Pokémon Go changing its EX-clusive invitation raids for the first time

Pokémon Go's invitation-only EX Raids are getting a shake-up for the first time since they were introduced a year ago. There will be a new Pokémon to catch, and ways to make the whole process a little smoother from here on out.

First up, Mythical Pokémon Deoxys will be taking over from Mewtwo - the latter of which will be released in regular raids instead. (UK players will see their first Mewtwo raids from tomorrow.) As a Mythical rarity Pokémon, Deoxys may not be able to be traded or transferred - it'll be interesting to see if Niantic bends it own rules here, as current Mythicals Mew and Celebi are one-offs, granted through research quests rather than raiding.

Pokémon fans will know Deoxys comes in one of four versions, or formes. To start with, Niantic has said that only the Normal forme will be available, with others (Attack, Defense, Speed) presumably to follow at a later date.

EX Raid-eligible gyms will now be flagged as such when viewed in-game, so you can better identify where may trigger an EX Raid invitation before raiding. Currently, EX Raid gyms are typically those found in public parks, although it's not an exact science.

Finally, if you are lucky enough to trigger a raid pass, you'll be able to invite a friend along too. This should help boost numbers raiding and also ensure that if you or your mate was not able to make a particular raid then no one gets left behind after a subsequent EX invitation wave. One interesting wrinkle here is you will need to be Ultra or Best Friends with someone to send them an invite. Get opening those gifts!