Ultra-rare Shiny Pokemon GO Mystery Box release this week

This week there'll be a special celebration in Pokemon GO. This special celebration centers on the crossover between Pokemon GO and Pokemon HOME. To promote the new abilities of Pokemon HOME for Pokemon GO, Niantic's releasing a new Mystery Box for user across the planet.

Niantic and The Pokemon Company activated the tie between Pokemon GO and the rest of the Pokemon universe with Pokemon HOME, starting last week. This connectivity isn't available to all trainers yet, but will be "over a period of time." That's Niantic's language for the release that essentially means you'll get it when you get it. It's being released in waves to make sure it'll work for everyone as soon as possible.

The special Pokemon GO x Pokemon HOME event will include research of several sorts. One Timed Research pack includes Pidgeot Mega Energy as a reward. Field Research will also be in play with encounters with "Slowpoke and others" – hopefully the "others" will be more exciting that Slowpoke!

UPDATE: This event will also feature Gible encounters (in Event-exclusive Timed Research). Raids will include Alolan Vulpix, Slowpoke, Magnemite, Shinx, Timburr, Klink. Pokemon Eggs (5km) will include Nidoran ♀, Nidoran ♂, Slowpoke, Omanyte, Kabuto, Lileep, and Anorith.

The event will have a collection of Pokemon that'll appear in the wild more often than usual. These event-common Pokemon include: Alolan Sandshrew, Zubat, Alolan Diglett, Slowpoke, Magnemite, Ditto, Porygon, Hoothoot, Remoraid, Whismur, Lileep, Anorith, Cottonee, and Foongus.

If you're already rolling with a Mega Pidgeot, make it count! During this event's proceedings, Mega Pidgeot will receive a CP boost!

"Be sure to activate the Mystery Box during this time," wrote a Niantic official, "You might encounter a Shiny Meltan! It seems these Shiny Meltan will go back into hiding after this event is over." If you'd like to know the likely odds that you'll find a Shiny Meltan during this event and after this event, we've taken a look at the most reliable research on the subject so far – take a peek for yourself at the latest Shiny Pokemon GO rates as researched by The Silph Road.

On Tuesday, November 17, 2020, the Mystery Box will be activated. The special event begins then, at 8AM (local time), and it'll last until Monday, November 23, 2020, at 10PM (also local time). Be sure to drop in and encounter this Mystery Box while you have the chance!

You'll also find Cobalion, Terrakion, and Virizion available in five-star raids for a short period of time sandwiching the rest of the HOME event. These five-star raids will appear from Monday, November 16, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. to Tuesday, November 24, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. PST (GMT −8).