"Should I purify or not?": Pokemon GO player shares flowchart discussing important in-game mechanic

When should you purify in Pokemon GO, and when is better to leave a creature as a shadow Pokemon? The answer might seem simple, but there's nuance involved depending on what you intend to use the Pokemon for. Fortunately, Redditor u/Jdbbx posted to the game's official subreddit with a clarification flowchart as to whether or not a shadow Pokemon should be purified:

"Should I purify or not?" flowchart (graphic design is my passion)" - u/Jdbbx, r/PokemonGO, March 14, 2024

While the flowchart was clearly an MS Paint creation (likely leading to the "graphic design is my passion" meme in the title), it did do an effective job of conveying when to purify a Pokemon in Pokemon GO.

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Reddit flowchart explains the ins and outs of when to purify in Pokemon GO

"Should I purify or not?" flowchart (graphic design is my passion) byu/jdbbx inpokemongo

For most intents and purposes, trainers don't purify their Shadow Pokemon in Pokemon GO since the 20% attack damage buff tends to be more useful than the increase in IV stats, CP boost, and other benefits that purification offers. However, in some circumstances, purification can be useful, particularly when you aren't planning to use your shadows much.

At its core, the Pokemon GO purification flowchart provided some pertinent information to help inform your decision-making, including the following caveats:

• Don't purify a shadow Pokemon for raiding unless you plan on Mega Evolving/Primally Reverting it.
• Only purify a shadow Pokemon for PvP if its purified/non-shadow version has a higher ranking in the PvP format you want to use it for.
• If you're not going to use the shadow, only purify it if you need it at 100% IVs, and purifying would accomplish this or if you want to progress toward the Purifier medal.

Comment byu/jdbbx from discussion inpokemongo

While players are free to purify any creature they'd like to, it's best to know Pokemon GO's advantages/drawbacks for purification. Wanton purifying can result in losing out on a very useful shadow Pokemon that has high damage output, even if it loses some of its durability in the exchange. However, only certain shadows are valuable enough to consider keeping in Niantic's mobile title.

As an example, a player who has caught a shadow Mewtwo will want to keep it as a shadow to benefit from its increased firepower. Meanwhile, if you have a more defensive-oriented creature like Sableye or Wobbuffet, purification can be a net benefit, and creatures that can Mega Evolve or Primally Revert benefit more from that than the shadow form buff.

Some Pokemon GO players did introduce additional caveats to the purification chart, though for the most part, they agreed with it and stated that it should be a pinned post on the game's subreddit, likely due to the flood of Redditors asking if they should purify a certain Pokemon or not.

Comment byu/jdbbx from discussion inpokemongo

Comment byu/jdbbx from discussion inpokemongo

Comment byu/jdbbx from discussion inpokemongo

Whatever the case, given how many times players ask themselves whether or not they should purify a Pokemon in GO, this flowchart very well may be worth saving and referencing, especially for newcomers to avoid making mistakes.