Shiny Pokémon are very popular in Pokémon GO. However, not all Shinys are equally cool, some trainers find.
Finding a Shiny in Pokémon GO is always a highlight. The rare monsters with altered coloring are particularly popular with collectors and bring variety to one’s Pokémon collection.
However, while some Shinys differ significantly from their “normal” versions, others are only slightly altered. Often it’s only the small “sparkle” effect during the encounter that indicates it’s even a Shiny.
And there is another Shiny trap: namely monsters that can evolve into “less cool” Shinys. Trainers are currently discussing this in the Pokémon GO subreddit.
Trainer advises: Check Shiny Pokémon before evolving
What is the problem? In the Pokémon GO subreddit (via reddit), user “TheHammer8989” talks about a Shiny Chansey – and a regretted evolution: “I made the mistake of evolving a shiny Chansey. It looked much cooler as a Chansey. Its evolved form looks almost identical to the normal one,” “TheHammer8989” reports in the comments and asks: “Are there other Pokémon I shouldn’t evolve?”
Additionally, another player chimes in and claims to have had the same experience with Chansey: “I seriously thought the game forgot it was Shiny” (via reddit).
You can check out how Chansey, its pre-evolution Happiny, and its evolution Blissey look here:
In response to the original question, many trainers have chimed in; the post has already gathered over 300 comments. There, players provide various tips on which Shiny Pokémon they would have preferred to leave in their previous form during evolution.
Here are a few examples:
Swablu: Shiny Swablu are likely already owned by some players who have been around longer. It had its community day in summer 2019, providing many players the opportunity to catch it. In February 2023, it has another spotlight hour if you want to try your luck.
However, you should consider whether you want to evolve Shiny Swablu into Altaria or its other evolution. The current top reply in the thread states: “Let Swablu remain a Swablu” (via reddit). The differences are shown here:
Gible: Garchomp is also criticized in the thread; some players find its pre-evolutions Gible and Gabite to be cooler Shinys (via reddit). However, for Garchomp, there is the argument that it belongs to the strongest attackers in Pokémon GO.
Snubbull: A user brings up Snubbull and receives support; one user even states: “Shiny Granbull is the worst Shiny in the game” (via reddit). Another user claims it would look like it lost its fur when evolved (via reddit).
Here you can assess it for yourself:
Ducklett: Ducklett is also mentioned and receives support (via reddit). Some users apparently appreciate it more than its evolution Swanna:
Larvitar and Pupitar: While Larvitar and Pupitar are quite popular in the discussion, the final evolution Tyranitar is criticized: “Super disappointing,” a user finds (via reddit).
In the discussion, other monsters come up. For instance, some players are not fans of Gengar, which they believe hardly differs from the “original,” but at least in Mega Form it offers a noticeable difference. Pokémon such as Dragonite, Magnezone, or some Eevee evolutions are also mentioned.
When evolving Shinys, a certain degree of curiosity plays a role in what color a monster might evolve into – but then one also has a risk: “Check the Shiny version of the Pokémon you want to evolve,” advises a trainer (via reddit): “That has saved me from some frustrating evolutions.”
In the end, it’s a matter of taste which Shinys one finds cool and which not. Which shiny Pokémon do you find particularly stylish? And with which monsters have you experienced that you perhaps should not have evolved them? Tell us in the comments!
And if you want to test your Shiny knowledge: Here you will find a quiz where you have to recognize shiny monsters in Pokémon GO.
