The Shiny or Variocolor editions of Pokémon are an exciting innovation introduced by Niantic to search for the most exclusive Pokémon in the game. These Pokémon do not possess special abilities or have higher Combat Points (CP) than average; however, their rarity makes them truly unique.
What are Shiny Pokémon in Pokémon GO?
Shiny or Variocolor Pokémon have a completely different color palette compared to their original version. For example, Charizard, which is normally orange and red, has a Shiny version with a grayish tone. The inclusion of these Pokémon in Pokémon GO has encouraged trainers to catch more creatures in search of the coveted Shiny version.
It’s important to mention that some Shiny Pokémon can be difficult to identify due to subtle changes in their appearance. Usually, they can be recognized by the stars that appear in the background of their image.
Do Shiny Pokémon have anything special?
Having a Shiny Pokémon doesn’t provide any tactical advantage to your team; it’s simply a visual variant of the Pokémon. Some Shiny Pokémon appear in raids and may require multiple attempts, even months, to capture them.
What makes Shiny Pokémon interesting is that other trainers might be eager to find a variation you have duplicates of, and you could trade it for another Pokémon that you find very difficult to obtain.
How can I obtain these Pokémon?
Generally, you will encounter Shiny Pokémon while you’re hunting. You won’t be able to identify if a Pokémon is Shiny until it appears on the capture screen because they appear as normal Pokémon on the radar. Only when you’re about to catch it will you notice its color change.
Pokémon from raids can also be Shiny, although you won’t notice the color change until you catch them.
Even Pokémon hatched from eggs can be Shiny, which means the Pokémon that hatches from the egg could be a Shiny version.
How many Shiny Pokémon are there?
Niantic continues to expand the list of Shiny Pokémon until every creature in the Pokédex has its corresponding Shiny version. In summary, the best way to discover them is to go out and hunt those Pokémon that you might have previously overlooked. Remember, you still don’t have them all!
