Surprise! Pokemon Go's new region-specific raids will feature Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf

Update: Just days after the Pokemon Go community's collective investigation into the new Lake Guardians, Niantic announced that Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf will now be available via region-specific raids through May 27. The Legendary trio was previously only available as random spawns, meaning they were exceedingly difficult to find and catch. They will still appear as random spawns after the May raid event is over, but the next few weeks will definitely be your best chance to catch them. Here's a look at which Lake Guardian each region will have access to: 

• Asia-Pacific: challenge Uxie in raids
• EU, Middle East, Africa, India: challenge Mesprit in raids
• Americas and Greenland: challenge Azelf in raids

Original story: 

The official Pokemon Go Twitter account recently teased the arrival of the Legendary Lake Guardians from Gen 4: Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf. As countless have players have since discovered, these Legendaries are already available in-game - but they're extremely rare. 

Unlike most new Pokemon Go Legendaries, the Lake Guardians seem to be roaming Legendaries tied to random spawns rather than Raids or Research Breakthroughs. Latios and Latias, for instance, were just added as Research Breakthrough rewards after a previous Raid appearance. It's possible new Raids or Breakthroughs will be added in the future, but for now the only way to find a Lake Guardian is to take a walk and try your luck. 

The Lake Guardians are so rare, in fact, that players still aren't sure if they're available worldwide. Judging from the latest player reports, it's possible that they're regional Legendaries. Uxie has been spotted in Asia, Mesprit has been seen in and around the UK, and Azelf has appeared in North and South America. This could just be a coincidence, and the game's community will undoubtedly work this out in the coming days, but we've seen plenty of Pokemon Go regional Pokemon before, so it's certainly not impossible. 

The good news is that players have found a way to increase the chances of encountering a Lake Guardian: look near a lake. Seriously, according to a tweet from the German Pokemon Go account, Lake Guardians are more likely to spawn near water, and especially lakes. A UK player reported a Mesprit spotting near Regent's Canal in London, for example. So if you're hellbent on catching a Lake Guardian now, be prepared for a long walk on the beach or a lakeside stroll. 

These Pokemon Go tips will serve you well in all your catching endeavors, Lake Guardians or otherwise.