In the latest update to Pokémon Go, Team Rocket trainers have been turning Pokémon into Shadow Pokémon.
When you beat a Team Rocket trainer in battle, you’ll get a chance to capture one of these Shadow Pokémon.
These Pokémon are angrier and darker than their uncorrupted counterparts, but you can purify them to restore them to their former selves.
What’s different about these Shadow Pokémon?
The Shadow Pokémon are all part of a Special Research Quest in Pokémon Go called “A Troubling Situation”.
All of the Shadow Pokémon have a move called Frustration, which in traditional Pokémon games does more damage the more the Pokémon dislikes you.
Screenshot: J Sen/ONE Esports
If you manage to purify them, Frustration is replaced with Return, which does more damage the more they like you.
Screenshot: J Sen/ONE Esports
However, since there are no ‘friendliness’ modifiers in Pokémon Go, the amount of damage done by Frustration and Return is actually the same.
Why should you purify a Shadow Pokémon?
A purified Pokémon costs less candy to evolve and less stardust to power up.
Purified Pokémon get IV (individual values) boosts when powered up and each stat goes up by two when purified. IVs determine the maximum power potential of a Pokémon. So if a Shadow Pokémon has 13 Attack, Defense and Stamina, it will turn into a 100% IV Pokémon since these stats max out at 15.
How do you catch a Shadow Pokémon?
To catch a Shadow Pokémon, you will probably need more Pokéballs than normal.
When you first try to catch a Shadow Pokémon, you may need four or five Premier Balls to get the job done. However, if you successfully capture the Shadow Pokémon, you will be rewarded with two Premier Balls and an additional ball for every Pokémon you have left standing at the end of that fight.
You can also get more Premier Balls by gaining Hero and Purifier medals. To get the Bronze Hero medal you must defeat 10 Shadow Pokémon. To get the Bronze Purifier medal you need to purify five Shadow Pokémon.
As you move from Bronze to Silver and so on, you will get more Premier Balls, which will help you capture more Shadow Pokémon.
How do you purify a Shadow Pokémon?
To purify a Shadow Pokémon, you just need to click its information screen and hit the button that says Purify. Purifying costs stardust and candy, so you need to have enough of those.
The following Pokémon are currently available as Shadow Pokémon: Charmander, Squirtle, Bulbasaur, Rattata, Zubat, Snorlax, Poliwag, Grimer, Muk, Drowzee, Hypno, Cubone, Scyther, Magikarp, Houndour, Houndoom, and Ralts.
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