your Postcard Book is a souvenir collection, while the Vivillon Collector medal is the place to track your pattern progress. The official help page explains that you can delete saved Postcards when the book fills up. Its default capacity is 350 Postcards, with extra pages available in the shop. Removing a saved Postcard is irreversible, so keep the ones you care about as travel memories.
The help page also describes a privacy setting for whether your Trainer name appears in other players’ Postcard Books. If you exchange Gifts with many unfamiliar players, review that option under Settings → General.
Can you complete the collection without traveling?
Yes, collecting regional Postcards through friends is the central design of the feature. You can make steady progress by exchanging Gifts with people in habitats you still need. There is no reason to share your password, use location-spoofing software, or give anyone access to your account.
For a manageable routine, check the medal map, focus on one or two missing regions, pin eligible Postcards before opening Gifts, and save Candy until you have the Scatterbug variants you want. That approach turns an intimidating 18-pattern collection into a series of small, achievable goals.
Frequently asked questions
Does every Scatterbug become the same Vivillon?
No. The regional Scatterbug encounter is tied to the habitat represented by the Postcards that unlocked it. The resulting Vivillon pattern reflects that region.
Can I get another Scatterbug from a region I’ve completed?
Yes. Continuing to progress a region’s Vivillon Collector sub-medal can lead to additional Scatterbug encounters.
What if I accidentally leave a Scatterbug encounter?
Go back to the appropriate regional medal page. Pokémon GO’s help documentation says you can reopen the encounter there.
Is the postcard feature a paid event?
No event ticket is required for the basic Postcard and Vivillon Collector mechanics described here. Additional Postcard Book storage can be purchased, but it is not required to start collecting patterns.
Official sources
- Pokémon GO Help Center: What is the Postcard Book? — pinning steps, medal progress, own-Gift limit, storage and privacy.
- The Pokémon Company: Scatterbug, Spewpa, and Vivillon Arrive in Pokémon GO — 18 patterns and evolution requirements, published December 2022.
- Official Pokémon Pokédex: Vivillon — species and evolution line.
Illustration note: Featured artwork is an original editorial illustration, not an official Pokémon screenshot or licensed character image.