When Niantic announced thePokemon GOtrading feature, it confirmed that players would receive bonuses for trading certain types of Pokemon. With thetrading feature now live(for some players, at least), people are on a mission to make the most of it, figuring out which are the most valuable Pokemon to trade.
Unsurprisingly, some of the most valuable Pokemon thatPokemon GOplayers can trade are regional exclusives. Regional exclusives are going to be in high demand as these are the least likely Pokemon that players will own. This means that players, desperate to get their hands on a Pokemon that isn’t available to them without spending thousands on plane tickets and accommodation, will be willing to trade something rare for it.
Not only that but players also receive a Candy bonus depending on the distance between where the Pokemon were caught. So if a player is based in North America and has the regional exclusive Tauros, it would be worth their while to trade for Farfetch’d (a regional exclusive for Asia) and Relicanth (regional exclusive to New Zealand and the surrounding islands).Pokemon GOplayers in Asia, Australasia, and Europe, meanwhile, will want to trade forregional exclusivessuch as Illumise, Lunatone, and Seviper which are exclusive to the Americas and Africa.
Another lot of valuable Pokemon to trade are legendaries. When players trade Pokemon, the game re-rolls the character’s stats based on the friendship level and the levels of the two players, meaning that it may be a useful way to get legendaries with better stats. The caveat to this is that trading legendaries requires a Special Trade and these can be expensive for those at a low friendship level, so it’s worth it to put in the work andincrease the friendship levelbefore trying to trade.
Pokemon GOnow hastons of shiny Pokemonto collect, include Duskull, Sableye, Pikachu, and Raichu. Again, trading shiny Pokemon requires a Special Trade and so the same hurdles (higher cost, requiring a higher friend level) all apply. However, given how high in-demand shinies are, trading a surplus shiny may be a smart way for players to boost their collections.
Finally, some of the most valuable Pokemon to trade are limited time Pokemon e.g. Pikachus with special hats like Santa Hat Pikachu andParty Hat Pikachu. At the moment, it is unclear whether these Pokemon will have Special Trade status, and Niantic has yet to say as much in official posts or press releases about thePokemon GOtrading feature. This means that players will (likely) be able to trade event Pokemon at no extra cost than a normal Pokemon, allowing them to pay less Stardust for a Pokemon they really want or set a better deal if they’re trading with someone who really wants a Pikachu with a funny hat.
Pokemon GOis available now on Android and iOS.
