Can You Trade Hoopa in Pokémon Go?

Yes, you can now trade the Mythical Pokémon Hoopa in Pokémon Go as of October 2022. Both the initial Hoopa Confined form and the more powerful Hoopa Unbound form are now eligible for trading. This guide will analyze the impact of the policy change, provide key tips for Hoopa trading, and evaluate the strengths of each form.

Niantic Opens Up Hoopa Trading

For years, Hoopa and other Mythical Pokémon have been excluded from trading entirely in Pokémon Go. So when Niantic announced in a recent October 2022 blog post that all forms of Hoopa were now tradeable, it came as a welcome surprise.

Trainers rejoiced at the chance to finally trade for better IVs, Lucky status, or simply help friends register new Pokédex entries for the elusive Mythical. The Pokémon Go community overwhelmingly supported this change to promote further interaction and accessibility.

But why did Niantic decide Hoopa was ready for trading? With Hoopa first appearing via Special Research in 2021, most dedicated players had obtained at least one by now. Additionally, Hoopa Confined has seen very limited battle relevance compared to top Psychic and Ghost types like Mewtwo.

Making it tradeable increases motivation to raid and power up multiple Hoopas. And the move ties into Niantic‘s 2022 Beyond initiative to continually improve and evolve features of Pokémon Go.

Trading Restrictions and Limitations

While the policy update opens up exciting trading opportunities, it comes with a few expected restrictions:

• You must be at least Level 10 to trade Hoopa or any Pokémon.
• As a Mythical Pokémon, trading Hoopa still counts as a Special Trade with a maximum 1 per day limit.
• Hoopa can only be traded once – after that it cannot be traded again.
• Trading Hoopa rerolls IVs randomly between 10-15 for each stat.

These limitations ensure that Mythical trading remains a special privilege while preventing excessive exploitation.

Pro Tip: Use your daily Special Trade to maximize Hoopa‘s IVs or try for Lucky status!

Hoopa Confined vs Unbound: Key Differences

Before trading your Hoopa, it helps to compare the differences between the initial Confined form and the upgraded Unbound form unlocked via form change:

While stats skew strongly in favor of Unbound, both forms have merits depending on your priorities:

• Hoopa Confined leans into Ghost damage and unique movesets. Shadow Ball pairs nicely with strong Psychic moves for flexibility. Lower stamina also enables it to fit certain PvP cups.
• Hoopa Unbound has the stats and Psychic damage focus to compete as a raid attacker. It outperforms Confined significantly but still lags legendaries. The extreme rarity for now also promotes trading for Unbound.

Now let‘s analyze the ideal movesets for each form…

Best Movesets For Hoopa League Viability

When preparing your Hoopa for trade and battle, the choice of fast move and charged moves is critical to success.

Top analysts such as PvPoke and GamePress generally agree on the following optimal PvP and raid combinations:

Let‘s examine why these selections are superior:

• Confusion provides stellar Psychic damage output as Hoopa‘s fast attack. STAB damage and energy gains make a world of difference.
• Psychic has perfect synergy with Confusion to pressure shields and enable winning matchups against threats like Medicham, Trevenant, and even Azumarill. It is Hoopa‘s bait move that also provides a knockout threat.
• Shadow Ball rounds out Hoopa Confined‘s coverage against Psychic counters like Umbreon. With Technoblast or Thunderbolt, Confined is too one-dimensional.
• Focus Blast gives raiding Hoopa Unbound a secondary STAB option to crush Dark and Rock type raid bosses that resist Psychic. Without it, many matchups like Tyranitar suffer.

Now that we‘ve established the ideal battle movesets, what should your trading strategy focus on when appraising Hoopa?

Key Appraisal and Trading Targets

With Hoopa‘s PvP relevance being mainly limited to certain Psychic and Halloween cups due to accessibility and restrictions, the primary goal should be raiding firepower.

Here are the key appraisal and reroll targets for Hoopa:

• Attack IV should be maximized closer to 15. Bulky Psychic legendaries require every bit of firepower.
• High HP IVs in the 13-15 range also contribute to longevity in raids.
• Defense IV is least relevant for glass cannons like Hoopa. 10-13 is sufficient if attacking is maxed.

Additionally, Hyperspace Fury is a coveted special event-exclusive move that creates a compelling case for reroll trading:

• Features 110 damage for 55 energy – one of the best Psychic charged moves in Go currently.
• Outperforms Psychic and provides perfect neutral coverage with Confusion fast move.
• Limited testing availability has prevented widespread accessibility until now.

Through strategic trading, you can reroll for ideal IV spreads and exclusive event moves. And the ability to Lucky trade now introduces guaranteed 12/12/12 IV floors as well!

Final Tips For Hoopa Trading

As you take advantage of newly unlocked Hoopa trading, keep these pieces of advice in mind:

• Trade Unbound first if you only have Confined registered in Pokédex! Requires less stardust.
• Lucky trading can provide high IVs and power up discounts to offset costs.
• Holding onto Self-charging and stats focused Confined has niche value for PvP formats.
• Take your time researching trade partners rather than immediately re-trading away again after one deal.

Best of luck acquiring your ideal Hoopa forme! Which one will you keep and trade away?