As in any Pokémon game, Pokémon GO has those little monsters that are much rarer than the others. In this article we list those that, despite being constantly available in the game, are still extremely uncommon and valuable for those who like to collect.
Attention: As stated above, the list below only includes pokemons that are always available in the game, so we don't mention any pokemon exclusive to temporary events. We also left out any criteria related to the IV (Individual Values) of pokemons, so that the only thing that matters is finding and catching creatures.
Ditto
Starting with a "rare", Ditto is one of the most coveted Pokémon in Pokémon GO for being necessary to complete the quest task 3/9 of the quest "Let's go, Meltan! (3/9)" and the quest task 5/9 of the " quest " A Mythic Discovery (5/9)", meaning if you want a Mew or a Meltan, you'll have to get a Ditto first. In addition, the pokemon has a unique mechanic of being able to transform into others, so you never know if you've found one until you complete a capture of one of its disguises. If you don't know what they are, check out our updated guide on how to catch a Ditto!
Pikachu in wrestling outfit
This one is hard, but it's up to you. Pikachu in Wrestling Outfit has been added to Pokémon GO along with the GO Battle League and is offered as a reward to all players who reach the rank 10 of PVP in any season, which is not an easy task. For those who don't know, from rank 7 onwards, defeats affect your PVP rating, so you need a great win/loss differential to keep climbing. Once at rank 10, you then need to win 3 matches within a set to be eligible for the Pikachu capture reward. Good luck!
Unown
Almost a myth within the game, Unown is so rare that most players have never seen it. It is also common for players to think that it is an event-only pokemon, as most of its captures take place in Safari Zone events, but this is not the case. The truth is that Niantic gives a considerable "boost" to the spawn of Unowns during these events, but they can, yes, appear in the wild at any time, and can also be tracked like any other pokémon.
As if rarity weren't enough, Unown can take the form of every letter of the alphabet in addition to exclamation marks. Of course, all forms still only take one place in the Pokédex, which doesn't lessen our desire to get the entire set.
Uxie, Mesprit and Azelf
The Psychic Trio of Legendary Regionals!. Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf are also in the group of Pokémon so rare that many people think they are restricted to events or even limited to raids. Again, this is not the case. As said, in addition to being regional they are Legendary, so unlike other exclusive pokémons (which you just need to travel to the right region to find them easily), nothing guarantees that you will find one of them even if you are in the right place, making it even players who use cheats like "Fake GPS" don't have them.
Shadow Shinies
Shiny Pokemon in general are already rare and highly coveted by players who like to collect. When it comes to shadow shiny, things get even more complicated, since it's not enough for you to walk around nature clicking on pokemons and waiting for his luck to shine. No. To obtain shadow shinies it is necessary to defeat members of Team GO Rocket, which can be Recruits or Bosses (it is not possible to capture shadow shinies from leader Giovanni at the moment). This is where the rarity level splits into 2:
Recruit's Shiny Shadow: the least rare of the group (although they are still VERY rare) as it is possible to battle Recruits quite often in PokéStops or even through the balloon. Considering that Recruits don't use a shield, the battles are always very easy so you can participate in the "shiny lottery" much more often.
- Exemplo: shadow shiny Koffing, shadow shiny Ralts, shadow shiny Drowzee, etc.
Boss Shiny Shadow: Much rarer than the ones mentioned above as it is only possible to fight Team GO Rocket Bosses after obtaining a Rocket Radar by gathering 6 Mysterious Components by defeating Recruits. Also, defeating a Boss destroys your Radar and you need to build another one. This means that the frequency that you can find these pokemons is MUCH lower, so being lucky enough to appear a shiny in one of these few battles is really a very rare thing to happen.
- Exemplo: shadow shiny Beldum, shadow shiny Absol, shadow shiny Bagon, etc.
Shiny Spinda
One of the most curious rare pokemon in the game. Spinda can only be captured in one way: by completing the Field Research "Hit 5 great curveballs in a row", which is one of the most difficult tasks to find in PokéStops. Once you find and complete it, you will be rewarded with capturing a Spinda. Only then can you "run" for a shiny.
shiny baby pokemon
As a rule, 7km eggs obtained through gifts from friends hatch so-called "baby pokemons", which are pre-evolutions of more popular pokemons introduced in previous generations. In this group we can find Elekid, Magby, Budew, Togekiss, Ibblybuff, etc. All these pokemons have a shiny version available which, of course, are extremely rare as you have to walk 7 kilometers before you have the slightest chance of getting one. The special highlight here is the shiny Mime Jr., which in addition to being a baby, is also regional.
Riolu
Riolu is nothing new in Pokémon GO as it was added to the game a long time ago. Even so, very few players own it as it has never been released into the wild and its spawn rate in eggs is extremely low. It's worth mentioning that Pokemon that were released alongside or after Riolu (like Gible and even Deino) have already become much more popular, appearing in the wild, PVP rewards, raids, etc. It makes sense since it's the best Fighting pokemon in the game!
Ax
Axew is still a new Pokemon in Pokemon GO and has a very low spawn rate in the wild. Because it doesn't appear in raids or rewards, and also because it's extremely rare in eggs, the little dragon is still one of the rarest pokémons at the moment, but that may change in the future. For now, the growing relevance of his latest evolution Haxorus in PVP Master League makes more and more players look to capture him.
Special Research Myths
Granted, most experienced Pokemon GO players already own the above 4 Pokemon, but all Mythics are still extremely rare, as they can only be caught after completing the longest and most difficult Special Researches in the game. However, since the beginning of 2022, Niantic has been making new temporary quests available that offer one more chance to catch the above pokemons, that is, so far each player can have a maximum of 2 of each (with the exception of Meltan).
In the specific case of Meltan, the pokémon can be obtained through the Mystery Box, an item that can only be obtained by connecting your account to a Nintendo Switch through the Let's Go Eevee or Let's Go Pikachu games. Once you use the item, Meltan will appear repeatedly for 30 minutes (like an Incense), so it is possible to capture multiple specimens.
See also:
- The rarest shiny pokemon in pokemon GO!
- Updated list of all Pokémon GO eggs - 2km, 5km, 7km, 10km and 12km
- Pokémon GO: Friendship Levels, Rewards and Bonuses!
- Pokemon GO: Updated list of all regional Pokemon
- Pokémon GO: All Stages of the "Let's Go Meltan!"
- Advanced Tips for GO Battle League! (PvP)