Alexis Kestler
Ever since shinies were introduced in the second generation of Pokemon games, these ultra rare alternate color variants of Pokemon have become the white whales for avid collectors and hunters across the fanbase. The excitement that comes from that thrilling first-time shiny encounter, complete with its unique animation and sound effect, becomes highly addicting. But the baseline odds of finding a shiny in the wild typically sit around 1 in 4096… daunting to say the least!
Over the years, players have discovered tricks and techniques to dramatically tip the scales in their favor when shiny hunting. The newest entries in the series, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, introduce new mechanics like picnic sandwiches that have reignited the thrill of the hunt. This guide will dive deep into all the methods for maximizing your shiny catching potential in Gen 9. You‘ll gain the knowledge needed to build those odds into your favor and finally land those highly coveted shiny Pokemon!
A Brief History of Shinies
Let‘s first appreciate how we got to this point. Shinies first appeared in Pokemon Gold and Silver as the developers programmed color palette swaps. It was completely unintentional and extremely rare, estimated to be a 1 in 8,192 chance of encountering one. But when players discovered them, it became a huge deal and marker of dedicated trainers.
Some iconic early shinies include the glittering red Gyarados in the Lake of Rage, and the following generation‘s gold Magikarp that evokes James Bond‘s fame. Competitive players also sought out shinies, as the different colors made it easier to distinguish their Pokemon on the battlefield.
The odds improved to 1 in 4096 in later generations, but shinies retained their mythical allure. To this day, landing that ultra rare shiny you‘ve been pursuing provides a magical Pokemon moment. Now let‘s make sure you can stack all the available knowledge and tools in Scarlet/Violet to make that dream a reality!
Picnics and Sandwiches – Tasty Shiny Buffs
One of the most innovative additions in Scarlet/Violet is the picnic mechanic. By crafting sandwiches using various ingredients and consumables found throughout Paldea, players can gain limited time buffs and bonuses. These include improved catch rates, more XP from battles, boosted damage, hatching eggs faster, and our main attraction – increased shiny odds!
Specifically, sandwiches that utilize Herba Mystica will provide the shiny boost. These rare, glittering plants can only be obtained as reward drops from 5 and 6 star Tera Raids. Tera Raids are a new cooperative battle activity where you and up to three other players take on supercharged Tera Pokemon. Here are the reported shiny odds improvements provided by sandwiches featuring Herba Mystica, according to community data gathering:
| Sandwich Ingredients | Shiny Odds Improvement |
|---|---|
| Salty Herba Mystica x2 | Approximately 3x |
| Salty Herba Mystica x1 + Sweet Herba Mystica x1 | Approximately 5x |
| Salty Herba Mystica x1 + Spicy Herba Mystica x1 | Approximately 5x |
As you can see, stacking multiple Herba Mystica varieties delivers even more powerful shiny boosting effects. While the exact multipliers are still being researched, players generally agree you‘re somewhere between 3 to 5 times more likely to encounter a shiny while the sandwich buff is active.
Now let‘s dive into the ideal sandwich recipes for targeting shinies of specific Pokemon types:
| Pokemon Type | Ingredients |
|---|---|
| Normal | 1x Chorizo, 2x Salty Herba Mystica |
| Fire | 1x Basil, 1x Salty Herba Mystica, 1x Sweet Herba Mystica |
| Water | 1x Cucumber, 2x Salty Herba Mystica |
| Grass | 1x Lettuce, 1x Salty Herba Mystica, 1x Sour Herba Mystica |
| Ghost | 1x Red Onion, 2x Salty Herba Mystica |
| Steel | 1x Hamburger, 1x Salty Herba Mystica, 1x Sweet Herba Mystica |
| Dragon | 1x Avocado, 2x Salty Herba Mystica |
| Dark | 1x Smoked Fillet, 1x Salty Herba Mystica, 1x Sweet Herba Mystica |
| Fairy | 1x Tomato, 2x Salty Herba Mystica |
| Flying | 1x Prosciutto, 2x Salty Herba Mystica |
| Fighting | 1x Pickles, 2x Salty Herba Mystica |
| Poison | 1x Noodles, 2x Salty Herba Mystica |
| Psychic | 1x Onion, 2x Salty Herba Mystica |
| Ice | 1x Klawf Stick, 2x Salty Herba Mystica |
| Bug | 1x Cherry Tomato, 2x Salty Herba Mystica |
| Electric | 1x Yellow Pepper, 1x Salty Herba Mystica, 1x Spicy Herba Mystica |
| Ground | 1x Ham, 2x Salty Herba Mystica |
| Rock | 1x Jalapeno, 2x Salty Herba Mystica |
Stock up on the rarer ingredients like Avocado, Tomato, and Red Onion before crafting the trickier recipes there like Dragon, Ghost, and Fairy. Their ingredients can be more fickle to shop for at vendors.
Now let‘s explore some other factors to consider when putting together your sandwich strategy:
- Effects last 30 minutes – Make multiple to refresh as needed
- Use Sparkling Power to extend duration to 60 minutes
- Craft sandwiches to match the type you‘re hunting for the optimal boost
- Keep reapplying sandwiches to accumulate odds over time
- Eat one right before entering an outbreak or distortion for maximum impact
While sandwiches provide a major advantage, just keep in mind it‘s still ultimately up to the whims of lady luck. You could see a shiny quickly or it may take many hours. Stay determined and keep consuming those tasty sandwiches to build up the probability in your favor over time!
Chaining for Improved Odds
Another reliable way to greatly improve your shiny odds is through battle chaining. This involves defeating dozens of the same Pokemon species in a row without any disruptions or breaks in the chain. The longer the chain, the higher your shiny chances become.
Here are the reported chain lengths and their effect on shiny odds according to community data gathering:
| Chain Length | Shiny Odds Improvement |
|---|---|
| 10+ | 2x |
| 20+ | 3x |
| 30+ | 4x |
| 40+ | 5x+ |
You can track your current chain under the Pokedex menu. To keep a chain going:
- Only defeat the specific Pokemon you‘re chaining
- Run away from all other spawns in between
- Have an Adrenaline Orb ready to call for help and restore a broken chain
- Abilities like Static help prevent chain-breaking
- Defeat Pokemon, don‘t catch them to speed up chaining
Once you get a chain of 40+ going, your shiny odds are an estimated 5x or greater compared to baseline rates. Combine chaining with sandwiches for even more compounding effects!
Some key tips for effective chaining:
- Pick an area with plentiful spawns of your target species
- Have Pokemon with False Swipe to get them low HP without breaking the chain
- Paralysis moves like Thunder Wave help make chaining easier
- Bring lots of lures like Smoke Bombs to quickly respawn an area
- Master dodging unwanted spawns to keep the chain intact
- Stay alert as high chains can break suddenly and abruptly
With sufficient skill and practice, you can reliably build chains up into the hundreds. This keeps shiny odds maxed out over time compared to sporadic hunting. Now let‘s look at how outbreaks take chaining to the next level.
Mass Outbreaks – Shiny Hunting on Steroids
Mass outbreaks are a new mechanic in Scarlet/Violet where spawns of a specific Pokemon radically increase for a limited time in a small area. These can occur randomly, or be forced by using the Jet Ball item. Outbreaks provide a triple shiny odds bonus inherently. When combined with chaining and sandwiches, outbreaks take odds to astronomical levels.
Here are the estimated baseline odds in outbreaks according to data gathering:
- Standard odds – 1 in 2048
- With Shiny Charm – 1 in 1024
- While chaining – Up to 1 in 512
And when you add sandwiches into the mix, you could be looking at 1 in 100+ odds once you have a high chain and sandwich active! Needless to say, mass outbreaks are the golden goose for shiny hunting right now. By resetting outbreaks repeatedly, you‘re essentially rolling a 100-sided die over and over, where landing on that one golden number results in a jackpot shiny.
Some tips for maximizing outbreak hunting:
- Don‘t catch Pokemon, defeat them to sustain chains
- Have a Sandwich active before entering the outbreak
- Bring Smoke Bombs to quickly respawn the horde
- If no shiny appears, reset by visiting a town and returning
- Save at Camps so you can soft reset if the outbreak disappears
With some diligence and luck, landing multiple shinies from a single outbreak is very achievable. This is currently the premier method to grind for these ultra rare variants!
Shiny Charm – Passive Increased Odds
The Shiny Charm in Pokemon Scarlet/Violet offers a great passive buff to shiny odds simply by having it in your bag. It provides roughly a 3x bonus multiplier. You‘ll obtain this invaluable item late in the game after sufficiently completing the Paldean Pokedex.
Ensure you grab the Shiny Charm as soon as possible, as it stacks multiplicatively with all other methods. Here are the estimated base odds with the charm equipped, before chaining, sandwiches, etc:
- Standard odds – Approximately 1 in 1024
- In outbreaks – Estimated 1 in 2048
- When breeding – Around 1 in 512
So use this item in conjunction with outbreaks, sandwiches, and chaining to maximize your probability!
Breeding – Hatching Shinies
Breeding Pokemon still remains a viable method to obtain shinies, especially for species difficult to reliably chain or spawn in the wild. The baseline odds with the Shiny Charm are estimated to be around 1 in 512. This can be lowered further by:
- Utilizing the Masuda method – Breeding Pokemon from different language games
- Using parents from two different regions
- Having a shiny parent as one of the breeders
While not as efficient as mass outbreaks overall, breeding is still a great option for snagging shinies:
- Target species that rarely outbreak like starters and legendaries
- Take breaks from outbreak hunting by breeding
- Hatch eggs while doing other activities in game
- Viable for shiny mythicals like Victini that cannot be caught
So utilize breeding alongside other methods to cover all your bases!
Distortions – Random Shiny Rolls
As you explore Paldea, you‘ll occasionally encounter mysterious distortions that spawn rare and powerful Pokemon for a limited time. These provide 3x improved shiny odds innately, with the potential for further boosts.
Some tips for distortion shiny hunting:
- Have a sandwich active when entering
- Quickly defeat spawns and wait for respawns
- Repeatedly enter and exit to force more rolls
- Camp next to distortions to reset them quickly
While more random, distortions provide periodic dice rolls for free shinies while simply exploring. With sandwiches, you‘ll average a 1 in 1000 chance per spawn.
Key Items – Radar, Lures, and Balls
Some other key items that will support your shiny hunting endeavors:
- Poke Radar – Detects nearby mass outbreaks, improves chaining
- Smoke Bombs – Quickly respawn an area to retry for shinies
- Adrenaline Orbs – Call for ally Pokemon to maintain a chain
- Jet Balls – Trigger a mass outbreak of your choosing
Use these gadgets wisely to maximize efficiency while chaining and outbreak hunting. Smoke Bomb and Adrenaline Orb in particular will become your best friends!
And be sure to have Quick Balls, Dusk Balls, and your strongest Poke Balls ready for catching shinies reliably once encountered.
Team Composition – Build a Shiny Hunting Squad
Having the right group of Pokemon assisting you will also make the hunt much smoother. Here are some recommended species:
- Smeargle – Learns False Swipe/Soak/Thunder Wave/Spore
- Dedenne/Pachirisu – Has Static to prevent chains breaking
- Voltorb/Electrode – Fast and knows self-damaging moves
- Talonflame – High speed to quickly KO spawns
- Breloom – Has Effect Spore and False Swipe
- Gastrodon – Ground type immune to Electric Terastallizing
Make sure your team has plenty of False Swipe users, paralyzing moves, Adrenaline Orbs, and high mobility. Grind them up to be overleveled to easily plow through massive outbreaks.
Putting It All Together
With the knowledge from this guide, you now have a wealth of methods to obliterate the base 1 in 4096 shiny odds and ascend into the realm of consistent shiny hunting. Here‘s a high level summary:
- Sandwiches – Up to 5x, target Pokemon‘s type
- Outbreaks – Up to 3x innate, then chain for more boosts
- Shiny Charm – Around 3x passive odds increase
- Chaining – Up to 5x+ shiny odds at high chains
- Breeding – 1 in 512 base odds with Shiny Charm
- Distortions – Random rolls at 1 in 1000+ with sandwiches
Compound these together to achieve 1 in 100 (or better!) odds for most encounters. Remember it still requires patience and luck, but you‘ll be amazed at how quickly the shinies start pouring in.
Now get out there, grind some Herba Mystica from Tera Raids, cook up some shiny sandwiches, and may the shinies be ever in your favor! This guide has equipped you with everything you need to know to stacked shiny hunting in your favor. Time to claim those scintillating shinies!
