You’re standing at a park fountain with five other people, staring at a Shadow Mewtwo that looks like it’s breathing purple fire. Everyone is tapping their screens like caffeinated woodpeckers. Suddenly, the boss starts glowing. It hits harder. It takes less damage. You look at the bottom left of your screen and see that little purple icon. You tap it. Nothing happens. You tap it again. Still nothing.
Shadow Raids are basically the final boss of Pokémon GO right now, and the purified gem pokemon go mechanic is the only thing standing between you and a wasted Raid Pass. If you don't use them, or if you use them wrong, that Tier 5 Shadow legendary is going to wipe your team before the timer is even halfway down.
What is a Purified Gem anyway?
Let’s be real: Niantic doesn't always do a great job of explaining how these things work in the actual app. A Purified Gem is a consumable item specifically designed to "subdue" a Shadow Raid Boss. When a Shadow Boss (specifically Tier 3 and Tier 5) reaches about 60% or 70% HP, it enters an "Enraged" state.
It gets a massive boost to its Attack and Defense. Honestly, trying to power through an Enraged Tier 5 boss without gems is a suicide mission for most groups. You’ll see the boss turn into a literal tank.
To make a Gem, you need Shadow Shards. You get these by beating Team GO Rocket Grunts (usually 1 shard), Leaders (3 shards), or Giovanni (4 shards). Once you have 4 shards, Professor Willow’s Shard Refiner kicks in automatically and welds them into a single Purified Gem. You can hold up to 10 in your inventory at once. If you're at 10, stop fighting Grunts for a second because you won't get any more shards until you use some gems. It's a "use it or lose it" loop that keeps you grinding.
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The Math of Subduing the Beast
Here is where people get confused. One gem does basically nothing. It’s like throwing a pebble at a moving train. To actually "subdue" the boss and knock it out of its Enraged state, the raid group has to use a total of eight Purified Gems.
Once that eighth gem hits, the boss shrinks back down, loses those massive stat buffs, and becomes a regular, squishy target again. If you only have three people in the raid, you’re in trouble because each player can only use a maximum of five gems per raid.
Think about that. If you’re duoing a Shadow Raid (which is technically possible for some bosses), you both have to be frame-perfect with your gem usage to hit that count of eight. If one of you forgot to restock shards, the raid is likely over.
Why your gems aren't working
Have you ever tapped the button and seen the animation, but the boss stayed Enraged? It’s frustrating. Usually, this happens because of "phantom" gems or lag. Because Pokémon GO’s combat is handled on a server-client relationship that isn't always stable, sometimes the game thinks you used a gem, but the server didn't register it. Or, more commonly, your group just hasn't hit the magic number of eight yet.
There's also a weird cooldown. You can't just spam all five of your gems in two seconds. There is a slight delay between uses. If you’re seeing the "Gem Used" text but the boss is still purple and angry, keep tapping. It’s a group effort.
Strategy for the Tier 5 Shadows
Let’s talk about Mewtwo or the Legendary Birds. These fights are high stakes. If you’re running a local group, communication is the only way to win.
- The Lead-In: Don't use gems immediately. Wait for the "Enraged" notification on the screen. Using them early is a literal waste of resources.
- The 8-Gem Rule: Coordinate who is dropping what. In a group of 10 people, everyone dropping one gem is more than enough. In a group of three, everyone has to drop almost their entire stash.
- The "Wait and See" Glitch: Sometimes the boss stays Enraged even after 8 gems are used for a few seconds. Don't panic. Keep attacking. The UI often lags behind the actual math happening on the server.
Honestly, the hardest part of the purified gem pokemon go cycle is just remembering to check your bag before the raid starts. There is nothing worse than clicking into a Shadow Lugia raid and realizing you have zero gems because you forgot to clear out your Shard Refiner.
Is it worth the grind?
Some players ask if they should even bother with Shadow Raids if they have to farm Grunts all day. The answer is usually yes, but with a caveat. Shadow Pokémon have a 20% Attack boost. A Shadow Mewtwo with "bad" IVs still out-damages a 100% IV regular Mewtwo in almost every scenario.
But if you aren't prepared to play the gem game, you’re just throwing your Raid Passes into a black hole. You need to treat Shadow Shards like PokéBalls—never let yourself run out.
Misconceptions about Purified Gems
People think Purified Gems make the Pokémon easier to catch. They don't. They only affect the raid combat itself. Once you get to the catch screen, that Gem you used is gone and has zero impact on whether that Shadow Legendary stays in the ball.
Another myth: "If I use a gem, the boss takes more damage than a regular boss." Nope. The gem just brings the boss back down to its base raid stats. It stops the "Enraged" buff; it doesn't give the boss a "Weakened" debuff. You're just leveling the playing field.
Practical Steps for your next Shadow Raid
Stop treating gems like an optional power-up. They are a requirement. Before you head out for a Shadow Raid Weekend, check your item bag.
- Count your gems: If you have fewer than 8, go find some Grunts.
- Check your Shards: If you have 3 shards, fight one more Grunt to trigger the auto-refine.
- Talk to the crowd: When you get to the gym, ask the other players, "Hey, how many gems do we have?" It sounds nerdy, but it's better than losing a pass.
- Watch the HP bar: The boss will always enrage around the same time. Be ready to tap that icon the second the purple flames appear.
Focus on building a "buffer" of shards. If you hit a few Grunts every day on your commute, you’ll never have to worry about the purified gem pokemon go mechanic again. You'll just have them ready. If you're low, prioritize the "Decoy" Grunts or Leaders, as they give you the best Shard-to-time ratio.
Shadow Raids aren't going away. Niantic has doubled down on them as the premier "local" experience. Mastering the timing of your gems is basically the difference between being a top-tier trainer and someone who just watches their party faint over and over. Get your shards, make your gems, and don't tap the button until you see the boss turn red and angry.