7 best Shadow Pokemon to keep in Pokemon GO

Shadow Pokemon are one of the biggest selling points for Pokemon GO in the modern era. Returning variants from spin-off titles for the Nintendo Gamecube, Shadow Pokemon in Pokemon GO feature a unique boost that enhances their attack in exchange for lowering their defense.

However, the narrative of the game incentivizes the player to purify these creatures, as they were made shadows by the nefarious Team GO Rocket against their will. Since this removes the shadow boost, many players opt to keep their monsters in their shadow variant.

Here are seven of the best Shadow Pokemon players should refrain from purifying in Pokemon GO.

Note: This article is subjective and solely relies on the writer's opinion.

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7 Shadow Pokemon players should avoid purifying in Pokemon GO

1) Mewtwo

Mewtwo is the most iconic Shadow Pokemon in Pokemon GO (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Shadow Mewtwo is one of the best creatures in Pokemon GO for PvE content. Additionally, its high damage output and wide move pool also make it a valuable asset for the game's Master tier of the Battle League. It debuted during 2020's GO Fest event and has been made available a few more times since.

Also check: Pokemon GO Evolution Calculator

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2) Apex Shadow Ho-oh

Apex Shadow Ho-oh has only been available once in Pokemon GO's history (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Apex Shadow Ho-oh was introduced to Pokemon GO as a part of 2022's GO Tour event and has not been available since. This special variant has a new signature move, Sacred Fire +. This move has a slightly higher damage output in Raid Battles, making it a direct upgrade to a standard Shadow Ho-oh.

Also check: Pokemon GO CP calculator

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3) Apex Shadow Lugia

Apex Shadow Lugia was also a part of 2022's GO Tour event (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Apex Shadow Lugia debuted during the 2022 GO Tour event, much like Apex Shadow Ho-oh. While it might not be as offensively powerful as its counterpart, its sheer rarity makes it incredibly valuable among collectors. Much like Apex Shadow Ho-oh, Apex Shadow Lugia also has an upgraded version of its signature move as a charged attack.

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4) Shadow Gyarados

Shadoiw Gyarados is a strong and consistent raid and PvP battler (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Shadow Gyarados is a Pokemon that many players will have to grind a long time to acquire. While it can be tempting to purify a Magikarp to lower the steep candy evolution requirement of 400, its high base stats paired with the shadow boost makes it one of the strongest Water-types in Pokemon GO. Shadow Gyarados has been available since August 2019.

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5) Shadow Rampardos

Shadow Rampardos has the highest attack stat of any Rock-type in the game (Image via Niantic)

Even in its base form, Rampardos has the highest attack stat of any Rock-type Pokemon in Pokemon GO. Since the shadow boost increases its attack immensely, Rampardos gains the highest increase from this passive buff. While it is still much too frail to have a place in the competitive meta, this does make it the strongest Rock-type choice for Raid Battles.

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6) Shadow Darmanitan

Shadow Darmanitan is a bulky Shadow Pokemon capable of dishing out oppressive attacks (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Shadow Darmanitan is one of the few creatures in the game to not suffer as much from the shadow boost's downside of lowering its defense. Shadow Darmanitan is incredibly bulky thanks to its high stamina stat and has low defense, even in its base form. This makes Shadow Darmanitan one of the best Shadow Fire-types for Raid Battles in Pokemon GO.

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7) Shadow Mamoswine

Mamoswine is very similar to Darmanitan, but has access to more coverage options (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Shadow Mamoswine is another stamina tank that benefits greatly from the shadow boost with very little trade-off. The Pokemon's Ice and Ground typing grants it a more advantageous match-up against many high-tier Raid Bosses in Pokemon GO like Dialga, Dusk Mane Necrozma, and Mega Rayquaza. Shadow Mamoswine has been available since February 2021.

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For more information on the game, check out the articles below:

• Ditto disguises
• Sierra counters
• Cliff counters
• Arlo counters
• Giovanni counters
• Team GO Rocket Grunts