The most popular monsters in Pokémon GO are Shinys. However, according to our MeinMMO author Franzi Korittke, not all of them are worth seeing. What she does not like about the Shinys, she explains in this article.
Which Pokémon are we talking about? In Pokémon GO, you have the opportunity to catch the various monsters in their normal form, but some also have a Shiny version. This differs visually from the actual form and is very popular among many players.
And I am also immediately excited when it comes to Shinys. Because I mainly want one thing: a complete Shiny Dex. But I am also fascinated by the appearance of most of the shimmering specimens. Some, like Charizard or Umbreon, look much nicer in this form.
However, some Shinys do not appeal to my taste at all, and I believe they look much better in their normal form. I have summarized 8 monsters whose shimmering form I find the ugliest below and explain what bothers me about them.
I have only considered the Pokémon that can already be caught as Shiny in the game. The ranking order corresponds to my personal sympathy for the respective Shiny, starting with the one I find the ugliest.
1. Dragonite
What kind of Pokémon is this? Dragonite is the final evolution of Dratini. The Pokémon originates from the 1st generation of games and belongs to the Dragon and Flying types. Its shiny variant can currently only be obtained by evolving Dratini through Dragonair.
What bothers me about the Shiny? The shiny form of Dragonite is one of the Pokémon in the game, whose Shiny I find simply failed. If you look at the shiny variants of its pre-evolutions, they shine in a strong purple. And with that, they make quite an impression.
This would certainly also apply to Dragonite. But not so. The shiny Dragon and Flying Pokémon suddenly turns green when evolving and does not match Dratini and Dragonair at all. And even compared to its normal variant, the shiny in this color, from my perspective, makes no impression at all.
2. Mamoswine
What kind of Pokémon is this? Mamoswine is the final evolution of Swinub. It originates from the 4th generation of games and belongs to the Ice and Ground types. As a Shiny, you can only obtain it by evolving a shiny Swinub.
What bothers me about the Shiny? Mamoswine along with the entire Swinub family have become victims of a terrible green tone when designing the Shiny. While Swinub still shines in a somewhat acceptable subtle green, it gets worse with each evolution.
Mamoswine’s body is simply covered in a dirty green fur layer that resembles mold and does not fit such a graceful being at all. The strong brown hue of its normal form looks, in my opinion, a thousand times more attractive.
3. Moltres
What kind of Pokémon is this? Moltres is a legendary Pokémon from the first generation of games and belongs to the Fire and Flying types. It has no pre- or evolutions. You can occasionally encounter the Pokémon in level-5 raids.
What bothers me about the Shiny? The legendary Pokémon is supposed to appear as a graceful fire bird. This is optimally reflected in the coloring of the normal form.
And even if the designers have oriented themselves to similar color schemes here and tried to clearly distinguish the shiny Pokémon from the normal form, I like the original much better.
This is because they have colored the body of the legendary monster reddish. As a result, it looks no longer graceful, but rather resembles a plucked chicken trying to fly with the few remaining feathers it has.
By the way: Moltres has both a Kanto form and a Galar form, which looks worlds better and is personally my favorite of all variants. This was recently found in the game code of Pokémon GO, giving trainers hope for a release.
4. Espeon
What kind of Pokémon is this? Espeon is one of a total of 8 evolutions of Eevee. The Pokémon originates from the 2nd generation of games and belongs to the Psychic type. You can only obtain its shiny variant by catching a shiny Eevee and evolving it into Espeon.
What bothers me about the Shiny? You can recognize the normal form of Espeon by its light lilac-colored body. This color fits perfectly with its cat-like, graceful body, in my opinion. And also regarding its Psychic type, this color choice works out well.
Therefore, it is surprising when you encounter a neon green Espeon after evolving a shiny Eevee. This does not match the rest of the appearance at all and gives me the indication “Caution poisonous! Do not touch!”.
And also compared to the other evolutions of Eevee, I cannot understand how one could decide on this color for the design. After all, the other Shinys appear much more cohesive and impress, like Umbreon or Sylveon. So, I definitely stick with the original when it comes to Espeon.
What tricks there are for Evolving Eevee, you can find out in our guide:
5. Palpitoad
What kind of Pokémon is this? And the Psychic Pokémon Palpitoad also ranks among my list of the ugliest Shiny Pokémon. The monster from the 3rd generation is the evolution of Klang, but it can also be found in its shiny form in the wild.
What bothers me about the Shiny? Also with Palpitoad, the designers have again reached for the green and yellow color pot. While the normal form shines in a beautiful light blue and the red accents underline its special appearance, the Shiny appears dull.
Its body has simply been changed to a light green in the Shiny, and the red highlight has been replaced by a pale yellow. Comparing both variants, the shiny form completely fades away. For this reason, the normal form is also my personal favorite here.
6. Shardrago
What kind of Pokémon is this? The Dragon Pokémon Shardrago is from the 5th generation of games and has no pre- or evolutions. You have the opportunity to get it in its shiny form occasionally in level-3 raids.
What bothers me about the Shiny? Shardrago looks very coherent in its normal form. Its body shines in a nice strong blue hue, and the red head as well as the red horns on its back complete this picture. In its Shiny form, however, Shardrago is green – grass green!
The color is also very strong, but it seems so dominant to me that its now yellow head does not stand out properly. Perhaps it would have been better if Nintendo had also kept the head of the shiny variant in a rich red.
I definitely prefer the normal variant of Shardrago, even though the shiny form, unlike most other monsters on this list, is at least still presentable.
7. Zigzagoon
What kind of Pokémon is this? The Fighting Pokémon Zigzagoon originates from the 5th generation of games and can evolve into Linoone and then into Obstagoon. You can occasionally obtain this monster in level-1 raids.
What bothers me about the Shiny? Also with this Pokémon, I find the color choice of its shiny simply not particularly fitting. While the normal Zigzagoon has a beautiful brown rodent-like body, the feeling is that the shiny has simply had the color dial turned in a photo editing program.
Thus, the shiny specimen appears simply gaudy and not beautiful at all. While this improves somewhat with its two evolutions, Meistagrif can be considered a solid Shiny, but still, the normal forms of this evolutionary line seem much more impressive to me.
8. Slaking
What kind of Pokémon is this? The Normal Pokémon Slaking originates from the 3rd generation of games and is the final evolution of Bummelz. You can only obtain its shiny variant through evolving.
What bothers me about the Shiny? Unlike most other Pokémon on this list, Slaking probably bothers me the least. Similar to Dragonite, I am also disappointed with the implementation of this evolutionary line. If you look at Shiny-Bummelz, it shines in a beautiful and cute pink.
This clearly distinguishes it from its normal brown form. However, the designers have obviously abandoned this concept with Muntier and opted for a light cream tone that only differs slightly from the original.
And even with Slaking, only the white collar was adjusted and colored in a subtle light brown. Even if a pink body might not have quite suited this gorilla-like Pokémon, I think there could have been a clearer color difference here.
Shinies that hardly differ from the original
The list of Shinys that I do not like is far from over. However, I would like to particularly mention a group of shiny Pokémon: the inconspicuous ones. These are not per se ugly but are simply poorly implemented because they hardly differ from their normal form.
This means the differences are so minimal that the changes are barely recognizable. I find this very unfortunate because, in my view, Shinys primarily serve the function of being shown off. Whether in a gym or in battle, you want to share your joy over your new Shiny with other players, and yes, I admit it, also to show off a bit.
Monsters that one cannot identify at first glance, of course, do not fare well. These include, in my view, especially the following Shinys:
- Zekrom
- Zapdos
- Gengar
- Togetic
- Sunkern
- Plusle
- Lunatone
But even with some starter Pokémon like Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and Charmander as well as Pikachu, the color differences are hardly noticeable.
My conclusion about the Shinys
Even if I do not like the Shinys mentioned above at all, and for that reason, I will not proudly show them off in gyms or battles, I still look forward to encountering them.
This does not stop me from welcoming them in my Poké Bag. Therefore, I will continue to actively hunt for Shinys to gradually get closer to my goal of a complete Shiny PokéDex.
What do you think of the Shinys in Pokémon GO? Which ones do you dislike at all? And what color do you think they should have? Feel free to share your opinion with us here on MeinMMO in the comments and exchange thoughts with other trainers.
