Getting Lucky with Friends

Pokémon Go has a new feature. Actually, by now, the feature is about a month old, but like some features in the game, I wanted to give it a whirl before I discuss it on a post on this blog, and now I feel that it's the right time. Nearly a year ago, the game had introduced the concept of Lucky Pokémon, which in a nutshell are Pokémon that are "revitalized" after a trade. Now the game has extended that concept to friends, as a feature called "Lucky Friends" - though the aforementioned Pokémon are still involved.

Any Trainer can become Lucky Friends with another, but both have to be Best Friends first; that means the necessary 90 days of engagements or interactions. After becoming Best Friends, the usual engagements or interactions (raid, battle, trade, open gift, and so on) may lead to becoming Lucky Friends. Like the regular friend interaction, the chance of becoming Lucky Friends can occur only once a day, so if one does not beget Lucky Friends on one day, one can try again on the next.

Becoming Lucky Friends confers but one advantage: the next trade that occurs with that friend is guaranteed to beget a Lucky Pokémon, eliminating the guessing that occurs at the beginning of a trade. This too is clearly indicated by "Lucky Trade" at the start of the trade and the characteristic golden shimmering background. As one of my raid fellows recommends, this becomes an opportunity to trade extremely rare Pokémon (like Spiritomb), any Pokémon that require a Special Trade, or in general any Pokémon that either Trainer wishes to make Lucky for any purpose. After the trade occurs, the friend status reverts to Best Friends.

As with the Lucky Pokémon feature, some of my raid fellows had also been lucky in general and became Lucky Friends relatively earlier than me, while it took over three weeks for me to become Lucky Friends with even just one (and another week to finally be able to trade). In fact, today I had just completed my trade with that person, being a "mirror trade" for Meltan; it didn't turn out as best as it can be, but the result still being Lucky was still worth it. By my experience, Lucky Friends are going to be a very rare thing, but when it does happen, it's a wonderful thing indeed.

The concept of Lucky Friends seems appreciable enough. By being Best Friends, two Trainers may generate the chance for a guaranteed Lucky trade; this should drive up the value of becoming Best Friends and allow a little more control over what Pokémon is desired to be Lucky. I'd say that's worth it to just get out there and see if it can happen, as I have done. The result should be a fine batch of Lucky Friends and some Lucky Pokémon that result from them.

One year ago: A Place for VGC
Two years ago: Blue and Yellow Philosophy