What Do Lucky Pokémon Do in Pokémon GO? A Comprehensive Guide
Lucky Pokémon are a highly sought-after commodity in Pokémon GO, offering a unique blend of practical advantages and visual flair. In essence, Lucky Pokémon require 50% less Stardust to power up, making them incredibly valuable for trainers looking to build powerful teams without breaking the bank. Furthermore, they receive a guaranteed IV (Individual Value) boost, ensuring they are already starting with a solid foundation of stats. Think of them as pre-optimized powerhouses, ready to dominate gyms, raids, and PvP battles.
The Benefits of Being Lucky
Stardust Savings: A Trainer’s Best Friend
The most significant benefit of Lucky Pokémon is the 50% reduction in Stardust cost for powering up. Stardust is a precious resource in Pokémon GO, essential for increasing a Pokémon’s CP (Combat Power) and making it more effective in battles. The more you play Pokémon GO, the more you realize how important it is to conserve Stardust. Lucky Pokémon address that problem since it can take an excessive amount of Stardust to power up Pokémon, especially those at higher levels. Lucky Pokémon allow trainers to build competitive teams for a fraction of the cost. This is especially useful for newer players or those looking to quickly bolster their existing roster.
Guaranteed IV Boost: Strength from the Start
Another compelling reason to seek out Lucky Pokémon is the guaranteed IV boost. When a Pokémon becomes Lucky, its IVs are automatically raised to a minimum of 12 in each of the three stats: Attack, Defense, and HP. This means that even a Pokémon with initially poor IVs will become significantly stronger upon becoming Lucky, removing the need to hunt endlessly for perfect IV specimens.
Visual Appeal: A Shimmering Showcase
Beyond their practical benefits, Lucky Pokémon also boast a distinct visual appeal. They appear with a shimmery effect in the Pokédex and on the Pokémon’s Summary page, making them easily identifiable and a prized addition to any trainer’s collection. It’s a subtle flex, showing off your dedication and a little bit of luck.
How to Obtain Lucky Pokémon
Lucky Pokémon are obtained through trading with friends. When you trade Pokémon, there’s a chance that both Pokémon involved in the trade will become Lucky. The length of time a Pokémon has been stored affects the chances of it becoming Lucky, with older Pokémon having a higher probability. This encourages trainers to trade Pokémon that have been sitting in their storage for a long time, giving them a new lease on life. Also, remember that, if you’ve had a Pokémon in your storage for several years, it’s worthwhile to trade them.
Lucky Friends: The Guaranteed Route
While random trades offer a chance at obtaining Lucky Pokémon, there’s also a guaranteed method: becoming Lucky Friends. By reaching the Best Friends level with another trainer and interacting with them daily, there’s a small chance that you’ll become Lucky Friends. The next trade you make with a Lucky Friend will guarantee that both Pokémon become Lucky.
Why Lucky Pokémon Matter for Competitive Play
The combination of reduced Stardust cost and guaranteed IV boost makes Lucky Pokémon incredibly valuable for competitive play, whether it’s participating in raids, battling in gyms, or competing in the GO Battle League. They provide a cost-effective way to build a strong team and stay competitive without spending excessive time and resources on Stardust farming or IV hunting.
Lucky Pokemon and The Games Learning Society
The world of Pokemon can be daunting, especially to new players. Understanding all the nuances, such as what are Lucky Pokemon, can be made easier through community engagement. With this in mind, you should look into the Games Learning Society and learn more about the power of community in building a strong knowledgebase. You can learn more by going to GamesLearningSociety.org.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Lucky Pokémon
1. Are Lucky Pokémon always 3 stars?
Not necessarily. Lucky Pokémon have a minimum IV floor of 12/12/12. While this guarantees decent stats, it doesn’t automatically make them 3 stars. Anything 82% or higher (13/12/12+) will be 3 stars. The in-game rating system is just a visual representation of the underlying IV data.
2. Is Lucky Pokémon permanent?
The Lucky status of a Pokémon is permanent once it’s acquired. However, Lucky Friend status is consumed after a single trade, meaning you’ll need to re-establish it through daily interactions. Once the Pokemon is Lucky, though, it is always Lucky.
3. Should I evolve a Lucky Pokémon?
Yes! Evolving a Lucky Pokémon will result in an evolved Lucky Pokémon. You won’t lose the Lucky status during evolution. It is important to consider that, if you are looking to get the most powerful Pokemon that you can, then evolving is a must.
4. Can shiny Pokémon be lucky?
Absolutely! A Pokémon can be both Shiny and Lucky. This makes them exceptionally rare and highly prized by collectors. To some, these are the ultimate trophies!
5. Can you trade Lucky Pokémon back?
No. Pokémon GO does not allow you to trade back Pokémon or trade a traded Pokémon more than once. Once a trade is completed, it’s final. You can’t undo it or reverse it.
6. Are Lucky Pokémon cheaper to evolve?
Lucky Pokémon are not cheaper to evolve. The Stardust cost for powering them up is reduced by 50%, but the Candy cost for evolution remains the same. While the evolution cost is the same, the power up to evolve cost is cheaper.
7. Can purified Pokémon be lucky?
Yes, Purified Pokémon can be Lucky. If you trade for a Shadow Pokémon, it can become Lucky, and then you can purify it. Lucky Shadow Pokémon have a guaranteed IV floor of 12/12/12, which then becomes 14/14/14 after purification.
8. Is it better to power up Lucky Pokémon before evolving?
It doesn’t really matter for CP reasons unless you are concerned with PvP. Powering up before or after evolution will result in the same CP (Combat Power) at the same level and IVs.
9. Is Lucky Pokémon better than Shiny?
This depends on your priorities. Lucky Pokémon offer practical benefits in the form of reduced Stardust cost, while Shiny Pokémon are purely cosmetic. If you want power, Lucky. If you want looks, Shiny.
10. How rare is Lucky Friends?
The chance of becoming Lucky Friends with another trainer is approximately 1% each day after reaching Best Friends status. This makes it the only way to guarantee a lucky trade, but also means it’s a valuable and somewhat rare occurrence.
11. Can you guarantee a lucky Pokemon?
Yes! As mentioned earlier, becoming Lucky Friends guarantees that your next trade will result in a Lucky Pokémon. If you want to guarantee getting a Lucky Pokemon, this is the only true way to accomplish that goal.
12. Can Lucky Pokemon be caught in the wild?
Lucky Pokemon cannot be caught in the wild. They are solely obtained through trading with friends. This emphasizes the importance of engaging with the Pokémon GO community.
13. What is a perfect 3-star Pokémon?
A 3-star Pokémon with a red stamp indicates that it has 100% perfect IVs (15/15/15 in Attack, Defense, and HP). The other types of 3-star have different percentages of IVs.
14. Should I purify my Pokémon in Pokemon go?
Purifying Shadow Pokémon can increase their IVs and CP, but it depends on your strategy. Purified Pokémon gain +2 to all their IVs. The most important thing to do is to weigh the benefits of the Purified with the Shadow form.
15. Do lucky trades give better IVs?
Lucky Trades are guaranteed to have IVs between 12 and 15 for all three categories. However, if your Pokémon already has higher IVs, the trade might actually lower them. It’s all a gamble!