Should you purify Shadow Gligar in Pokemon GO?

The shadow form of Pokemon is a unique mechanic of Pokemon GO. You can encounter these critters by fighting Team GO Rocket grunts and leaders and, more recently, through raids. These critters have red eyes and violet smoke around them. For the uninitiated, these creatures have a boosted Attack stat and a lowered Defense stat. Depending on how and where Shadow Pokemon are deployed, this can play out to your advantage or disadvantage.

Pokemon GO's September 2023 update introduced Shadow Gligar to 3-star raids. If you catch one, you will see the option to Purify it in the game's interface. This may throw off newer players, while more seasoned ones might be confused about whether purifying this particular Pocket Monster is the best idea. Whatever be the reason behind your query, this guide has you covered.

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What are the pros and cons of purifying Shadow Gligar in Pokemon GO?

Gligar in Pokemon GO (Image via TPC)

Stat changes

Since Shadow Pokemon receive a 1.2x Attack buff and a 0.8x Defence debuff, the most important consideration before deciding to purify a Pocket Monster is what it needs more—a buff to its Attack or the removal of its Defense debuff. The easy metric here is that Attack-weighted critters with poor defenses should be purified, while ones with solid defenses and poor offensive pressure should remain Shadow.

Gligar has base 184 Defense, 163 Stamina, and 143 Attack. This means with the Shadow effect, its stats change to 147.2 Defense, 163 Stamina, and 171.6 Attack. Thanks to its respectable HP stat, Shadow Gligar can withstand attacks directed towards it even with lowered defenses, therefore making the boosted attack much more appreciable.

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Charged Attack options

All Shadow Pokemon in Pokemon GO are stuck with the Charged Attack Frustration, which will cause you nothing but what its name suggests when used in battle. This move cannot be removed using a TM under regular circumstances, and you have to wait for a special Team GO Rocket takeover event to remove it.

On the other hand, when purified, Shadow Pokemon learn Return, which has one of the highest raw damage outputs in the game. This doesn't make it a desirable option by any means, but it makes the critter more usable for sure. You can also remove Return during the aforementioned Team GO Rocket events.

You can teach Shadow Gligar a second Charged Attack, but that will cost you a hefty amount of Stardust and Candy. That said, it will be completely worth it, as Shadow Gligar is an excellent pick for Pokemon GO Battle League.

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IV distribution

Best shadow Gligar IVs? byu/jackripper239 inpokemongo

When purifying a creature in Pokemon GO, its IVs increase by one point each. This is only useful if you have nearly perfect IVs for a Shadow Pokemon. If you want a Shadow Gligar for PvP use, getting ideal IVs via purification is not the most desirable situation.

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Power-up cost

Shadow Pokemon have a higher purification cost than regular forms, while purified forms have a lower cost. However, some shadow forms, such as Shadow Gligar, have more play. Therefore, you should definitely seek to go for the additional grind to find Gligar Candy rather than purify it to cut costs.

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Conclusion

To conclude, purifying Shadow Gligar in Pokemon GO gives you a bunch of short-term advantages, while retaining the shadow form gives you long-term benefits. Ideally, retain a Shadow form to build for later and purify one for immediate use. However, if you have to choose, you should choose to keep Shadow Gligar as it is.