Found my Pristine Snowflake too, it was on the first level 10 that I was able to get to. I think that it's not so rare, the challenge is to get there and gather all the resources for activation. Wild etelias are tough, my kamis and regen gp3 unicorns fail on half of them. And I wasn't breeding lykos, so it will be kind of challenge as well. Though we have two months, so there are enough time for breeding just any pet :)

mwahaha. I'm glad I've got a ginormous pike of Lykos. I can breed the one the event calls for. I just don't want my only three Lykos with those genes to become a mule!

What are people finding works well for battling Etelias?

Was the Pristine snowflake laying on the floor or was it in the chest?

It was on the ground behind a guardian, like the hibernating eggs or chests.

Cool :)

is it possible that lower level pets can't get on higher level islands?

my level 50 pets got to lvl 8 without any problem, but when I'm useing level 18 or lower, I get max to lvl 5 (once), usually I got stuck on level 1 or 2 and then no green portals...

I don't think that it's impossible; it's just that low level pets find smaller islands with less stuff so your chances decrease. If you want to gain XP but still have the maximum island size use lvl 41+ pets.

Not going for XP, I was choosing my pets that have regeneration and elemental resistance hopefully to be better in fighting ethelias...

I've found that using my Carpos works pretty well for the Etelia battles. My Drakes fare a bit poorer and Amor is mostly only good for Song of Peace against the portal guardian so won't be much good against the Etelias.

I finally found a hibernating egg! But I have one deviant, and I really don't want to give up her deviance, so I bred two GP3 Unis(if deviancy fails, then at least they're GP3), a homozygous snow leopard puma, and a TBK roc! I think I have a good chance...

My DCA was wasted, so I can't use that...

Edit: They're born in 26 minutes!

This really is hard one... I have been proud of my 3 star unicorns but they don't easily go past tundra level 6. I have used both, fully trained and about level 40 beasts and have find it easier with lower level pets. Acute eyesight is also effective in tundras.

But if my all green regenerative unis don't have a chance against Etelias, I don't know what to do. Just hanging there and rest for energy and hoping for better luck tomorrow? ;) 

The whole genetic makeup is more important than just one or two genes as cherry-picked above. I have used my animal, level just above forty, which has neither acute eyesight, nor regeneration, nor any ability to dodge, while still being able to reach the island level eleven. 

*sigh* None of them were deviants. So I went crazy. 

My sister bred two of hers to help, and I went insane and bred about seven unicorns with the same unicorn, ><

I've only been able to get past level five three times in twenty explorations -- not because my pets can't beat the monsters on lower levels, but because I seem to have terrible luck getting green portals to go further.

My one pet is stuck on level 7!

The others can't even get past level 4!

I must be cursed. I'm not finding a snowflake. I have been on on countless level 10+. Two of my girls are at higher levels, one at 13 and the other at 14 but still no sign of a snowflake. Im considering giving up, ive spend hundreds of portal cells.