Pokemon Go just made some serious changes to Team GO Rocket

Niantic have made some serious changes to Pokemon Go’s Team GO Rocket, with the lineups of Cliff, Arlo, and Sierra being given different lineups as part of the Luminous Legends Y event – but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. 

The developers of the mobile game, available on iOS and Android devices, have given multiple features a major shakeup this May.

New Shadow Shinies have been added, which are among the rarest forms to catch in-game, and new Shadows as well.

For those who like hatching eggs in Pokemon Go, these changes are right down your street. So, let’s dive into the update’s contents and what you can expect next time you come up against one of these Team GO Rocket Grunts.

New Shadow Shinies

As of this May 2021 update, the following Shadow Shiny Pokemon have been added to the rotation:

• Shadow Shiny Venonat now available via Arlo.
• Shadow Shiny Seedot now available via Cliff.
• Shadow Shiny Sneasel now available via Sierra.

How to get Shadow Shiny Pokemon in Pokemon Go

There is only one method for obtaining Shadow Shiny Pokemon in Pokemon Go, and that’s to battle one of the Team GO Rocket members. You won’t know it is a shiny until after the battle, and then in the rare instance that one was included in the battle, they will arrive when you try to save it.

These Team GO Rocket members are Cliff, Sierra, Arlo, and Giovanni.

New Shadows

• New Fairy-type grunt which says “Check out my cute Pokémon” includes Snubbull.
• Shiny Shadow Grimer appearing in Grunt encounters. Unclear if this is a bug yet.
• New Shadows: Poochyena, Electrike, Maukhita, Starly, Tangela, Horsea, Skorupi. 

12km Strange Egg changes

• Deino now more common in Strange Eggs, with equal rarity to Sandile, Qwilfish, and Skorupi.
• Pancham added to 12km Strange Eggs.

Rocket Grunt encounters

Finally, Niantic have even added a little curveball to proceedings during their blog post.

• Read More: Pokemon Go Rocket Grunt guide: Counters and lineups

They posted: “We’re also receiving reports that some Team GO Rocket Grunts will be changing up their battle strategies. You might encounter some that specialize in different Pokémon types than in the past, and multiple Team GO Rocket Grunts may even challenge you at once!”

That’s right – you could be about to face off against Arlo, Cliff and Sierra in tag teams!

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How to defeat Pokemon Go Grunts from Team GO Rocket

For more guides on how to take down these Grunts, check out the following posts:

• How to defeat Cliff
• How to defeat Sierra 
• How to defeat Arlo