Pokemon trainer gets Lv100 Shiny Blastoise in surprise trade, but there’s a catch
NintendoShiny Pokemon appearing in surprise trades are moments some players will never forget, and for this trainer on Pokemon Sword and Shield, a reaction of jubilation was only natural after receiving a Blastoise. However, the story wasn’t all rosy.
As regular players will know by now, Shinies are not just spawning all over the place in the Galar Region – nor are they in any other part of the fictional world. In fact, it takes serious persistence to get ahold of one legitimately, and there are a few tactics you can utilize to get better at finding them.
If you’re a seriously lucky person, though, trading can be a great way to grab one as well. Some really generous members of the community have been known to send Shiny Pokemon through this method, leaving the other trainer delighted.
Now, the reaction was of delight and excitement this time, but there was an ugly underbelly to what appeared to be a great moment.
Pokemon CompanyPokemon Sword and Shield surprise trade
As seen below, Reddit user Vegaworldpeace was extremely grateful for the gift. A Shiny Blastoise is a difficult Pokemon to get in normal circumstances, so to have one handed to you is a big deal.
They said: “Someone sent me a LV 100 shiny Blastosie in a surprise trade!”
That being said, quite quickly a number of other users in the subreddit realized this one might be too good to be true.
“Definitely hacked man. Sorry to say,” one posted, which led to a group of players hinting at the same possibility. After checking the Pokemon IVs and the trainer ID for the Pokemon, it was certain that the mon was definitely hacked – which led, they say, to the player releasing it into the wild.
“It looks like the original trainer was a shorten URL. I try to mess with no hacks so I’ll release it. Thanks for the info everyone, definitely wasn’t try to break any rules within this community.”
A few people had suspected that the post was advertising hacked Pokemon, which is something that’s been seen before in the subreddit. However, it appears to have been a genuine mistake.
How do you know if your Pokemon is hacked?
NintendoThere are a few indicators that your Pokemon may be hacked. It’s always handy to check after trading as well, especially if you want your team to be squeaky clean.
First of all, you can check the IVs of the Pokemon. If they are all perfect, chances are that your latest recruit has been hacked, but that’s not the only indicator. The Trainer ID connected to the Pokemon may also be blank, named after a website selling hacks, or a shortened URL.
These are the main flags to suggest it actually originated through hacks, not caught in a traditional way.
As always, we would encourage players to stay away from hacked Pokemon at all costs. If you ever have a problem, or suspicion, that one of yours may be hacked – tweet us @PokemonSwordNS at any time and we’ll check it out!