Pokémon Go Sinnoh Stones are one of the most valuable evolution items necessary to unlock many Generation 4 evolutions to transform Pokémon into their stronger, battle-ready forms. From evolving Rhydon into the tanky Rhyperior to giving Electabuzz its electrifying upgrade into Electivire, this stone is what you must get. Unlike usual evolution items and similar to Unova Stones, Sinnoh Stones aren’t available in PokéStops and are rare. This Pokémon Go guide explains how to get Sinnoh Stones, which Pokémon evolve with them, and how to decide the smart use of each stone to never waste this hard-to-get resource.
How to Get Pokémon Go Sinnoh Stones
The easiest way to earn Sinnoh Stones is through weekly (7-day) Research Task Breakthroughs. Complete a Field Research task each day, collect seven stamps, and on the seventh, you’ll unlock a reward box. Sometimes it’s rare candy, other times berries, but every so often, you will get a Sinnoh Stone if lucky enough. As a rarity, it might take many days until you collect the stone from the Research Breakthrough event.
Alternatively, Sinnoh Stones can drop after PvP battles in casual Trainer battles and ranked Go Battle League matches. Even better, climbing ranks in the Battle League gives you another shot at random rewards, and Sinnoh Stones are in that loot pool. The drop isn’t guaranteed, but you can have four battles a day (one against AI and three with other players), so the chances can even be higher than the Research Breakthroughs. Moreover, PvP is an exciting part of the game once you get into team building.
Not the good way with a very low dropping rate, defeating Team GO Rocket Leaders including Cliff, Arlo, and Sierra can earn you a Sinnoh Stone. Giovanni can provide, too, though the drop rate is inconsistent. Lastly, Niantic occasionally adds Sinnoh Stones as part of limited-time research lines or seasonal events. These aren’t as common, but often guaranteed rewards, so it’s better not to miss them. I would recommend combining Research Breakthroughs, PvP battles, and Rocket fights. With enough consistency, you’ll collect a lot of Sinnoh Stones without relying on sheer luck.
Which Pokémon Use Sinnoh Stones to Evolve?
Sinnoh Stone is valuable because it’s an all-in-one evolution item, replacing many different stones from the mainline games. A total of 18 Pokémon chains require a Sinnoh Stone and 100 Candy to evolve.
- Aipom → Ambipom (Normal)
- Dusclops → Dusknoir (Ghost)
- Electabuzz → Electivire (Electric)
- Gligar → Gliscor (Ground/Flying)
- Male Kirlia → Gallade (Psychic/Fighting)
- Lickitung → Lickilicky (Normal)
- Magmar → Magmortar (Fire)
- Misdreavus → Mismagius (Ghost)
- Murkrow → Honchkrow (Dark/Flying)
- Piloswine → Mamoswine (Ice/Ground)
- Porygon2 → Porygon-Z (Normal)
- Rhydon → Rhyperior (Ground/Rock)
- Roselia → Roserade (Grass/Poison)
- Sneasel → Weavile (Dark/Ice)
- Female Snorunt → Froslass (Ice/Ghost)
- Tangela → Tangrowth (Grass)
- Togetic → Togekiss (Fairy/Flying)
- Yanma → Yanmega (Bug/Flying)
The Best Use for Sinnoh Stones
Not all Sinnoh evolutions are created equal. If you’ve only got one stone and a few Pokémon to evolve, you should proceed wisely. Here’s how I’d break it down after my years of dealing with it:
High-Priority Evolutions
- Weavile (from Sneasel): One of the top Dark/Ice attackers in raids (a must-have).
- Electivire (from Electabuzz): Excellent Electric-type DPS and relatively accessible candy grind.
- Mamoswine (from Piloswine): The best Ice-type attacker in the entire game, perfect for Dragon and Ground raids.
- Roserade (from Roselia): Strong Grass and Poison attacker with versatility.
Mid-Priority Evolutions
- Rhyperior (from Rhydon): Strong Ground attacker, though overshadowed by Groudon.
- Togekiss (from Togetic): Great for PvP mainly in Master League.
- Gliscor and Gallade: Handy in many situations, but not top-tier.
Low Priority Evolutions
A few creatures such as Ambipom, Lickilicky and Yanmega are have no more value than just filling the Pokédex, not to power up your raid teams. They’re good to have but don’t rush into them with your first Sinnoh Stone. I always recommend double-checking the evolution calculator before evolving to see how strong your final Pokémon will be. There’s nothing worse than wasting a stone and Candy on a low IV Pokémon you’ll never actually use.
