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Raids in Pokemon GO are about to get a whole lot more exciting with the introduction of Shadow Raids! That's right, you'll now be able to take on super-strong Shadow Pokemon with the chance to capture Shiny Shadow Pokemon too!
Starting May 22nd 2023, the first official Shadow Raids are coming to Pokemon GO, with Shadow Mewtwo entering the fray during the weekend of May 27th.
Previously, Shadow Pokemon could only be caught from fighting Team Rocket Go members, including their leaders. Shadow Pokemon are some of the strongest in Pokemon GO as they give a 20%+ damage boost when attacking.
Shadow Raids will operate slightly different to normal raids, so let's find out what they're all about in this guide to Shadow Raids.
How do Shadow Raids work?
Shadow Raids will work similarly to normal Pokemon Go Raids that you've encountered before. When Shadow Pokemon are added to the Raid rotation, they will randomly appear in Gyms around you, allowing you and groups of other trainers to take them down.
Shadow Raid Pokemon will be a lot stronger than normal Pokemon due to the damage bonus that Shadow Pokemon get. You're going to need to get a group together of strong Pokemon if you want to take down these raids.
You will know there is a Shadow Raid coming by the the egg type shown above a Gym and the Shadowy animation being present behind the Pokemon.
Shadow Raid Pokemon will also become "enraged" at some point in the battle, with their attack and defensive abilities getting stronger and stronger. To counter this, Pokemon Go has introduced a new Purified Gem mechanic that will allow you to subdue Shadow Pokemon in the raid.
You can get Purified Gems from battling other Team Rocket Go members.
Once you defeat the Shadow Pokemon, you'll get a limited amount of Premier Balls to capture the Shadow Pokemon.
Shiny Shadow Pokemon
Raids have been some of the best ways to capture strong Legendary Pokemon in Shiny form. With the introduction of Shadow Raids, obtaining Shiny Shadow Pokemon is even more accessible.
You could get Shiny Shadow Pokemon before, but the chances were extremely rare due to how little you came up against Shadow Pokemon in Pokemon Go. With Shadow Raids, this changes significantly.
Starting with May 27th 2023, Shadow Mewtwo will be available to battle and for the first time; if you're lucky, you'll be able to capture Shadow Mewtwo as a Shiny!
Whilst Shadow Mewtwo has been made available before through a Special Research, it was never able to be captured in Shiny Shadow form.
We expect to now be seeing a lot more Shiny Shadow Pokemon!
Can you use Remote Raid Passes for Shadow Raids?
Unfortunately, Remote Raid Passes will not work for Shadow Raids.
Instead, you'll have to use normal Premium Battle Passes or your free Raid Pass that you get once per day. This also means Shadow Raids will become an exclusive in-person event again, so it's time to get the old squad back together!
Remote Raid Passes have seem their price risen to 195 Poke Coins (almost $2) from 100 Poke Coins and have limited the amount of Remote Raids you can do per day to 5. This has caused a lot of upset in the Pokemon GO Community.
Premium Battle Pass Raids (3 pack) were reduced to 250 Poke Coins.
Do you prefer in-person Raids or Remote raids? Let us know in the comments!
What are Purified Gems and how do you use them?
Purified Gems are a new mechanic introduced for Shadow Raids that will help make the Raid easier.
In a Shadow Raid battle, the Shadow Pokemon will go "enraged" at times, causing it's stats to go up and deal more damage to you. To counter this, you can use the new Purified Gem, which will subdue the Pokemon for a short while.
You can see the Purified Gem button next to your attack button.
If raiding with multiple players, you can stack the effects of Purified Gems by all of you using them, giving you a longer cooldown of the enraged mode and allowing you to defeat the Raid Boss more easily.
To obtain a Purified Gem, you'll need to earn Shadow Shards from Team Go Rocket Runts, Leaders and Giovanni battles (similar to Mysterious Component mechanic). Collecting 5 Shadow Shards will allow you to form a Purified Gem!
What Shadow Raid Pokemon are available?
Pokemon GO often rotates the types of Pokemon available in raids, and for Shadow Raids it is no different. The first wave of Shadow Pokemon are going to be:
1 Star Shadow Raids
- Shadow Poliwag
- Shadow Machop
- Shadow Bellsprout
- Shadow Beldum
3 Star Shadow Raids
- Shadow Bayleef
- Shadow Quilava
- Shadow Croconaw
- Shadow Sneasel
5 Star Shadow Raids
- Shadow Mewtwo
You can check out our Pokemon Go Raids page to keep an eye on what Pokemon are appearing in raids.
Leave us your comments below about Shadow Raids! Do you think they will be a good edition to the game or do you feel indifferent about them?
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