Should you purify Shadow Lugia in Pokemon GO?

Lugia was the first Legendary Pocket Monster introduced in Pokemon GO in July 2017. Its shadow form was added to the game as part of the A Looming Shadow Returns! event in November 2021. With the introduction of 5-star Shadow Raids in 2023, Shadow Lugia will be available as a raid boss during October 2023's Team GO Rocket takeover.

Once you catch Shadow Lugia from raids in Pokemon GO, you will be faced with the age-old question: to purify or not? The answer is not what you would expect.

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What are the pros and cons of purifying Shadow Lugia in Pokemon GO?

Stat changes

The most important aspect of Shadow Pokemon is the stat changes they undergo. Notably, their Attack stat is increased by 20%, while their Defense takes a 20% debuff.

Lugia has a base Attack of 193 and a base Defense of 310. In its shadow form, these become 231.6 and 248, respectively. While this change might appear beneficial, Lugia does not particularly benefit from the increased Attack because it lacks a decent STAB Fast Attack.

Instead, purified Lugia's 310 Defense and 235 Stamina allow it to stick around on the battlefield for much longer, absorbing Charged Attacks one after the other.

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Charged Attack options

Another important reason to purify Shadow Lugia in Pokemon GO is to remove the useless Charged Attack Frustration. Doing so will give you a Return as one of your Charged Attacks. You can exchange this for something else during the GO Rocket takeover event.

Even if you don't remove Return, purified Lugia can use Sky Attack as its second Charged Attack to deal decent chip damage.

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IV distribution

Purifying a Shadow Pokemon increases all its IVs by 1. If you have a near-perfect Shadow Lugia, purifying it will give you one with perfect IVs.

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Power-up cost

Collecting Candy for Legendaries such as Shadow Lugia in Pokemon GO can be rigorous. The reduced power-up cost for purified Pocket Monsters is a blessing.

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Conclusion

Considering that Lugia is primarily a top contender for the Master League of GO Battle League and does not have much utility as a raid or Gym attacker, it is better to purify it than leave it in its shadow form.

Doing so will also give you other advantages like a free IV boost, lower power-up cost, and freedom from Frustration as a Charged Attack.

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If you still haven't caught a Shadow Lugia in Pokemon GO, check out the best counters for this 5-star shadow raid.