How to get lucky trades pokemon go
Quick Scoop: You get Lucky Trades in Pokémon GO mostly by trading with **older Pokémon**, building up friendship, or hitting the special Lucky Friends state. Lucky Pokémon have better Stardust efficiency and guaranteed higher IV floors, so they’re especially worth targeting for rare or strong Pokémon.
[1][7]How lucky trades work
Most trades have only about a 5% chance to become Lucky, but that chance improves when one or both Pokémon were caught a long time ago. When a trade turns Lucky, both players receive a Lucky Pokémon.
[7][1]Best ways to get one
- Become Lucky Friends. After reaching Best Friends, daily interactions can occasionally trigger Lucky Friends, and your next trade with that trainer is guaranteed Lucky. [7]
- Trade older Pokémon. Pokémon caught years ago are more likely to produce a Lucky result, so save old stock for trade day. [1][7]
- Use guaranteed Lucky trades carefully. Some older Pokémon, including those from 2019 or earlier in the sources I found, may be guaranteed Lucky if you’re still under the game’s guaranteed-trade limit. [5][7]
Practical tips
- Build Best Friends first, since that’s the path to Lucky Friends. [7]
- Trade old legendaries, shinies, or meta-relevant Pokémon when you want the best value. [7]
- Save guaranteed Lucky opportunities for Pokémon you actually want to power up, because Lucky Pokémon cost less Stardust. [1][7]
What to expect
Don’t rely on IVs from the original Pokémon, because trading rerolls IVs and the Lucky result is what gives you the boosted outcome. If you’re aiming for efficiency, the usual strategy is to trade your oldest duplicates first and reserve Lucky Friends for the most valuable swaps.
[5][1][7]Simple example
If you and a Best Friend become Lucky Friends, your next trade is guaranteed Lucky, so many players use that one shot on a strong legendary, shiny, or rare raid attacker. That is usually the cleanest way to “get lucky trades” without depending on random chance.
[1][7]| Method | How it works | Reliability |
|---|---|---|
| Random trade | Any trade can become Lucky | Low, around 5% in the source I found |
| Older Pokémon trade | Older caught Pokémon raise the odds | Better than normal |
| Lucky Friends | Next trade after Lucky Friends is guaranteed Lucky | Guaranteed |
In short, the fastest route is: Best Friends → Lucky Friends → guaranteed Lucky trade, with old Pokémon as your best backup plan.
[1][7]