How to get Shadow Mewtwo in Pokémon Go

Sometimes letting a Pokémon succumb to its dark side is the best way to bring out its true potential.

After being away from the series for over a decade, Shadow Pokémon marked their triumphant, sinister return to the Pokémon franchise in Pokémon Go, where they are being controlled by Team Go Rocket. The various grunts of the evil organization, as well as its leaders and boss, utilize Shadow Pokémon in battles where they have naturally higher stats—though take an increased amount of damage in compensation.

Upon defeating any member of Team Go Rocket, players have the opportunity to catch one of their Shadow Pokémon for themselves. From there, they can either choose to keep the creature in its Shadow form, where it has more powerful attacks at the cost of receiving more damage or to Purify them, which reopens the Pokémon’s heart and reduces the materials needed to increase their stats.

Wielding the most powerful Shadow Pokémon is Giovanni, the boss of Team Go Rocket that operates the team’s nefarious activities behind the scenes. This familiar face to Pokémon fans can only be encountered during special events within the game, where he takes control of a Legendary Pokémon that rotates every so often.

Related: How to beat Giovanni in Pokémon Go from Attack of the Fanboy.

How to get Shadow Mewtwo in Pokémon Go

Shadow Mewtwo, considered to be the strongest Shadow Pokémon currently available in Pokémon Go, was first available when Giovanni was introduced to the game in 2020, although it was quickly rotated out as Giovanni began to corrupt more Legendary Pokémon.

The powerful Psychic-type Pokémon has made an unprecedented return to the game, however, now appearing as Giovanni’s lead Pokémon for a limited time throughout November and December. Upon successfully defeating the Team Go Rocket boss, players can add Shadow Mewtwo to their teams—even if they’ve already done so before—and choose whether or not to Purify it.

Giovanni can only be encountered by completing designated Special Research that will eventually reward players with a Super Rocket Radar. Though this item can be used at any point, only now will players be able to use it to find Giovanni with a Shadow Mewtwo at his disposal. After this Pokémon rotates off Giovanni’s team, it is unlikely that it will be available again for a significant amount of time.