Trainers, since our initial report regarding the green paint smeared across Pokémon Go’s social media accounts, the official profile picture of their Twitter account has been updated as well. You can view the change here or see the image below, but it all seems to be leading to a certain, unreleased Pokémon: Smeargle.
What does it all mean?!
Well, there is no way to be certain for now, but we at GoHub believe it isn’t just a mere coincidence that the green paint almost matches that on Smeargle’s tail exactly. You can see this clearly in the below image from IGN’s preview of the PVP feature. Smeargle was briefly showcased alongside the likes of Regigigas, Garchomp and Heatran (which at the time, had yet to be released, and still haven’t as of this posting, except for Heatran.)
We can safely assume that those Pokémon are all in the works for release at some point this year. If there is anything that Niantic have proven in the last 12 months, it’s that they are able to keep their word. As detailed in the (brief) interview with Niantic’s CEO John Hanke, he mentioned that Gen 4 Pokémon, PVP and Pokéstop Submission features were on the way to Go . . . and they did all appear! (John also mentioned a raise in level cap which hasn’t yet happened, but we remain hopeful.) We doubt that Niantic would allow a news site to release images of unreleased Pokémon without some sort of plan to roll them out at some stage.
Smeargle in action
Ways Smeargle Could Be Implemented
Special Research – Similar to how Spiritomb was introduced around Halloween in 2018, we imagine that Niantic could arrange for the Sketching Pokémon to be released via a special research chain. This may even be a good time of year to do it, as Easter is coming up and in some cultures, eggs are decoratively painted.
Raid Battles – Smeargle could be a good contender for a new raid boss, perhaps as a 2-star boss, similar to how Mawile was introduced. However, if Smeargle being released really is what all this hype is leading towards, then it almost seems like a disservice to throw him in as a raid boss. His stats aren’t particularly great and he would likely not be much of a challenge.
Into the Wild – Smeargle could simply be released into the wild. This could also open up the way for Smeargle’s shiny form to be released too. However – Smeargle’s shiny form features red paint instead and this hasn’t been spotted in any of the same places as the green paint marks.
Parting Thoughts
Of the above options – We at GoHub think that given the amount of hype created about a potential Smeargle release, a special research chain would be the most likely implementation for Niantic, although this would mean a limited access to IVs, candy, and number of Smeargle.
Pay attention trainers! If you spot another reference to this “green brush takeover”, let us know via Twitter, Facebook or Discord.