How to Catch Ditto in Pokemon GO
Ditto is one of the most notable Pokemon. This isn’t because it has a very memorable design. If anything, Ditto is one of the most generic-looking Pokemon ever created, which to be fair, makes sense because that plays into its intended role. After all, it is a shapeshifter that can mimic other Pokemon with near-perfect precision. Something that has made Ditto very useful in a number of Pokemon games. To name an example, a Ditto can be surprisingly useful in Pokemon battles in the main Pokemon games. Its stats aren’t what anyone would consider to be impressive. If anything, most people would consider a Ditto’s stats to be more than enough reason to consign it to the garbage heap. Even so, its unique move Transform can provide it with its moments. For example, a Ditto can be used to reveal a problematic move-set. Similarly, a Ditto with a Choice Scarf can be a very unpleasant surprise for a buffed-up sweeper. However, a Ditto tends to be most useful because of its ability to produce Pokemon eggs of the same species as its partner, which could be very helpful for players who wanted to make the strongest teams possible.
Has Ditto Been Introduced to Pokemon GO?
As such, it is natural for people to wonder whether Ditto has been introduced to Pokemon GO. If so, they should know that it has been available since November 23 of 2016, which was when it started showing up in the wild. This is interesting because this means that Ditto was the one non-Legendary/non-Mythical Kanto Pokemon that wasn’t available in Pokemon GO from the very start, which to be fair, is understandable because its unique move Transform meant that it needed extra work.
How Can You Catch Ditto in Pokemon GO?
Amusingly, catching a Ditto isn’t as straightforward as catching most Pokemon in Pokemon GO. This is because these Pokemon won’t show up as themselves. Instead, they will show up in a transformed state, meaning that interested individuals won’t know what is what until they see a surprised “Oh?” rather than the standard “Gotcha!” upon a successful catch. Fortunately, Dittos show up as specific Pokemon, meaning that interested individuals won’t have to go after everything. Unfortunately, the list of Pokemon that Dittos can show up as changes from time to time, meaning that interested individuals will need to look up the latest list to make sure that their information is up-to-date. Otherwise, well, suffice to say that it can be very unpleasant to find out that one has been going after the wrong Pokemon after wasting hours and hours upon a Ditto hunt.
There have been consistent rules for which Pokemon species can be Dittos in disguise. First, whenever a Pokemon species that can be a Ditto received a Shiny variant, it was removed from the list before being replaced with something else. Second, Pokemon species that can be a Ditto have been consistently common, which makes sense because it would be very frustrating to catch a rare Pokemon just to find out that it was a Ditto rather than whatever interested individuals were enthused about. To name some examples, the Generation I representatives that might be disguised Dittos at the moment are Ghastly and Drowzee. Similarly, the Generation II representatives that might be disguised Dittos at the moment are Remoraid and Teddiursa while the Generation III representatives that might be disguised Dittos at the moment are Gulpin and Numel. As for the Generation IV representatives, those would be Dwebble and Foongus.
In any case, there isn’t much that interested individuals can do besides catching a lot of the Pokemon species that can be Dittos. This means using Incense, Lure Mods, and the like to increase their chances if they want to get the whole thing done as fast as possible. However, they should still expect to put a fair amount of effort into it, particularly if they are looking to level up their eventual Dittos as well. Besides this, it might be helpful for them to participate in their local Pokemon GO community. Essentially, if someone spots a Ditto, that should provide them with an idea for where they need to go next. Moving on, some people might be curious whether Shiny Dittos have been introduced or not. If so, they should know that Shiny Dittos are indeed a thing. To be exact, they were first made available in the Pokemon GO Tour: Kanto event in February of 2021. Later, Shiny Dittos were also made available in the Season of Mischief in September of 2021. Suffice to say that Shiny Dittos are about as easy to get as other Shiny Pokemon, which is to say, interested individuals might want to focus on other matters unless they are determined to get one of them. Indeed, that is the reason that Shiny Pokemon were specifically coded to be exactly what they looked like rather than Shiny Dittos in disguise so that interested individuals wouldn’t be annoyed by losing out on a Shiny Pokemon.
Why Would You Want a Ditto in Pokemon GO Anyways?
As for why people would want a Ditto in Pokemon GO, well, they are even more of a gimmick in this Pokemon game than in the main Pokemon game. For those who are curious, they are capable of transforming into the Pokemon that they face. However, they will retain their own CP as well as their own stats, meaning that a powerful Ditto might be worth using even though they will lose some time at the start of the match. Besides this, interested individuals should know that the Ditto’s Transform is a once per match thing. Essentially, it will take on the form of its first opponent. After which, it will remain in that form throughout. Due to this, it is important for interested individuals to consider what Ditto can expect to face in what order, which is bound to have a huge effect on its performance. As for what happens when two Dittos fight each other, well, suffice to say that they actually have another move in the form of Struggle.
