"About Sigilyph Spawns and S2 Cells"

#PokemonGO: IntroductionA few days ago, on January 10, Niantic announced several new regional Pokemon [1]. One particular pokemon that has drawn many traveler's attention is Sigilyph, which Niantic claimed to be native to Greece and Egypt. However, several reports emerged that Sigilyph can also be encountered in other countries nearby: Albania, Isreal and Turkey [2-7]. This sparked discussions and theories on where the exact border lies. This post will shed some light on the possible mechanics that underlie Sigilyphs spatial distribution.When Niantic is working with location-based features, they often utilize S2 cells. For those unfamiliar with this concept of systematically dividing the surface of the earth into smaller regions, see [8] for a very basic idea.Working with S2 cellsThe concept now is:To make sure that Sigilyph spawns everywhere in Greece and Egypt, consider all S2 cells (of a certain level) that at least partially cover those countries. Sigilyph will then spawn everywhere in those cells.The main assumptions are(a) spawns are determined cell-wise, i.e. "Sigilyph will spawn in this cell, but not in that one"(b) all considered cells are of the same levelThe next question is "what level of S2 cells did Niantic use?". To answer that, let's look at the reports at hand and systematically exclude unfeasible levels.1) If level 4 cells or larger would be used, then not only Tirana (Albania) [3] would have Sigilyph, but also Shkoder, a city north of it [9]. However, it was reported that Shkoder does not feature any Sigilyphs. [10]⇒ Level 4 cells are not being used2) If level 5 cells or larger would be used, then not only Haifa (Israel) [6] would spawn Sigilyph, but also Lebanon north of it [11]. However, I joined the local Telegram group and people reported no sightings of Sigilyph in Beirut (or Lebanon in general).⇒ Level 5 cells or larger are not being used3) On the contrary, it is not possible that level 7 cells or smaller would be used, because there is no level 7 cell that both covers Tirana and Greece [12]⇒ Level 7 cells or smaller are not being used4) This leaves us with level 6 being the only feasible s2 cell level. Thus we arrive at the conclusion:Sigilyph spawns in every level 6 S2 cell that at least partially contains Greece or Egypt (with exceptions, see below)Implications and Oddities:Canakkale:Sigilyph spawns were reported in Canakalle [4]. This makes sense, as Canakalle is located in the same level 6 S2 cell as parts of the Greek island Samothraki. [13] As can be seen in the picture, Sigilyph should also be available in other towns in Turkey rather far away from the coast.Chios, Cesme, Izmir:According to reports from players in Izmir (on their local Discord), Sigilyph does not spawn in Izmir, even in the western parts of it. This was a surprise, because the western half of Izmir is located in the same S2 cell as the Greek island Chios, for example. [14] My current theory is that Niantic made a mistake and forgot to include this cell. Subsequently I predicted that there would be no spawns in Cesme and indeed, a local player was able to report a lack of Sigilyphs just today (local Discord).Israel:Without having an explanation for it, it just seems that Niantic added two (or even three) cells to Sigilyph's spawn region that covers parts of Israel [15]. It is completely unclear whether or not this is intentional.Predictions:This theory predicts that several cities close to the greek border are actually inhabited by Sigilyphs, e.g.North Macedonia: Ohrid, BitolaBulgaria: Pernik, Pazardzhik, Plodiv, HaskovoI would encourage players from those regions to come forward and report whether or not they are able to find Sigilyphs around them.[1] https://pokemongolive.com/en/post/trade-evolution/[2] (Prefettura di Berat, Albania) https://old.reddit.com/r/TheSilphRoad/comments/enrfr0/not_sure_if_this_has_been_posted_but_sigilyph_can/[3] (Tirana, Tirana County, Albania) https://www.reddit.com/r/TheSilphRoad/comments/emxjc8/sigilyph_caught_in_albania/[4] (Kilidülbahir, Canakkale, Turkey) https://www.reddit.com/r/TheSilphRoad/comments/envd0u/sigilyph_caught_in_western_turkey_not_sure_if_new[5] (Ramat Gan, Tel Aviv) https://www.reddit.com/r/pokemongo/comments/en8i1w/sigilyph_spawning_in_israel[6] (Haifa, Israel (חיפה)) https://www.reddit.com/r/TheSilphRoad/comments/en7zyi/sigilyph_is_also_available_in_israel_not_being/[7] (Jerusalem, Isreal) [Reports on local Jerusalem Discord][8] (S2 cells basics) https://old.reddit.com/r/TheSilphRoad/comments/6xnv4j/compiled_information_on_the_enteisuicune_border/dmhh10u/[9] https://imgur.com/a/4i7JbqN[10] https://www.reddit.com/r/TheSilphRoad/comments/enrfr0/not_sure_if_this_has_been_posted_but_sigilyph_can/fe4ynvj/[11] https://imgur.com/a/WFpDUwi[12] https://imgur.com/a/8tscFWe[13] https://imgur.com/a/fBPFUIh[14] https://imgur.com/a/P6SsbBI[15] https://ift.tt/35UDBKu via /r/TheSilphRoad https://ift.tt/36PIcPn