Pokemon Go Team Rocket Event Now Live, Adds Shiny Meowth

Pokemon Go’s new Team Rocket bosses have finally made their debut in the game, and it seems their appearance has had an effect on wild Pokemon. For a limited time, monsters commonly used by Team Rocket will appear in the wild much more often than normal, and you’ll have your first chance to catch a new Shiny Pokemon.

From now until 1 PM PT / 4 PM ET on November 14, Pokemon such as Ekans, Koffing, and Meowth will spawn frequently in the wild, and Pokemon “significant to Team Go Rocket and the Team Go Rocket Boss, Giovanni” will appear in Raids. On top of that, you now have your first opportunity to encounter Shiny Meowth either in the wild or in Raids.

Along with the increased Pokemon spawns, Team Rocket has added a couple of new Shadow Pokemon to their lineup as well. You can now encounter Shadow versions of Sandshrew, Bellsprout, Magnemite, Porygon, and Wobbuffet when taking on Team Rocket grunts, while the new Team Rocket leaders have access to Shadow Meowth, Scyther, and Sneasel. You can read more details about the Team Rocket event on the official Pokemon Go website.

The new Team Rocket bosses–Cliff, Arlo, and Sierra–can be encountered using a new item called the Rocket Radar, which you can assemble after collecting six mysterious components from Team Rocket grunts. Using the Rocket Radar, you can locate the hideout of one of the Rocket bosses and challenge them to a battle, and if you manage to defeat them, you can rescue one of their Shadow Pokemon.

The Team Rocket leaders arrived alongside a new Special Research questline, which culminates in an encounter with Team Rocket head honcho Giovanni. If you manage to defeat the evil trainer in battle, you’ll have a chance to rescue a Shadow Legendary Pokemon.

In other Pokemon Go news, the game’s first Gen 5 Legendary, Cobalion, is appearing in five-star Raids until November 26. Meanwhile, the game’s November Community Day takes place next Saturday, November 16. The featured Pokemon this month will be Chimchar, the Fire-type starter from Pokemon Diamond and Pearl, and if you can evolve it all the way into Infernape up to two hours after the Community Day ends, it’ll learn a special event-exclusive move.