Lugia Will Leave Pokemon Go at the End of August

You can wave goodbye to Lugia in a couple weeks.

An article posted to Pokemon.com confirmed that Lugia will depart Pokemon Go with the other Legendary Birds at the end of the month. The article was posted to the website yesterday to help get news out about Mewtwo's upcoming arrival in the form of Exclusive Raids. It also mentioned the return of Articuno and Moltres to the game, which was announced by Pokemon Go on Monday.

"While you await the arrival of Mewtwo, you can use those powerful Pokémon of yours to take on and catch Lugia—and Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres!" the article reads. "That's right, those mighty Legendary Kanto Pokémon are sticking around for one more week. Starting today and lasting until August 31, 2017, Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres will be appearing in Raid Battles for Trainers to challenge. August 31 will also be your last opportunity to catch Lugia, for now. Be sure to coordinate with other Trainers and make your move!"

While Niantic's announcement implied that Lugia would leave the game at the end of the month, Pokemon.com's article is a bit more direct and acts as official confirmation that Lugia will be leaving the game soon.

Lugia is currently the hardest to capture Pokemon in the game, with only a 2% base capture rate. It's also the most powerful Raid Boss in Pokemon Go, in part because it can use a Hydro Pump attack to wipe out Rock-type Pokemon that would otherwise do extra damage to it.

Pokemon.com's article also implies that the Legendary Birds will eventually reappear, but not in the near future.

The Legendary Bird raids might be the last Legendary Raids that all players can participate in. Pokemon Go's Exclusive Raids will be limited to those players who recently defeated Raids at specific gyms in their area. Pokemon Go has implied that other "powerful Pokemon" will appear as Exclusive Raid Bosses in addition to Mewtwo.