UPDATE 7/25 - Team Rocket is now fully released into Pokémon Go. The events below were during an unannounced beta test of the features. All interactions below has stayed the same except for the stops are now more abundant in the Pokémon Go universe.
Trainers, the long-teased invasion is finally upon us. However, it is not much of an invasion. The new antagonists of Pokémon Go, which the game calls “Team Go Rocket,” are very hard to find. The Team takes over PokeStops, as indicated by a slightly darker blue color and erratic movement of the cube at the top of the stop. Trainers scanning the horizon for close-by encounters can easily overlook these occupied Stops, especially trainers with vision impairments. The rate at which Team Go Rocket is invading these Stops is incredibly low, leaving many players disappointed they have not had the opportunity to fight the evil organization.
Once you find one of these rare Stops, the Stop will turn black and a Team Go Rocket member will appear. Tapping on the member will bring you into a short dialogue with your team leader (Spark, Candela, or Blanche) and then a trainer battle. Your opponent will only battle with the new shadow Pokémon, a variant of the base Pokémon with red eyes and a dark aura around it. The battle system was updated last week to include small mini-games when using charge moves, so instead of mashing one area, you will need to swipe moving orbs correctly for efficient charge attacks.
Defeated and disgraced, the Team Go Rocket member will flee after losing the battle, but leave a shadow Pokémon for you to catch. You will get several special balls to catch whatever Pokémon you were rewarded, much like the raid catching system. Shadow Pokémon will have low CP values, you may also purify the Pokémon. Doing so will return it to its normal appearance except with an added glow around it. This will also increase the Pokémon to level 25, boost its CP value in the process, and gain 2 IV in each of the three categories.
These encounters they are great fun - if you’re lucky enough to find one. The improved battle system is more enjoyable than the previous button mash method, and it is refreshing to have a new NPC to fight. Where the new content fall short is release. The “invasion” barely feels like a scouting party. Hopefully more will come throughout the week.
- Owen Paterline