What Happens When You Purify a Legendary Pokémon?
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Purifying a Legendary Pokémon in Pokémon GO is a significant decision with lasting consequences. The immediate effect is the replacement of the Shadow bonus with a Purified bonus. Here’s a detailed look at the changes: When you purify a Legendary Pokémon, it will lose its Shadow status, its attack power will decrease, and it will learn the move Return. You’ll also see a boost to its IVs, and a reduction in the resources required to power it up. While it can be tempting to purify a powerful Shadow Legendary, the trade-offs often make it a less optimal choice for most serious players. Here’s an in-depth look at why.
The Transformation: Shadow to Purified
Loss of the Shadow Bonus
The most crucial change is the removal of the Shadow bonus. Shadow Pokémon have a 20% damage boost, making them significantly more powerful in battle compared to their regular counterparts. This damage bonus is a major draw for using Shadow Pokémon, especially Legendaries, in raids and battles. Purifying a Shadow Legendary will immediately remove this significant attack boost, resulting in a noticeable decrease in its overall damage output.
The Gain of the Purified Bonus
In place of the Shadow bonus, a Purified Pokémon receives a small boost to appraisal and learns the move Return. Return is a normal-type charged attack exclusive to purified Pokémon. However, Return is often outclassed by a Legendary’s other charge moves, making it a less desirable attack for most combat situations.
IV Boost and Combat Power (CP)
Purifying a Pokémon grants a +2 bonus to each of its Individual Values (IVs). IVs determine a Pokémon’s potential in battle, and a boost can, in some cases, bring a Pokémon from a 2-star to a 3-star rating. This IV boost is always a welcome addition; however, it usually doesn’t offset the lost damage that the Shadow Bonus provides.
Additionally, a Purified Pokemon will also experience an immediate increase in Combat Power (CP), making it seem more powerful initially. The CP increase may be useful for some beginners, but experienced players know that it does not translate to real battle strength when compared to Shadow counterparts.
Reduced Resource Costs
Purified Pokémon require less Stardust and Candy to power up, evolve, or learn new moves. This is a benefit, especially when you are on a budget or trying to power up multiple Pokémon. However, the savings in resources rarely outweigh the lost offensive power.
Is Purifying a Legendary the Right Choice?
Generally, it’s not advisable to purify a Legendary Pokémon, particularly if it has good IVs as a Shadow. The 20% damage boost offered by the Shadow form is often superior to the benefits gained from purifying, especially for legendary Pokémon. Here are some points to consider:
- Damage Output: The reduced damage output of a purified Legendary Pokémon is a considerable downgrade compared to its Shadow form. This makes the Shadow version much better in raid battles and gym battles.
- Rare Opportunity: Shadow legendary encounters are often rare, and the potential of a powerful Shadow Legendary shouldn’t be underestimated.
- Alternatives: There are many instances of regular (non-shadow, non-purified) Legendaries. Purifying a shadow is not typically worth the trade, especially if you already have a well-performing regular version.
- Resource Savings: Although you will save on resources when powering up, if you plan on using a Pokemon long-term, you will ultimately use more resources with a less powerful Purified Pokemon compared to its shadow counterpart.
When to Consider Purifying
Despite the general recommendation against purifying, there are some instances when you might consider it:
- Low IV Shadow: If your Shadow Legendary has poor IVs and you are aiming for a better appraisal, then purification is the only way to improve it.
- Collecting Hundos: If you are a collector of perfect IV (“hundo”) Pokémon, purifying a near perfect IV Shadow legendary is a valid pursuit (though you will still be trading combat power).
- Limited Resources: If you lack resources and need a quickly powered-up legendary, purification will save you stardust and candy. However, this is still at a cost of combat performance.
- Specific PvP Needs: In rare instances, you may need the move Return for PvP, but this is highly niche.
FAQ: Purifying Legendary Pokémon
1. Will Purifying a Legendary Make It a “Hundo” if it has Good IVs?
Purifying a Pokémon adds 2 points to each of its IV stats (Attack, Defense, and HP). If your Shadow Legendary has high IVs, you may get a 100% IV Pokémon (“Hundo”) after purification. However, you can’t get a perfect IV shadow Pokemon from battles or research. A “hundo” would only be achieved from purification of a near-perfect shadow.
2. Is Return a Good Charge Move?
Return, the charge move learned upon purifying, is a Normal-type attack. In most cases, a Legendary Pokemon’s other charge moves outclass it, making it generally not worth using Return.
3. Does Purifying a Maxed-Out Legendary Do Anything?
If your Legendary is already maxed out (100% IVs), purifying it will not increase its IVs or overall potential further. It will simply lose its Shadow bonus, learn Return, and cost less stardust and candies to power up. It is typically not advised to purify a perfect IV shadow.
4. Are Shadow Pokémon Always Better than Purified?
In the vast majority of cases, yes, Shadow Pokémon are better due to their 20% damage boost. This damage increase is usually more valuable than the small stat boosts gained from purification.
5. Can I Purify a Legendary after I have Evolved it?
Yes, you can purify a Pokémon even after it has been evolved. However, remember to purify before evolving if you want to use less candy.
6. Is a Zero-Star Shadow Legendary Worth Keeping?
Yes, even a zero-star Shadow Legendary is worth keeping due to its 20% damage boost. The damage boost outshines the low IVs, making it better than a purified version.
7. Should I Prioritize Shadow Legendaries for Raids?
Absolutely! Shadow Legendaries are incredibly powerful in raids due to the damage boost. They are always a good option for your raid teams.
8. What if I Need a Mega Evolution?
If you want a mega evolution for a legendary Pokémon, you will need to purify it, since shadow pokemon cannot be mega evolved. Some players would sacrifice the damage bonus of their shadow legendary for the mega evolution option.
9. Is there any reason not to Purify Pokemon?
Yes, the primary reason not to purify is the loss of the 20% damage bonus. This outweighs the minor stat boosts and decreased resource costs gained by purifying.
10. What is the rarest kind of shadow pokemon?
The rarest shadow pokemon is a shiny shadow pokemon with perfect IVs, sometimes nicknamed a “Shashundo”. The odds of getting this combination are extremely low.
11. How do I know which charge moves my legendary Pokemon should have?
There are many guides online that can give you the best combinations of fast and charge moves. Websites like Gamepress can help you make the most of your legendary pokemon.
12. How do I catch Shadow Legendary Pokemon?
Shadow legendary pokemon are typically obtained through raids led by Team Rocket. Keep an eye out for these events, and be prepared to team up with other trainers!
13. How does the weather affect raid battles?
Weather in Pokemon Go is a major factor when battling in raids. The weather can boost specific move types, so take this into account when making your teams.
14. Is Shadow Tyranitar a good investment?
Yes, shadow tyranitar is an excellent investment in Pokemon Go, and is one of the most powerful shadow pokemon.
15. Is it better to power up before or after evolving?
It doesn’t matter if you power up before or after evolving. The cost and end result are the same. It is suggested to evolve before power up, just in case you catch another higher-level Pokemon.
Conclusion
Purifying a Legendary Pokémon is a choice that should be carefully considered. While it offers some benefits like increased appraisal, reduced cost, and a potential IV boost, it comes at the cost of losing the powerful 20% Shadow bonus, which is often more valuable for overall combat effectiveness. Therefore, in most situations, it is generally better to keep a Shadow Legendary unpurified and take advantage of the increased attack power it provides. However, if you’re aiming for a specific purified use case, like a “hundo” or specific PvP needs, purification is the only way to achieve this. Assess your goals, consider the tradeoffs, and make the best choice for your gameplay style.