It’s easier than ever to catch Shiny Pokemon but fans still aren’t happy

Nathan Ellingsworth
A screenshot from Pokemon Scarlet & Violet shows a Shiny version of Rowlet, the owl Pokemon

Fans think Pokemon Scarlet & Violet have a Shiny problem. Ever since the differently-hued little dudes were introduced in Pokemon Gold & Silver, with the iconic Red Gyarados at Lake Rage, the odds of finding a Shiny have halved from the original around 1 in 8000, to now base odds of around 1 in 4000.

Then, methods such as Shiny chaining, the Poke Radar, Massive Mass Outbreaks, and recently Paldea’s Shiny Sandwich recipes, all help to further increase the odds of finding one of the rare things. Plus there’s even the amazing help of the Shiny Charm, a reward for completing the Pokedex.

Game Freak pleased fans by announcing a series of Mass Outbreaks for Pokemon Scarlet & Violet, the first of which focused on Pikachu and pals. Creatures like Pichu, Pikachu, and even the Ghost-type Mimikyu invaded the game with dramatically increased Shiny odds.

But in one Reddit post, players are now arguing that this long series of changes has led to Shiny Pokemon no longer being the trophy they once were, and instead now just a simple test of patience.

In the post, titled “Do you think Shinies are too easy to get nowadays?” the author shows a picture of six Shiny Alolan Raichu, with the caption, “I got these 6 in a bit over an hour, doing nothing but defeating all Pokemon in the current event outbreaks with the addition of the Shiny Charm and in my opinion it’s just too easy to get shinies now.”

A major difference between older games and the current ones is that players can see around twenty Pokemon on screen at any given time, instead of painstakingly encountering them one at a time.

One comment brings this up, saying, “The issue isn’t that they are particularly easier “ unless using sandwiches/boosted odd events “. It’s more so the encounter rate of violet. You can see hundreds of pokemon insanely quickly compared to old school games.”

A different argument going against this, however, is that a lot of modern Shiny Pokemon are actually hardly distinguishable from their regular counterparts, with creatures like Charcadet, Tandemaus, and Paldean Tauros, in particular, being very hard to make out in the Shiny form.

“It for sure makes things faster on some hunts, but there is arguments to be mad that it’s harder still yet. Some shiny mons are so ambiguous from normal versions. You could be looking right at them, and not know it” explains one comment.

Regardless of whether Shiny Pokemon are more common, many seem happy with the increase in their hauls, as one person comments, “In general? yeah. I didn’t get a shiny from the time I was 10 until I was 31 or 32… Now I have a whole bunch in just the 4 years since. Not that I mind, they’re cool.”

Finally, another option for anyone feeling cheated by the increase in Shiny odds can also omit any of the Shiny hunting methods. “if you want full odds, don’t get shiny charm don’t do outbreaks than there ya go 1/4000 shiny” adds one comment.

If you want a different kind of challenge, learn how to defeat 7-Star Pikachu in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet Tera Raids, or check out our how to get Koraidon & Miraidon in Pokemon Scarlet Violet next.