Team Rocket to Invade All Pokemon Go PokeStops This Afternoon

Team Rocket will be taking over all of Pokemon Go's PokeStops this afternoon. Earlier this weekend, Team Rocket briefly took over Pokemon Go's Twitter and YouTube account to tease an announcement for today. While players hoped that the tease might lead to Giovanni appearing in Pokemon Go as the game's new antagonist, Team Rocket instead announced that they would take over all PokeStops from 4 PM to 5 PM local time. During this one hour mini-event, players can battle Team Rocket Grunts and capture Shadow Pokemon from any PokeStop.

SUP, TWERPS! 👋 While all of you were distracted with the little stunt that we pulled in New York, we mobilized our forces for a GLOBAL TEAM GO ROCKET INVASION! From 4 to 5 p.m. in your local time, we’ll be taking over ALL the PokéStops in your area. Teehee. 🙃 #TeamGORocket pic.twitter.com/7KZ6HFS3jD

— Team GO Rocket (@PokemonGoApp) July 28, 2019

Team Rocket Grunts have Pokemon that scale in difficulty based on the Level of the trainer they're facing, so high level players will need to have a Master League team prepared before they start battling. Type effectiveness is also important, so players should make sure they have the right counters to use against a Team Rocket Grunt's Shadow Pokemon.

Based on how aggressively Pokemon Go has pushed Team Rocket's arrival, it looks like the villainous team is here to stay. The only question is whether players can just expect Team Rocket to periodically appear at PokeStops, or if they have some sort of bigger scheme in mind.

The Team Rocket Takeover occurs from 4 PM to 5 PM local time. Be sure to find an area with lots of PokeStops if you want to maximize your chances of capturing Shadow Pokemon.