After removing some features, and increasing the value of items, Niantic has decided to cheer us up with a new, long-awaited feature. In the dark corners, we will soon find some Shadow Pokemon waiting for a battle.
If you did not get it by now, we are getting Shadow Raids. This new type of Raid will make its debut through the Rising Shadows event, which will begin on May 22nd, 2023, and end on May 28th, 2023. The first ever Five-Star Shadow Raid Boss will be Shadow Mewtwo, along with its new Shiny Shadow form (from May 27th, 2023, until May 28th, 2023).
But the main question is, what are Shadow Raids?
For starters, Shadow Raids have Shadow Pokemon as Bosses, and Shadow Pokemon are brought by no other than Team Go Rocket. For the debut of Shadow Raids, Team Go Rocket will be taking over Gyms with all sorts of Shadow Pokemon. Just like regular Raids, Trainers can team up to take down the Shadowy Beast. Shadow Raids will also host One-Star and Three-Star Raids.
*Shadow Raids can’t be joined with Remote Raid Passes, and will not reward Premier Balls as a team bonus.
If you thought that this will be an easy Raid, well, the joke’s on you. As time progresses and the more damage you deal to Shadow Raid Bosses, those Bosses will become enraged, larger, and will have boosts in attacks and defenses. This takes Shadow Raids to a whole new level.
As for purification, a feature not favorable among Trainers, Shadow Raid Bosses can be purified through Purified Gems (assembled through Shadow Shards). This new item has multiple uses though, and the first of them is purifying a Shadow Raid Boss. The second is lowering the Shadow Boss’s attack and defense temporarily in a Shadow battle.
If more than one Trainer uses Purified Gems in a battle, then the effect stacks up, giving you more power to defeat the Shadow Raid Boss. The great thing is that if enough Purified Gems are used in a battle, then the angered Shadow Raid Boss will return to its normal stage, giving you more power and making the Shadow Raid Boss easier to defeat.
One last thing, which we know you are interested in: what are Shadow Shards? From what we know, Shadow Shards are gem pieces that can be dropped here and there by Team Go Rocket. If you collect enough Shadow Shards, you can use Professor Willow’s Shard Refiner, which will then turn the Shadow Shards into a Purified Gem.
A hefty explanation we have got from Niantic, right? What do you think about this new addition?
