A PvE Analysis of Flying Taxi: Taken Over

Welcome, Trainers! Another Team GO Rocket takeover has arrived, and this time Flying Taxi: Taken Over is bringing a fresh batch of Shadow Pokémon into Pokémon GO. With Rocket Grunts, Leaders, and Giovanni once again updating their lineups, PvE-focused players have a new set of shadow additions to evaluate for raids and long-term attacker value. But as always, not every Shadow Pokémon is destined to become a top-tier raid powerhouse. So, which of these new arrivals actually matter, and which ones are more collection pieces than battle staples? Let’s break down the event’s new Shadow Pokémon and see how they stack up in the PvE meta.

New Shadow Pokémon

Trainers can encounter the following Shadow Pokémon for the first time:

The newest batch of Shadow Pokémon this time include a flock of Flying types: Hoothoot, Noibat and Rookidee. Joining them are Seel, the Sea Lion Pokémon, and Reshiram, a member of the Unovan Tao Trio. Along with these new additions, Team GO Rocket Leaders: Cliff, Sierra and Arlo are using different Shadow Pokémon. Respectively, they are:

Let’s have a look at each one of them and see where they stand in the PvE meta.

Mostly One For The Pokédex

Firstly, let’s look at the new Shadow Flying types. In Pokémon GO raids, Flying types have historically been a niche offensive category. Much like Bug types, they are often overlooked because other types, like Fire, usually cover the same matchups more efficiently while offering better overall performance. On top of that, the Flying raid attacker pool is not especially competitive to begin with, which means any new Shadow addition at least has a chance to shake things up. However, that is unfortunately not the case here. Using our DPS Comparer Tool:

Shadow Noctowl, Shadow Corviknight, and Shadow Noivern all fail to make any meaningful impact on the Flying raid meta. While the Shadow boost does give them some extra offensive value, none of the three has the raw damage output needed to compete with the Best Flying Attackers currently available. The gap between them and the top-tier options remains substantial, leaving them well outside serious PvE consideration. Their alternative offensive roles are not much better either, with Shadow Corviknight struggling to stand out as a Steel raid attacker and Shadow Noivern falling even further behind in the Dragon category.

A similar conclusion applies to another new Shadow addition, Shadow Dewgong. Despite gaining access to the Shadow damage bonus, it still does not carve out a relevant place in either the Ice or Water raid attacker meta. In both roles, it trails far behind the leading choices and offers little reason to be prioritized for PvE investment.

Overall, all four of these new Shadow Pokémon appear to be designed with PvP in mind rather than raids. From a PvE perspective, they are unfortunately irrelevant and do not meaningfully alter the current meta landscape.

The Kalos Fossils: Aurorus and Tyrantrum

The real excitement starts here. With the latest batch of Shadow Pokémon from Team GO Rocket Grunts looking underwhelming, the spotlight now shifts to the Rocket Leaders. Fortunately, this rotation gives Trainers a few genuinely interesting raid attackers to chase, and some of them can carve out respectable positions in the PvE meta.

Shadow Aurorus RockIce

Let’s begin with Shadow Aurorus. Trainers can obtain Shadow Amaura by defeating Sierra and evolve it into Shadow Aurorus. On paper, Aurorus does not look especially threatening because its Attack stat is fairly modest. However, the Shadow bonus helps compensate for that weakness and gives it enough extra firepower to stay relevant.

As an Ice raid attacker, Shadow Aurorus manages to break into the Top-20 with the standard moveset of Frost Breath and Weather Ball. That ranking does not make it a meta-defining choice, nor does it suddenly place it among the elite Ice attackers in the game. Still, it has clear value as a backup option for Trainers who may not have fully built premium Ice teams. It also works well as a spice pick for players who enjoy experimenting with less conventional raid attackers instead of relying on the usual staples.

A similar trend appears when Shadow Aurorus is evaluated as a Rock attacker. It once again lands within the Top-20 and offers some depth for Trainers looking to strengthen their Rock roster. The more interesting angle, however, is its access to Meteor Beam. While Shadow Aurorus can make use of the move, it is far from the most impressive new Shadow Pokémon to wield it. That distinction belongs to Shadow Tyrantrum. 

Shadow Tyrantrum RockDragon

Thanks to its strong 227 Attack stat and access to Meteor Beam, Shadow Tyrantrum rises sharply as a Rock type raid attacker. It pushes its way into the Top-10 and even edges past several established Rock attackers such as Rampardos and Rhyperior.

That is an outstanding result and easily makes it one of the most exciting Rocket Leader targets in this update. Trainers should strongly consider farming as many Shadow Tyrunt as possible during the event. Shadow Tyrunt can be encountered by defeating Arlo. Unfortunately, Shadow Tyrantrum does not deliver the same level of impact as a Dragon attacker, where the competition is much harsher.

The Unovan Dragons: Reshiram and Haxorus

Shadow Reshiram DragonFire

Among the most desirable additions from this Rocket shake-up, two names stand above the rest: Shadow Haxorus and Shadow Reshiram. Shadow Reshiram in particular is important enough to deserve a dedicated meta analysis of its own. To keep things brief here, Shadow Reshiram is already one of the Strongest Fire Attackers in the game. It combines a massive 275 Attack stat, the Shadow bonus, and the extremely powerful Charged Attack Fusion Flare to become a premier Fire type raid option.

However, just like Shadow Tyrantrum, Shadow Reshiram does not maintain that same level of dominance when used as a Dragon attacker. This category is simply too stacked for it to stand out in the same way.

Shadow Haxorus Dragon

The Shadow Pokémon that truly shines in that role is Shadow Haxorus. With Dragon Tail and Breaking Swipe, and an attack stat that is even higher than Reshiram, Shadow Haxorus performs exceptionally well and breaks into the Top-10 Dragon Attackers. In the process, it out-DPS notable names such as Shadow Garchomp and Mega Salamence, which is no small feat in such a competitive typing.

For Trainers looking to improve their Dragon lineup, this makes Shadow Haxorus one of the best practical targets in the current Rocket Leader pool. While Shadow Reshiram is limited to Giovanni encounters, Shadow Axew is much more accessible and can be farmed repeatedly by defeating Cliff.

Here is MeteorAsh15 with a detailed PvE analysis of Shadow Haxorus: How strong is Shadow Haxorus for Pokémon GO raids. 

Parting Words

That is it Trainers! Another PvE analysis complete. While the Grunt pool may not have added much for PvE players this time, the Rocket Leaders have more than made up for it. Shadow Aurorus offers niche but useful flexibility as both an Ice and Rock attacker, Shadow Tyrantrum stands out as an excellent Rock type raid option, and Shadow Haxorus emerges as one of the most exciting new Dragon attackers to pursue. Add Shadow Reshiram’s elite Fire power into the mix, and this shake-up gives serious raiders several worthwhile targets to prioritize.

Let us know Trainers! Which Shadow Pokémon are you looking to rescue? Which Team GO Rocket Leader is onto your radar? 

And as always, stay safe! And don’t forget to TM away Frustration from your Shadow Pokémon.