Pokemon GO announces details for Rivals Week

Niantic has officially revealed details about Rivals Week, a new event coming to Pokémon GO from April 13 at 10 a.m. to April 18 at 8 p.m. local time.

Training with friends is a great way to improve, but there’s something special about testing your limits against a rival! 😠

Did you know that some Pokémon are known to be rivals, too? 💪 An event featuring these Pokémon will be coming soon! https://t.co/3hZ1YQE8oz pic.twitter.com/hOV5vMfNMK

— Pokémon GO (@PokemonGoApp) April 5, 2021

Pokémon GO Rivals Week will feature Pokémon with specific rivalries, such as Zangoose and Seviper. Most of these rival Pokémon only appear in one version of the core series games. For example, while both Pokémon are from the Hoenn region, Seviper appears exclusively in Pokémon Sapphire and Zangoose appears in Pokémon Ruby.

Rival Pokémon will appear more frequently in the wild, in five-kilometer eggs and in Raid Battles. Players will get exclusive Field Research tasks that lead to rival Pokémon encounters, too.

Rivals Week will also introduce two new “rival” Pokémon from Kalos: Skrelp and Clauncher. Skrelp is a Poison/Water-type that appears exclusively in Pokémon Y and evolves to Dragalge, a Poison/Dragon-type. Clauncher is a Water-type from Pokémon X that evolves into Clawitzer, another Water-type.

Therian Forme Landorus is also making its entry into Pokémon GO in five-star raids during Rivals Week. It is a Ground/Flying-type Legendary from Unova. Landorus has been available in raids in the past, but never in its Therian Forme.

Rivals Week Global Challenge Arena

During Rivals Week, Pokémon GO players will have access to the Global Challenge Arena. This feature allows trainers around the world to work together, win Raid Battles and unlock a double catch Stardust bonus for the event. This means every Pokémon caught will grant double Stardust if trainers complete the challenge and win enough Raid Battles.

Finally, during the event, Team GO Rocket members will take over PokéStops more often, and balloons will appear more frequently. This will make it easier for players to battle Rocket members and get encounters with Giovanni. Beating Giovanni right now will earn players an encounter with Shadow Zapdos.