After 6 Years, One Of The Rarest Pokémon Is Returning To Pokémon Go

As part of the ongoing tenth anniversary celebrations for Pokemon Go, developer Scopely has announced the return of one of the rarest creatures in the mobile game's history. Armored Mewtwo, a highly sought-after variant that has not been obtainable for six years, is scheduled to make a brief comeback. This special version of the genetically engineered psychic Pokemon is the centerpiece of the final wave of anniversary festivities designed to reward the game's dedicated player base.

The anniversary celebration has already featured several major events, including a live reenactment of the game's original launch trailer. This promotional stunt took place in Times Square as an invite-only raid event. Additionally, Scopely has gifted all active players a Mewtwo boasting perfect individual values alongside a unique commemorative background. Bringing back the armored variant serves as the grand finale for this milestone anniversary.

Armored Mewtwo first debuted in Pokemon Go back in 2019 as a promotional tie-in for the CGI film remake, Pokemon: Mewtwo Strikes Back – Evolution. The design features heavy armor designed to suppress the creature's overwhelming psychic capabilities, mirroring its appearance in the animated movie. Following its initial release, the variant made a brief return during the Pokemon Day celebrations in February 2020 before disappearing from the game entirely.

For many active players, this upcoming event represents their very first opportunity to add the armored variant to their collections. When the creature was last available in early 2020, remote raiding had not yet been introduced to the game. The Remote Raid feature, which allows players to participate in battles digitally from anywhere in the world rather than gathering physically at a gym, was launched in April 2020. This quality-of-life update is expected to make securing the rare Pokemon much easier than it was during its previous appearances.

According to the official schedule, Armored Mewtwo will return to five-star raid battles on September 5 and September 6. The raids will be active locally from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on both days. The return is part of the larger Go Fest Mega Finale event, which promises to bring a variety of high-tier raid bosses and exclusive rewards to players worldwide.

In addition to the armored form, players participating in the Go Fest Mega Finale will have the chance to challenge Mega Mewtwo X and Mega Mewtwo Y. Capturing these powerful entities will grant players access to Mewtwo equipped with special adventure effects. These unique abilities provide utility outside of standard combat encounters, offering new ways to interact with the game world.

One of these adventure effects is Dynamic Punch+, which boosts the damage players deal when participating in Mega Raids. It also allows players to break through two shields instead of the standard one when fighting in Super Mega Raids. The second effect, Future Sight+, causes wild Pokemon to glow on the map if they possess three-star stats or higher, helping players identify high-value targets before engaging them.

While the return of this rare variant has generated significant excitement, Scopely confirmed that a shiny version of Armored Mewtwo will not be available during this event. Players hoping to register a shiny armored form in their Pokedexes will have to wait, though the community remains hopeful that future events will eventually introduce the highly anticipated alternate color scheme.