One of Pokémon Go‘s most widely beloved recent updates has just been expanded on a massive scale.
Team Rocket, the villainous organisation spearheaded by Viridian Gym Leader Giovanni, first started appearing in-game back in July and have been causing havoc for Trainers ever since. By infiltrating random Rocket-controlled PokéStops around the globe, players are able to do battle with various members of the group and their Shadow Pokémon.
Unlike normal critters found out in the wild, their Shadow counterparts boast a raft of unique qualities. Besides the intimidating purple aura they exude, Shadow variants, when purified with Stardust and Candy, have increased base stats and IVs (individual values). That’s assuming you have the required clout in the first place to send a Rocket Grunt running for the hills in defeat. Only then, can special Premier Balls be used to try and catch the corrupted ‘Mon left behind.
By now, of course, seasoned players will no doubt have contributed their fair share towards ridding Pokémon Go of Team Rocket, but the war isn’t over yet. In fact, Niantic recently sent a notice out in-game notifying fans that a horde of new Shadow variants have started crawling out of the woodwork.
See below for the full list:
- Oddish
- Gloom
- Venonat
- Venomoth
- Psyduck
- Growlithe
- Abra
- Hitmonchan
- Larvitar
- Turtwig
So far, the Pokémon to be made available in Shadow form have predominantly been from the Generation 1 era and today’s addition is no different. With the exception of Larvitar and Turtwig, the remaining eight all belong to the original Pokédex. Whether this means Niantic is going in order and will eventually make every Pokémon available in Shadow form remains to be seen, though I imagine it’s more likely that the developer is simply picking the most popular individuals first.
Whatever the case, we wish you the best of luck on your future Shadow hunt in Pokémon Go. Go get ’em!