When is Shiny Shadow Mewtwo coming to Pokemon GO?

Pokemon GO recently introduced the ability to catch shiny variants of Shadow Pokemon. It now appears that this capability will broaden to legendary creatures due to the arrival of the new Shadow Raids. The event to commemorate this feature is known as Rising Shadows. It introduces the ability for trainers to capture shiny Shadow Mewtwo.

From May 22, 2023, to May 28, 2023, Pokemon GO players can battle Shadow Mewtwo in the game's new 5-star Shadow Raids. Each time they defeat this corrupted form of the Pocket Monster, they will have a small chance of finding its shiny variant in the bonus encounter.

The appearance of a shiny Shadow Mewtwo won't be guaranteed. However, with determination, luck, and quite a few raid passes, Pokemon GO players can capture the creature.

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How do Shadow Raids work in Pokemon GO?

After a few months of speculation and some datamined leaks by groups like Pokeminers, Shadow Raids have made their way to Pokemon GO. After regrouping and meeting at an emergency summit, Team GO Rocket enacted their next devious plan by taking over entire gyms and corrupting the raid Pokemon held within.

Trainers can engage in Shadow Raids much like they can ordinary raids. However, they won't be able to use Remote Raid Passes to access them much like Elite Raids.

Unlike standard raid bosses in Pokemon GO, Shadow Raid bosses grow enraged as the battle continues. Their attack and defense stats will also be boosted as the raid proceeds.

The only way for trainers to stop the boss' growing power is to defeat them quickly or use a Purified Gem, a new item that can be crafted from Shadow Shards collected by defeating Team GO Rocket members. By using a Purified Gem in a Shadow Raid, trainers can reduce the rising attack and defense stats that a Shadow Raid Boss gains from their growing rage.

In most other facets, Shadow Raids operate much like their standard counterparts in Pokemon GO, though trainers also won't receive team-based bonuses to their Premier Ball count upon the raid's completion.

The introduction of Shadow Raid bosses should add a new dimension to the raiding mechanic and provide some extra challenge for players who have gotten quite used to the standard raiding formula.

However, Niantic may very well be drawing some criticism due to their decision to disable remote raiding for Shadow Raids. Pokemon GO players have already been quite upset with the developers for nerfing remote raids that can be participated in per day while also increasing the price of Remote Raid Passes.

Plenty of players left the game entirely or called for a boycott as a result. The debut of Elite and Shadow Raids that can't be accessed remotely likely won't win back many of the fans who had left during the remote raiding controversy.

Whatever the case, trainers will have a full six days to strike out into the game's new Shadow Raids and potentially catch a shiny Shadow Mewtwo. It won't be easy, and trainers will likely have to reformulate their battle teams. However, the reward may very well be worth the investment.