In Pokemon GO's latest update, trade evolutions have finally been introduced to the series. Trade evolutions are by no means a new concept; even since the days Pokemon Red and Blue, Pokemon such as Kadabra or Machoke could only be evolved upon a trade. While this isn't the exact case for Pokemon GO, it is still worth noting how the trade evolution mechanic works, and which Pokemon can benefit from it.
How Do Trade Evolutions Work?
Trade evolutions have been a hallmark of the Pokemon series since it's first incarnation. It all goes back to the days when Pokemon trainers would take their Game Boys to school alongside their handy link cable, and served as an effective mechanism for getting players to engage and trade together. Most of all, it ensured the existence of a healthy trading ecosystem between versions of the Pokemon game.
To catch them all, Pokemon trainers had to trade. Luckily, this isn't quite the same in Pokemon GO as traditional methods still apply, but utilizing the trade evolution mechanic can still prove very beneficial. What trade evolution does is negate the candy cost for evolving a certain Pokemon, provided the Pokemon GO trainer in question receives the Pokemon in a trade.
For example, if a player receives a Machoke in a trade, they can therefore evolve it into a Machamp, and at no cost.
Which Pokemon Can Evolve from Trades
But not all Pokemon qualify for this mechanic, so any aspiring Pokemon GO players will need to know which Pokemon in their repertoire can benefit from trade evolutions. The full list of Pokemon that can benefit from trade evolution are as follows:
Shelmet
Boldore
Gurdurr
Karrablast
Kadabra
Machoke
Graveler
Haunter
Try Not to Go It Alone
It certainly helps Pokemon GO players to have a friend, however, and a good one at that. To truly take advantage of the candy discount, players will need to coordinate and ensure they trade two evolving creatures between them, which can be tough without having someone to coordinate with closely.
Luckily for Pokemon GO players that prefer to go it alone, they are still in luck. What separates the Trade Evolution mechanic in Pokemon GO apart from the other installments of the franchise is that Pokemon can still be evolved using traditional methods. It will just cost more Candy, unfortunately.
Pokemon GO is available now in select regions on Android and iOS devices.