Shadow Pokemon
What is This?
This page is full of information specifically for Shadow Pokemon in #PokemonGO. Once a shadow Pokemon is caught after an encounter through Raiding or #Team Rocket Encounters you have a couple options for how to utilize the Pokemon best.
Team Rocket Encounters
There are a couple of ways to encounter Team Rocket Grunts. The first, also the easiest, way is to encounter the Team Rocket Balloon which spawns at your location every 6 hours. Meaning it will spawn 4 times a day between:
- 12am - 5:59am
- 6am - 11:59am
- 12pm - 5:59pm
- 6pm - 11:59pm
The second way is to encounter them while spinning PokeStops, that are red/black or twitching and slightly discolored.
Once you've won the battle encounter with Team Rocket you'll get a Mysterious Component and catch a Shadow Pokemon. Since each Grunt and Leader have a different Shadow Team Lineups you'll have a chance to catch different Pokemon based on who you battled against. For grunts you're able to tell which one based on their pre-battle quote.
Finally, once you have 5 Mysterious Components they will combine into a Rocket Radar which allows you to battle a Rocket Leader on your next encounter.
Once you've completed the Rocket you'll get a sum of premier balls based on a few things:
- 2 Balls for winning the battle
- +1 for each of your team that hasn't fainted
- +1 for each level of the
Hero Medal - +1 for each level of the
Purifier Medal
For a maximum total of 13 premier balls.
Shadow & Purified VS Non-Shadow Pokemon
Shadow Pokemon
A Shadow Pokemon has 20% increased attack, 20% reduced defenses, and 20% increased stardust/candy costs. Additionally, Shadow Pokemon can not be traded until Purified.
Generally speaking, Shadow Pokemon are preferred for Attacking Gyms or Raiding since the damage increase outweighs the lower bulk. Where as PoGO PvP it is a little more complicated if Shadow Pokemon are worth the trade off. In both instances you'll want to Remove Frustration (a exclusive charge move on all shadow Pokemon) during a Team Rocket Takeover.
Shadow pokemon caught from Rocket Grunts or Leaders don't have an IV floor. However, Shadow Mewtwo caught from Giovanni has an IV floor of 6/6/6 unlike other Shadow Legendaries.
Purified Pokemon
Optionally, you can purify a Shadow Pokemon which will increase every IV by +2, level up to 25, receive a 10% discount on candy/stardust, and replace Frustration with Return a normal type charged move. Additionally purified Pokemon can be traded, but it counts as a special trade.
Team Rocket Takeover
Team Rocket Takeover is an event that will happen at least once per season in #PokemonGO. During the event you are able to use a Charged TM to remove the move Fustration. This is the ONLY way to remove the Fustration without purifying.
Your only short term option is to teach the Pokemon a second charged move while you wait for the next Team Rocket Takeover event. Just keep in mind, the cost to learn a second charge attack is increased to.
Additionally, during the event Team Rocket Balloons appear more often, typically every 2-3 hours, and sometimes as frequent as every 20 minutes.
More Pokemon Content
This page is full of information specifically for #PokemonGO, you can also see the Pokemon Resources page or other pages tagged with #Pokemon for additional information.