5 reasons why Pokemon GO Rocket Takeover events stand out

Pokemon GO Rocket Takeover events are among the most anticipated occasions in the game. During their runs, players get to battle Team Rocket Grunts at various PokeStops, challenge their leader Giovanni, and have a chance to capture his special Shadow Pokemon. However, there's much more to these events that keep trainers engaged and excited whenever they occur.

This article lists five primary reasons that make Pokemon GO Rocket Takeover events stand out.

Note: Some aspects of this article contain the personal and subjective opinions of the writer

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Why Pokemon GO Rocket Takeover events are some of the best

1) Battle Team Go Rocket Grunts and Leaders at PokeStops

More Team Go Rocket Grunts and Leaders appear at PokeStops (Image via Niantic)

Since the launch of the Pokemon Red and Blue games for the GameBoy in 1996, battling evil organizations like Team Rocket has become a beloved tradition for players. Pokemon GO Rocket Takeover events allow trainers to battle Team GO Rocket Grunts more frequently as they take over PokeStops.

During these events, you can challenge Grunts who use various Shadow Pokemon, each belonging to a specific type. Defeating these Grunts helps increase the rank of your Hero medals.

Additionally, you can earn Mysterious Components, which can be used to create Rocket Radars and find hidden Team GO Rocket Leaders at hidden PokeStops. These enemies are stronger than the normal Grunts and have more powerful Shadow Pokemon for you to defeat and capture.

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2) Catch Shadow Pokemon

You can only Catch Shadow Pokemon during Pokemon Team Go Rocket Takeover events (Image via Niantic)

You can capture the best Shadow Pokemon in Pokemon GO during Pokemon GO Rocket Takeover events since they will have higher chances of appearing. These Pocket Monsters, corrupted by Team GO Rocket, can be captured by defeating Grunts and Leaders.

While Shadow Pokemon deal 20% more damage than their standard counterparts, they also take 20% more damage. This trade-off can be beneficial in situations where dealing damage quickly is your primary objective. As such, you can use them against Raid Bosses to whittle down their health in a short period of time.

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3) Fight Giovanni

Giovanni is the leader of Team GO Rocket and the final Gym leader in Kanto. You can battle him in Pokemon GO Rocket Takeover events by completing Team GO Rocket Special Research quests. Doing so lets you acquire the Super Rocket Radar, which you can use to challenge him.

Giovanni uses three Pokemon, with Persian being the first and a Legendary Shadow Pokemon being his final. If you defeat Giovanni in January 2025, you will get a chance to capture his Shadow Palkia. This alone makes Pokemon GO Rocket Takeover events stand out from the others.

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4) Remove Frustration without Purification

In addition to increased damage taken, Shadow Pokemon have one more major drawback — they have a Charged Attack called Frustration. This move cannot be removed by a TM unless you purify the Pocket Monster and unlock the Return attack.

However, Pokemon GO Rocket Takeover events give you a brief period to use Charged TMs in order to remove Frustration and learn new attacks. This is still the only way to remove it while retaining the Pocket Monster’s Shadow status.

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5) Participate in new and exciting Shadow Raids

Pokemon GO’s latest Raid feature has made raiding a lot more fun and exciting for players. As such, when Pokemon GO Rocket Takeover events occur, you can challenge and take down rare Shadow Raid Bosses, who appear more frequently.

Shadow Raid Bosses are considered stronger than their standard counterparts, which makes defeating and capturing them even more gratifying. Taking them down with your friends remains one of the most fun things to do in the game.