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Ever since the 1990s, the phrase ‘Gotta Catch ‘Em All’ has been a part of popular culture, urging gamers to collect and bond with some of the most wonderful and creatively designed creatures in gaming history. The simple yet challenging goal of completing your Pokedex has occupied generations of gamers for the last twenty-five years and we would argue that there is no bigger thrill than capturing a rare Pokemon that has eluded you for the longest time.
Pokemon with rare moves, rare encounter Pokemon and legendary Pokemon are great. However, without a doubt, the most amazing feeling is capturing a rare shiny Pokemon.
We all remember the tales on the playground of someone walking around with a red Gyarados and wondering just how that could be possible. Well, it turns out every Pokemon has a shiny counterpart and these rare Pokemon are very desirable.
So with this in mind, we have put together a series of guides that will look at one Pokemon, in particular, analyzing their shiny form and helping you understand the best way to get your hands on one. In this article, we take a look at Ditto, break down the shiny Ditto version, and guide you toward adding it to your collection. Without further delay, here is our shiny Ditto guide.
What is Ditto?
Ditto is a normal type Pokemon that has been around ever since the first generation of Pokemon. In terms of this pokemon’s appearance, it is essentially a pink/purple amorphous blob with a face in the center. The blob makes the vague shape of arms to give the monster shape but in truth, this creature is without much structure. Ditto weighs approximately four kilograms, is 0.3 meters tall, and is a genderless Pokemon.
This Pokemon is unique thanks to its ability to transform into any other Pokemon that it comes across. This is accomplished through the creatures move ‘transform’. When the player takes on the form of the other Pokemon, it can mimic its appearance and its moves.
You can famously tell a Ditto apart from the real Pokemon as the Ditto cannot mimic facial details, instead, using a simple smiley face like its own. This Pokemon is number 132 in the Pokedex, has a catch rate of thirty-five which translates to 4.6% with a standard Pokeball, and this Pokemon levels at a medium to fast growth rate.
What is a Shiny Pokemon?
A shiny Pokemon is a Pokemon that has a slightly different visual appearance than the standard version. This can mean that this Pokemon has a completely different color scheme than the normal version, a deeper or lighter shade of its original color scheme.
These Pokemon are very rare and depending on the method you use, will only show up a fraction of the time. The standard ratio of standard encounters to shiny encounters is roughly 4036/1, showcasing just how unlikely it is to get your hands on these Pokemon.
What is a Shiny Ditto?
A shiny Ditto is the rare variation of the common Ditto Pokemon. This Pokemon takes on a completely different look from its common counterpart, changing color from the usual purple/pink hue to a glowing neon blue color.
In terms of the Pokemon’s structure and design, it remains very much the same, with the Pokemon taking on the form of an amorphous blob with a smiley face plaster on. While a lot of shiny Pokemon can be a letdown in terms of contrast from their original form, Ditto certainty doesn’t fall into that category.
How Rare is a Shiny Ditto?
This is really dependent on two factors. How easy it is to encounter the Pokemon in question and then how likely it is that this Pokemon will be a shiny variant. The latter is something that does not change from Pokemon to Pokemon.
You have a 1/8192 chance of encountering a shiny Pokemon and this can only be altered by using certain techniques that we will discuss later. Ditto in terms of encounter rarity is rather common, with the Pokemon being available for a natural encounter in all but one Pokemon title. So with this in mind, Ditto is not a particularly rare shiny Pokemon.
However, in reference to Pokemon Go, a shiny Ditto is a very rare Pokemon indeed and one of the most desirable out there at the moment. This is due to Ditto only being available for an encounter at random if you capture any of the Pokemon listed below:
- Paras
- Hoothoot
- Spinarak
- Remoraid
- Hoppip
- Whismur
- Gulpin
- Numel
- Bidoof
- Foongus
Due to this, the normal odds of capturing this Pokemon drastically shoot up, making this one of the rarest Pokemon within Pokemon Go. Many players will have acquired this Pokemon through the recent Kanto Tour event. However, players who missed this will have to try and capture one naturally.
How to Catch a Shiny Ditto?
Within the normal Pokemon titles, catching a shiny Ditto is as simple as encountering the Pokemon countless times until luck is on your side. In truth, there is no more strategy than that. However, there are several generic shiny hunting techniques that may come in handy when trying to catch shiny ditto. Here they are listed below:
- Breeding: here is the thing about Pokemon breeding. You need to walk around with those eggs to make them hatch and that can be time-consuming. However, the good news is that if you go down this route, the odds of getting a shiny are cut in half to around 4000/1.
- Masuda Method: Then to expand on the point above, if the player acquires two Pokemon that are from two different real-world regions. Such as Europe and North America for example. The chances of hatching a shiny version of this Pokemon drop to 600/1.
- Dexnav hunting: Another option is Dexnav hunting which was a feature exclusive to Alpha Sapphire and Omega Ruby. This allowed players to chain encounters and gradually bring the odds of capturing a shiny down to very respectable odds. The only caveat is that all Pokemon have to be encountered through the Dexnav and you have to K.O every Pokemon you face.
- Catch/Battle Combos: These are features that belong to Let’s Go Pikachu/Eevee and Pokemon Sword/Shield, respectively. This allowed players to drop their odds through either catching or battling the same Pokemon in Succession. It’s a little less easy to manage than the Dexnav but if you do things right, you can hit odds as low as 1/270.
- Shiny Charm: Then lastly, you can make use of the shiny charm, a held item that cuts the odds of receiving a shiny Pokemon encounter by 66%. Dropping the odds to about 1/2732. This item can be stacked with other components in this list to bring the odds down even further.
However, if we are talking about Pokemon Go, the player will need to go about this in a different way. The only way that a player will encounter this Pokemon is through luckily encountering a Ditto after capturing one of the Pokemon listed above.
If you manage to do this, then there is a slim chance that one of these Pokemon will turn out to be a shiny Ditto. However, we cannot stress enough that this will be one of the most time-consuming shiny Pokemon to catch within Pokemon GO.
If you acquired this Pokemon in the Kanto Tour then you will have saved yourself hours of hunting. However, there may be another Kanto-based event in the future. So we would perhaps suggest that you focus on other Pokemon and wait for this eventuality.
Can Shiny Ditto Transform into Other Shiny Pokemon?
So, the answer is yes and no. Let us explain. If you have a shiny Ditto and you encounter a normal version of that Pokemon. Then your Ditto will not be able to take the form of a shiny version of this Pokemon just because your Ditto is shiny.
You see, transform mimics the appearance of your opponent’s Pokemon. So in this instance, the shiny Ditto will transform into the standard version of this Pokemon.
However, if you encounter a shiny version of a Pokemon and use transform, then your Ditto will transform into the shiny version of this Pokemon. This is not a trait that is specific to shiny Ditto and a standard Ditto will also be able to transform into a shiny Pokemon that they face up against.
Can Shiny Ditto Help Breed Shiny Pokemon?
While you might think that a shiny Ditto would hold the genetic key to breeding a tonne of shiny Pokemon with little to no effort involved, sadly that isn’t the case. Using shiny ditto in the breeding process will do nothing to improve the chances of a shiny, so you might as well just use a normal Ditto and keep your shiny out of daycare to show off.
FAQs
Question: What Shiny Pokemon is the Rarest?
Answer: As we mentioned in the article above, shiny Pokemon rarity is primarily down to how rare the encounter rate for this Pokemon is.
This is why Legendary Pokemon or Event Pokemon are always around the top of this list. However, thanks to save game exploits, the former isn’t even that tricky. So with that in mind, here are the five most rare shiny Pokemon within the Pokemon franchise:
• Pikachu with a cap
• Feebas
• Latios/latias
• Cresselia
• Wimpod
Without a shadow of a doubt, the rarest shiny Pokemon of all time is the shiny Pikachu in a hat. This Pokemon is a special iteration of the Pokemon mascot, Pikachu. This Pokemon was only available at select events such as the 2017 movie screening and could only be redeemed via a serial code.
So if it happened to get a shiny variant of this Pokemon, you may be one of a very select number of people. It is hands down the rarest Pokemon in existence.
Question: What Pokemon Game is Best for Shiny Hunting?
Answer: This is a toss-up in our opinion. One game is the clear front runner in terms of convenience. Whereas another game is much better in terms of lowering the odds of capturing Pokemon to all-time lows. The more convenient option is Pokemon Alpha Sapphire/Omega Ruby.
Thanks to the dexnav, this game allows players to mindlessly hunt for shinies in a relaxing manner. Meaning that you can multitask by doing other things. Or alternatively, hunt on two systems simultaneously.
However, if you want the lowest natural encounter odds, you’ll want to go for Pokemon: Let’s Go Eevee and Let’s Go Pikachu. These games allowed players to chain battles together to potentially bring odds down into the double digits if done carefully. So if you want fast results, this is the choice to make.
Question: Which Shiny Pokemon Looks the Best?
Answer: Now, this one is completely subjective and really depends on your taste and how much you like the Pokemon in question. So to answer this question as fairly as possible, we will be looking at Pokemon that are unique shinies that would be ideal to add to your collection. So with that in mind, here is our top five:
5 – Ponyta
4 – Arcanine
3 – Milotic
2 – Zygarde
1 – Magikarp
In our opinion, Magikarp is the number one choice when it comes to aesthetic shiny Pokemon. It’s a gold Magikarp for goodness sake, what’s not to love about that.
Plus, if you do choose to evolve this visually stunning fish, you’ll get your hands on a red Gyarados, which arguably could sneak onto this list itself. It’s our pick of the bunch and we would wager a lot of yours too.
Final Thoughts
So that is our guide on everything you need to know about Shiny Ditto, including the best ways to capture this Pokemon. What did you make of this guide?
Was this helpful and informative for you? Are there any other Pokemon that you would like to see a shiny guide for? Let us know in the comments section below and as always, thank you for reading.
