If you've yet to see much benefit in making some Pokémon Go pals, then now may be the time to start doing so, as trading could be the best way to unlock one of the game's most rare features: lucky Pokémon.
New information has come out about the phenomenon, which turns certain Pokémon sparkly and may have an impact on how they perform in battles and when following you around. According to developer, Niantic, lucky Pokémon can be acquired through trading with other trainers. The longer that Pokémon was owned by its original trainer, the higher chance that trading it will make it lucky.
Lucky Pokémon are most notable for their sparkly look, but they also come with a unique background when viewed and will have a specific counter in the Pokédex, so in theory, "Lucky" Pokémon doubles the number of potential monsters you can collect. They will also cost less stardust to level up, which could make them great for powerlevelling a new monster in order to take down your local gym.
Considering how valuable stardust has become in recent months, that will be welcome news to trainers everywhere and is further encouragement to get trading with friends. It's not clear if there is a chance of a Pokémon becoming lucky with each trade though, as that could lead to spam trades between friends to force it.
Set to debut in the next update, lucky Pokémon will launch alongside gifts, which will let trainers send one another presents in-game.
