Pokemon Go (opens in new tab) just introduced trading, and it’s added a special incentive to make it worth your while. The more you trade, the more likely you are to get hold of a glittering Lucky Pokemon.
Here’s our guide on the whole Pokemon Go trading (opens in new tab) thing.
“There is a chance that Pokemon, when traded, can become sparkly Lucky Pokemon,” says creator Niantic. “It seems that Lucky Pokemon require less Stardust to power up, which means they can reach a higher CP much faster than other Pokemon. Plus, a Lucky Pokemon can be detected by the Pokedex, so you can keep track of them.”
In a slightly creepy twist, the longer a Pokemon spends imprisoned inside your Pokemon storage, the higher the chance of them becoming Lucky Pokemon when you eventually trade them.
“With the discovery of Lucky Pokemon, Gifts also can include special new surprises. Trainers who send Gifts to friends will now receive XP for doing so and Gifts also have a chance of containing Stardust.”
Lucky Pokemon have arrived just after the huge Pokemon Go Fest (opens in new tab) in Chicago. There were 21,000 people in attendance, and 180,000 players in the greater Chicago area took part in the event. Meanwhile Professor Willow’s Global Challenge, for those who couldn’t make it to the city of pizza pies, attracted millions of people. The final part of the Global Challenge will take place on August 29 through September 2 during the Safari Zone event in Yokosuka, Japan.
Ready to get back to the hunt? Check out our 18 essential Pokemon Go tips (opens in new tab) to help you get closer to catching them all