In Pokémon GO there are Crypto-Pokémon. But what is that even and what story is behind it? We show you everything about the Pokémon of Team GO Rocket.
What are Crypto-Pokémon? These are monsters that have red eyes and are surrounded by smoke. Otherwise, they look just like normal monsters. However, they not only look different, but also differ in their stats.
For some time now, you can catch and purify Crypto-monsters in Pokémon GO.
Catching and purifying Crypto-Pokémon – How does it work?
How do you get Crypto-Pokémon? These monsters are currently only available when you defeat a Grunt or Boss from Team GO Rocket. As a reward, you can then catch one of his Crypto-Pokémon.
What do Crypto-Pokémon bring? There are 3 major differences between Cryptos and normal monsters:
- Crypto-Pokémon are stronger – They have a damage boost of 1.2 in their Crypto form, dealing 20% more damage than normal monsters – In return, they lose a bit in defense.
- Crypto-Pokémon cost more Stardust to level up.
- All Crypto-Pokémon know the attack “Frustration”, which can no longer be TM’d away (Special events are the exception here).
Are Crypto-Pokémon worth it? Definitely! The attack boost of 1.2 may not seem large, but in reality, it makes a significant difference. Thus, for many types, the Crypto-Pokémon are the best attackers.
So if you have a Crypto-Mamoswine and a normal Mamoswine with the same IV, you should always choose the Crypto version.
How to purify a Crypto-Pokémon? It’s very easy. After catching a Crypto-Pokémon, you can press the “Purify” button. This costs some Stardust and candies. Afterwards, the Crypto-monster transforms into a purified Pokémon.
A purified Pokémon then receives 2 bonus points on each stat – it then has better IV than a Crypto-Pokémon. In addition, it costs less Stardust to level up. You can save some dust that way.
You should keep this in mind: If you have a Crypto-Pokémon that is one of the best attackers, you should actually not purify it.
Here’s an example: A Crypto-Mewtwo with 96% IV is stronger than its purified form, which has 100% IV. By purifying, you “weaken” the Pokémon, even though it gets better stats. This is due to the attack boost that every Crypto-Pokémon has and which it loses upon transformation.
Also, you should take advantage of events where you can get rid of the Frustration attack. Only then do Crypto-Pokémon actually become really strong and can learn charge attacks that normal monsters can also learn. So when such events occur, you should take all your strong Cryptos from your collection and teach them a new charge attack.
This is the story of the Crypto-Pokémon: These monsters were turned into Cryptos by Team GO Rocket. For this, their hearts were artificially closed off, making them particularly aggressive and evil.
Originally, the story originated in the games “Pokémon Colosseum” and “Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness”. There, the monsters were captured with the snag machine and subjected to a kind of brainwashing.
The goal of the villains was to develop Pokémon specifically into battle machines and through these powerful monsters take over the game.
Cryptos are not the only special forms of Pokémon. For example, there are also Shinies. Why some players have such little Shiny luck, we explain to you in this article:
Probabilities in Pokémon GO: Why am I not getting any Shinies?
