You've finally snagged that Sinnoh Stone after seven days of research breakthroughs or a lucky PvP win, and now you’re staring at your storage wondering where to dump it. It's a common dilemma. Honestly, the game doesn't make it easy to choose because the Sinnoh region introduced a massive wave of "cross-gen" evolutions that turned otherwise useless Kanto and Johto monsters into absolute powerhouses.
Pokemon Go Sinnoh Stone evolutions aren't just about filling a Pokedex entry; they are about resource management in a game that constantly shifts its meta.
If you waste your stone on a Lickilicky when you could have had a Mamoswine, you're going to feel it the next time a Rayquaza or Landorus pops up in raids. Let’s get into the weeds of which of these transformations actually matter and which ones are just expensive paperweights.
The Tier List for Your First Few Stones
Not all evolutions are created equal. Some of these creatures are literally the best of their type, while others are basically just "dex fillers" that you’ll never actually tap in a battle.
Mamoswine is the undisputed king here.
When you evolve Piloswine into Mamoswine, you aren't just getting a high CP monster. You are getting the premier Ice-type attacker in the entire game. Period. With Powder Snow and Avalanche, it shreds through Dragon-types. If you have a limited number of stones, your first three or four should probably go to Piloswine. It’s that simple.
Then there’s Rhyperior. While it often plays second fiddle to Mega Tyranitar or Rampardos in terms of raw DPS (Damage Per Second), Rhyperior is a tanky beast. It survives long enough to fire off multiple Rock Wrecker charges—assuming you got that move during an event or use an Elite TM. Without Rock Wrecker, it’s still good with Stone Edge, but it loses that "must-have" status.
Why Electivire and Magmortar Are Tricky
People love Electivire. It looks cool, and its Attack stat is massive. In the early days of the Sinnoh rollout, it was a top-tier Electric attacker. Today? It’s a glass cannon. It hits hard but dies if a Raid Boss even looks at it funny.
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Magmortar is even worse off. It’s outclassed by Flareon, which doesn’t even require a stone to evolve. That’s the harsh reality of Pokemon Go Sinnoh Stone evolutions—if a "free" evolution is better than a "stone" evolution, the stone version is a bad investment.
Hidden Gems in the Sinnoh Dex
While the big hitters get all the glory, there are a few niche picks that actually hold a lot of weight in the GO Battle League (PvP).
Take Togekiss. This thing is a menace in the Master League. Its Fairy typing combined with the move Charm can delete a Dragonite or a Garchomp in seconds. You’ve likely felt the frustration of watching your health bar melt away while Togekiss just flaps its wings aggressively. It’s a bulky, terrifying presence that justifies the 100 Togepi candy and the Sinnoh Stone investment.
- Porygon-Z: Looks amazing, has a high ceiling, but suffers from a terrible movepool for PvE. Unless you're a hardcore Porygon fan, keep your stone.
- Roserade: For a long time, this was the best Grass-type attacker. It's still excellent and very cheap to power up since Roselia spawns everywhere. It also doubles as a top-tier Poison attacker with Sludge Bomb.
- Honchkrow: The ultimate "budget" Flying attacker. It has very low defense, but its Sky Attack hits like a truck.
Gliscor and Weavile also sit in this middle tier. Weavile is a fantastic "backup" if you don't have enough Mamoswine, acting as both a Dark and Ice attacker. Gliscor is more of a spice pick for Great League or Ultra League, where its unique Ground/Flying typing can catch people off guard.
The Resource Trap: How to Get More Stones
The biggest frustration with Pokemon Go Sinnoh Stone evolutions is the scarcity of the stones themselves. You can't just buy them in the shop with PokeCoins.
You have to earn them through RNG.
The most consistent way to find them is through PvP. Battling your friends (up to three times a day) and battling the Team Leaders (Spark, Candela, and Blanche once a day) gives you a chance at a drop. Most players forget about the Team Leader battles. Do them on Master League difficulty; even if you lose, you have a chance at that stone.
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Research Breakthroughs are another source, but they aren't guaranteed. It's a 1-in-X chance every seven days, which is honestly a bit demoralizing when you're staring at a row of 18 different Pokemon that all need stones to reach their final forms.
Team GO Rocket Leaders sometimes drop them, and they are frequently rewards in various "Timed Research" events during Sinnoh-themed weeks. If a Sinnoh event is announced, clear your schedule. That’s your best window to stock up.
Understanding the "Shadow" Factor
Wait. Before you hit that evolve button on your 100% IV Piloswine, look at your Shadow Pokemon.
A Shadow Mamoswine is significantly more powerful than a regular one. Because Shadow Pokemon get a 20% attack boost, a "bad" IV Shadow Mamoswine will out-damage a "perfect" regular Mamoswine every single time.
The catch? It costs more Stardust and more Candy to power up.
If you are a casual player, don't worry too much about this. But if you want to solo 3-star raids or contribute heavily to 5-star raids, your Sinnoh Stones are best spent on Shadow versions of these Pokemon.
- Shadow Weavile
- Shadow Mamoswine
- Shadow Electivire
- Shadow Magnezone
These are the elite tier. Magnezone is an interesting one—it evolves from Magneton. While it's technically a Sinnoh evolution, it actually requires a Magnetic Lure Module rather than a Sinnoh Stone. It’s easy to get them confused because they were released around the same time. Stick to the stone list for now.
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The Complete Sinnoh Stone Evolution List
If you're checking your inventory, here are the monsters that specifically require that grey-and-white rock:
Aipom evolves into Ambipom. (Skip this, it's useless.)
Misdreavus evolves into Mismagius. (Cool design, zero utility.)
Murkrow evolves into Honchkrow. (Great budget attacker.)
Sneasel evolves into Weavile. (Excellent dual-type.)
Rhydon evolves into Rhyperior. (A top-tier Rock type.)
Porygon2 evolves into Porygon-Z. (Niche, mostly for the Pokedex.)
Roselia evolves into Roserade. (Top-tier Grass and Poison.)
Electabuzz evolves into Electivire. (High DPS, low bulk.)
Magmar evolves into Magmortar. (Skip, use Flareon instead.)
Togetic evolves into Togekiss. (PvP Master League god.)
Yanma evolves into Yanmega. (Decent Bug type, but Bug is a weak type overall.)
Gligar evolves into Gliscor. (Strictly for PvP enthusiasts.)
Piloswine evolves into Mamoswine. (The #1 priority for everyone.)
Kirlia (Male only) evolves into Gallade. (Decent in PvP, outclassed in raids.)
Snorunt (Female only) evolves into Froslass. (Great League staple.)
Lickitung evolves into Lickilicky. (Only if you have a massive amount of excess candy.)
Tangela evolves into Tangrowth. (A very bulky, reliable Grass type.)
Dusclops evolves into Dusknoir. (Unfortunately, it’s quite bad despite looking cool.)
Strategy for New Players
If you're starting fresh, your priority should be building a "raid-ready" team. That means focusing on the types that appear most often in 5-star raids. Dragons are everywhere. This makes Mamoswine and Togekiss your two most important Pokemon Go Sinnoh Stone evolutions.
Don't evolve them just because you have the stone. Wait until you have at least 100 candies to take them to a usable level. A level 15 Mamoswine is worse than a level 35 Glaceon (which doesn't need a stone).
Also, keep an eye on your Stardust. Evolving 10 different Sinnoh monsters will leave you with a bunch of "cool" Pokemon that are too weak to actually use in a fight. It is much better to have two level 40 Rhyperiors than six level 20 ones.
The Misconception About "Perfect" IVs
Stop waiting for a 100% IV (Hundo).
The difference in performance between a 90% IV and a 100% IV is roughly 1-2%. You won't notice it. If you have a Sinnoh Stone and a high-level Piloswine with decent stats, just evolve it. The utility you get from using that Mamoswine in raids for the next six months far outweighs the marginal benefit of waiting for a perfect one that might never show up.
Actionable Next Steps
To maximize your Sinnoh Stone utility right now, do these three things:
- Battle a Friend Daily: Even if you just use 10 CP Pokemon to get the match over with quickly, the rewards pool includes Sinnoh Stones. It's a 30-second task that solves your scarcity problem over time.
- Prioritize Piloswine and Rhydon: Ignore the others until you have a solid team of at least three Mamoswine and two Rhyperior. These two will carry you through more raids than any other Sinnoh evolution.
- Check Your GBL Rewards: If you can hit Rank 20 in the GO Battle League, you’ll get plenty of stones and Rare Candies. It's the most efficient way to farm the resources needed to actually power these things up.
The Sinnoh era of Pokemon Go was a turning point where many "old" Pokemon finally became relevant. By choosing the right evolutions, you aren't just clicking a button; you're building an arsenal that makes the rest of the game significantly easier to play. Focus on the attackers first, save the collectors' items for later, and keep battling those Team Leaders.