A huge leak about Pokémon GO reveals a number of new items related to Team GO Rocket and leaves trainers puzzled. We at MeinMMO will show you exactly what has been found in the game and reveal what the community suspects behind it.
Who is Team GO Rocket? Similar to the anime, trainers in Pokémon GO must continually prove themselves against the members of Team Rocket. You have the opportunity to face off against the villains at PokéStops and balloons and rescue their Crypto Pokémon.
Now, a series of new contents have been discovered in the game by the PokeMiners, which also indicate changes regarding Team GO Rocket. What exactly has been found, and what suspicions the community has about the new contents, we have summarized for you below.
The PokeMiners are a group of data miners who regularly search the game for information on planned features or new Pokémon. They share their findings on social media with other players.
Although the statements of the PokeMiners have always been accurate in the past, these are not official information. Niantic can change this data at any time or decide against a release.
Findings show 3 new Rocket items
What was found? As the Reddit user redwineandbeer shows in his post, the PokeMiners came across some new graphics in the game during their last search. In particular, trainers noticed three new items immediately.
In the first row of the graphic, you can see a small machine referred to as a converter. Next to it are two crystals, which bear the names “Shadow Crystal” and “Shadow Shard”.
Since the names of the two crystals contain the word “shadow”, they directly indicate a connection to Team GO Rocket, whose Crypto Pokémon are also referred to in English as “Shadow Pokémon”.
Additionally, there is another graphic in the middle section of the found assets that contains the typical “R” of the villains. According to the PokeMiners, this is supposed to represent a Rocket takeover.
What could be behind the new items?
Crypto Raids: As Rocket takeovers have been happening continuously for months and you can also use Rocket radars to find the bosses Arlo, Sierra, and Cliff, trainers suspect that the found items indicate a completely new Rocket feature: Crypto Raids.
In the past, there have been recurring hints in the game code about it, which have been published by the PokeMiners. Accordingly, Niantic is likely working on a way to battle the popular Crypto Pokémon in special raids to secure them afterward.
In the comments, trainers are speculating about what role the new items might play in the Crypto Raids. You can read the following ideas there (via reddit.com):
- Notcloselyrelated: “Crystal and Shard? So my guess – get 6 shards by defeating 6 different Rocket bosses and receive a shadow crystal. Use the shadow crystal to fight in Crypto Raids. You get one free shadow crystal per week […] and you can’t buy it in the shop, but you can buy 6 Rocket radars to get the shadow crystal faster.”
- JakeFrommStareFarm: “I suspect that you get the shards from Crypto Raids. You receive the crystal once you’ve gathered enough shards, and then you use the converter to transform the crystal into a Master Ball.”
- martycochrane, a member of the PokeMiners: “We don’t believe that the shadow gems and fragments (in the assets they are called crystals and shards, which is not confusing) are prerequisites for access. They seem to be battle items. Our best guess is that you use them to agitate or subdue the raid boss, but you don’t need them to participate in the raid.”
How to currently find the bosses of Team GO Rocket, we show you in the following video:
Your own Crypto Pokémon: However, a correlation with the found Crypto Raids is not the only idea circulating in the community. Other players could also imagine that you can use these items to create your own Crypto Pokémon.
As IEatKids26 writes in the comments (via reddit.com): “I had hoped that you could create your own Cryptos with shadow crystals, but I was probably mistaken.”
In general, Crypto Pokémon are particularly interesting for battles as their attack value is 20% higher than in their normal form. This means they deal more damage to opponents. Trainers enjoy a strong popularity.
However, due to their backstory, there are also several arguments against this idea, as Banjo1812 summarizes in comments (via reddit.com): “Cryptos are supposed to be mistreated Pokémon that become stronger due to being poorly treated. We are in no way encouraged to do that. Nintendo or Game Freak or whoever provides Niantic with Pokémon wouldn’t allow that.”
Whether the new items really have something to do with the found Crypto Raids or if they are intended for something completely different remains to be seen. Once there is new information about this, you will find out at MeinMMO.
Find indicates two other important changes in the game
In addition to the new items related to Team GO Rocket, there are also further new graphics in the assets, such as the stickers for the upcoming Community Day. Some of them hint at two other important changes in the game that trainers will be excited about:
Hair Feature: The assets had a surprise regarding the avatar. As can be seen in the second row, it seems that new hairstyles, hair textures, and colors will be added to the game. A change that many players believe has been long overdue.
So far, there have only been gender-specific differences in hairstyles. All male trainers in the game have short hair, while all female trainers have long hair tied in a ponytail. The hair color could only be adjusted up to now. The new contents could finally bring more diversity to the game.
Master Ball: In the lower part of the image, a series of effect graphics can also be seen. These are supposed to be part of the cutscene for the Master Ball, which trainers have been waiting for a long time. The developers themselves fueled the rumors of an imminent release of the Master Ball with a tweet on May 15, 2023.
What do you think about the findings of the PokeMiners? What do you believe the new items are intended for? And will you change your avatar’s hairstyle if such a feature is introduced? Feel free to let us know here at MeinMMO in the comments and exchange ideas with other trainers about it.
By the way: Pokémon GO runs much smoother with 2 settings. We’ll show you how to use them.
