Shadow Pokemon GO and the best Pokemon potential

Today we’re going to have a look at why you should avoid the obvious in Pokemon GO for Team GO Rocket Pokemon. If you’re attempting to complete research, attain a goal, or some other third oddity in the game, by all means, Purify all your Pokemon. But if you’re seeking the most rare Pokemon in Pokemon GO, or you like Pokemon that WIN in Raids, keep your Shadows!

The bonuses, compared

If you have a Shadow Pokemon, you get 1.2x attack in both Pokemon Raids and Player VS Player interactions. If you see a Shadow Pokemon in a Team Rocket situation in Pokemon GO that you have the opportunity to capture, DO IT! Never skip this opportunity, as there are always at least one positive outcome, and zero negative!

Either you’ve got a Shadow Pokemon that you can Purify to achieve a goal in the game, OR, you can keep a Shadow Pokemon. A Shadow Pokemon is more powerful than its Purified counterpart in Pokemon Raids and PvP.

Purify a Pokemon and said Pokemon will get +2 IVs (Attack, Defense, HP,) for said Pokemon’s stats. That delivers an approximately 1 to 2% more powerful Pokemon overall.

If you’ve got a Shadow Pokemon, you’ll get a 20% increase to attack. What’s more, the added points to IVs given by Purification does not raise the Pokemon’s power over it’s given max of 15 (for Strength, anyway). The Shadow Pokemon bonus in PvP and Raids is x1.2, which means that if said Pokemon has maxed-out strength, it could (potentially) go above and beyond its most powerful form!

NOTE: The original version of the image above was created by artist CICROS and was posted to DeviantArt back on Halloween, 2016!

Which Shadow Pokemon is best?

The Best Pokemon in Pokemon GO is whatever Pokemon you’ve got on your team – the Pokemon that has just the right set of moves, strengths, types, and speed to beat your opponent’s Pokemon. Even the most powerful Pokemon in the game can be beaten under the right set of circumstances.

But given the confirmation of the 1.2x attack, the implications of which we’ve been reminded of again and again over the past half-year – there should be no question.

Big Shadow Pokemon in Pokemon GO are not only some of the most difficult-to-attain Pokemon in the game, they’re up there with the most rare.

You can still get a Shadow Pokemon that has very low statistics. You can go ahead and purify those Pokemon. But the big Shadow Pokemon – those are the ones you want to keep in the dark!