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What Is The New Shadow Legendary Coming To Pokémon GO?

Kanto Raid Day is going down in Pokémon GO on Sunday, February 28th, 2021 from 11 AM through 2 PM local time. This event will feature Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres, the trio known as the Legendary Birds of Kanto, in Legendary raids. What makes this unlike standard Raid Days, though, is that there will also be a Team GO Rocket takeover with boosted Grunts at Poké Stops, boosted Rocket Balloon counters, a chance to remove Frustration from Shadow Pokémon using a Charged TM, and new Team GO Rocket Special Research. This Special Research will culminate in an encounter with Giovanni, who will have a new Shadow Legendary Pokémon. What everyone is wondered now… is which Legendary will the Team GO Rocket boss have this time?

Giovanni in Pokémon GO. Credit: Niantic
Giovanni in Pokémon GO. Credit: Niantic

First, let's take a look at who Giovanni already has used in the past. He debuted with Articuno and cycled through the Legendary Birds of Kanto. Then, he moved on to Raikou and Entei before an extended break as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, which interrupted a few ongoing Pokémon GO features, including the monthly Rocket research. Giovanni returned in early Summer 2020 with Shadow Suicune and then at GO Fest 2020 with Shadow Mewtwo (awarded through Research) and his first non-Legendary Shadow encounter, Shadow Persian. Then, his most recent stint featured Mewtwo again in October 2020. This was the last time we saw Giovanni. Due to the species that he has previously featured, here are possible options:

  • Shadow Lugia: Shadow Lugia has a unique design in its appearance in Gamecube's Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness. This makes it among the most anticipated Shadows, as many trainers wonder if Niantic will use this design in Pokémon GO. This is unlikely, as Niantic did not use the unique design for Shadow Mewtwo, which was seen in Wii's Pokkén Tournament. Still, Lugia is next in the Dex of Legendaries after the Beasts and, with the exception of Mewtwo which was held for GO Fest due to the hype, Giovanni has followed Dex order.
  • Shadow Ho-Oh: I could see Niantic recognizing the Shadow Lugia hype and skipping it to hold for GO Fest 2021, as they did with Mewtwo. That would make Ho-Oh next.
  • Shadow Regirock: Or… they could totally table the Johto Birds for now and move onto the next trio: the Titans of Hoenn, which begins with Regirock as the first in the Dex.

Or… we could be totally off, but it's fun to speculate! Stay tuned for news on this topic, as Bleeding Cool will be here to report when Giovanni's next Shadow is revealed.


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Theo DwyerAbout Theo Dwyer

Theo Dwyer writes about comics, film, and games.
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