Get unlimited access to everything VICE has to offer.

Turn off all ads on VICE.com

Exclusive New VICE Documentaries

Member Exclusive Features & Columns

Turn off all ads on VICE.com

Exclusive New VICE Documentaries

Member Exclusive Features & Columns

Turn off all ads on VICE.com

Exclusive New VICE Documentaries

Member Exclusive Features & Columns

4 Magazines Delivered to Your Door

Pokémon Champions Shiny Hunting Odds Might Be Higher Than Expected (But There’s a Catch)

Are Pokémon Champions Shiny hunting Odds actually boosted? Here is everything you need to know about Shiny rates in the multiplayer title.

Share on X (Opens in new window)X

Share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Facebook

Share using Native toolsShareCopied to clipboard

Pokémon Champions has Shiny Pokémon you can obtain through its new recruitment feature. However, while they could have a higher chance to appear in the multiplayer, Shinies might actually be more difficult to find overall. Here is everything you need to know about Pokémon Champions Shiny hunting odds.

Pokémon Champions Shiny Hunting Odds Explained

Currently, it’s estimated that Pokémon Champions Shiny hunting odds are 1/4,096. However, this is purely speculation at this point, because we don’t have enough data to actually confirm this. This number is largely based on the rates from previous titles.

Where things get interesting, is many players believe the Pokémon Champions Shiny hunting odds are actually closer to 1 in 450, due to the frequency of users being able to recruit Shinies.

While we unfortunately don’t have a definitive answer, the Shiny odds in recent Pokémon games might actually give us an idea of what we are working with in Champions. To give you an example of what they are, here are the rates from the last few titles in the franchise:

Pokémon Sword and Shield Base Odds: 1/4096 Shiny Charm: 1/1365.33

Shiny Charm: 1/1365.33

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet Base Odds: 1/4096 Shiny Charm: 1/1365.33 Outbreak 60+: Charm + Sandwich: 1/512

Shiny Charm: 1/1365.33

Outbreak 60+: Charm + Sandwich: 1/512

Pokémon Legends Z-A Base Odds: 1/4,096. Shiny Charm: 1/1,024.

Shiny Charm: 1/1,024.

Pokémon GO Base Odds: 1/512

Pokémon Sleep Base Odds: 1/450 (estimated)

Base Odds: 1/450 (estimated)

Why Pokémon Champions Shiny Rates Could Be Different

Looking at that list, it’s pretty clear that most mainline Pokémon games have a base 1/4096 Shiny odds. However, what is important is that spinoff titles typically have higher rates. For example, Pokémon GO has 1 out of 512 odds. Which makes sense, since you have to physically encounter Pokémon in the real world, so full Shiny odds would be a bit ridiculous.

It’s also estimated that Pokémon Sleep also has Shiny odds of 1 out of 450 encounters. Again, this makes sense, seeing as you can only sleep so much every day to roll encounters. Point being, it appears that Pokémon games tend to adjust their Shiny rates depending on whether the in-game mechanics are limited in how often you actually encounter Pokémon.

Pokémon Champions Might Have Boosted Shiny Odds

Pokémon Champions fits both of these criteria. In Pokémon Champions, you are only able to recruit 10 Pokémon every 22 hours (unless you use quick coupons to refresh the roster). And according to recent reports, the multiplayer isn’t considered a mainline game. So Champions might actually have a higher rate of Shinies.

The current theory from some players is that Pokémon Champions has Shiny hunting odds of 1/450. But again, this is pure speculation and completely anecdotal. For every Reddit poster claiming they’ve encountered multiple Shinies, there are players like myself who have never encountered one in the game despite multiple recruitment refreshes.

Why Shiny Hunting Still Feels Harder

However, even if Shiny odds are technically higher in Champions, the rare ‘mon might still be more difficult to find because of encounter limitations. Unlike mainline games, you can’t just go out and repeatedly hunt for Shinies by re-rolling the same spawns over and over again. 

There also isn’t a Shiny Charm or buff that increases your odds. It’s completely locked to the Pokémon Champions recruitment system, which is on a timer and limits you to 10 Pokémon encounters per roll.

If you really want a Shiny in Pokémon Champions, you are better off just catching one in another game like Legends Z-A and transferring it over using Pokémon Home. As far as Pokémon Champions odds go, at this point, it’s best to just wait for dataminers, or for someone to do a comprehensive study on the the actual rates as we this is currently all guesswork.

Share on X (Opens in new window)X

Share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Facebook

Share using Native toolsShareCopied to clipboard

Screenshot: The Pokémon Company Pokémon Champions Shiny Hunting Odds Might Be Higher Than Expected (But There’s a Catch) 2 minutes ago By Brent Koepp

Pokémon Champions Shiny Hunting Odds Might Be Higher Than Expected (But There’s a Catch)

(Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for The Recording Academy) Will Ferrell Makes Random Cameo in Star-Studded Sabrina Carpenter Coachella Performance 12 minutes ago By Caleb Catlin

Will Ferrell Makes Random Cameo in Star-Studded Sabrina Carpenter Coachella Performance

Screenshot: Nintendo Pokémon Winds and Waves Eevee Evolution Prediction and Rumors 54 minutes ago By Denny Connolly

Pokémon Winds and Waves Eevee Evolution Prediction and Rumors

20 Days of 420: Mr. Hemp Flower Hash Hole Blunts for Perfect Puffs 1 hour ago By Maha Haq | Reviewed by Ysolt Usigan

20 Days of 420: Mr. Hemp Flower Hash Hole Blunts for Perfect Puffs

By Maha Haq | Reviewed by Ysolt Usigan

New Horror Game Combines Classic Doom with Resident Evil 1 hour ago By John Bonelli

New Horror Game Combines Classic Doom with Resident Evil

Lost Prototype of an Iconic NES Game Has Surfaced After Almost 40 Years 2 hours ago By Denny Connolly

Lost Prototype of an Iconic NES Game Has Surfaced After Almost 40 Years

Screenshot: Nintendo One of the Best Legend of Zelda Games Is Getting a PC Port 4 hours ago By Denny Connolly

One of the Best Legend of Zelda Games Is Getting a PC Port

Photo: fizkes / Getty Images 5 Tips for Starting Yoga (From Someone Who Could Barely Bend at All at First) 5 hours ago By Sammi Caramela

5 Tips for Starting Yoga (From Someone Who Could Barely Bend at All at First)

Photo: Eugene Mymrin / Getty Images 4 Ways Relationship OCD Tries to Sabotage My Love Life (While I Try Not to Let It) 5 hours ago By Sammi Caramela

4 Ways Relationship OCD Tries to Sabotage My Love Life (While I Try Not to Let It)

Screenshot: Sega/Steam Sega Genesis RPG Re-Releasing on Modern Consoles After 34 Years 5 hours ago By Denny Connolly

Sega Genesis RPG Re-Releasing on Modern Consoles After 34 Years

Kill the ads for just $2 a month

VICE membership also gives you access to our very best writing and exclusive new documentaries.

Add your account details

© Vice