Pokemon Masters Guide: How To Evolve And Mega Evolve

Pokemon Masters has officially released, giving you a brand-new Pokemon experience to play on the go. Though Masters shares several similarities with previous Pokemon games, it does a lot differently too. One such difference is in how Pokemon can evolve. If you’re having trouble, we’ve outlined the process below.

First things first: not every sync pair you recruit features a Pokemon that can evolve. The Pikachu that you start with cannot be evolved into a Raichu, for example. As far as we can tell, there’s no definitive rule for discerning which Pokemon partners can evolve in Masters, though we have noticed that the only Pokemon that can evolve are the ones found in their first-stage form. If you recruit a sync pair with a Pokemon that’s already in its second-stage evolution, it doesn’t seem capable of reaching its third (provided it has one).

Android Authority has compiled all of the sync pairs with Pokemon that we know can evolve in Masters, which are listed below. There’s a chance that more sync pairs feature Pokemon that can be evolved, but we’ll need more time with the game to be sure. Evolving Pokemon can be a lengthy process.

Sync Pairs With Pokemon That Can Evolve In Pokemon Masters

• Barry and Piplup (evolves into Prinplup and then Empoleon)
• Kris and Totodile (evolves into Croconaw and then Feraligatr)
• Lyra and Chikorita (evolves into Bayleef and Meganium)
• Pryce and Seel (evolves into Dewgong)
• Rosa and Snivy (evolves into Servine and then Serperior)
• Viola and Surskit (evolves into Masquerain)

Now, how you evolve these Pokemon is vastly different from previous games. You don’t need to worry about environmental factors, time of day, or evolutionary stones, though the traditional system of leveling up is a part of the process.

First, you need to level up the sync pair of the Pokemon you want to evolve to at least level 30. Once you reach level 30, you’ll unlock a special battle you’ll need to complete for the Pokemon to evolve. You can’t attempt that battle until you fulfill one more requirement, though–acquiring five Evolution Shards, which can currently only be bought in Tricia’s Shop. The first time you buy five Shards, they’ll cost 1,000 coins–Masters’ in-game currency that you can either earn or buy with microtransactions–but that number exponentially grows more expensive so make sure you focus on evolving the Pokemon you want. With the Shards and your sync pair in tow, you’ll be able to attempt the battle. Each of these special fights is unique for each sync pair. The only commonality between each one is that they are extremely difficult, so leveling up beyond the level 30 minimum requirement may be a good idea.

Once you win, the Pokemon within the sync pair will evolve, maintaining its previous level but acquiring more powerful stats. Don’t worry too much about losing, as you can retry the battle as many times as you want. For Pokemon that have a third-stage evolution, you’ll need to repeat the process–albeit reaching level 45 this time around. The Evolution Stones for reaching third-stage are far more expensive than the Shards too. They begin at 5,000 coins and eventually climb to 300,000. The unique battle you have to fight is a lot more challenging too. Tackling it at the level 45 minimum is not advised.

Despite this ordeal to make a Pokemon evolve in Masters, the reward is worth it. Evolutions cause Pokemon to learn new, more powerful Sync Moves which can make the most difficult battles in the game much, much easier. In some cases, these Sync Moves result in the Pokemon undergoing a Mega Evolution. Android Authority has a list of the Pokemon we know can Mega Evolve too.

Pokemon That Can Mega Evolve In Pokemon Masters

• Agatha and Mega Gengar
• Blue and Mega Pidgeot
• Bugsy and Mega Beedrill
• Karen and Mega Houndoom
• Korrina and Mega Lucario
• Noland and Mega Pinsir

Pokemon Masters is available for iOS and Android devices.