Pokemon Go's March 2020 Events: Thundurus, A Team Rocket Takeover, And New Shiny Pokemon

March is here, and it's shaping up to be another busy month for Pokemon Go. Developer Niantic has outlined some of the events it has in store for the popular Pokemon mobile game this month, and they include the debut of a new Gen 5 Legendary, the return of the Psychic Spectacular, a Team Rocket takeover, and much more.

Shadow Entei

A new Team Rocket Special Research questline called The Shadowy Threat Grows is now live if you've completed the most recent set. As usual, the questline culminates in a battle with Team Rocket leader Giovanni, and if you can defeat him, you'll earn a chance to rescue another Shadow Legendary Pokemon: Entei. The Shadowy Threat Grows will be available until the end of the month.

March Field Research

In addition to the new Team Rocket Special Research quest, Niantic has rolled out a new batch of Field Research tasks, along with a new Research Breakthrough reward. Each time you achieve a Research Breakthrough this month, you'll encounter the rare Gen 5 Pokemon Ferroseed. You'll also get bonus Stardust as an additional reward.

Thundurus

Beginning at 1 PM PT / 4 PM ET on March 2, the Bolt Strike Pokemon Thundurus will make its debut in five-star Raid Battles. Like Tornadus before it, Thundurus is a member of the Legendary Forces of Nature from Pokemon Black and White. It's a dual Electric/Flying type, so you'll want to fill your team with Rock and Ice Pokemon before challenging it.

Team Go Rocket Takeover Event

A Team Rocket takeover event will kick off at 8 AM local time on Friday, March 6. All weekend long, Dark and Poison Pokemon will appear in the wild much more frequently than normal, including the rare Absol. You'll also have your first chance to encounter a Shiny Skorupi.

As part of the takeover event, there will be a surge in Team Rocket activity on Saturday, March 7. From 2-5 PM local time, more PokeStops than usual will be under the control of Team Rocket Grunts. You'll also be more likely to encounter Team Rocket leaders Sierra, Cliff, Arlo, and Giovanni during the event, and there's a chance they'll have Shiny Shadow Pokemon. You'll earn twice the normal amount of Stardust when you defeat the Team Rocket leaders as well.

Legendary Raid Weekends

Each weekend in March, Niantic will bring a Legendary Pokemon back to five-star Raids for a limited time. Not only will these Legendaries possibly be Shiny, some may also know special event-exclusive attacks. Each Legendary Raid weekend kicks off at 8 AM local time on Friday and ends at 10 PM local time on Monday. You can see the Legendary Pokemon and when they'll be available below:

• March 6-9: Darkrai
• March 13-16: Altered Forme Giratina
• March 20-23: Cobalion (knows Sacred Sword)
• March 27-30: Lugia (knows Aeroblast)

Mysterious Weekend Event

From March 20-23, Niantic will be holding a "mysterious" weekend event. Throughout the weekend, Normal-, Fire-, Water-, Electric-, and Ice-type Pokemon will appear in the wild more often than normal. Additionally, you'll be able to find Nincada in the wild or hatch it from 5 km eggs, and there's a chance it'll be Shiny.

Shelmet and Karrablast will likewise be hatching more frequently from 5 km eggs throughout the event, and Bug or Steel Pokemon will appear as Raid bosses. You'll also earn twice the usual amount of Stardust for catching or hatching Pokemon, and there will be a new Special Research story quest to go along with the weekend event. Niantic says it will share more details about that in the future.

Psychic Spectacular Event

Capping off the month is the returning Psychic Spectacular event, which will take place from March 27-30. Throughout that time, Psychic Pokemon will appear in the wild more frequently than normal. You'll also have your first chance to encounter a few new Psychic types originally from Pokemon Black and White, including Solosis and Gothita. If you're lucky, you may find a Shiny Baltoy as well. Finally, special Field Research tasks will be available throughout the event. You can read more about Pokemon Go's March events on the game's official website.