Pokémon GO has experienced more updates and additions during the past 18 months or so, that we can barely keep up with it all. PvP battles, field research, and so far, we are in the midst of the fourth generation of Pokémon being added to the game. As if all of that wasn’t enough, Team Rocket and Shadow Pokémon have now shown up in-game.
If you have never played Pokémon Colosseum on the GameCube, you might be a little lost as to what exactly a Shadow Pokémon is. In Colosseum, Shadow Pokémon were corrupted creatures captured by Team Cipher and ordered to do their bidding. Once battled against and rescued from the bad guys, trainers were able to purify the Pokémon, rescuing them from the dark powers which had previously possessed them.
There have been rumors circulating for a little more than a month suggesting that Shadow Pokémon would soon arrive in Pokémon GO. Ever since the term “purified Pokémon” was unearthed in the game’s code by data miners, we’ve been wondering what their role in Pokémon GO could be. Well, now we know because Shadow Pokémon have arrived.
It all happened without a word from Pokémon GO or its developer, Niantic, at least not at first. This was presumably to add to the feel that Team Rocket had invaded the game. Yes, in Pokémon GO, it is the far more famous Team Rocket as opposed to Team Cipher who were used in Colosseum. Team Rocket and its Shadow Pokémon have been taking over PokéStops, and that’s exactly where you need to go to find them.
These are no ordinary PokéStops, mind you. You’ll need to be on the lookout for discolored ones. Find one and get there in time, and when it expands, the normally blue PokéStop will be black, have the iconic red Team Rocket R above it, and have one of the team’s Grunts standing alongside it. Once you tap the PokéStop, rather than spinning it and harvesting what it has to offer, you’ll be challenged to a battle by the Grunt occupying it.
The battle will be like any other PvP battle you’ve had against a real rival trainer. Your Pokémon will battle the Grunt’s shadow Pokémon and, should you defeat them, you’ll be rewarded in a number of ways. Firstly, you’ll add to your new “Hero Badge” medal progression. Secondly, and most important of all, one of the Shadow Pokémon you defeated in battle will have been carelessly left behind.
You’ll then be given the opportunity to catch the abandoned Pokémon. Don’t worry, since it’s fresh from battle and occupied by an evil force, it won’t exactly be the strongest Pokémon you’ve ever been tasked with making your own. Once captured, you’ll have a choice to make. Either let the creature remain as a Shadow Pokémon (you’ll still be able to level up and evolve it like any other Pokémon) or purify it and rescue the poor thing from its dark prison of the mind.
Apart from the fact not purifying them seems a little mean to us, it will also benefit your reserves. Once purified, leveling up, evolving, and learning attacks will cost you less stardust and candy. The purify option will be right there alongside those regular options and will cost you stardust and candy, but that one-off expenditure will save you in the long run. Plus, your Shadow Pokémon’s charged attack “Frustration” will become the charged attack “Return.” On top of all that, you’ll also progress with your new Purifier Badge.
At the time of typing this, Team Rocket and Shadow Pokémon have been disabled from the game. According to Comic Book, trainers were experiencing a number of issues including the app crashing when players attempted to activate Grunt-occupied PokéStops, and Team Rocket not appearing in the game at all. Pokémon GO devs are acting as if this is all a part of the game via tweets it published earlier this week (nice touch). Fingers crossed the game’s new feature returns in time for the weekend.
