How to evolve Marill in Pokemon GO

With today being Pokemon GO's Research Day, the spotlight is soundly resting on the Water/Fairy-Type Pokemon Marill.

Being the second stage of a three-stage evolution, Marill is the intermediary between Azurill and Azumarill. Additionally, the good news for collectors and aspiring Pokedex completionists is that Marill's evolution is a relatively easy one to accomplish that won't require excess candy or any type of distance, Lure Module, or Buddy System requirements.

Fortunately, Marill's current status as a reward for Research Tasks means it will be guaranteed to appear if Pokemon GO players are able to complete the tasks as required.

Pokemon GO: Using Research Tasks to get Marill encounters

Although Marill can appear in the wild on occasion, particularly near bodies of water as a partial Water-Type, the current Pokemon GO Research Day makes racking up enough candies much more reliable than hoping that it spawns in the wild by chance. Completing the 20-step set of tasks is mostly a rinse-and-repeat endeavor, and players don't have to perform all of the tasks in order to acquire enough candies to evolve Marill. Since the evolution into Azumarill only costs 25 candies as opposed to the standard 50 or lofty 400, catching nine Marill will provide enough candies without any item assistance.

Breaking down the Research Tasks themselves, they are fairly straightforward and will be repeated later along in the questline. While Pokemon GO and Niantic have made the tasks simple, players will still need to persevere to complete them all. The tasks and their rewards are listed below:

First step and 11th step: Transfer two Pokemon, Catch two Pokemon, and Make two Nice Throws. Each task individually will reward Pokemon GO players with a Marill encounter and completing all three will reward 10 Pokeballs, 500 Stardust, and 1,000 XP.
Second and 12th step: Transfer two Pokemon, Catch two Pokemon, and make two Nice Throws. In addition to the three Marill encounters from tasks, players will also receive 15 Pinap Berries (useful for extra Marill candy if needed), 500 Stardust, and 1,000 XP.
Third and 13th step: Use three Pinap Berries to help catch Pokemon, catch two Pokemon, and make two Nice Throws. Along with the three Marill encounters, players will get an additional Marill encounter, with 500 Stardust and 1,000 XP as well.
Fourth and 14th step: Make two Great Throws, catch two Pokemon, and transfer two Pokemon. This will provide a total of four Marill encounters, 500 Stardust, and 1,000 XP.
Fifth and 15th step: Make three Great Throws, catch three Pokemon, and make three Curveball Throws. After the three Marill encounters, Pokemon GO trainers will receive 15 Nanab Berries, 500 Stardust, and 1,000 XP.
Sixth and 16th step: Use three Nanab Berries while catching Pokemon, catch two Pokemon, make two Curveball Throws in a row. After the three Marill encounters, players will receive another Marill encounter, 500 Stardust and 1,000 XP.
Seventh and 17th step: Make two Nice Curveball Throws, catch two Pokemon, transfer two Pokemon. Success will bring three Marill encounters, 10 Marill candies, 500 Stardust, an 1,000 XP.
Eighth and 18th step: Make two Nice Throws in a row, catch two Pokemon, transfer two Pokemon. Along with the Marill encounters, expect to receive 15 Razz Berries, 500 Stardust, and 1,000 XP.
Ninth and 19th step: Use three Razz Berries to help catch Pokemon, catch two Pokemon, make two Curveball Throws in a row. 10 Marill candies, 500 Stardust, and 1,000 XP will be rewarded along with the three Marill encounters.
10th and 20th step: Make two Great Throws in a row, catch three Pokemon, and evolve a Fairy-Type Pokemon. Beating either the 10th or 20th step will reward tenacious Pokemon GO trainers with 15 Ultra Balls, 500 Stardust, and 1,000 XP. Along with the three Marill encounters of course.

By following these tasks, Pokemon GO's trainers should have a massive abundance of both Marill and its necessary candies for evolution. This allows for a great opportunity not just to collect the Pokemon but also find one with suitable IVs and moves, improving battle potential significantly.