Rise of the Bottlecap

We have talked about this for years, and it's finally coming; Hyper Training! The IV system has long been a bit contentious over the years as the primary system that makes otherwise good Pokemon fall short of the glory that they could have, or make Pokemon that could otherwise be cherished lack real utility. This is a tremendous system that has the potential to change the face of Pokemon Go... but it has a few caveats that are worth looking at.

Hyper Training Overview

Hyper Training is a brand new feature of Pokemon Go. It utilizes a Golden Bottlecap to raise any and all IVs of a single Pokemon, up to a perfect 15/15/15. However, there are a few things worth mentioning:

• Golden Bottlecaps expire 7 days after they’ve been received, so it’s not possible to store them up for future releases.

• Golden Bottlecaps will only be available via limited events, so expect their appearances to be limited to a few times per year most likely.

• Golden Bottlecaps are premium items, so we will have to pay for them. In this case, our first Golden Bottlecap will be available via the Go Pass Deluxe: Ancients Recovered ticket.

• As of right now, a Golden Bottlecap will cost $20 USD and cannot be purchased via Pokecoins.

• Golden Bottlecaps can be applied to any Pokemon that the player owns save ones that already have perfect (15/15/15) IVs and Shadow Pokemon.

• When a Golden Bottlecap has been applied, players will be given quests to actually apply the stat increases.

• Raising Attack requires victories in Gym Battles, raising Defense requires catching Pokemon while buddied with the Golden Bottlecap Pokemon, and HP requires visiting Pokestops while buddied with the Golden Bottlecap Pokemon
• Players will have one year to complete these tasks once a Golden Bottlecap has been applied

• When applying a Golden Bottlecap, the player has the choice of which stats to raise and by how much. So it’s possible to use it for something as small as a 1-stat increase to a single stat to maxing out a 0/0/0 Pokemon in one go.

Based on these facts, it should be pretty clear that Hyper Training is not the answer to the question “should I use a bottlecap, or buy a bunch of premium passes to raid a given Legendary Pokemon until I get one with good stats?” This is an item that warrants careful thought and planning. However, it’s also a new source of FoMo (fear of missing out), so let’s put this into a bit of context:

• In general, IVs don’t make a tremendous difference in most cases.

• That said, there ARE cases, such as in PvP, where even missing 1 IV can turn a victory into a loss, so they’re not ENTIRELY worth ignoring, obviously!

• If you don’t have a clear handful of Pokemon or at least in mind, then it’s probably not worth spending the money on.

• In the Main Series, there are also normal Bottlecaps that only affect one stat, so if you have a Pokemon that’s only one stat off them it might be worth waiting to see if basic Bottlecaps are also on the horizon as well.

For the most part, some players are going to love this system, while some are going to hate it. Either way, this is potentially a very important new part of Pokemon Go, and a potentially great one if Niantic/Scopely (whichever is officially in charge at this point in time) ever decides to give out a few of these from time to time without attaching a pricetag to them. Regardless, here’s our list of considerations for a Golden Bottlecap investment:

Bottlecap Contenders

Zacian & Zamazenta

This duo feels like the natural choice for a Bottlecap. Both of their Crowned formes are exceptionally strong, to the point where they top just about every tier list that we have, and it’s possible to upgrade the existing Hero of Many Battles forms that have been running around the game into Crowned Forme during Go Fest 2025. These facts mean that getting one of the weapon-wolves to 15/15/15 is definitely a worthwhile concept.

However, some collectors might want to wait. Why? Because we’re going to have special background variants of these Pokemon available during Go Fest. This will make absolutely no difference practically speaking, but no doubt some players would rather wait to use their Golden Bottlecap on a Shiny Zacian/Zamazenta with a special background.

Necrozma

Another natural choice, Necrozma’s power is pretty well known. Dusk Mane Necrozma is a powerhouse Steel Type that generally sits around Zacian and Zamazenta for the most part, while Dawn Wings is the current monarch of Ghost Types. These Pokemon are monsters that are also great in the Master League as well, giving additional utility to them.

But there’s one more reason to consider dropping a Bottle Cap on Necrozma; Ultra Necrozma. Ultra Necrozma is currently in a weird position in terms of projected performance; if it’s considered a standard fusion-Pokemon but with one extra step, then it could rule the Psychic Type, depending on what happens with its inevitable Signature Moves. However, Ultra Necrozma is a little bit different in the main series; it only exists in-battle, and is very similar to a Mega Evolution in a few ways. For that reason, it’s conceivable that it could end up acting as a pseudo-Mega Pokemon. And while it seems like it may fall behind the monster that is Mega Mewtwo Y eventually, the fact that it has 2 signature moves means that could cause it to rise to the top of the type. This is all speculation, but either way it’s extremely likely that Ultra Necrozma will be a huge deal regardless when it releases… in about 2 years for either Go Tour Alola or Go Fest 2027.

Kyurem

Another big-name, Kyurem’s monochromatic fusions are also outstandingly strong options that are worth considering for a Golden Bottlecap. If you want more power for Ice or Dragon, then bringing this frigid dragon to the pinnacle of what it’s actually capable of is a good investment.

Zygarde

Zygarde - Complete Forme is a fantastic Pokemon in the Master League and Ultra League alike, and it’s currently limited to 1 per account, so it seems a natural choice for a Golden Bottlecap. It's currently extremely limited and has a very bright future thanks to its plethora of Signature Moves (not to mention the fact that it will likely get something new in Pokemon Legends Z-A), so this is likely an investment that will only pay more and more dividends in the future.... so long as its future super-moves and whatever else it may get aren't locked exclusively to Zygardes that we get when these things are actually released.

Diancie

While Diancie itself is pretty weak, Mega Diancie is the Mega-monarch of the Rock Types in raids. It’s also extremely rare, having only been released once, so buffing one up is definitely a very solid option, especially since it has a future Rock Type Signature Move in Diamond Storm.

Mewtwo

Mewtwo has been around for a very long time, so most of us have a strong one waiting for Mega Mewtwo Y to drop… but what about Mega Mewtwo X? Right now, it’s seen as a lesser option for Fighting and Psychic alike… but do you honestly think that they’d drop the two Mewtwo formes without giving X something to be good? It’s entirely possible that we could have Mega Mewtwo X rise the ranks with Counter/Aura Sphere or something similar. And if it does end up with an Elite Fast Move, then we’re going to need 2 Mewtwo ready to Mega.

Also worth noting; if you happen to have a glut of Shadow Mewtwo in your collection with a few that have low stats (especially a Shiny one!), then it MIGHT be worth purifying one so that you can bottle cap it for the mega, and enjoy the purification discount!

Groudon, Kyogre and Rayquaza

The masters of Land, Sea, and Sky are all fantastic choices. Primal Groudon, Primal Kyogre, and Mega Rayquaza are Pokemon that you only need one of per account, and they rule their given types with ease. It’s also worth noting that Groudon is currently a great contender in the Master League, so it gets a bit of role-compression on that front.

Urshifu

Highly limited, Urshifu’s two variants are good Pokemon, but it’s worth noting that Single Strike is generally superior. It stands as a strong Pokemon in both the Master League and Dynamax Battles, but there is one issue at hand… or rather two. First; these Pokemon are destined to have their own signature moves in the future that could change things up. This isn’t a huge deal as it could be a matter of simply dropping an Elite ™ when the time comes, assuming these moves aren’t exclusive to unique variants of Urshifu released in the future. No, the more pressing matter is their Gigantamax formes, which heavily out-class their basic formes. Since we currently have no means in the game to turn a non-Gigantmax Pokemon into a Gigantamax Pokemon, our existing Urshifu run the risk of being completely and irreparably outclassed by a future Kubfu release that includes the Gigantamax gene, or future Gigantamax Urshifu Max Raids. Either way, this is a good but risky investment.

Apex Ho-oh and Apex Lugia

We’ve long stressed not purifying either of these Pokemon, but if you did then you’ve got something rare that might be worthy of consideration. Let’s say that you have a 10/10/10 Apex Shadow Ho-oh in your box that you’re likely never going to use because the Apex concept and +/++ moves were a stupid idea that were nothing more than an attempt to bring about a new era of exclusive moves and fuel for FOMO. Well, then it might be worth considering purifying it and giving it a Golden Bottlecap to max it out to 15/15/15 with Sacred Fire++ to make it stronger than the average Ho-oh. Its DPS will still be a bit lower than the Shadow variant, but you’ll have a very rare Pokemon maxed out that can put in good work in raids… but more than that, it also might come in handy in the Master League.

Ho-oh has the distinction of standing as one of the best counters for both Crowned Forme Zacian and Zamazenta in the Master League, so bringing along a maxed out Apex Ho-oh is potentially a major power-move while climbing the Go Battle League, even though Sacred Fire++ is identical to basic Sacred Fire in PvP. This gives some additional value to an Apex Ho-oh (or a regular Ho-oh in this case, but that one probably isn’t worth a Bottlecap) and makes it worthy of consideration. What about Lugia? It’s good as well, but it isn’t quite as good of a counter-pick right now.

Now, quick note here: taking this route means you’re losing a Shadow Apex Lugia or Ho-oh, which is a Pokemon that you likely will never be able to get again! Think about the situation before you commit to this course of action!

Origin Forme Palkia and Dialga

Another set of alternate formes with high performance, the Origin Formes have strong utility, though they’ve fallen off recently. Palkia is definitely the stronger option here as it’s a better raider on average and one of the top Master League Pokemon as of right now.

Solgaleo and Lunala

These two are pretty limited as of right now due to the fact that they evolve from Cosmog, which has only been drip-fed to us. Lunala and Solgaleo are solid in raids, but great in the Master League, so it might be worth considering dropping a Golden Bottlecap here.

Keldeo

A Mythical Pokemon with utility in raids and the Master league. While it’s not super high priority, its solid performance in two metas and rarity makes it worth at least considering a bit.

Meloetta

A very strong Pokemon in the Master League, and…. that’s about it. It’s rare, so it has that going for it, but it’s also destined to eventually get Relic Song, and the fact that we now have mid-battle transformations means future Meloetta releases may be objectively better than what we have now. Regardless, if you like Meloetta and want to utilize it in the Master League, then there are definitely worse options

Marshadow

Another Pokemon with good performance in the Master League that’s pretty rare. Add to that the fact that its Shiny forme is pretty lackluster and this is a solid pick that’s semi future-proofed, even if it will eventually need an Elite ™ for Spectral Thief.

Shaymin

A good Grass Type Mythical in its Sky forme, but then it’s worth remembering that Kartana exists.

Regional Pokemon

While less rare than they once were and of limited utility outside of a few options, most regional Pokemon are still genuinely limited for most players, and some do stand out, so some like Heracross might be worthy of consideration.

Mew, Celebi, Jirachi, and Victino

While they’re all Mythical and limited, as of right now they all lack real performance. Unless you absolutely love one of these Pokemon, don’t bother.

Melmetal

It’s a Mythical Pokemon, so let’s mention it. Melmetal can be farmed and isn’t exceptional outside of a good showing in the Master League and an okay presence in the Great League, so it’s not really recommended.

PvP Staples

If you focus heavily on PvP, then you may want to consider building up Pokemon that are outstanding in various leagues with limited utility in other areas of the game. Some options include Landorus - Therian Forme for the Master League, Giratina - Altered Forme for the Ultra League, or Clodsire for the Great League. Just keep in mind that Ultra and Great League have CP caps, so they frequently want low Attack! Look up the ranks before you consider using a Golden Bottlecap on one of these leagues (and also remember that these leagues tend to shuffle a fair bit every season)

Shinies, Special Backgrounds, Personal Favorites, etc.

Shiny Pokemon, Pokemon with Special Backgrounds, Pokemon with special personal meaning…. There are a lot of reasons to raise Pokemon along these lines, and playing for personal reasons instead of pure optimization may be the best option for some. Still have your Bulbasaur, Charmander, or Squirtle from the start of the game? Then some might find it worthwhile to invest there instead. Or maybe your first Shiny, or a Pokemon caught in a special circumstance or place? People play for their own reasons, so don’t hesitate to make an investment that will make you happy to see.

Closing

We have our bottlecaps at long last.... now where are our negative-bottlecaps to reduce IVs for the Great and Ultra League?! All kidding aside (or partly kidding in this case), the introduction of Hyper Training has the potential to be one of the best new additions to the game that we've had in a while. It gives value to Pokemon that would otherwise not be worthy of consideration, and gives us a means to finally overcome the curse of RNG that we've long suffered when getting limited Pokemon. If we get these items for free even once a year, this will be an all-around great change to the game that makes things so much more user-friendly. As of right now I don't have a lot of hope on that front, but here's hoping that our guide made the choice a little bit easier to make for anyone who's buying this incredibly valuable item.