What is a lucky Pokemon in Pokemon GO?

Lucky Pokemon are anomalies in Pokemon GO.

Many trainers have received a lucky Pokemon in a trade. However, some of them may have wondered what exactly this type of Pokemon brings to the table.

This article takes a look at all there is to know about lucky Pokemon.

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Lucky Pokemon in Pokemon GO

The only way to acquire lucky Pokemon is by receiving them through a trade (Image via Game Freak)

A lucky Pokemon takes half of the resources necessary to power up. In the game, powering up a Pokemon requires Stardust and Candy, which are difficult to manage. With lucky Pokemon, trainers will only need 50% of those resources and can use the rest on other Pokemon.

This mechanic works very similarly to Pokerus, a feature in the main series games. If a Pokemon has Pokerus, they reach max EVs in half the time. Explaining EV training would require another entire article, but the short explanation is that EVs make certain stats stronger.

For example, a Tyranitar might benefit from having a high Attack stat. With Pokerus, it can EV train for Attack in half the time. EV training works similar to powering up in Pokemon GO. Basically, for a lucky Pokemon, it’s going to be much easier to get max stats.

The only way to acquire lucky Pokemon is by receiving them through a trade. However, there are a couple of ways to improve the odds of getting one. First of all, the longer the Pokemon has been owned, the more likely it will be lucky when it is traded. Therefore, trading with someone who has had the app for a long time is a great strategy since they likely will offer a Pokemon that was caught a while ago in the trade.

The other way to increase the chances of getting a lucky Pokemon is by trading with a player who is a Best Friend. For those who don’t know, there are four different friendship levels that players can attain. This is dependent upon how often two players interact with each other. Best Friend is the highest setting two players can achieve. There are several benefits to getting a Best Friend, including getting an XP boost, but their Pokemon also have a higher chance of being lucky if traded.