Games have a universal habit of forming shorthand phrases and slang terms. Even mobile games likePokemon GOhave their own glossary of terms referring to specific functions of the game; whether those terms are for game strategies, valuable items, or game objectives. However,Pokemon GOis a game that’s easy to drop in and out of for long stretches of time, since not everyone thinks to check for nearby Pokemon on the regular. For casual players like these, it can be confusing to look at conversations between more hardcorePokemon GOplayers and see terms like “shundo” get thrown around.
Shundo is a pretty uniquePokemon GOterm in that it doesn’t have roots in the original franchise. WhilelongtimePokemonfans can still discuss IVsinPokemon GOthanks to each Pokemon’s innate stats and the appraisal system, “shundo” stems more uniquely fromPokemon GO’s own design. Shundos aren’t a complicated concept just because they stem fromPokemon GO, they’re just a unique intersection of rare aesthetics with rare strength. Shundos are some of the most valuable Pokemon in the game, so the term is worth knowing forPokemon GOplayers of all levels. It’s a great shorthand for communicating something extremely exciting to fellowPokemonfans.
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The Definition of Shundo
The root of shundo is actually in anotherPokemon GOterm: Hundo. Any Pokemon with a perfect 15 out of 15 possible points in all three core stats — in other words, three full bars of HP, Attack, and Defense when appraised — is a hundo. Naturally, this means that hundos arereally valuable inPokemon GO,being the strongest possible versions of any givenPokemon.There’s an opposite term for hundo worth knowing too: When a Pokemon has exactly 0 points in all three stats, that unfortunate Pokemon is a nundo. Both hundos and nundos are very rare, so they’re valuable in their own ways.
Once players know about the hundo, the shundo is easy to understand: it’s a shiny hundo.Shiny Pokemon are always a treat to find, but a shundo is the best of both worlds, offering both a rare color palette and an extremely powerful Pokemon. It also goes without saying that shundos are extrarodinarily rare inPokemon GO.Finding one of these Pokemon requires no small amount of both diligence and luck; many players who’ve followedPokemon GOactively for the last five years still don’t have a shundo to their name. Finding a shundo in any circumstance is a major victory.
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Pokemon GO’s Most Valuable Pokemon
Pokemon GOplayers everywhere are always on the hunt for a shundo, but the odds are eternally against the community. Only about 1 in 4,000 Pokemon caught in the wild inPokemon GOare hundos. Multiply that by the 1 in 500odds of finding a shiny Pokemon, and the task of finding a shundo is pretty daunting. Still,Pokemon GOfans generally have a good attitude about it. Lots of fans like to make jokes about how their shundo hunt is going, showing each other empty inventories.
Shundos may be next to impossible to find, but then, that’s part ofthe excitement of thePokemonfranchise. Players can never know what they’ll encounter next. It could be just another Pidgey, or it could be the prized shiny Pokemon that they’ve been looking for. As ever, the key is persistence. Diligently hunting for shundos inPokemon GOhas its own value, after all; players are always getting stronger, earning Stardust and Candy to spend on a shundo later, as well as finding other powerful Pokemon along the way. Every shundo is a valuable prize for aPokemon GOfan’s dedication to the game, but asPokemongames always show, the journey is as important as the destination.
Pokemon GOis available now for Android and iOS devices.
