How to get Lucky Pokemon in Pokemon GO
There are many aspects of Pokemon GO you won't find in any other Pokemon title, like Lucky Pokemon. These Pokemon GO-exclusive Pokemon are naturally powerful and take fewer resources to power up, making them ideal candidates for PvE and PvP.
Let's go over Lucky Pokemon and how to get these novel creatures in the augmented reality mobile game from Niantic.
What are Lucky Pokemon?
Click to enlargeLucky Pokemon are special Pokemon that automatically sport a minimum of 12 Individual Values (IVs) for HP, Attack, and Defence. Furthermore, it costs half as much Stardust to power up a Lucky Pokemon as it does a regular Pokemon.
Lucky Pokemon are rare, like Shiny Pokemon, but only exist in Pokemon GO. Lucky Pokemon don't look any different on the outside, however, these Pokemon do feature unique auras and backgrounds behind their sprites and in their Pokedex entries! And, when checking out Pokemon in storage, Lucky Pokemon have a label in green text under their names indicating their status as Lucky.
How to get Lucky Pokemon
Click to enlargeWhile it sort of goes against the thesis of Pokemon, you can't encounter or catch Lucky Pokemon. The only way to get Lucky Pokemon is by trading with other Trainers! Let's go over the different ways you can prompt a Lucky Trade in Pokemon GO:
Luck into a Lucky Trade
As you might expect, one way to get Lucky Pokemon is to simply get lucky. Every time you trade, there's a slim chance you'll receive a Lucky Pokemon. The older the Pokemon involved in the trade, the greater the chances of triggering a Lucky Trade.
Trade with Lucky Friends
Trading with a Lucky Friend guarantees that you both receive a Lucky Pokemon. To become Lucky Friends with another Trainer, you first must become Best Friends. After that, your first interaction of the day with that Trainer has a chance to start a Lucky Friendship.
Upon completing a Lucky Trade, the parties involved will revert to Best Friends, but you can become Lucky Friends again by continuing to trade, send gifts, team up for Raid and Gym Battles, and challenge one another to Trainer Battles!
Trade Pokemon caught in or before 2018
The older a Pokemon is, the higher the chances it'll turn Lucky after trading it, but if the Pokemon is from 2018 or older, it'll always transform into a Lucky Pokemon!
Usually, whether or not a trade turns Lucky is pure chance, but there are ways to ensure a Lucky Trade! Note that you can only receive a maximum of 25 Lucky Pokemon, so once you hit the limit, you'll no longer be able to trade for these exceptional Pokemon. With that, you might want to be particular about which Pokemon you trade for and consider how old the Pokemon is and whether the Trainer you're trading with is a Lucky Friend.
Lucky Pokemon are especially useful in Trainer Battles! Our Pokemon GO homepage features guides on the best teams for the Great, Ultra, and Master Leagues, so you can better decide which Lucky Pokemon to trade for!
