As we begin to sharpen our Spider-Senses for all the inevitable joke articles incoming across the web this week, at least it looks like Pokémon GO will offer us some respite on this April Fools’ Day. On Thursday, April 1st, from 12:00 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. local time, the Tricky Pokemon event will return to bring players only the most mischievous monsters, according to the latest official blog post.
Obtainable Pokémon
- In the wild: Aipom, Croagunk, and Purrloin — Pokémon said to be “prone to mischief” — will be more commonly found in the wild.
- New Ditto transformation: Ditto will also be appearing more frequently in the wild during the event. Ditto will also be “transforming into one more Pokémon species than before,” which will remain the case even after the event is over.
- Shadow Aipom: Team GO Rocket Grunts will only have Shadow Aipom on their teams during the event.
Team GO Rocket and other features
- Team GO Rocket encounters: Team GO Rocket will appear more often at PokéStops and in balloons.
- Team GO Rocket Timed Research: Completing the new Timed Research will earn you a Super Rocket Radar and “other rewards.” It will be available from Thursday, April 1st at 12:00 a.m. to Thursday, April 8th at 11:59 p.m. local time.
- “Surprise” snapshots: The blog simply suggests, “Take a few snapshots for a surprise!”
GO Battle League switch timer: The switch timer in the GO Battle League will be cut in half, which Niantic teases could be “more Pokémon mischief at work”.
Speaking of snapshots, Pokémon GO introduced anime protagonist Ash Ketchum into the game on 2019’s April Fools’ Day, with the trainer and his Pikachu photobombing players’ attempts to take pictures. This year’s upcoming “surprise” could be Ash’s return, or a similar photobomb filter by another character. Aipom also appeared as a more common critter in last year’s Tricky Pokémon event, along with Gastly, Haunter, Voltorb, Sudowoodo, Croagunk, and Foongus.
Aside from Tricky Pokémon, there is a ton of other content to look out for in Pokémon GO this April, including the recently announced springtime event and much more.
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Written by Reece Heather
A lifelong Nintendo fan and a longtime editor at Zelda Universe, Reece will forever be grateful that he somehow dodged the Naughty List of Christmas 1998, when Santa delivered the life-changing gift of a Nintendo 64 with Super Mario 64, Banjo-Kazooie, and Mario Kart 64. When he's not playing games, Reece is usually reading Punisher comics, delving helplessly into the weirdest depths of anime and manga, or spending time with his cocker spaniel Gracie -- the goodest girl ever!
