Pokémon’s been out for years now and one of their core mechanics, Evolution, is one of the reasons for how exciting the series has been. After all, it’s a tangible thing that allows players to see how much stronger their beloved Pokémon has become. In Pokémon Masters, however, Evolution is handled differently, and we’re going to be talking about it below. Here’s a guide to help you know how to evolve Pokemon in Pokemon Masters EX.
Evolution and Evolved Pokémon
First, before we talk about how to evolve Pokemon in Pokemon Masters EX, we need to know what evolution is.
Evolution is when a Pokémon, upon leveling up to a certain point, evolves into another Pokémon. There are other methods, of course, like using elemental stones, learning moves that facilitate it, or being traded to another Pokémon. Professor Elm, an expert on Pokémon, is also an expert on their evolution. He’s the one that discovered Pichu was the baby form of Pikachu. There are also instances of unusual evolutions, like multiple Pokémon combining into another Pokémon. Case in point — 3 Magnemites into a Magneton, Slowpoke and Shellder into Slowbro, and a few others.
Of course, this is typical of all Pokémon and usually happens in an instant when prerequisites are met. When a Pokémon evolves, they’ll be surrounded by light before changing shape slowly. From the OG Pokémon games to Diamond and Pearl, this light was white. On Black and White to Journeys, it’s either gold or blue. In addition, Pokémon Evolution can be viewed differently from other Pokémon. For example, some Pokémon see evolution as growing up to their adult stages. Other Pokémon, meanwhile, see it as getting an upgrade like Scizor or Steelix. Other Pokémon simply bite into other Pokémon’s tails and get combined.
Anyhow, this is just the normal evolution, we haven’t even talked about Mega Evolution yet.
Pokemon Masters EX for Android
Mega Evolution
Next in this How to Evolve Pokemon in Pokemon Masters EX guide is taking a look at Mega Evolutions.
Mega Evolution is Evolution taken up to a level that affects certain Pokémon. The Pokémon transforms into another form of themselves, stronger and generally with empowered moves.
The history of Mega Evolution starts in Generation VI in the Kalos region. The core Pokémon series has Pokémon required to hold a specific Mega Stone before Mega Evolving. Also, to Mega Evolve, Trainers need to have a Key Stone. Sadly, though, there are only a few species of Pokémon that can Mega Evolve.
Lastly, Mega Evolution isn’t permanent, it’s a temporary power-up that fades away after a battle. Thus, the trainer must hold onto the Key Stone and the Pokémona Mega Stone to Mega Evolve in a pinch.
For now, though, only 46 Pokémon in the series can Mega Evolve. And of those 46, only 19 are in Pokémon Masters EX. Here’s the list of Pokémon and their Sync Partner:
- Agatha/Gengar
- Karen/Houndoom
- Sabrina/Alakazam
- Bugsy/Beedrill
- Blue/Pidgeot
- Noland/Pinsir
- Glacia/Glalie
- Cynthia/Garchomp
- Sygna Suit Blue/Blastoise
- SS Red/Charizard
- SS Leaf/Venusaur
- Wally/Gallade
- Steven/Metagross
- Sygna Suit Grimsley/Sharpedo
- Jasmine/Steelix
- May/Swampert
- Lisia/Altaria
- Diantha/Gardevoir
- Spring May/Lopunny
How To Evolve Pokemon in Pokemon Masters?
As you can probably tell, Pokémon Masters EX is a bit different compared to the OG series. And thus, Evolution in the game works differently there as well. Players can’t just level grind their Pokémon by wiping out entire ecosystems at Tall Grass anymore, for starters. The other is that Pokémon don’t evolve automatically after reaching a certain level. They need to have a specific item, 2 of them, as well as getting to a certain level to evolve. However, luckily for us, everyone now has the same level cap before evolution eligibility. So, there’s some leeway there. Here is how to evolve your Pokemon in Pokemon Masters EX!
What Do They Need for Evolution?
First things first — what level does your Pokémon need to be to evolve? Well, they need to be at level 30; quite a bit higher compared to the original games. This is universal to all Pokémon on Pokémon Masters EX if you want to evolve Pokémon like Mudkip or Treecko. AKA, Stage 0 Pokémon. Stage 1 Pokemon, like Groovyle, have to be at Level 45 before they can evolve further. However, here’s the thing — there are a few things players need to do before they can evolve.
Even if a Sync Pair manages to reach level 30, the Pokémon in the Sync Pair won’t evolve instantly. In addition, there are Sync Pairs that can’t evolve their Pokémon. We’ll put them in another section but we digress. To start the evolution process, players need to have 5 Evolution Shards. The players need to access the shop and use coins to purchase Evolution Shards.
To evolve for a second time, players need to be at level 45 and have 3 Evolution Stones. To get an Evolution Stone, you need to buy them in the shop with coins.
5 Evolution Shards cost 1000 coins the first 2 times you purchase them. After that, players need to spend 10000 coins. Meanwhile, you can get 3 Evolution Stones for 5000 Coins the first time, and then 1 per 300000 coins. In total, after the discounts are finished, players need 910000 coins to max evolve their Pokémon.
What Do You Need To Do After Getting the Materials?
After getting all the materials for Evolution, players need to do Sync Pair specific storylines. Each of these Storylines consumes the materials needed to evolve Pokémon up to that point. 5 Evolution Shards to evolve on Level 30, and 3 Evolution Stones on Level 45. After that, players need to fight a particularly hard battle with tough Pokémon Sync Pairs. To win, players need to strategize properly and fight cautiously because no matter what, the Evolution Shards and Stones will be used up, even when you lose.
This makes it particularly painful when players lose the Evolution battle and need to farm the prerequisite materials to attempt Evolution again. Thus, it’s typically recommended to at least be 20 to 30 levels higher before you attempt an Evolution battle so you’ll have a good chance of winning.
What Are the Benefits of Evolving a Pokémon?
After reading our How to Evolve Pokemon in Pokemon Masters EX guide, here are some benefits to strengthening them.
The first benefit of Evolution in Pokémon Masters EX is the power boost that they gain. However, there’s also the fact that certain Sync Pairs can gain additional stat bonuses when evolving. However, the main benefit that evolved Pokémon have over non-evolved Pokémon is the fact that only evolved Pokémon can maximize Sync Moves. If you don’t do this, you’re pretty much screwed.
Should You Evolve All Your Pokémon in Masters?
It’s usually recommended to evolve Pokémon that have Sync Pairs. This means Cynthia and Gible, Red and Charizard, et cetera. This is due to them having more synergy with each other and are generally better when paired together. Lastly, it’s usually not recommended to evolve all of your Pokémon due to the costs being so high in the late game. Focus on Pokémon that help in certain team comps to maximize the gains that you’ll get. The more powerful your current team, the higher you can go in terms of the endgame.
Which Pokémon Should You Prioritize Evolving?
As already stated, players aren’t recommended to evolve all of their Pokémon. Thus, it’s usually recommended to evolve Pokémon that have a Sync Pair with a trainer. Keep note of the trainers that you have and then sync them with Pokémon that they use in the main series. In addition, always keep in mind that it’s better to evolve lower-tier Sync Pairs first before the higher-tier ones so that you can tackle each Evolution Battle with progressively more powerful Sync Pairs.
Evolving and Strengthening Your Sync Pairs
Unfortunately, there’s no other method of evolution in the game. You need to get enough coins to farm for Evolution Shards and Stones to evolve your Pokémon. However, in addition to evolution, there are a few methods of increasing a Sync Pair’s power. One of them is to increase your Sync Pair’s Level Cap. But what’s a Level Cap you might ask?
Level Cap
Level Cap is exactly what it says on the tin — the glass barrier that limits your Sync Pairs from getting more powerful infinitely. As of right now, the initial max level of all Pokémon games is Level 100, and the same is true for Pokémon Masters EX.
However, players can use specific items on Pokémon Masters EX to increase this cap, allowing for more powerful Pokémon. This level cap goes from level 100 to level 110, level 120, Level 125, and lastly, level 130.
To get these items, though, players need to run the Cap-Unlock Area located in the game’s Training Area. However, do note that these fights are incredibly difficult. It’s usually recommended to bring already maxed-out Sync Pairs to the fights to have a decent chance.
After getting your Level Caps increased though, there are other ways to improve your Sync Pairs. There are Potential, Move Level, the Sync Grid, and lastly, Lucky Moves.
Sync Pair Potential
All of the Sync Pairs on Pokémon Masters EX have their initial Potential. To know how much initial Potential they have, simply look at the number of ★s it has on their profile. However, increasing Potential means that your Sync pairs obtain more stats as they increase. Do note that to do this, you need to obtain a few items, similar to Evolution and Level Cap.
Players need to have 20 3★ and 4★ Power-Ups to heighten their potential cap from 3★ to 5★. Moreover, 5★ Potential Units still aren’t strong enough for some of the more dangerous and powerful opponents. The strongest Potential is 6★ EX, which can be obtained by getting 20 5★ Power-Ups and Champion Spirits. Doing this allows the Sync Pair to gain their EX Style and obtain powered-up Sync Moves. You can still increase their potential but only their stats will increase and it’s not an infinite stat increase either.
To gain Power-Ups though, players need to scout a Sync Pair that they already have. They also need to have their Move Levels maxed out, which we’ll talk more about below. They also appear on Events, as well as being available on the Shop Menu’s Exchange Items. Do note that in the Exchange, Item Power-Ups are rarer variants that need lower variant Power-Ups to be exchanged.
Sync Pair Move Levels
After increasing Potential and Evolution, one needs to improve their Move Level. What’s Move Level you might ask? Well, it’s how strong a Pokémon’s moves are. This number ranges from 1/5 to 5/5, and you’ll see them on the Sync Pair menu. Specifically, in the Potential & Move Level section. An increase in Move Level means an increase in damage and performance when that move is used. In addition to that, players also need to increase their Move Level to use Potential and the Sync Grid.
Similar to Potential, players can increase a Sync Pair’s Move Level by scouting them. Do note that this only works when said Sync Pair has joined your team already. Remember that it’s easier to increase the Move Levels of 3★ sync pairs, while 5★ sync pairs are the exact opposite. It’s usually recommended to scout a 5★ Sync Pair in a near-religious fashion when they’re featured. Particularly on a Poké Fair Scout, or on a Spotlight Scout. Lastly, there are some Sync Pairs that join the player in the middle of the game’s Story Mode. These Sync Pairs can’t be scouted in the shop. However, they’ll sometimes be important in certain events, which players use to increase their Move Level.
Lastly, players can increase Move Level by using Move Candy, but they’re incredibly rare and sometimes only appear on Events. Do note that there are different types of Move Candy based on role and starting Potential. And players don’t need to use 5★ Move Candy on 3★ or 4★ Initial Potential Sync Pairs. For example, a Striker 5★ Sync Pair needs 5★ Strike Move Candy. While a 4★ Support Sync Pair needs ★ Support Move Candy, and so on.
The Sync Grid
The next thing we need to talk about is the Sync Grid, one of the more involved ways to improve a Sync Pair. Notably, there’s always some stats to gain when players improve the Sync Grid of specific Sync Pairs. However, Sync Pairs with maxed-out Sync Grids are the ones that have the most power. Do note that Sync Pairs that are newly released have more Sync Grid tiles compared to older Sync Pairs. However, older Sync Pairs can get more Sync Grid tiles through in-game events. In addition to this, some of the more impactful Sync Grid effects are locked until a Sync Pair’s Move Level is increased.
Activating Sync Grid tiles need Sync Orbs. These things can be obtained through the Sync Orb Area in the Training Area. There are also some events in the game that periodically give out Sync Orbs for players to obtain. Do note that players need to convert these Sync Orbs to Sync Orbs of specific Sync Pairs. Every tile on a Sync Pair Grid has different but tangible effects, as well as several stat and power increases. In addition, some tiles have passive effects triggering certain conditions.
Keep in mind that maxing out the Sync Grid takes time and significant investment, but one that’s well worth it in the long run.
Lucky Skills
Last on the list are Lucky Skills which need a few things to unlock. For one, you can get Lucky Scrolls and Lucky Cookies through winning battles in the Battle Villa. However, these drops are rare and only happen on occasions. Hoard them though as they’ll be used to get Lucky Skills — additional passives that come with a variety of effects. Do note that each Sync Pair only can use 1 Lucky Skill and placing another would replace the Lucky Skill already implemented.
To equip Lucky Skills, players need to use Lucky Scrolls to unlock their Lucky Skill slot. Remember that those with a higher base potential need more Lucky Scrolls compared to those with lower base potential. After that, players need to give them a Lucky Cookie, which gives them a random Lucky Skill. The type of Lucky Skill they’ll get is based on what type of Lucky Cookie the player uses. As we’ve already mentioned, you can replace the Lucky Skill you currently have equipped with a Sync Pair. All a player needs to do is to give them another Lucky Cookie. After that, they can choose to replace the Lucky Skill with the one being given or keep the current Lucky Skill.
There are 4 versions of the Lucky Cookies that players can get in the Battle Villa. They’re the Crunchy, Creamy, Crispy, and Chewy Lucky Cookies. Each type has Lucky Skills that improve specific effects. Crunchy Cookies mostly have attack boosts. Meanwhile, Creamy Cookies have Skills that help against stat-lowering effects. Crispy Cookies have counters against status conditions. And lastly, Chewy Cookies help in protecting against attacks of certain types. Moreover, Lucky Cookies also have rarer variants, with 3★ lucky cookies having higher odds of getting better Lucky Skills.
And that ends our guide on How to Evolve Pokemon in Pokemon Masters EX!
