Pokemon GO fans will celebrate another worldwide event on February 20, Pokemon GO Kanto Tour, which will feature Shiny Mew as the newest Pokemon to receive this lustrous makeover. As it’s been almost a year since the release of the Shiny Nuzleaf, many fans want to know how to obtain one of these cute flautists for themselves.

Shiny forms of Pokemon are extremely rare variants with distinctive coloration and appearance. They are unavailable until released as part of a Pokemon GO special event, most commonly on Community Day; Shiny Nuzleaf was first spotted on May 24, 2020, during the 28th Community Day special event.

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Once released, players have a good chance of finding Shiny Pokemon in the wild, from Raid Bosses, Special Research Breakthroughs, and as Research Task rewards, even after the event has ended. It should be noted, however, that Shiny Pokemon requiring the completion of a quest may not be permanent, as is the case with Shiny Celebi, whose requisite Pokemon GO quest will soon be leaving the game.

Evolved Pokemon cannot be caught in their Shiny form. Instead, Shiny, evolved Pokemon are obtained by catching a Shiny version of a basic-level Pokemon, then evolving it into one of its more advanced adaptations. Nuzleaf evolves from the Grass-type Pokemon, Seedot, so players must find a Shiny Seedot and evolve it into a Nuzleaf. This is accomplished by feeding the Seedot 25 candies.

It’s much more likely a player will find a Shiny Pokemon during a special event (though sometimes this probability boost is only extended to specific species of Pokemon), so evolution is likely to be the easier step in the procurement process. Some fans estimate the probability of encountering a Shiny Pokemon to be up to 1 out of 20 during special events (particularly Community Day) and the chance of finding one outside of events to be around 1/400. 

The base probability of encountering Shiny forms in the core Pokemon games is approximately 1/4096, which means, comparatively, Pokemon GO players are effectively guaranteed to find Shiny Pokemon eventually. Otherwise, players can use a special breeding method and items to increase the likelihood to 1/512, but the best chance of catching one still comes from finding it in the wild, both during a special event and afterwards.

Unfortunately, Shiny Pokemon appear in their normal coloration in the Map and Sightings views, and aren’t revealed as Shiny until the player taps on the Pokemon to go to the Catch screen. Because of this, it’s advisable for players to tap on every Seedot they encounter. Once a player confirms, on the Catch screen, that a particular Seedot is Shiny, they should catch it, and feed it 25 candies to evolve it into Shiny Nuzleaf. Additionally, once a player has one in their inventory, they should remember to lock their game, and regularly take screenshots of those they've caught, because some Pokemon GO players think their Shiny Pokemon are disappearing from the game.

The next Community Day will occur on March 6, so Pokemon GO players who want to get a Shiny Fletchling should take note. No further Community Day events have been added to the schedule yet, but with roughly 600 Pokemon available to be caught, players have their work cut out for them if they want to find a Shiny form for each one.

Pokemon GO is available now on Android and iOS.

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Source: Niantic