Do Pokémon get weaker after trade?

I‘ve seen this question popping up a lot lately among my fellow Pokémon GO trainers:

"Do your Pokémon get weaker or lose stats when you trade them?"

The short answer? No! Trading does not inherently make your Pokémon weaker in GO.

But it does significantly reshuffle some key stats, especially IVs (Individual Values). So while the Pokémon doesn‘t universally downgrade, some attributes may shift for better or worse.

Let me break down exactly how trading works and what changes occur under the hood. I‘ll also share some pro-gamer tips on how to use trading to seriously boost your Pokémon‘s potential!

Trading 101 – What Stays the Same

First, let‘s cover what does NOT change when trading Pokémon in GO:

• Moves
• Gender
• Size/Weight

So rest easy – you won‘t suddenly end up with a tiny Raticate or one that forgot all its cool moves!

The Stats That Reshape – IVs, CP, and Levels

But other attributes get rolled like dice when traded:

IVs (Individual Values)

A Pokémon‘s IVs – hidden stats tied to attack, defense, and HP – randomly reroll within certain ranges when traded.

The odds swing wildly based on your Friendship Level with the other trainer:

So your IV floor and ceiling shift up as your in-game friendship grows.

But here‘s my hot take – that IV unknown makes trading super exciting! Your Pokémon could randomly reroll way stronger (or weaker) than it was before!

For example, I just traded away a 13/4/9 Gyarados to my Ultra buddy…

And it became a 15/15/13 beast for him! That‘s one lucky sea monster.

Meanwhile, sometimes you roll garbage IVs that leave you sobbing into your phone. But us trainers have to take the good and bad together!

(Pro-gamer side note – check if you have any Best Friends marked as "Lucky Friends." Guaranteed minimum 12/12/12 IVs when trading with them! More on that later…)

CP and Levels

A traded Pokémon‘s Combat Power caps out at what the receiving trainer can currently power up to.

So if you‘re Level 25 and snag a weather-boosted Level 35 Dragonite, its CP will drop down to your Level 25 potential.

This adjusts automatically – so watch those amazing CP numbers tick down post-trade!

But leveling up fixes this…So don‘t sweat a temporary CP decrease too much.

So in summary:

• IVs randomly reshape within a shifting range
• CP and level standardizes to recipient‘s potential

That IV twist of fate is the main "gamble" of it all. It‘s what keeps us trainers trading for the next big prize Pokémon!

Now let‘s cover some of these coveted "jackpot" scenarios…

When Trading Makes Your Pokémon Stronger

Here are a few special trade types that seriously boost your odds of scoring improved or even PERFECT IV Pokémon:

Lucky Trades

Randomly occuring trades where both Pokémon become Lucky – these have an IV floor of 12/12/12 for each creature!

I‘ve scored multiple 15/15/15 Pokémon through Lucky Trades – including that awesome Gyarados!

So keep shuffling through trades until you trigger a Lucky hand.

Lucky Friends

If you hit Best Friends with someone AND you‘ve traded before, you can become Lucky Friends.

This guarantees your NEXT trade will make both Pokémon Lucky!

I cannot stress enough – if you see "Lucky Friends" lit up in green, DROP EVERYTHING and trade with them immediately!

Those guaranteed floor 12 IVs (and high chance of perfect 15s) are invaluable.

Best Friend Trades

Even if not Lucky Friends, trading with Besties has a minimum 5/5/5 IV floor. Stronger odds than lower tiers!

I love connecting local players on my friends list once we hit Best status. The IV floor boost is so worth it!

So focus on building those in-game friendships and you‘ll reap serious trading rewards with that IV basement rising over time.

The core of it? Trading reshapes parts of your Pokémon while preserving others. So it doesn‘t strictly make them "weaker" overall.

Instead, it randomizes where they fall on the spectrum, with exciting odds of scoring stronger creatures!

Hopefully this breakdown gives you the core knowledge to trade strategically. Watch those IVs dance, keep Best and Lucky Friends close, and who knows what awesome Pokémon await you out there!

And until the next big reshuffle – happy trading, friends! This passionate trainer over and out.