Team GO Rocket isn't good at Pokémon Go. Not only do they keep stealing more Ghost Pokémon, but for a weekend in March, they're planning an upcoming takeover for a weekend. You can expect to see an increase in Team GO rocket activity from March 6 at 8 a.m. to March 9 at 22 p.m. in your area, and if you fight against them during this time, you will receive several rewards for your effort.
Here's what you can expect when you resume Team GO Rocket:
- Poison and Dark Pokémon will appear more frequently in the wild, among other commonly used Team GO Rocket Pokémon types
- Absol will appear in nature during the event
- You have a chance that any Skorupi you encounter during the event will be a shiny version
- You can use ChargedTM to change a Shadow Pokémon's exclusive attack, Frustration, to other charged moves that it would normally learn. However, if you purify the Pokemon, the movement becomes Return, as it traditionally does.
- The leaders of the GO Rocket team will rotate the Shadow Pokémon they have for the previous choices. All of them have the potential to be a shiny version of the Pokémon
- Cliff will have Stantler or Pinsir
- Arlo aura Bagon or Mawile
- Sierra will have Absol or Beldum
- Defeating Team GO Rocket Grunts and Leaders allows you to double the usual Stardust
- In-game music will play Team GO Rocket music throughout the event
The main event really takes place on March 7 from 14 p.m. to 17 p.m. local time. During this brief window, many other PokéStops will be taken over by the grunts of Team GO Rocket, making them easier to fight. Sierra, Arlo, Cliff, and even Giovanni are also much easier to find during this time. If you want to fight against the mighty leaders, make sure you have a Rocket Radar or Super Rocket Radar ready to go.
The Team GO Rocket takeover begins on March 6 at 8 a.m. and ends on March 9 at 22 p.m. local time. Make sure to help save those Shadow Pokémon, and do your best to meet Giovanni for the chance to capture the last Legendary he has in his possession: Entei. You don't want to be too busy, however, with the potential to encounter exclusive five-star raids from Darkrai over the same weekend and Thundurus, which will debut in March in month-long five-star raids.
