Should I Purify a Low CP Pokémon? A Comprehensive Guide
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The question of whether to purify a low CP (Combat Power) Pokémon is a common one in the world of Pokémon GO, and the answer isn’t always straightforward. In most cases, the short answer is: no, you generally should NOT purify a low CP Shadow Pokémon. This is because, despite their seemingly weak initial state, Shadow Pokémon possess a powerful 20% attack bonus that can significantly outperform their purified counterparts, even those with higher CP. This bonus makes them invaluable in battles, especially raids. While purifying does boost a Pokémon’s CP and Individual Values (IVs), it also removes this crucial attack bonus.
Let’s delve into the nuances of this decision and explore why keeping Shadow Pokémon unpurified is often the superior choice. We’ll also consider the situations where purification might be beneficial.
Understanding Shadow Pokémon
The Shadow Advantage
Shadow Pokémon are essentially “angry” versions of regular Pokémon, identifiable by their dark purple aura. The key benefit of these shadowed creatures is the 20% damage increase in their attacks. This powerful buff dramatically boosts their offensive capabilities, making them formidable attackers in raids and against Team GO Rocket.
The Downside of Being Shadowed
It’s not all sunshine and rainbows for Shadow Pokémon. Along with their boosted attack, they experience a reduction in defense. This means they are glass cannons, capable of dealing tremendous damage but more vulnerable to being defeated. They also have unique movesets, often possessing the exclusive move “Frustration” when caught. This move needs to be replaced before a Shadow Pokemon can reach its full potential.
The Purifying Process
Purifying a Shadow Pokémon reverses this process. It removes the Shadow status and provides several changes:
- Increased CP: The Pokémon’s Combat Power receives a significant boost.
- Improved IVs: Each IV stat (Attack, Defense, and Stamina) increases by two.
- Move Change: The Shadow Pokémon loses Frustration and learns the exclusive charged attack “Return”.
- Reduced Costs: Purified Pokémon require less Stardust and Candy to Power Up, Evolve, or learn new attacks.
Why You Should Usually Keep Low CP Shadow Pokémon Unpurified
The temptation to purify a low CP Shadow Pokémon, especially when they look weak, is understandable. However, consider these crucial points:
- Damage Output Matters Most: The 20% attack bonus of Shadow Pokémon is the game-changer. Even a 0-star IV Shadow Pokémon can often out-damage a 100% IV regular Pokémon. This is especially relevant in raids where time is of the essence.
- CP Isn’t Everything: While CP indicates a Pokémon’s battle potential, it doesn’t tell the whole story. The damage output increase offered by Shadow status often makes a lower CP Shadow more effective than a higher CP, normal Pokemon.
- IVs Are Secondary: Although IVs are an important part of Pokemon performance, the 20% damage bonus for Shadow Pokemon is far more significant. An imperfect Shadow Pokemon is almost always superior to a perfect version of the same pokemon.
- Low CP ≠ Useless: Even with low CP, a Shadow Pokémon’s enhanced attack makes it valuable in combat. The “low” CP doesn’t necessarily mean low effectiveness.
- Resources Matter: It may seem like you should purify for the lower cost of leveling up, however, because shadow Pokemon are more powerful, it usually is not worth it to purify. Resources are better used to power up the pokemon.
When Purification Might Be Worth Considering
While keeping Shadow Pokémon unpurified is often the optimal strategy, there are a few circumstances where purification may be beneficial:
- For PvP Specific Moves: If you need the move “Return” for a specific PvP strategy, then purifying might be a necessity, however this is a very niche need.
- High IV Shadow Pokémon: If you’ve caught a Shadow Pokémon with high IVs and you desire a “hundo” (perfect IV), then purification is a way to obtain it.
- Mega Evolution: If you are wanting to have an exceptional mega evolution for a specific pokemon, and a 100 IV variant is important to you, then purification would be needed.
- Lower Purification Costs: If you need to complete the Purifier medal, or are looking for a cheap Pokemon to purify, it may be worth it to purify Pokemon with lower purification costs.
- Resource Constraints: If you are extremely low on resources to power up and unlock the 2nd attack of a shadow pokemon.
Strategic Decision-Making
Before making a decision about purifying a Shadow Pokémon, especially a low CP one, consider these steps:
- Assess its Potential: Determine the Pokémon’s type, moves, and how it fits into your overall roster.
- Weigh the Pros and Cons: Consider whether the 20% attack bonus from being Shadow outweighs the potential benefits of purification.
- Consider the Cost: Evaluate the resources you’ll need to power up either a Shadow or a purified version.
- Focus on Battles: If you’re aiming for success in raids, gyms, and Team GO Rocket battles, Shadow Pokémon are your most important asset.
- Don’t Purify on Impulse: Carefully consider your options, especially when dealing with rarer Pokémon. It can be very costly to undo the purifying process.
Conclusion
While the allure of higher CP and better IVs can be strong, the vast majority of the time you should not purify your low CP Shadow Pokemon. Shadow Pokémon possess a unique attack advantage that makes them significantly more valuable than their purified counterparts. Keep them angry, keep them Shadow, and they will serve you well in battles!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Is a 0-star Shadow Pokémon good?
Yes, a 0-star Shadow Pokémon can still be incredibly valuable due to its 20% attack boost. Even without perfect IVs, it will likely outperform a standard Pokémon with 100% IVs.
2. Is it better to purify or evolve first?
Always purify before evolving. Purifying reduces the Candy costs required for evolution. Also, if you already evolved a Shadow Pokemon, you can still purify it.
3. Should I purify a 3-star Shadow Pokémon?
No, generally it’s better to keep a 3-star Shadow Pokémon unpurified. The Shadow bonus is so powerful that even a low-IV shadow pokemon is far more powerful than a perfect non-shadow version.
4. Are Shadow Pokémon better than 100 IV Pokémon?
Yes, a 0 IV Shadow Pokémon deals significantly more damage than a 100% IV regular Pokémon. The attack bonus is more valuable than perfect IVs.
5. Should you power up Pokémon before purifying them?
It is best to purify a Pokémon before powering it up to avoid unnecessary Stardust and Candy expenditure.
6. Are low IV Shadow Pokémon worth keeping?
Yes, low IV Shadow Pokémon are worth keeping and powering up due to their 20% attack boost which far outweighs IV considerations.
7. What should I do with my Shadow Pokémon?
Focus on using them in battles, especially raids, and leave them unpurified unless you have a specific reason to purify. The Shadow damage bonus is incredibly useful.
8. Should I power up before evolving?
If you are doing it all at once, it does not matter if you evolve before or after powering up, the end result will be the same. However, if doing it over a period of time, evolve first as your max CP increases each level up.
9. Is there any point in keeping low CP Pokémon?
Low CP pokemon are useful for the annoyance they cause at gyms, especially since pokemon in gyms lose CP over time as they are in the gym.
10. Why do people put low CP Pokémon in gyms?
Low CP Pokémon can be annoying to battle, requiring multiple battles to knock them out. Also, they lose CP less quickly than high CP variants.
11. Is it better to raise CP before or after evolving?
Evolve to the final stage before investing Stardust into powering up to ensure you are not wasting resources on a Pokémon that can quickly become outclassed.
12. How rare is a perfect Shadow Pokémon?
Perfect Shadow Pokémon are exceptionally rare, with odds around 1 in 25,000,000.
13. Is Shadow Tyranitar worth it?
Yes, Shadow Tyranitar is an excellent investment due to its powerful attack.
14. Do Shadow Pokémon get better stats when purified?
Yes, each stat increases by two when a Pokémon is purified. This may turn a 2-star pokemon into a 3-star.
15. Which Shadow Pokémon are best to purify?
If you’re trying to complete the purifier medal, Shadow Pokémon like Rattata, Patrat, Zubat, Magikarp, Starly, or Purrloin are good options because they have low Stardust costs for purification.