The Battle for the White House Pokemon Gym Rages On

Last weekend, we reported on a brave Pidgeot named "Merica" who valiantly fought talon and feather to take the White House for Team Valor in Pokemon Go. It seems that the battle for the White House heated up over the weekend, as Pokemon Go fever swept the nation's capital.

Merica's owner Jesus Rodriguez decided to rename his Pokemon "Thanks Obama", referencing the popular political meme. However, Rodriguez and Team Valor's hold on the White House didn't last long, as the Presidential residence became the site for a vicious turf war between the three Pokemon Go teams. "I have seen the White House change from Team Valor, to Mystic, to Instinct in 10 minutes," Rodriguez told Kotaku in an interview.

The White House began to host a rotating cast of strong Pokemon, each trying to withstand the constant assaults from other teams. However, few Pokemon were able to last longer than a few hours, especially as the Pokemon Go teams began coordinating sneak attacks at night. Rodriguez admitted that the late night raids were started because Pokemon Go's servers constantly being down during the day.

While the White House is still a hot battleground, players are started to plant their flag at other landmarks in the nation's capital. Rodriguez recently took the US Senate after seeing taunts from a rival team about how the president is powerless without the Senate's approval. Given the intensity of Washington DC's Pokemon Go community, he probably wasn't able to hold it for long.

(via Kotaku)