If I receive hacked Pokémon from a stranger in trade, does it corrupt my game in any way?
A shiny level 100 legendary is easy to spot but what if I receive a less obvious hack like any legendary from older games non shiny?
- Is it possible to weed out illegal Pokémon using the bank app? (which supposedly doesn't allow hacked Pokémon to be transferred), and
- Does owning hacked Pokémon leave a permanent effect on my game?
I neither want to gather hacked Pokémon nor do I want to hurt my gaming experience by trading with strangers but for completing the Pokédex I was planning to exchange older legendary Pokémon from my other games for those that I don't have. Like circle trading one event Pokémon I legally received for others until I have them all in my Pokédex.
Best Answer
Nintendo stated that, if they find out that a Pokémon is not legitimately acquired (ie. cheated it into the game somehow/inconsistent checksums due to savegame editing etc.), the original owner (identified by their NNID or Secret ID for instance) is marked/banned from online trading.
About your game: No need to worry about your game, a Pokémon is just some information stored in your savegame and the OT (original trainer) information is preserved so even if it is a hacked one, you can't be marked as an illegal trader because you received the Pokémon and did not distribute it.