No Meowth balloon in Pokémon GO? Then you should keep your eyes open now. The chances of encountering Jessie and James are said to be temporarily increased.
What is changing now: As the Niantic Support announced on Twitter, Jessie and James will remain in the game until February 2021. Moreover, there will be no time limit for the special research “A Brilliant Distraction” – so you have plenty of time to obtain Shiny Celebi.
Additionally, the Meowth balloon will now appear with an “increased chance” – but not all the time, only until December 21, 2021, 10:00 PM. During this period, you can try to complete the research well. At the same time, the Winter Weekend is also taking place.
Another good opportunity is December 25. On this day, the Meowth balloon is also expected to fly more frequently in the game. So if you need something to do on Christmas Day, you can go hunting for Team Rocket here.
What is the problem with Jessie & James?
This is what’s going on with Jessie & James: The new special research about Shiny Celebi is currently active. One of the steps within the research requires you to battle Jessie and James, who will also guide you through the quest line.
However, many trainers reported that the two villains simply did not want to appear. Instead of the desired Meowth balloon, only normal Rocket grunts kept appearing in the game. The problem is that only four Rocket balloons appear per day for the players, always within fixed time windows.
When a Meowth balloon is amongst them is determined by chance. That means: If you do not encounter the two villains by coincidence, you have to wait longer to progress in the research. This led to criticism.
Now the chances are at least temporarily increased, and December 25 also offers a good opportunity to challenge the two. What else is happening for Christmas in Pokémon GO, you can find out here.
