Pokemon GO: What are Lucky Pokemon?

Following their release in July 2018, Lucky Pokemon have been something avid Pokemon collectors have been after in Pokemon GO. However, many players are unaware as to how to obtain these varieties of their favorite Pokemon.

For many players, Lucky Pokemon are just a fancy addition to their collection. For others, Lucky Pokemon are a way to get Pokemon that are easier to power up as well as Pokemon that are stronger.

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How to Obtain Lucky Pokemon

Lucky Pokemon as they are displayed in Pokemon GO (Image via Niantic)

For starters, to know if a Pokemon that you have is lucky or not, you can simply look at that Pokemon's information page. If the Pokemon is displayed in front of a gold, sparkling background, then that Pokemon is considered lucky.

Obtaining a Lucky Pokemon is as simple as trading with a friend. However, just trading a Pokemon doesn't guarantee it will turn lucky. Trading a Pokemon with another player gives it a 5% chance of becoming lucky. There are other actions and circumstances that can increase this chance, however. The age of both Pokemon being traded plays a huge part in whether or not a Lucky Pokemon can be granted. This increase is maxed out at 3 years or older. This takes the chance from a small 5% to a much larger 20%.

Lucky Pokemon can be worthwhile for players who choose to invest their time into the competitive Player Versus Player battle league. There are special benefits that are granted to Lucky Pokemon. One of these benefits is a reduced stardust cost for powering up that Pokemon. Another benefit to having a Lucky Pokemon is the boost to that Pokemon's stats. Upon a Pokemon becoming lucky, its IVs boost to a minimum of twelve across all three stats. This can help with almost any Pokemon as it will almost max out the Pokemon's IVs. IVs for each Pokemon's stats max out after reaching a value of 15.

In summary, Lucky Pokemon can be obtained after trading with a friend at a base rate of 5%. Lucky Pokemon receive a boost to their stats as well as cost less stardust to be powered up.