A comprehensive guide to Pokemon Go’s Mythical Pokemon trading controversy, community demands, and practical storage solutions
The Core Controversy: Raidable But Untradeable
Pokemon Go trainers have reached a breaking point regarding Mythical Pokemon restrictions, with a growing movement demanding fundamental changes to trading mechanics. The frustration centers on a seemingly illogical limitation: creatures available through public raid battles remain locked from player-to-player exchanges.
A vocal segment of the player base is advocating for a significant overhaul in how Niantic handles Mythical Pokemon classification and trading permissions. This sentiment has gained substantial traction across community forums, with many veteran trainers agreeing the current system creates unnecessary friction.
The issue gained mainstream attention when a trainer highlighted the contradictory treatment between Mythical and Legendary Pokemon. While Legendary creatures captured in raids can be traded freely (subject to standard Stardust costs and friendship requirements), Mythical Pokemon face a complete trading blockade regardless of acquisition method.
This restriction feels particularly arbitrary for Pokemon like Darkrai, Genesect, and Deoxys—creatures regularly featured in Tier 5 and Elite Raids. Players can accumulate multiple copies through repeated raid participation, yet these duplicates become permanently trapped in their original trainer’s inventory. Many argue that if the game mechanics allow mass acquisition through cooperative gameplay, trading restrictions should be lifted accordingly.
The debate ignited on Reddit with a now-famous post titled, “Please let me trade Darkrai! I want to give my husband the Shiny.” This personal appeal highlighted the emotional aspect of the restriction, where players cannot share special catches with friends or family members.
The original poster articulated the community’s confusion perfectly: “I know it’s technically Mythical, but if we can raid for them, we should be allowed to trade! Don’t get me started on the Genesects!” This statement captures the core argument—classification shouldn’t override gameplay logic when acquisition methods are identical to trade-friendly Legendaries.
Community responses reinforced this perspective with logical extensions. One trainer noted, “My opinion as well. If it can be raided, why not traded?” Another added a crucial technical point: “Better yet if it can be transferred, it should be tradable.” This latter comment references the fact that most restricted Mythicals can be sent to Pokemon Home, suggesting the trading limitation is an artificial game rule rather than a technical impossibility.
Practical Problems Beyond Trading
Beyond the philosophical argument lies a concrete gameplay issue: inventory management. The trading blockade creates a storage crisis for dedicated players. Each untradeable Mythical Pokemon occupies precious Pokemon storage space indefinitely, particularly problematic for trainers who don’t utilize Pokemon Home or lack access to Pokemon Scarlet or Violet for cross-game transfers.
One community member voiced this practical concern succinctly: “Exactly! I have them sitting in my inventory just in case that ever changes, but ugh, the spaaaace!” This highlights the dilemma—players feel compelled to hoard potentially valuable Pokemon against future policy changes, straining storage upgrades that cost real money or hard-earned Pokecoins.
The Notable Exception: Meltan’s Special Status
The situation becomes more confusing when examining Meltan and its evolution Melmetal. Despite being classified as Mythical Pokemon, these creatures enjoy completely different rules. They can be caught regularly via the Mystery Box mechanic, traded freely between players, and transferred without restrictions.
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As an observant player correctly noted, “We know it’s just a per Pokemon toggle anyways, as Meltan and Melmetal don’t have any blocks on them.” This proves Niantic already possesses the technical framework to apply trading permissions on an individual Pokemon basis, undermining arguments that Mythical status necessitates blanket restrictions.
Common Mistake to Avoid: Many trainers incorrectly transfer duplicate Mythicals, assuming they’ll never be tradeable. Before transferring any raid-caught Mythical, consider that trading mechanics could change, especially for Pokemon with multiple forme differences (like Deoxys) or those with exclusive moves from particular raid events.
Advanced Storage Strategy: Create a naming convention for your Mythical duplicates. Add tags like “Raid24” for the year caught or “PSA” for potential special trade. This helps quickly identify which copies to keep if storage becomes critical, prioritizing those with better IVs, special moves, or sentimental value.
Community-Proposed Solutions and Nuances
The community discussion reveals sophisticated nuance in player expectations. Most trainers aren’t demanding all Mythicals become tradeable—rather, they propose a tiered system based on acquisition method. There’s general agreement that Mythicals obtained through special research quests (like Shaymin, Jirachi, or Celebi) should remain untradeable to preserve their special status.
As one commenter articulated, “My opinion the only Mythicals that shouldn’t be tradable are the ones you get from quests. Darkrai, Deoxys, etc. should be excluded. If it can be raided let it be traded.” This perspective gained enthusiastic support, with another trainer exclaiming, “IF IT CAN BE RAIDED LET IT BE TRADED! Yes exactly!!”
This proposed distinction creates a logical framework: Mythicals earned through unique, single-player narrative experiences retain exclusivity, while those obtained through repeatable multiplayer content gain trading functionality. Such a system would respect the special nature of story-based Mythicals while addressing the practical issues of raid-obtained duplicates.
Implementation Pathways for Niantic
Game developers could implement several solutions:
- Per-Pokemon Toggle System: Extend the Meltan/Melmetal model to raid Mythicals, allowing trading while keeping quest Mythicals restricted.
- Special Trade Category: Classify Mythical trades as “Special Trades” with increased Stardust costs and daily limits, balancing accessibility with rarity.
- Event-Based Trading Windows: Allow Mythical trading only during specific events or seasons, creating engagement opportunities.
- Friendship Tier Requirements: Restrict Mythical trading to Ultra or Best Friends, encouraging social gameplay investment.
Optimization Tip: If trading ever becomes available, prioritize trading Mythicals with poor IVs first. Since trading re-rolls IVs, you might receive better stat versions while helping friends complete their collections. Always trade with low friendship levels first when possible to minimize Stardust costs for subsequent trades.
Actionable Strategies for Current Players
While awaiting potential policy changes, trainers need practical approaches to manage their Mythical collections. Proactive inventory management can alleviate storage pressure without risking future regret.
Immediate Action Plan:
- Audit your Mythical collection, tagging each by acquisition method (raid, research, special event).
- Identify duplicates with inferior IVs or no special moves as potential transfer candidates.
- Explore Pokemon Home integration if available—some Mythicals have value in main series games.
- Participate in community discussions and provide feedback through official channels.
- Monitor datamines and announcements for potential trading policy updates.
For those seeking Legendary or Mythical Pokemon when they reappear in raids, staying informed is crucial. Regularly consult updated raid boss guides and event calendars to plan your gameplay. Coordinate with local communities to maximize raid opportunities while minimizing resource expenditure.
Long-Term Collection Strategy: Consider maintaining only 2-3 copies of each raid Mythical unless you’re specifically collecting for IV perfection or move variations. For Mythicals with multiple formes (like Deoxys), one of each forme is reasonable. Research-exclusive Mythicals should generally be kept as single copies unless you have exceptional circumstances.
Common Pitfall: Don’t invest Rare Candies into duplicate Mythicals unless you have immediate battle needs. These resources are better saved for Legendaries with current meta relevance or Mythicals you actively use in raids, PvP, or Gym battles.
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