The magic of Wonder Trade was introduced to Pokemon Trainers in Generation VI and VII. This nifty little feature allowed Trainers from all over the world to randomly trade with each other using Nintendo WiFi. For many Pokemon fans, this sounded like a dream come true. However, like many things, the reality of Wonder Trade was far less wonderful than many might have expected
Soon after this feature went live, horror stories starting popping up all over the internet. Tales of Trainers accidentally losing their beloved Starter Pokemon and receiving hacked Pokemon were commonplace. Here are some of the worst Wonder Trade horror stories out there.
10 URL Names
Some savvy Trainers were quick to jump on the introduction of Wonder Trade in Generation VI to promote something or someone. Pokemon YouTubers and streamers were guilty of this, particularly around the boom of Pokemon X and Y.
The worst part about this blatant self-promotion is that a Pokemon received off Wonder Trade can only be nicknamed by the original Trainer. Some streamers would even take this a step further, by hacking in shiny Pokemon and nicknaming them with a URL to their Twitch or YouTube channels.
The Pokemon Company have taken a stand against this. The company is banning Trainers for having URL nicknamed Pokemon in Pokemon Home.
9 Everstone Evolutions
Like regular trading, Wonder Trading can trigger trade evolutions. Some Trainers are taking inspiration from Pokemon Diamond and Pearl’s Mindy, who pulled the ultimate trick on savvy Trainers. If players were aware that Haunter could only evolve into Gengar via trade, Mindy’s request for the player to trade their easily-found Medicham seemed like a good idea.
But Mindy made herself the target of many peoples fury when she attached an Everstone to her Haunter, preventing it from evolving into Gengar. This wasn’t meant to be inspirational, but it’s common for the same trick to be pulled when Wonder Trading.
8 Rude Nicknames
The original Trainer is the only person who can change the nickname. This is a lovely way for the original Trainer to form a connection with their Pokemon, before sending them off into the big wide world of Wonder Trade.
Unfortunately, some Trainers have taken advantage of this mechanic to call their Pokemon rude names. This was the case for Trainer ai123. They were Wonder Traded a ‘No Good’ shiny Wobbufet called ‘Karen’.
This cheeky Wonder Trade is certainly one of the milder examples of what nicknamed Pokemon Trainers have received online!
7 Hacked Mons
To the uninitiated, receiving a shiny Legendary from Wonder Trade seems like a stroke of good luck. Unfortunately, Event Pokemon can’t be traded via Wonder Trade or the GTS due to a ribbon they have. This Reddit user seemed to have the best stroke of luck in human history - a Shiny, 6IV Legendary Jirachi with Pokerus in Generation 6.
Whilst it’s true that a Shiny Jirachi can be legitimately obtained with the Channel bonus disc, it was blocked by Pokemon Bank. That makes it impossible to receive a legitimate Shiny Jirachi into Gen 6.
Hacked Pokemon can be more malicious than just unlucky. Some mean-spirited Trainers were deliberately trading hacked mons via the Surprise Trade feature in Pokemon Sword and Shield, which crashed some innocent players games if they tried to use online components.
6 Breedjects
The saying goes ‘one man’s trash is another man’s treasure’. Hardcore Trainers will know that breeding their Pokemon into the ultimate fighting weapon can be a long and arduous process. More often than not, it’s inevitable that they will end up with boxes and boxes full of Pokemon which just don’t quite have the stats or nature needed.
The Wonder Trade feature is a quick and easy way for Trainers to send out these ‘Breedjects’. On one hand, it’s nice to think that these unwanted Pokemon aren’t just sat alone in a box. They might have gone to a Trainer who loves them. On the other hand, this means that it’s common for other people to receive the same ‘useless’ Pokemon over and over and over again...
5 Illegal Shinies
Illegal Shiny Pokemon are quite common on the Wonder Trade. These Pokemon are usually Legendaries, new Pokemon or starters, which are ‘shiny-locked’. This means that no matter how many times players reset, they’ll never receive a shiny version of these Pokemon.
However, hackers have uncovered data for some Shiny Pokemon in Sword and Shield. Recently, hackers have discovered the shiny versions of the Galarian Kanto Bird Pokemon - Articuno, Zapdos and Moltres. The shiny variants reportedly resemble their original Kanto forms and colours. Some players have reported receiving these illegal shiny Pokemon on Wonder Trade.
4 Imposter Syndrome
The fact that traded Pokemon are stuck with the names given to them by their original Trainers can be used for nefarious purposes. However, some players are just trying to have some fun. This was the case for Reddit user u/Dephyx, who received a regular Sawsbuck named after the Fairy-type Stag Legendary of Pokemon X - Xerneas.
This hilarious joke might be funny to some, but this Sawsbuck doesn’t look too impressed! But the creativity with names, movesets and randomness is what makes the Wonder Trade so much fun.
Maybe it could turn a quick buck on the GTS?
3 Accidental Wonder Trade
The bond between a Trainer and their starter Pokemon is one of the strongest connections in gaming history. Every Trainer can remember their first starter, the first Pokemon that starter their adventures. There are few Wonder Trade stories more horrifying than the fate of those who accidentally traded away their beloved starter Pokemon.
This might seem like it would be quite hard to do. Especially seeing as the game does warn the player multiple times before the player's Wonder Trade is confirmed. However, this wasn’t the case for Trainer blackmajik2021, who accidentally traded their Froakie away.
2 Accidental Item Trading
Trading Pokemon with items is a great way to share the love with friends and strangers across the world. It can even be the only way to get certain Pokemon. Poliwhirl will evolve into Politoed when holding the Kings Rock.
However, items can also be very useful in day-to-day Pokemon battles. If players forget to take their items away from the Pokemon they want to Wonder Trade, the items will be traded along with their Pokemon. This can be heartbreaking, especially if the Pokemon was holding rare items such as a Lucky Egg or Leftovers.
1 Getting That One Pokémon You Hate
Everyone has their own least favourite Pokemon. You know the one. Always sitting looking at you funny. One of the most common horror stories on the internet is an influx of ‘breedjects’ of a Trainer’s least favourite Pokemon. This is just bad luck. But it feels like a targeted attack. There’s no doubt that the minute the player opens their Wonder Trade doors, that hated Pokemon will be there waiting for them. How dare they be in your wonder box? This is the one thing players don’t want to happen!