‘Pokemon GO’ Adds Ditto As Thanksgiving Gift: Here’s What Could Happen Next
Previous rumors speculating that Ditto would be rolled out to Pokemon GO in an unorthodox manner were spot on, with Niantic confirming that the shape-shifting purple Pokemon, the last of the non-legendary Generation 1 monsters, has officially been introduced in the game. While it took a very long time and a very long period filled with rumors and speculations, Ditto appears to be heralding a massive new thrust in Pokemon GO, which might culminate in a grand in-game event by the end of the year.
Reports of Ditto being caught started coming in from players across the globe over the last 24 hours. While there was considerable skepticism in the Pokemon GO community at first, it soon became apparent that the creature was really being spotted and caught in the wild. Well, not really spotted, since Ditto could only be caught by catching other Pokemon in the map. Here’s a little video featuring Niantic’s official Ditto reveal.
Ditto has been discovered! Visit our blog to learn about how Ditto may be found and how it will interact in Gyms… https://t.co/bSBrHxmRVe pic.twitter.com/HvcrouZF1E
— Pokémon GO (@PokemonGoApp) November 23, 2016
As could be seen in Niantic’s announcement, Ditto would initially appear under the guise of another Pokemon. Once the players manage to capture the target monster, another animation sequence would start and Ditto would reveal itself. Much to the chagrin of players, however, it appears that most Dittos in the wild are masquerading as Ratatas, Pidgeys, and other extremely common Pokemon in the game.
Battling with Ditto is quite fun, as reported by players in The Silph Road. In fact, gym battles involving a Ditto echoes the way the creature fights in classic Pokemon games. From the onset of the battle, Ditto would transform and copy the Pokemon guarding the gym. Just like in classic titles, Ditto’s HP would remain the same, but its attack set and abilities would be a copy of its opponent. This is undoubtedly fun if Ditto is fighting against another monster. If Ditto fights another Ditto, however, Pokemon GO players have stated that gamers could only tap furiously on the screen until one of the creatures faints.
They wiggle and struggle until one faints ? #PokemonGO #Ditto pic.twitter.com/vDmpjniaOA
— Risa ? (@Risamazing) November 23, 2016
With Ditto already in the game, avid Pokemon GO fans are speculating that more significant updates to the game would be added soon. Now that the shape-shifting monster has already been released, only the Legendary Generation 1 Pokemon remain unavailable. Considering the significance of the Gen 1 Legendaries to the Pokemon mythos, speculations are high that Niantic would probably hold a special event that would enable the players to capture the three representative mythical birds that correspond to the game’s three teams: Articuno, Moltres, and Zapdos.
As for Mew and Mewtwo, speculations are high that their reveal would probably be a lot more dramatic and significant. This is because among Gen 1 monsters Mew and Mewtwo are the most powerful and mythical. Niantic has so far not revealed any clue as to how these two mythical Pokemon would be introduced to the game, but rumors in the Pokemon GO community suggest that the creatures could be captured through a raid, as featured in the augmented reality game’s first global trailer.
Data mining efforts from avid Pokemon GO fans have already determined that Generation 2 monsters are already in the codes of the game. This means that, for all intents and purposes, Gen 2 monsters are set to be introduced pretty soon. Before Niantic does this, however, the developer would most likely complete the full Generation 1 Pokemon lineup first. A massive December update for the game has been referenced multiple times recently, inciting numerous fans of the franchise to speculate that the upcoming patch would probably include the last, most epic monsters of Generation 1.
Considering that Pokemon GO appears to be following the trend of releasing special events for every major holiday, the weeks leading up to Christmas and New Year would most likely be filled with various special in-game events. With the game’s new tracker already rolled out, and with all the non-Legendaries already accounted for, there is simply no better time to conclude the Generation 1 phase than to make the 2016 holiday season as the rollout for the Legendary monsters in Pokemon GO.
[Featured Image by Pixabay]
