How to become Lucky Friends in Pokemon GO (January 2023)

One of the many aspects of Pokemon GO that binds its playerbase together is social interaction. Trainers have a lot of fun trading, battling, and raiding alongside other players in the game. As a result, Niantic has given some special traits to its social mechanics.

Niantic's mobile game has some unique interactions between other trainers and Pokemon. Players have a rare chance of acquiring Lucky Friends and Pokemon.

However, given how uncommonly these spectacles can occur, paired with the stream of new players, not everyone is familiar with this odd mechanic.

So what should trainers know about Lucky Friends, and how can they find them?

---

Exploring Lucky Friends, one of Pokemon GO's most interesting social mechanics

Official Pokemon GO artwork detailing some of the mobile game's social mechanics (Image via Niantic)

When Pokemon GO players add one another to their friend list, they will notice a rating start to appear. This rating is a representation of their friendship level and is represented by five orange hearts. This friendship level can be increased by performing a variety of cooperative tasks like trading and sending gifts.

Once trainers climb through different levels of friendship, they will become Best Friends. This is the highest rank any two trainers can reach with each other. Reaching this stage is required to become Lucky Friends. Once this level has been reached, the grind to become Lucky Friends in Pokemon GO can begin.

Becoming Lucky Friends will only grant a one-time bonus on the next Pokemon that is traded between the two players. Upon trading Pokemon (once the Lucky Friends title has been acquired), both traded creatures will become Lucky Pokemon. After the trade, the status of Lucky Friends will dissipate, and trainers can begin the grind again.

What players may be wondering is: what makes all the effort worth it? What are Lucky Pokemon, and why should one bother grinding friendship levels with another player to get them? When a Pokemon is lucky, it requires half as much Stardust to power up. This greatly increases their Individual Values (IVs).

In Pokemon GO, IVs determine a creature's stats alongside its base values. These stats are important if trainers wish to partake in the game's competitive Battle League. Having Lucky Friends and Lucky Pokemon really only matters for those looking to compete with other players online.

To summarize, getting Lucky Friends in Pokemon GO requires trainers to first reach the Best Friends status with another player. After doing so, they have a rare chance to be granted the Lucky Friends title until their next trade.

Trading with a Lucky Friend will guarantee that the next trade between both parties will transform their creatures into Lucky Pokemon. This grants a stat boost and a discount on powering up.

For casual fans who only play the game to complete the Pokedex, Lucky Friends and Pokemon are not required. These types of Pokemon only receive a boost in stats, so they only matter in Raid Battles and online PvP.