Team GO Rocket guide (Grunts, Leaders, the Boss and Rocket Radars)
BattleLast checked 2026-10-31
In 3 lines
- Find Grunts at dark, twitching PokéStops or Team GO Rocket balloons. Beat them for a chance to catch a Shadow Pokémon.
- Beating a Grunt gives you a Mysterious Component. Collect six and they become a Rocket Radar that finds the Leaders.
- A Super Rocket Radar finds the Boss, Giovanni, and his Shadow Pokémon has IVs of at least 6 in each stat.
Opponents by stage
| Opponent | How to find them | If you win |
|---|---|---|
| Grunt | Dark, twitching PokéStops; Team GO Rocket balloons | Shadow Pokémon encounter (level 8, or 13 when weather boosted; IV floor 0, or 4 when boosted), Mysterious Component |
| Leader | Rocket Radar (6 Mysterious Components) | Shadow Pokémon encounter; sometimes a 12 km Egg |
| Boss (Giovanni) | Super Rocket Radar (Team GO Rocket Special Research reward) | Shadow Pokémon encounter (IVs of at least 6 in each stat) |
Before a battle, a Grunt's line tells you which type of Pokémon they use. Pick Pokémon that hit that type's weakness and it gets easy (type chart).
Tips for winning
- Your opponent sends out three Pokémon, one at a time. Put a Pokémon that hits the first one's weakness at the front.
- Some opponents use shields, so it helps to bait them out first with a Charged Attack that charges quickly.
- Win and you get a chance to catch the Shadow Pokémon. The number of balls you get depends on how many of your Pokémon are still standing, so try not to let any faint.
Purified Gems
In Shadow Raids, calm the boss with Purified Gems when it gets enraged. As the in-game description says, four Shadow Shards combine into a Purified Gem.
Shadow Pokémon you've caught
- They deal 1.2× attack, so they're strong in raids, but they also take more damage.
- Purifying raises each IV by 2 and sets the level to 25. For when to purify, see Shadow Pokémon: when to purify.
- Shadow Pokémon can't be traded.
Checklist
- Figure out the type from what the Grunt says
- Collect 6 Mysterious Components to make a Rocket Radar
- Check your progress on the Super Rocket Radar research
Sources
- Site data: descriptions of the Rocket Radar, Super Rocket Radar, Mysterious Component and Purified Gem from the in-game text (data/texts-ko.json); Shadow Pokémon levels and IV floors from the game rules config (config/rules.json)
- Bulbapedia: Team GO Rocket — Grunts, Leaders and the Boss
Related Pokémon & events
- Shadow Mewtwo
- Shadow Tyranitar
- Shadow Metagross
More in Battle
- Raids and Remote Raid PassesRaids open at Trainer level 5. Up to 20 Trainers team up to defeat and catch a boss that appears at a Gym.
- Beating raids alone (how to use the solo simulator)Anyone can solo a 1-star raid, and six powered-up Pokémon of the boss's weakness types can solo a 3-star. 5-star raids usually need several players.
- Mega Evolution guide (Mega Energy and Mega Level)Mega Evolution spends Mega Energy to make a Pokémon stronger for a set time, and in raids it also powers up everyone attacking with the same type.
- Pokémon GO type chart (multipliers differ from the main series)In GO, super effective is 1.6× and not very effective is 0.625×, and the main series' 'no effect' becomes 0.39× instead.
- Weather boost guide (which types get stronger in each weather)Each in-game weather boosts certain types, and moves of those types deal 1.2× damage.
- Max Battles and Dynamax for beginnersIn a Max Battle, you spend Max Particles at a Power Spot to fight a Dynamax Pokémon. Win, and you can catch that Dynamax Pokémon.
- GO Battle League for beginners (Great, Ultra and Master League)GO Battle League opens at Trainer level 10. You battle other Trainers with 3 Pokémon and 2 shields each.
- Choosing IVs for PvP (low Attack wins in Great and Ultra League)In leagues with a CP cap, the lower the Attack IV, the higher you can level up within the same CP, which makes Defense and HP bigger.
Game rules and numbers can change, so each article shows when it was last checked. Articles are rechecked once that date is 6 months old. If you spot a mistake, let us know with 'Report an error' at the bottom of the page.