Zorua and Zoroark have a messy arrival to Pokémon Go, being removed immediately

In a surprise follow-up to the arrival of Pokémon Go’s Halloween Part II event, Zorua and Zoroark were going to be available. Zorua’s upcoming surprise had been datamined by PokeMiners several weeks ago. Initially, Zorua was meant to appear in-game disguised as other Pokémon, surprising players suddenly, but it was removed due to several problems.

When the PokeMiners datamined the Zorua information several weeks ago, we reported on how this beloved Unova Pokémon would be making its way to the game at some point in the future. The team continued to dig into the code. At a later point, it looked like Zorua would be appearing in the wild, similar to how Ditto spawns, which ties into the Pokémon’s initial plans of being a surprise arrival.

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When players are looking for Ditto, they must encounter Pokémon they find in the wild and catch them. After catching the Pokémon, players have a slight chance for specific catches to transform into a Ditto. Zorua will work in the same way. If players want to grab this Pokémon and add it to their collection, they must explore their local neighborhood and look for specific spawns. Not everyone will be Zorua, but there’s a chance it turns out to be this elusive fox.

However, Niantic removed Zorua’s debut because it would have the stats of the Pokémon it was disguised. Niantic did not test this system in any live function and, within the first event, removed it from the game. It was also banned from being traded to Pokémon HOME or being used in the Pokémon Battle League.

Zorua is known as the Tricky Fox Pokémon, so the method Niantic approaches this makes sense by surprising players by appearing as other Pokémon. It will come down to the frequency Zorua seems in the wild as other Pokémon. Having it spawn into the game similar to Ditto for a limited time can be fun, but if it rolls in and out of the mobile game, some might not enjoy missing out on a chance to add these Pokémon to their collection. We’re waiting to hear when Zorua finally makes its way to the game. For now, players should not expect to see it until Niantic makes a formal announcement.

Pokémon Go’s Halloween Part II event starts on October 27 and should continue as normal. Hopefully, Zorua is not removed for too long, and we can see the Tricky Fox appearing soon.