Pokémon GO: How To Catch (And Purify) Shadow Pokémon | Capture Guide

Team Rocket has invaded Pokémon GO, and they’ve brought an army of Shadow Pokémon with them. These unique Pokémon have special exclusive stats and attacks. You can make them even better by purifying them with lots of Stardust and Candy.

Here, I’m going to explain how the Shadow Pokémon system works — how to capture them, and how to purify them. There’s a lot you need to know, but I’m sure you’ll catch on quick. It isn’t too complicated once you’ve done it a few times. It’s kind of like a Raid Battle, with a few extra facets! Let’s dig into the details.

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How To Catch (And Purify) Shadow Pokémon | Capture Guide

Shadow Pokémon are unique variants with a dark glow. You can purify them, giving them a bright glow — doing that also improves the Pokémon in a variety of ways.

NOTE: Shadow Pokémon and Team Rocket Grunt battles are only available to players Level 8 or higher.

A Purified Pokémon is all-around better, giving them bonuses to damage, lowering stardust / candy requirements, and giving them a special new Charged Attack that is only available to Purified Pokémon.

• Purified Pokémon Bonuses:
  • Does More Damage
  • Lowers Amount of Stardust / Candy Required For:
    • Power Up
    • Evolution
    • Learning New Attacks
  • Replaces the ‘Frustration’ Charged Attack with ‘Return’ — a special Charged Attack that is unique to Purified Pokémon.

As you can see, Purified Pokémon are pretty special. To purify a Pokémon, you’ll need to capture a Shadow Pokemon first — here’s how that works.

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How To Capture Shadow Pokémon

Shadow Pokémon can be captured after defeating Team Rocket Grunts that appear outside Invaded Pokestops. Find Pokestops with an ‘R‘ above the photo-spinner. Using one of these will summon a Rocket Grunt — defeat them, and you’ll get a shot at capturing a Shadow Pokémon!

Shadow Pokémon can’t be captured with normal PokeBalls. Instead, you’ll receive Premier Balls. Just like a Raid Battle, you’ll be given a set amount of Premier Balls. If you don’t catch the Pokémon with them, the Shadow Pokémon will escape.

After defeating a Rocket Grunt, a Shadow Pokémon will be left behind. Initiate the encounter, and you’ll be given Premier Balls based on a number of factors.

• What Determines How Many Premier Balls You Get?
  • How Many Pokémon Survived The Battle
  • Your Purify Pokémon Medal Rank
  • Your Defeat Team Rocket Grunt Medal Rank

Every Shadow Pokémon has a Charged Attack — ‘Frustration’ — and it can be changed with purification. Let’s talk about that now.

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How To Purify Shadow Pokemon

After capturing a Shadow Pokémon, you can then Purify it to increase its damage, lower the amount of Candy / Stardust required for all upgrades, and changes the Charged Move ‘Frustration’ into ‘Return’.

To purify a Pokémon, find it in your Pokedex — you can choose to spend Candy / Stardust to purify it. The cost changes depending on the Pokémon and the level, so it’s a good idea to start saving now!

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