With the new trading system, many trainers have started using it as an opportunity to re-roll the IVs of Pokemon, hoping to get better, usable IVs of their mons of choice. This is particularly applicable to Pokémon that fall within the current metagame (Larvitars, Chansey and others), as well as those which are rarer and less easily obtainable for most people (Bagons, Beldums, Trapinch). For more info on good defensive Pokémon and gym tips, check out Wolfie’s article on the Metagame here!
Background
However, what a lot of people do not realise is that by using the mechanics that are in place currently, a trade can bring more than just a simply IV reroll. With proper planning, trainers can take advantage of trade distance in game, and maximise the amount of candy one can obtain from a trade.
Right now, the game provides up to 3 bonus candy for trading away a Pokemon with a 100km trade distance. This means, rather than simply transferring a low IV Pokemon to Professor Willow for 1 candy, trainers can now obtain up to 4 Candy, which will definitely be useful in the case of some Pokemon.
| Action Taken | Candy Obtained |
|---|---|
| Transferring a Pokemon | 1 Candy |
| Trading a Pokemon Locally | 1 Candy |
| Local Trade + Transfer | 2 Candy |
| Long Distance Trade | 3 Candy |
| Long Distance Trade + Transfer | 4 Candy |
With the current ability for Trainers to gift Alolan eggs, the potential for long distance trading becomes easily apparent, as the minimum distances required to hit the candy bonus can be reached very easily.
What needs to be done is simple, but does need some coordination with some friends. Here’s how it goes.
Trading
Trainer A and Trainer B both have Beldums with weak IVs that they would like a chance at rerolling. As such, they prepare for the reroll by first making sure to hatch an Alolan egg gifted from a friend from a sufficient distance. Trainers can check DistanceToFrom, to ensure they have sufficient distance if they so choose, but keep in mind, candy and distances can be seen before hitting the Confirm button.
When the Alolan eggs have been hatched, both trainers can then prepare for the trade by identifying which Beldum they would like to trade away, and which Alolan would help with the trade distance. For the sake of this argument, let us say Trainer A has an Alolan Rattata and Trainer B has an Alolan Grimer.
When ready, Trainer A trades their Beldum for Trainer B’s Alolan Grimer. This is followed up with Trainer B trading their own Beldum for Trainer A’s Alolan Rattata, allowing both trainers to obtain the maximum amount of candy from a trade.
Below is a visual of what we explained, notice how each player receives three Beldum candy per trade because they are trading for a long distance.
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| By splitting your trades you can maximize candy gained! | |
Post Trade
Should either Beldum be sub-par after the trade, they can then be transferred on for a further 1 candy. From this simple pathway, both trainers have now essentially obtained 2 more candy than they would have had from simply trading the Beldums for another local mon, or even just transferring it, for the low cost of 100 stardust each trade. A warning though: Be careful to check your stardust costs before hitting the confirm button, in case a special trade is triggered, or your trade partner does not have the Pokémon registered in their Pokedex (most often seen with different Alolan forms and their evolutions).
For people who travel regularly and can obtain the necessary 100km distance, the trade can be done directly, but, in the case of local trades, this will rarely be the case. It also will serve trainers to remember that if an IV reroll is important, it may pay off to wait for the Ultra Friend state to be achieved – or even Best Friends if at all possible for the best possible chances of a better roll.
With this, trainers can fully utilize a system provided by Niantic to help push their game further. Trainers would need to plan ahead by hatching a number of Alolan eggs in order to prepare for this, and while it does require some time to preparation to execute, in the case of a Pokémon that falls within the current Metagame, it is a very useful method indeed.
Interested to know more and keep up with the latest ideas? Join our Discord! Happy trading!
