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Pokemon GO may be a seven-year-old game at this point, but that doesn't mean that every trainer plays it perfectly. Even veterans make their share of mistakes at times, and newer players are expected to make more than a few of their own. There are a ton of moving parts that go into Niantic's landmark mobile title, and trainers don't always account for every angle and make missteps.
From battling to catching creatures and much more, Pokemon GO players make their fair share of goofs and oversights. Be that as it may, knowledge is power, and being aware of the mistakes of others can help trainers avoid replicating them.
When it comes to common mistakes that Pokemon GO players make, there are a few that come to mind immediately.
Note: This list is subjective and reflects the opinions of the writer
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Typical mistakes that Pokemon GO players should be aware of
1) Not paying attention to IVs
This mistake is something that newer Pokemon GO players tend to make at times, and it's best avoided if trainers want to build battle teams that perform well. Each Pocket Monster has randomized base stats in the game known as IVs, which determine their attack power, defense, and health.
These stats create a distinguishing factor between Pokemon of the same species. Some Pocket Monsters have better stats than others. However, a common mistake is when Pokemon GO players prioritize a creature's CP over its IV appraisal, which isn't a great long-term strategy.
Moreover, even if a Pokemon has maxed-out stats, that doesn't always make them the best pick for certain battles. In fact, some Pocket Monsters with non-maxed IV spreads can perform well in Pokemon GO's PvP formats, so trainers should keep an eye out and appraise all the new creatures they catch to gauge their capabilities.
2) Purifying great Shadow Pokemon
There are certainly pros and cons to purifying any Shadow species in Pokemon GO, but oftentimes players can get a bit trigger-happy with their purification. Thanks to the damage boost that Shadow creatures receive, the small boost to IVs that purification bestows (along with the removal of the defense stat debuff) isn't always a net positive.
For example, creatures like Mewtwo or Swampert perform much better as Shadow Pocket Monsters than they normally would post-purification. In most situations, it's just best to keep the Shadow damage buff across the board. There are some exceptions, but Shadow creatures are usually worth keeping in Pokemon GO for their increased damage output.
This fact is especially true if the Shadow Pokemon in question already has great IVs. In that case, the damage buff is more valuable than the minuscule IV increase to max out a creature's base stats.
3) Accidental transfers
As Pokemon GO players accrue a ton of creatures, including those with high IVs or those that are shiny (or both), it's understandable that free space needs to be cleared up in a trainer's storage. However, it can be very easy and tragic for players to transfer their best Pocket Monsters, including shinies and high-IV specimens.
Since this is the case, it's best to look closely each and every time players are transferring Pokemon to Professor Willow. As an added safeguard, it isn't a bad idea to favorite the creatures that players want to keep to avoid shipping them off to become candy.
4) Not using Pinap Berries on shiny Legendary Pokemon
When players find a shiny Legendary Pokemon after a hard-fought raid, it's tough not to get excited. As a result, many trainers toss out a Razz Berry or Golden Razz Berry to assist them with catching the creature, but this isn't at all necessary and ends with a wasted berry.
The reason is that shiny Legendary Pokemon encountered in raids, barring a bug, have a 100% catch chance by the first Pokeball they're hit by. Since this is the case, it's much smarter to use a Pinap or Silver Pinap Berry to stock up on candies for this rare creature instead.
5) Evolving PvP Pokemon without checking their CP first
It can be very enticing to evolve a beloved PvP-ready Pokemon once trainers have the candy for it, but this isn't always the best idea. During evolution, a creature gains CP as it transforms into its next species. While this is great in some situations, it can also cause problems when a newly-evolved species surpasses a PvP league's CP cap.
For this reason, players should be incredibly careful when it comes to evolving their roster. After all, getting a Shadow Poliwrath for PvP is an exciting prospect for Great League battles, but the creature won't do much good if its CP surpasses the 1,500-point limit.
