Articuno is now available in Raid Battles in Pokemon Go. But when will the other legendary birds come to gyms? Where are Moltres and Zapdos?
Niantic finally answered this question on Tuesday, saying in a tweet that Articuno will soon be leaving gyms and will be replaced by Moltres and Zapdos. As specified in a tweet, Articuno will be available in gyms from now until July 31st.
Then, Moltres will become available in gyms starting on July 31st and lasting until August 7th. Zapdos will replace Moltres after that, being made available in gyms from August 7th through August 14th.
Battle Articuno, Moltres, and Zapdos in Raid Battles around the world (Articuno: now to 7/31, Moltres: 7/31–8/7, Zapdos: 8/7–8/14)!
The reason Articuno was made available in gyms this week is because Team Mystic captured the most Pokemon at Pokemon Go Fest on Saturday. Because of this, Niantic decided that Team Mystic’s mascot would join Raid Battles first. However, it sounds like the intention was for only one of the legendary birds to be available at one time, and so Moltres and Zapdos will follow soon after. None of the three legendary birds will be in Raid Battles at the same time.
Unfortunately, you only have seven days to capture one of these legendaries once it starts spawning in gyms. That can be a bit of a challenge, especially if you live in an area where not that many people participate in Raid Battles. Even if you’re able to get a lot of teammates together for a raid, capturing a legendary Pokemon afterwards is not exactly an easy task.
Still, the Pokemon are legendary for a reason, and Niantic clearly wants to make encountering them somewhat special, which they will accomplish with these limited windows. It’s unclear when Articuno, Zapdos and Moltres will be put back in gyms after the windows end, but Niantic may save this for after future events.
Meanwhile, Lugia remains in gyms, and it sounds like this Pokemon won’t be leaving anytime soon; Niantic has not announced any date when Lugia will stop spawning.
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Pokemon Go: When Will Moltres & Zapdos Be Available?