Collection Guide

What Pokémon Should You Keep in Pokémon GO?

Your Pokémon storage is full again. So what can you safely transfer?

No single list works for everyone, but a few kinds of Pokémon are worth checking before you hit Transfer. The biggest mistake is judging everything by the appraisal stars.

Keep Good Raid and Gym Pokémon

High-IV Pokémon with strong raid moves can be worth keeping even if they do nothing in PvP. If it’s one of the better attackers for its type, check it first. Perfect or near-perfect IVs deserve a second look.

Check Low-Attack Pokémon for PvP

This is where people throw away useful Pokémon. A Great or Ultra League Pokémon often does not want 15/15/15. Something like 0/15/15 can rank much better for PvP — here’s why low Attack is good.

That doesn’t make every low-Attack Pokémon good. It means the appraisal screen alone can’t tell you. Run it through the IV Calculator and check its PvP IV rank.

Keep Pokémon for Different Leagues

The same species can have completely different jobs depending on CP and IVs. You might want:

• one for Great League
• another for Ultra League
• a high-IV one for Master League
• another version for raids

Don’t automatically keep just the highest-CP copy. Best IVs for PvP breaks down what each league wants.

Check Shadows Before Purifying or Transferring

Shadow Pokémon can have uses their normal versions don’t. Before purifying or transferring a potentially useful one, check whether that form matters for PvP or raids. Purifying can’t be undone, and a bad-looking Shadow appraisal isn’t automatically useless.

Keep Rare and Hard-to-Replace Pokémon

Think twice before transferring things that are hard to get again, like:

• limited event Pokémon
• useful legacy or exclusive moves
• rare regional Pokémon
• strong Shadows
• Pokémon that took a lot of walking or resources
• useful Legendary or Mythical Pokémon

The point isn’t to hoard everything. It’s to avoid binning something you can’t replace.

What About Duplicates?

You don’t need twenty copies of the same ordinary Pokémon. When comparing duplicates, ask what each one is for. One might have better PvP IVs, better raid IVs, a different league, or an exclusive move. If two serve exactly the same purpose, keeping the better one is usually enough.

A Quick Check Before You Transfer

• Is it good in PvP?
• Does it have useful PvP IVs?
• Is it a strong raid attacker?
• Is it rare or hard to replace?
• Does it have an exclusive move?
• Could I need a different version for another league?

If the answer to all of those is no, transferring gets a lot easier.

Check the Pokémon Instead of Guessing

Not sure about a Pokémon’s PvP IVs? Check them in the PoGoCoach IV Calculator. New to the idea? Start with PvP IVs Explained.