Should you purify Shadow Regirock in Pokemon GO?

Shadow Regirock will be available in Pokemon GO through a Special Research during the Team GO Rocket Takeover in June. You will be able to battle Giovanni from 12 am local time on June 21 till 10 am local time on September 1, 2023. This is the last of the original Legendary Titans appearing in their Shadow form under Giovanni, following Shadow Registeel and Regice.

Once you defeat Giovanni during this event in Pokemon GO and save Shadow Regirock, you will be faced with the question: to purify Shadow Regirock or not? There are many factors to consider before making this decision. This guide will discuss each of them with respect to Shadow Regirock to help reach a conclusion.

---

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

The first aspect you must consider about shadow versions of Pocket Monsters like Regirock is that their condition boosts their Attack stat and cuts down their Defense. Regular Regirock has a base Attack of 179, which means with the 1.2x boost, Shadow Regirock's Attack rises to approximately 215.

Shadow Pokemon have their defenses reduced to .83x of their regular forms. This brings Shadow Regirock's defenses to 256, which is quite respectable. Combined with a Stamina stat of 190, this Pokemon, unlike its Steel-type counterpart, Registeel, can take hits like a champ despite its compromised defenses.

The next thing to consider is that Shadow Regirock will be locked into Frustration as its Charged Attack in Pokemon GO, one of the game's weakest. You won't be able to remove this outside of special events. However, you can add a second Charged Attack, albeit for a rather high cost. Stone Edge is the best candidate for Shadow Regirock, as is Focus Blast. If you purify the creature, it will know Return instead, which is a decent Normal-type attack.

Shadow Pokemon consume higher amounts of resources to power up. If you are loaded with Stardust and Candy, upgrading your Shadow Regirock is a feasible option. Otherwise, you might be in for a hard time in this aspect. Lastly, a solid reason to purify your Shadow Regirock is if it has nearly perfect Individual Values (IVs), because the process of purification boosts all those by two points.

---

Conclusion

The pros of retaining Shadow Regirock as it is in Pokemon GO outweigh the cons. Firstly, you get a hard-hitting Pocket Monster that is bulky enough to tank a couple of powerful Charged Attacks. Secondly, having the option of an affordable second attack makes Frustration less of a liability.

You might need more resources to power up Shadow Regirock, but the higher damage output makes it a worthy expense.