Pokemon GO’sfirst majorTeam GO Rocket Invasionmay be over, but there are still Shadow Pokemon in Storage Boxes that need to be Purified. The Rocket Invasion was a major success and gave both casual and hardcore users a reason to get out and run around to do a ton of Grunt battles throughout last week.
Like any new feature added to an always evolving game,Pokemon GO’sShadow Pokemon system is going to continue to receive some tweaks as it ages. The first big change arrived in the latest game code and sees some alterations to the Stardust cost associated with Purifying a handful of the available Shadow Pokemon.
The new costs raise the price on purification of certain Pokemon, but actually reduces it for a few, as well. Additionally, thecost to purify Pokemonis now the same across all evolution stages. This is great news and will save players a ton of Stardust going forward and make it more exciting to encounter evolved forms of Shadow Pokemon.
Old Cost - 2,000
New Cost - 3,000
With the shift in costs, players will want to reevaluate which Shadow Pokemon they decide to actually Purify. Stardust is the most valuable resource inPokemon GOand trainers should be a bit stingy when it comes to spending it.
In terms of which Pokemon to Purify, that will depend a bit on the goal of each trainer. For quickly (and cheaply) acquiring the Purify badges, players should focus on Rattata and Zubat. Those two are the cheapest to Purify, so offer the best value in terms of saving Stardust. That said, they are also the two Pokemon that have the least relevance to the metagame. That means these Pokemon likely won’t get very much use at all after spending the Stardust to Purify them.
On the other end of the spectrum, Dratini and Snorlax are the most expensive to Purify, but do offer some metagame relevance. Dratini in particular is going to be useful in a handful of PvE and PvP matchups. The days of Snorlax owning every Gym are long gone, but it is still a fairly valuable Pokemon. If you are trying to Purify in order to build a strong PvP/PvE roster of fighters, we think Dratini is the best investment.
As for the original three starters, the price of Stardust has gone up, but is still reasonable. That means these three aren’t great for grinding badges, but would be a fine choice if you want to expand your PvP battle roster. The original three rarely get much play in PvE Battle Raids at this point, so they are unlikely to be put to use there, but the addition ofPvP Battle Leaguesoffers a good use for the final evolution of Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and Charmander.
Be sure to check back in the near future more morePokemon GOstrategy guides, news, and updates. Until then, good luck out there, trainers!
Pokemon GOis available now in select regions on Android and iOS devices.
