Pokémon GO Leak Hints at Dynamax Moltres, Zapdos, and Articuno Raids
A premature announcement from the official Pokémon GO Saudi Arabia Twitter account, since deleted, revealed the upcoming arrival of Dynamax Moltres, Zapdos, and Articuno in Dynamax Raids. The event is reportedly scheduled for January 20th to February 3rd. This would mark the first appearance of Dynamax legendary Pokémon in the game, following the September 2024 introduction of the Dynamax mechanic.
The Kanto legendary birds remain incredibly popular within the Pokémon community. While Pokémon GO previously featured these birds (and their Shiny variants) in raids, and later introduced the Galarian forms via Daily Incense (with Shiny variants available since October 2024), this Dynamax iteration represents a significant new addition. The hasty deletion of the announcement suggests a potential premature reveal.
The inclusion of these iconic legendary Pokémon in Dynamax Raids could revitalize participation in Max Battles, which have faced criticism for difficulty and the requirement of large player groups (40 players per battle). The potential difficulty of these Dynamax legendary raids remains to be seen, especially given past player feedback. The success of these raids could influence future additions of other iconic legendary Pokémon in Dynamax form, mirroring the Dynamax forms featured in Pokémon Sword and Shield.
This leak follows a flurry of other Pokémon GO announcements for early 2025, including:
- Community Day Classic: Featuring Ralts on January 25th.
- Shadow Raid Day: Featuring Shadow Ho-Oh on January 19th, with up to seven free Raid Passes available from Gyms.
- Pokémon GO Fest 2025: Confirmed host cities are Osaka, Jersey City, and Paris.
The upcoming Dynamax legendary bird raids promise exciting new gameplay for Pokémon GO players. Whether the past challenges associated with Max Raids will persist remains to be seen.
