What Happens When You Transfer All Your Pokémon? A Trainer’s Guide

So, you’re staring at your overflowing Pokémon storage, contemplating the nuclear option: transferring every single Pokémon to Professor Willow. What happens? Well, let’s break it down. The short answer is: you won’t break the game, but you will be starting fresh with an empty Pokémon roster. You’ll retain your Trainer Level, items, currency (like PokéCoins and Stardust), and importantly, all the Candies you’ve diligently collected. However, your battle teams, gym defenders, and buddy Pokémon will vanish, leaving you to rebuild your team from scratch.

The Professor Willow Purge: A Deep Dive

Transferring all your Pokémon essentially resets your in-game collection. It’s a dramatic move, often considered by players who are either deeply frustrated with their current Pokémon, bored with the game and looking for a challenge, or implementing a unique self-imposed challenge run.

Inventory and Resources

Importantly, even though your Pokémon collection will be gone, your items (Potions, Revives, Poké Balls, Berries, etc.), your currency (PokéCoins and Stardust), and your Trainer Level will remain untouched. This means you’ll still have the tools and resources to begin catching and training new Pokémon right away. Furthermore, you will retain all the Candies specific to each Pokémon family, which is crucial for evolving newly caught Pokémon.

Battle Teams and Gyms

The immediate consequence is the loss of your current battle teams. You’ll need to rebuild your teams from the ground up, considering type matchups, move sets, and individual Pokémon stats. Any Pokémon currently defending gyms will be returned, but you’ll need to find replacements. Likewise, your Buddy Pokémon will be removed from that status, ready to begin their training anew with you.

When is it a good idea?

Most of the time it is not a good idea to transfer all of your Pokemon. However, a player may want to for the following reasons:

• A Fresh Start: Perhaps you are unhappy with your current Pokemon. This is also a good option if you’re a returning player.
• A Challenging Replay: Some players find joy in self-imposed challenges.
• Reset for Trading: When the game added trading, some players wanted to get rid of their old Pokemon for new, better ones.
• Cleaning out “junk”: Although, this should never be the case, some players don’t have the time to individually transfer all their Pokemon.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Here are 15 frequently asked questions about transferring Pokémon, drawing from insights from the provided text and general Pokémon GO knowledge:

What happens if I transfer all my 0-star Pokémon?

You’ll free up storage space and gain Candy. The article explicitly states that 0-star Pokémon are better to transfer than those with better appraisals, primarily because they are typically less useful in battles. You may want to keep it just for the rarity, as these are still rare Pokemon.

Should I transfer all my duplicate Pokémon?

Generally, yes. The text suggests transferring duplicate Pokémon with lower Combat Points (CP). Keeping only the strongest duplicates helps optimize your storage and resources.

Do I lose my Candy if I transfer all Pokémon of a specific species?

No. You keep the Candy, but you won’t see the Candy amount displayed until you catch another Pokémon of that species. You will retain all candies from this family.

Should I transfer all my low CP Pokémon?

Yes, especially early in the game. The text advises transferring anything under 200 CP early on. As you level up, you’ll find even higher CP Pokémon, making the lower ones obsolete.

Is it better to evolve Pokémon with low CP or high CP?

Generally, evolve higher CP Pokémon. However, CP isn’t everything. Consider underlying stats (Individual Values or IVs) before committing to an evolution.

Why do people leave low CP Pokémon in gyms?

Low CP Pokémon are left in gyms because they can be annoying to battle, requiring multiple battles to remove. Also, high CP Pokémon lose CP over time when stationed in a gym, making lower CP defenders strategically valuable.

What Pokémon should you transfer?

Transfer Pokémon with lower stats (CP and IVs) compared to your best specimens. Keeping only the strongest allows for efficient candy farming for evolution and powering up.

Can I transfer shiny Mew from Pokémon GO?

No. Certain Legendary and Mythical Pokémon, like Mew, cannot be transferred. Additionally, shiny, Lucky, or Buddy Pokémon with Good Buddy status or higher can’t be mass-transferred.

Should I transfer shiny Pokémon GO?

The article presents a somewhat cynical view: it suggests that transferring a shiny Pokémon is no different from transferring a regular one, as they both become Candy. However, many players value shiny Pokémon for their rarity and aesthetics, so the decision depends on personal preference. Many players hold onto Shiny Pokemon.

Is it OK to transfer Legendary Pokémon?

Yes, but you may need to enable the option in your app settings. You can transfer multiple Legendary Pokémon and Mythical Pokémon. Keep in mind that you are unable to transfer multiple Shiny Pokémon, Lucky Pokémon, or Buddy Pokémon with whom you’ve reached Good Buddy status or above at a time.

Should I keep two of the same Pokémon?

The text implies that Catch Combos are beneficial. Catching the same Pokémon species repeatedly increases Candy gains and the chance of encountering Pokémon with better stats.

What makes a Pokémon not worth keeping?

According to the text, Cosmog is considered one of the weakest Pokémon due to its low stats and limited move pool. In general, Pokémon with very low CP and IVs, and/or that do not fit in a battle team, are not worth keeping.

Is it worth having both Pokémon games (referencing main series games but applicable to GO)?

Having both versions of a Pokémon game (referring to core series games like Sword and Shield) gives you access to version-exclusive Pokémon, including Legendaries. This applies indirectly to Pokémon GO; having diverse friends who play can enable trading for Pokémon you wouldn’t otherwise encounter.

How rare is a 0% IV Pokémon GO?

A 0% IV Pokémon is extremely rare, even more so than a perfect IV Pokémon. Some players keep them purely for their rarity.

How do I decide which Eevee evolution to get?

Eevee can evolve into eight different Pokémon, each requiring a specific method (Water Stone, Thunder Stone, Fire Stone, friendship level, location, etc.). Choose the evolution that best fits your team composition and preferred type coverage.

Building Back Better: A Post-Transfer Strategy

If you’ve taken the plunge and transferred all your Pokémon, here’s a strategy for rebuilding your team:

• Focus on High IV Catches: Use appraisal tools to identify Pokémon with strong Individual Values (IVs) early on.
• Prioritize Type Coverage: Build a diverse team that can handle various opponent types.
• Take Advantage of Events: Participate in events that offer increased spawns of specific Pokémon or bonus Candy for certain actions.
• Evolve Strategically: Save your Candy and evolve only the best Pokémon.
• Gym Battles and Raids: Participate in gym battles and raids to earn valuable rewards and capture powerful Pokémon.
• Join an online community: There is an online Games Learning Society (GamesLearningSociety.org) that you could join to get further advice.

Transferring all your Pokémon is a bold move, but it can be a way to inject new life into the game or challenge yourself with a unique playthrough. By understanding the consequences and having a plan for rebuilding, you can turn a potential setback into an opportunity to create an even stronger team.