At the start of the Rocket Takeover in Pokémon GO, the Cryptos among the Rocket members are changing. Sierra, Cliff, and Arlo now reward you with different Pokémon. We show you which Pokémon you can get from whom.
What changes are happening? With the start of the Rocket Takeover this Saturday, the attackers that Team GO Rocket members use to battle against you are changing. The event is active until March 29 and brings additional bonuses for you.
Which Pokémon are new this time, we show you here in the overview. This way, you can easily decide which of the bosses you want to challenge to secure a Crypto for yourself.
Rocket Changes from March 25, 2023
These are the new teams:
| 1. Pokémon | 2. Pokémon | 3. Pokémon | |
| Sierra | Kramurx* | Stahlos, Sumpex oder Staraptor | Glurak, Dragoran oder Hundemon |
| Arlo | Teddiursa* | Hypno, Lohgock oder Golgantes | Scherox, Banette oder Luxtra |
| Cliff | Larvitar* | Panzaeron, Seedraking oder Gewaldro | Garados, Despotar oder Sumpex |
| Giovanni | Snobilikat | Nidoking, Kingler oder Seedraking | Regice |
Keep in mind that you can catch their first Pokémon (Crypto-Kramurx, Crypto-Teddiursa, and Crypto-Larvitar) after a successful battle with Arlo, Cliff, and Sierra. All of them have a chance to appear as Shiny.
With Giovanni, you can catch his third Pokémon after a successful battle. His Pokémon switched from Registeel to Regice.
- Best counters against Arlo
- Best counters against Sierra
- Best counters against Cliff
- Best counters against Giovanni
These Shinies are new: Shiny Crypto-Larvitar and Shiny Crypto-Kramurx are now new in the game and can be caught starting from the event’s start.
This is important: If you meet Giovanni, Sierra, Arlo, or Cliff at a PokéStop on March 25, they will still fight with their old team (!). Only leaders that you meet through Rocket Balloons will have the new team by Saturday. Starting on Sunday, March 26, Team GO Rocket will also use the new team at PokéStops.
This is because the attacker team of the Rocket leaders at PokéStops is already determined at midnight. Since the event starts on March 25 at 10:00 AM, the changes cannot take effect until midnight (via Leekduck on Twitter).
The new Shiny Cryptos are getting a lot of positive feedback from the community. Trainers are excited that there are now new figures to collect. For many, Cliff is now the new highlight in the rotation. Because Despotar itself is already a strong Pokémon and becomes even stronger as a Crypto. Plus, there’s now the collection factor with the shiny variant.
