Trading is one of the most underused systems in Pokemon GO. Most players only think about it when they want a lucky Pokemon — but if that’s all you’re using it for, you’re leaving a lot on the table. The IV reroll mechanic, trade evolution list, and Lucky Friends system make trading one of the most powerful tools in the game. This guide covers everything you need to know.
Trading Basics
To trade in Pokemon GO, both players must be Friends — at minimum Good Friends (7 days). You also need to be within 100 metres of each other in the real world. Remote trading isn’t available in the base game, though Niantic has run limited-time remote trade events in the past.
To initiate a trade, open your Friends list, tap the trainer you want to trade with, and select Trade. Both players then choose a Pokemon to offer.
Here’s what gets rerolled when you trade:
- IVs — always randomised within a range determined by your friendship level
- HP — recalculated based on new IVs
Here’s what stays the same:
- Moves — fast move and charged move are preserved
- Level — the Pokemon’s level is locked to within the higher trainer’s current level cap (it will never exceed your level)
- Species and form — you can’t trade-evolve or change form through trading alone
Understanding the IV reroll is key — it’s why friendship level matters so much for trading rare or competitive Pokemon. Higher friendship = higher minimum IVs on the reroll. Check out our IVs Explained guide if you need a refresher on what IVs actually do.
Stardust Costs by Friendship and Rarity
The stardust cost to trade depends on two things: your friendship level with the other trainer, and the type of trade. The gap between Good Friends and Best Friends is enormous — especially for rare Pokemon.
| Trade Type | Good Friends | Great Friends | Ultra Friends | Best Friends |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard (already in Pokedex) | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| New Pokedex entry (unregistered) | 16,000 | 1,600 | 800 | 800 |
| Shiny or Legendary (already registered) | 20,000 | 16,000 | 1,600 | 800 |
| Shiny or Legendary (unregistered) | 800,000 | 80,000 | 40,000 | 40,000 |
The takeaway here is simple: never trade a Legendary or Shiny with someone you’re not at least Ultra Friends with. At Good Friends, an unregistered Legendary costs 800,000 stardust — that’s months of grinding. At Best Friends, that drops to 40,000. The difference is so significant that it’s worth waiting until you’ve built the friendship up before even thinking about the trade.
Standard trades (Pokemon already registered in both Pokedexes) cost a flat 100 stardust regardless of friendship level — so these are basically free.
Standard vs Special Trades
Not all trades are equal. Some count as Special Trades, which have a strict limit of one per day per account, regardless of how many friends you have.
A trade is classified as Special if either Pokemon being traded is:
- Shiny
- Legendary or Ultra Beast
- Not yet registered in the recipient’s Pokedex
- Meltan or Melmetal (treated as special despite being mythical exceptions)
One important rule that catches people out: Mythical Pokemon cannot be traded at all. This includes Mew, Celebi, Jirachi, Deoxys, Darkrai, Shaymin, Arceus, Genesect, Meloetta, Hoopa, Volcanion, Magearna, Zarude, and others. The only mythicals that can be traded are Meltan and Melmetal. Everything else is permanently locked to the trainer who caught or received it.
Don’t burn your daily Special trade on a Pokemon that’s already in both Pokedexes — that would just be a Standard trade anyway. Save Special trades for genuinely rare or unregistered Pokemon.
Lucky Pokemon: How They Work
Lucky Pokemon are one of the best things you can get from a trade. They have two permanent benefits:
- Guaranteed minimum IVs of 12/12/12 — well above what most wild catches offer
- Halved stardust cost to power up — permanently, for that Pokemon’s entire lifespan
The stardust saving alone makes Lucky Pokemon extremely valuable for meta-relevant species. A Pokemon you’re planning to take to level 50 can save you hundreds of thousands of stardust if it’s lucky.
Lucky odds: The base chance of getting a Lucky Pokemon from a trade is around 5%. But older Pokemon have higher odds:
- Pokemon caught within the last year: ~5% chance
- Pokemon 1–2 years old: ~10% chance
- Pokemon over 2 years old: ~25% chance
- Pokemon caught in July–August 2016: guaranteed Lucky
Lucky Friends guaranteed Lucky trade: When you reach Best Friends status, each daily interaction (opening a gift, raiding together, battling) gives roughly a 1% chance to activate Lucky Friend status. When you’re Lucky Friends with someone, your next trade with that person is guaranteed to produce Lucky Pokemon for both players.
This resets after the trade — Lucky Friends status is consumed on use. You can become Lucky Friends with the same person multiple times.
Best strategy: Stockpile old Pokemon — especially anything caught in 2020 or earlier — and save them specifically for Lucky Friend trades. That way you combine the guaranteed Lucky from Lucky Friends with the 25%+ age bonus (the guaranteed Lucky supersedes the odds, but old Pokemon are still the best candidates to trade away). You want your Lucky to be a meta-relevant Pokemon, not a random Pidgey.
Trade Evolution: Free Candies
Certain Pokemon evolve for free after being traded — meaning you don’t spend any candy on the evolution. This is a massive saving for some species that cost 200 candy to evolve.
Here’s the full list of trade evolution eligible Pokemon in Pokemon GO:
| Base Form | Evolution | Normal Candy Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Kadabra | Alakazam | 100 |
| Machoke | Machamp | 100 |
| Haunter | Gengar | 100 |
| Graveler (regular & Alolan) | Golem | 100 |
| Boldore | Gigalith | 200 |
| Gurdurr | Conkeldurr | 200 |
| Karrablast | Escavalier | 200 |
| Shelmet | Accelgor | 200 |
| Phantump | Trevenant | 200 |
| Pumpkaboo | Gourgeist | 200 |
Note that Karrablast and Shelmet must be traded with each other — trading a Karrablast for anything other than a Shelmet (and vice versa) doesn’t trigger the free evolution. Both trainers benefit from the trade evolution in that swap.
The practical tip here: if you need a Gengar, Machamp, or Conkeldurr for raids, get the pre-evolution from a trade rather than evolving your own. You save 100–200 candy, which is meaningful for species that don’t spawn frequently. See our special evolution guide for the full breakdown of evolution methods in Pokemon GO.
IV Reroll: Trading for Better IVs
Every trade rerolls the IVs of both Pokemon. The minimum possible IV per stat depends on your friendship level:
| Friendship Level | Minimum IV per stat |
|---|---|
| Good Friends | 1 |
| Great Friends | 2 |
| Ultra Friends | 3 |
| Best Friends | 5 |
| Lucky Friends | 12 |
At Best Friends, each IV rolls between 5 and 15, giving you a 1 in 1,331 chance of a perfect 15/15/15 hundo from any trade. For a Lucky Friends trade, each IV rolls between 12 and 15 — giving you a 1 in 64 chance (~1.6%) of a hundo. Compare that to wild catches, where a hundo is a 1 in 4,096 shot, and you can see why Lucky trades are so valuable for specific Pokemon you care about.
For PVP players, trading also opens the door to hitting specific low-IV spreads that perform well in Great and Ultra League — something impossible to target through wild catches. Check our CP guide to understand how IVs interact with CP limits in each league.
Common Trading Mistakes
- Trading Legendaries at Good Friends — 800,000 stardust for an unregistered Legendary. Always wait until Best Friends (40,000).
- Wasting your daily Special trade — if both players already have the Pokemon in their Pokedex, it’s a Standard trade. Save Special trades for genuinely rare or unregistered Pokemon.
- Trying to trade Mythical Pokemon — Mew, Celebi, Jirachi, and most other mythicals cannot be traded at all. Don’t wait for a friend to offer one.
- Spending candy before checking the trade evolution list — if a Pokemon is on the trade evolution list, get it from a trade first. You’ll save the full candy cost.
- Burning old Pokemon carelessly — Pokemon caught in 2020 or earlier have significantly higher Lucky odds. Save them for Lucky Friend trades, not random swaps.
Conclusion
Trading in Pokemon GO rewards patience and planning more than most systems in the game. Build your friendships to Best Friends before trading anything rare, stockpile old Pokemon for Lucky Friend moments, and always check the trade evolution list before spending candy. Used strategically, trading is one of the fastest ways to fill your Pokedex, improve your battlers, and save stardust in the long run.
Trading legendary Pokemon is one of the biggest stardust costs in the game. Our stardust farming guide shows the fastest ways to build your reserves back up.
Sources
- Bulbapedia. Trade (GO). Bulbapedia / Bulbagarden. https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Trade_(GO)
- Niantic. Pokemon GO Official Trading Overview. Pokemon GO Live. https://pokemongolive.com/
- Niantic. Friendship and Trading in Pokemon GO. Pokemon GO Support. https://support.pokemongo.nianticlabs.com/hc/en-us/articles/360000567912
- Bulbapedia. Lucky Pokemon (GO). Bulbapedia / Bulbagarden. https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Lucky_Pok%C3%A9mon
- Bulbapedia. Trade Evolution (GO). Bulbapedia / Bulbagarden. https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Friendship_(GO)