Going Deeper into Team GO Rocket

Early this month, the Team GO Rocket invasion in Pokémon Go became much deeper. An announcement on YouTube revealed a more intricate (and familiar) side to them, and it's something that may provoke mixed emotions based on how things play out. Overall, most of the mechanics still involve going to PokéStops and battling, but there are a few very important twists, which cover pretty much all the bases in the game. It was therefore important for me to delay its coverage on this blog for as long as I can, and today it has come to that point.

First of all, there are now four important characters, three of which I'll detail now. Those three characters are Sierra, Cliff, and Arlo; the three are the Team GO Rocket leaders, and they're clad in uniforms with yellow, blue, and red accents... which might seem familiar, as they're the colors of Teams Instinct, Mystic, and Valor respectively, making the Team GO Rocket leaders the "anti" versions of Spark, Blanche, and Candela. It has even been documented that Arlo himself is an ex-Valor, which suggests the others are not too far off the beaten path (or in fact, very far off it). They play a key role in this deeper invasion.

At this time, when one successfully defeats a Team Rocket Grunt, the Grunt will also drop an item called a Mysterious Component. Obtaining six of these will allow one to form an item called a Rocket Radar, which when equipped will allow one to seek and battle a Team GO Rocket leader until one is victorious; if one so chooses, after assembly of the first, subsequent Radars may be purchased to save time and effort. If the Grunts are simple to battle and defeat, the leaders are much less so; they use a team of three Pokémon, with the latter two being variable and strong, and unlike a Grunt, they will use Protect Shields in battle. One has to be totally prepared yet able to adapt to the situation.

The last of those important characters is a figure well-known not just in Go, but pretty much wherever Pokémon is concerned: Giovanni, the big boss himself. To encounter him, one has to complete a Special Research, issued the same day as the announcement, in order to earn a Super Rocket Radar to seek and battle him. His team is less variable than the leaders, but it does contain something special: a Shadow Legendary Pokémon, the first ever appearances of these. Still, it takes quite a bit of effort to get to him, and defeating the three leaders below him is indeed an important part of the package.

And that's where I am. Right now, I'm mustering up the effort to defeat the leaders to get to Giovanni, and this seems to be a point where I and some of my Go fellows are having trouble due to the high variability involved. What's more, at this point I may be under time pressure, as the report is that the Special Research is renewed each month, and to get next month's, I would have to complete this month's. It seems nerve-racking to be sure, but it may also be the impetus to really get moving and do things.

This is also indeed the next turn of things after that first invasion four months ago. It has reputedly struck some terror even for Spark, Blanche, and Candela, making what they do a bit more difficult. For everyone else, all the Trainers in Pokémon Go, it becomes something to overcome with everything that it presents. I suppose there's only one thing to do considering all that has happened: go deep, real deep... and don't surrender, but prepare to fight.

One year ago: Individual Appearance Variations Among Pokémon Species
Two years ago: Popularity