Pokemon Go's New Lucky Pokemon Feature Now Live

Niantic recently rolled out another update for Pokemon Go, introducing a new feature to the game called Lucky Pokemon. Despite being listed in the patch notes, Lucky Pokemon weren't initially available when the update rolled out, but the developer has confirmed on Twitter that the feature is now live on both iOS and Android devices.

Lucky Pokemon are special kinds of Pokemon that players can only obtain through trades. According to Niantic, some Pokemon that you receive from other players have a chance of turning into Lucky Pokemon, which are denoted on the collection screen by a sparkling background.

What makes Lucky Pokemon special is they require less Stardust to power up than typical Pokemon. This is an especially beneficial trait to have, as the lower Stardust requirement means players can raise the Pokemon's Combat Power much faster than they would normally be able to.

Not every Pokemon you send or receive in a trade will become a Lucky Pokemon, but some will have a greater chance than others. According to Niantic, the longer a Pokemon has been sitting in your storage, the more likely it is to become a Lucky Pokemon when traded. Additionally, players will now receive XP for sending Gifts to friends, while the Gifts themselves now have a chance of containing Stardust.

In other Pokemon Go news, the Legendary Pokemon Registeel recently began appearing in Raid Battles. The powerful Steel-type will be available until August 16, when it will be replaced by the last of the Legendary titan trio, Regirock. Other new Pokemon may be on the way to the game soon as well, based on a new piece of artwork for Pokemon Go's second anniversary featuring Gen 4 Pokemon.