Inkay, the little squid-like Pokemon from the Kalos region, is part of the Pokemon Go universe. However, players who want to evolve it into Malamar need to be aware of a special trick.
Evolving one’s favorite creatures in Pokemon Go is usually quite straightforward. Most of them follow the same simple structure: earn enough Candy by catching and transferring that particular species, and you’ll be able to evolve it.
Some Pokemon deviate from this traditional method, though. Galarian Farfetch’d, for example, requires the player to make 10 Excellent Throws before you can evolve it, while each Eeveelution has its own naming trick.
Inkay is similar in this regard. So, if you’re trying to get yourself a Malamar to dominate the Great Battle League, here’s how to evolve the Dark/Psychic-type Pokemon in Niantic’s mobile game.
How to evolve Inkay into Malamar
To evolve Inkay into Malamar in Pokemon Go, you must feed it 50 Inkay Candy while holding your phone upside down.
For those who have a gyroscope feature on the phone, you’ll likely notice an upside-down question mark and a prompt that states that Inkay has a special evolution. To trigger it, turn the phone upside down.
This might seem strange, but doing so will enable you to evolve Inkay. As many Trainers expected, this method is based on the mainline Pokemon games, where players had to turn their console upside down to evolve it into Malamar.
Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest updates on Esports, Gaming and more.
Considering Inkay’s nickname is the Revolving Pokemon and Malamar’s nickname is the Overturning Pokemon, it’s quite a clever (and fun!) evolution trick.
How to catch Inkay in Pokemon Go
There are a number of ways you can find Inkay in Pokemon Go:
- As a wild spawn
- As a 12 km Egg hatch (if available)
- As a Tier 1 Raid Boss (if available)
- As a reward for completing event-exclusive Field Research.
Malamar base stats and best moveset
| Max CP (Level 40) | Attack | Defense | Stamina | Best Moveset (Offense) | Best Moveset (Defense) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2,359 | 177 | 165 | 200 | Psycho CutFoul Play | PeckHyper Beam |
As a Dark/Psychic-type, Malamar is a great offensive ‘mon especially effective against any Psychic-type Raid bosses. Psycho Cut and Foul Play provide great coverage and capitalize on its dual typing but do keep in mind that you’re going to have a tough time against Bug or Fairy-types, both of which counter Malamar.
Recently, Inkay was part of Psychic Spectacular, a Max Out season event that introduced Hattena and Dynamax Beldum to the game.
As it spawned more often in the wild, players were able to gather the required Candy to evolve it and use it in the Great League, where it sits at the 9th spot for best Pokemon of the season according to Pvpoke.
That’s all you need to know to evolve Inkay into Malamar in Pokemon Go. Don’t forget to stay up to date with the game by checking out what’s in the shop this week, our promo codes, the Spotlight Hour schedule, and the Community Day hub.