THIS IS AN URGENT MESSAGE FOR ALL PLAYERS/TRADERS!!!
Master Guru here with some helpful tips for any player looking to not get cheated by the surplus of hacking that is going on in the game. This thread will be dedicated to any findings that pertain to knowledge about hacked pokemon, and what to look for.
Feel free to comment on any knowledge or schemes that I have not posted.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR:
1. If you are hoping to get a rare pokemon from a trader, please be wary of the pokemon and its movesets. Make sure that the moves it knows are moves that are not from another Pokemon.
2. When pertaining to shiny Pokemon, here are the common fake pokemon that are out there:
Shiny starters lvl 1 that know tackle
Shiny starters with abnormal move sets
Any shiny pokemon that are a high lvl (mainly lvl 100), but only know tackle (STAY AWAY!!)
Shiny Lapras lvl 1 that only knows tackle
Shiny Eevee lvl 1 that only knows tackle
Shiny dogs that only know tackle
3.Do NOT not accept ANY SHADOW LEGENDS unless it is lvl 1 and ONLY knows shadow rush. If it is a high lvl or if it knows other moves than shadow rush, it has a very high chance of being fake!
HOW TO AVOID BEING CHEATED:
1. When you are interested in a shiny pokemon, check the moves at this Wikia site, and make sure the certain pokemon you are intersted in matches the moves it is able to learn!
2. If you are interested in a lvl 1 shiny pokemon, please check the Pokemon Adoption tab in the Pokemon center, with this you can see with moves the pokemon must know in order to be real!!
3. When it comes to shadow pokemon, you can never be too cautious, so when you are looking for a certain pokemon, aim for a lvl 1 shadow! As always, check to make sure shadow rush is the ONLY move known if lvl 1!
Ok guys this is all the information you will need in order to make good decisions on future trades.
If you come across any new additions or scams, please feel free to comment below with the information, and I will update when needed!
Thanks,
Master Guru
This was a big let down to hear but I'm glad to of heard it sooner rather than later :/. Seems I have a few Pokemon that were fake and I had no idea. I appreciate you getting out the word though. Thanks
No problem, trust me I too was let down when I realized, I wish you luck in the future though.
Also, if you see a pokemon that you want, but the image of the pokemon isn't showing, then it is fake, happened to me when i had a shadow mew (Lvl 100) and trading it for a lvl 1 shadow mew with just shadow rush. When i looked on my account after i got it, the mew appeared just to be normal, without shadow rush and all, hug disappointment as you would imagine.
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Ginko here.
Just wanted to give my 2 cents as this seems to be more and more of an issue.
Guru is right that shiny starters, dogs, Lapras, and Eevee are frequent targets. Additionally, Mewtwo and Snorlax are often counterfited.
A high level pokemon that only knows tackle is a 100% give away. This as well as checking the pokemon adoption center for pokemon that shouldn't know tackle at level 1 but do, is your biggest resource in protecting yourself.
As far as starters go, if you take a level 1 shiny Bulbasaur and train it, it will not learn growl at level 3 like it should. However, it can "relearn" this move, be trained to level 5, renamed Bulby, and as far as I can tell becomes indistinguishable from an original.
In game and in the pokemon center, the sprite remains shiny. The same process works for Squirtle.
An ethical dilemma presents itself because if it can become indistinguishable, why not take it. Unless you buy it with coins yourself there is always a chance that someone else has taken a fake starter and played with it to make it seem real and you will pay more for that one assuming that it is the real deal.
Charmander on the other hand is given away immediately because it never knows tackle. However, a level 1 shiny Charmander is not necessarily fake. I believe it came from mystery gift at level 1 with the moves scratch/growl...I've got quite a few and believe them legitimate.
Bizarre movesets are not necessarily fakes, but definitely something to look out for. I had a shiny Charizard for awhile that knew hydro pump. It was hacked when I got it, likely was taught the move in hacked version, and after I unhacked it, it retained the move.
Shadow pokemon are easy to tell apart from fakes since they should obviously have shadow rush in the first move slot. While I have always personally valued level 1 shadows as the most valuable, it doesn't mean that a level 10 is fake.
As long as the shadow pokemon has 3 moves or less and shadow rush remains in the first slot, it is legit. After learning a fourth move however, shadow rush can be learned through tm and put into the first move slot, again making the fake indistinguishable.
I've seen fake shadow Mew, Mewtwo, Entei, and Raikou. I've seen only one fake shadow Victini. I've never seen a fake shadow Suicine.
Guru's steps on how to avoid being cheated seem good enough. But really, just do some research on the pokemon and use common sense. If the pokemon has no moves or a broken sprite...there's obviously something sketchy.
Unfortunately, until Sam does something like assign individual IDs to all pokemon, track them, and delete fakes, nothing is going to change and we just have to hope that the hackers control themselves well enough as not to destroy the game's economy and Sam's livelihood.
Sorry for probably repeating a lot of what Guru said, but seriously...pay attention to trades because if Sam does go on a delete spree of all fake pokemon...some legit traders are not going to be happy campers.
-Ginko