Pokemon GO Shadow Mewtwo guide: On whether or not to purify

Pokemon GO's Team GO Rocket Takeover is well underway, and trainers are taking the fight to the Pokemon franchise's signature evil empire. The team's boss, Giovanni, has also returned with Shadow Mewtwo at his side.

If Pokemon GO trainers can overcome Giovanni in battle, they'll have the opportunity to catch Shadow Mewtwo for themselves. This is certainly worth pursuing since Mewtwo is an incredibly powerful Legendary Pokemon, but the question remains: should trainers keep Mewtwo in its corrupted Shadow Form or purify it?

An argument can be made either way, depending on what a player needs. However, most players would agree that keeping Mewtwo in Shadow Form is often the right call.

A purified Mewtwo certainly isn't terrible in Pokemon GO, but a Shadow Mewtwo tends to be preferred in many situations.

Note: Parts of this article reflect the opinions of the writer

---

Why should Pokemon GO players keep Shadow Mewtwo?

Shadow Mewtwo's damage boost makes it an excellent attacker in Pokemon GO (Image via Niantic)

Purifying a Shadow Pokemon in Pokemon GO certainly has its benefits. When purified, a Pokemon will lose the Charged Move Frustration and can be taught another Charged Move to replace Return, which purified creatures receive after the process. However, during certain events of the year, it's possible to remove Frustration from a Shadow Pokemon without purifying it.

Purified Pocket Monsters do receive a slight boost to their IV stats, but a Shadow Mewtwo with high IVs already doesn't really need the boost. Additionally, Shadow Pokemon receive a 1.2x multiplier to their damage output despite having reduced durability.

Mewtwo's durability might not be the best. However, if it's dealing heavy damage with moves like Psycho Cut and Psystrike, it can take out opponents well before it faints from damage.

Furthermore, the bonus that Shadow Pokemon receive in Pokemon GO can be further improved by weather bonuses. This makes Mewtwo an even more deadly offensive force, particularly in PvE battles like gym assaults, raids, and Team GO Rocket battles.

Mewtwo may not hold up quite as well in PvP due to its reduced durability. However, it can still deal heavy damage before being switched out for a more durable Pokemon in many GO Battle League formats.

Ultimately, purifying Shadow Mewtwo isn't the worst decision in the world, but the benefits are severely outweighed by the upsides of keeping Mewtwo in its Shadow Form.

Frustration certainly isn't ideal as a Charged Move. However, if Pokemon GO players are patient, they can eventually get rid of the problematic move and replace it with something that is much more fitting for Mewtwo.

The ultimate decision to purify any Shadow Pokemon is up to the trainer. However, a powerful Legendary Pokemon like Mewtwo simply doesn't need purification if it's caught in Shadow Form with good IV stats. Its damage potential is simply too high to ignore, and when paired with the right team, it is simply a force to be reckoned with.

However, this particular case of purification only pertains to Mewtwo. Many other Pocket Monsters can benefit from purification, much more so than Mewtwo. Trainers should take every aspect of a Pokemon into consideration when making the decision to remove its shadowy corruption or not.