Shiny Pokémon are alternate palette swaps of regular Pokémon, and they’re extremely rare—you naturally have a 1/8192 chance of finding one of these in the wild (or 1/4096, if you’re playing any game that is or beyond Pokémon X and Y). Depending on the game, if you complete your entire Pokédex, you are rewarded for your efforts with the Shiny Charm, an item that raises your chances even further to 1/4096 (or, again, 1/1365 past X and Y). There are plenty of people within the Pokémon community who have made a hobby of hunting these super-rare color palettes, known as “shiny hunters.”
I am one such shiny hunter. I’ve been scouring several different games for the past few years in search of these alternately colored Pokémon, and I’ve seen almost every Shiny Pokémon’s appearance. There are some that are okay, some that are not-so-great, and then there are the absolute best of the best. Here are 10 of the greatest Shiny Pokémon of all time, ranked from great to best.
10. Charizard
Let’s face it: There’s absolutely no way Charizard wouldn’t have made this list somehow. It was a tough choice between Charizard and Greninja (another iconic black Shiny Pokémon), but Charizard ended up taking the spot. Shiny Charizard wasn’t always colored this way—alongside several other Pokémon, Charizard’s Shiny appearance was changed in Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, from purple and green to its current black and red. Already a beloved Pokémon, Charizard gets even more hype for this stunning color combo. If you’re feeling extra patient and willing to break your game a little bit, you can even encounter a wild Shiny Charizard in Pokémon Emerald’s Battle Pyramid—a unique hunt that yields a true sight to behold.
9. Umbreon
Another wildly popular Shiny Pokémon, Umbreon’s Shiny palette is simple yet amazingly effective. While regular Umbreon is black with yellow rings, Shiny Umbreon swaps this yellow for a cool blue and changes the eye color from red to gold. Although Umbreon by itself is not a particularly popular Pokémon, its Shiny palette continues to receive high praise—and is even the subject of one of the most valuable Pokémon trading cards of all time. Umbreon’s original Pokémon Gold, Silver and Crystal sprites are also absolutely beautiful, with the blue being slightly darker—almost making Umbreon look even more ominous. With these colors, it’s no wonder that many hunters highly desire having a Shiny Umbreon amongst their collection.
8. Whimsicott
“Wait, this was a Pokémon?” It’s pretty easy to forget about many of the Pokémon within the Unova region’s plethora of new additions, but Whimsicott stands out among the group—even more with its simple but effective Shiny palette. Though it looks very similar to Umbreon’s, Whimsicott’s Shiny still uses many of those same attributes to contribute to one of the best Shinies in the series. Swapping its green and yellow colors for black and blue without changing the color of its soft, fluffy head is a formula for success. I personally added this Pokémon to my Shiny collection last fall, and needless to say, I was stoked to get this beautiful Shiny when it finally appeared.
7. Decidueye
The Shiny forms of Starter Pokémon have varied over the years, from great to not-so-great. Alolan starter Rowlet has undoubtedly one of the best Shiny families among the starters. This culminates in its final evolution, Decidueye, whose shiny is sought-after by many hunters. All of the colors selected work phenomenally well here, with teal, black, and red creating vibrant accents while the white body and wing spots neutralize the look. The vibrant palette chosen for Decidueye’s Shiny form makes it stand out spectacularly, placing it higher on this list.
6. Gigalith
Gigalith is a less-common favorite Pokémon among the community, and it’s a shame that its Shiny palette is given the same treatment, because it’s absolutely stunning. Swapping its jagged red parts for a vibrant cyan and its dark grey body for a purplish grey, Gigalith’s color change attracts lots of attention—and for good reason. When entering a battle, Shiny Gigalith makes the tips of its jagged cyan parts glow a vibrant orange, allowing it to become even more stunning. Overall, this Shiny is a must-have for its simple but effective color change.
5. Naganadel
Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon introduced us to the adorable Ultra Beast (UB) Poipole—and if it levels up while knowing the move Dragon Pulse, it evolves into the deadly Naganadel. Naganadel’s Shiny palette further reinforces just how dangerous this Pokémon can be, by changing its colors to black and yellow. While this might be a literal “Danger” sign, there’s no denying that this palette is downright amazing, especially for a Pokémon that already looks a lot like an insect. Given that Poipole was actually distributed Shiny for an event some time ago for a tie-in with the Pokémon Trading Card Game, it should come as no surprise that many people have or want this Shiny in their collection.
Related: The Top 10 Best Legendary Pokemon of All Time, Ranked on Gamepur
4. Palossand
Palossand’s black-sand Shiny palette might look similar, on first glance, to many of the other Pokémon on this list, but it gets extra points for mimicking real life in the process. Though many of the first Shiny Pokémon had palettes that were just based on palette swaps, modern Pokémon take their inspiration from real life for Shiny colors. Black sand beaches exist around the world, and one even exists in Hawaii, the archipelago that Alola is based on. Being Alolan itself, it makes perfect sense for this sandy Pokémon to have a black Shiny—and for that, it gets extra credence.
3. Falinks
A newer Pokémon hailing from Galar, people didn’t think much of Falinks when Pokémon Sword and Shield first released. This mini-phalanx formation is quickly becoming a new fan favorite, though, and that owes greatly to its beautiful Shiny palette. Swapping its vibrant yellow and red for a rich brown and gold, Falinks perfectly suits these colors as a Fighting-type. I hunted for Falinks myself two years ago using the Masuda Method—where breeding two Pokémon from different language games yields a higher chance of a Shiny (1/683 without Shiny Charm, 1/512 with). This little fighting troupe gave me quite a fight with a whopping 2,245 eggs hatched before I finally claimed it, and it was absolutely worth the hassle.
2. Heatmor
Heatmor is not exactly the Pokémon that comes to mind when many people think of their favorite Pokémon. However, this often-forgotten Pokémon also houses one of the best Shiny palettes there is. Rather than change its color to something extravagant or complementary, Heatmor doubles down on volcanic reds and pinks, with its main body highlights turning a sooty grey color. Proving that Unovan Pokémon have quite a few great Shiny forms, Heatmor stands above many for its simple but effective color change.
1. Lunala
At the top of this list, the Alolan Legendary representing the Moon has one of the best Shiny forms out there. The switch from purple to blood red is also taken from real life, given the blood moon phenomenon that occurs when the Moon is eclipsed. This Pokémon’s great Shiny palette is just perfect in all senses of the word—and definitely a must-have for many shiny hunters out there.
(featured image: The Pokémon Company)
