Game Freak is ushering in the New Year with a neat little treat for Pokémon Sword and Shield fans.
Due to end tomorrow, January 3rd, this extremely time-limited event makes catching the rarest of all ‘Mons just that little bit easier. No, we’re not referring to legendary or even mythical beasts, but the holy grail of all collections, Shinies. The term, for those unaware, refers to Pokémon that sport a color scheme different to that of their standard counterparts. A Shiny Charizard, for example, trades its usual muted orange scales for jet black hide and remains one of the most popular.
Sadly, however, this particular occasion is limited to just a single Pokémon and it isn’t Charmander. The slippery customer much more likely to show up as a Shiny in this event is none other than Magikarp.
Unlike the usual process of hatching eggs and chaining, however, Game Freak says any Magikarp found in Raids (encounter rates are boosted across the board) will have a massively increased chance of being Shiny. Useless for anything other than being served on a dinner plate it may be, but as any veteran fan will know, Magikarp’s evolved form – Gyarados – is arguably one of the strongest Pokémon ever created and currently sits at the top of most competitive tier lists.
As is the case for normal Raids, you’ll need to venture into Sword and Shield‘s Wild Area and start surveying any active Dens to see if they contain the prey you’re looking for. You won’t know until going into battle, however, whether your quarry is a Shiny or simply the standard version. To boost your odds, our recommendation would be to gather a group of friends, individually scan your own Raids and then group up and knock each one out after the other.
Good luck!
