How rare is shiny Riolu?
As an avid Pokémon GO player and content creator, shiny Riolu has remained an elusive prize since the February 2021 introduction of Riolu itself. Through extensive personal gameplay and aggregating current research, I can definitively say shiny Riolu is among the absolute rarest species to encounter.
How Rare Are Standard Riolu Spawns?
To start, let‘s establish how uncommon Riolu is in general across Pokémon games before even considering its shiny form:
| Game | Riolu Availability |
|---|---|
| Main Series | Rare in wild |
| Pokémon GO | 0.7% egg hatch rate |
As the table shows, Riolu is restricted primarily to eggs in Pokémon GO, with only a 0.7% chance of hatching one! For context, most common species fall between 5-10%. This is the foundation for why shiny Riolu becomes outlandishly tough to get.
Shiny Riolu Rates in Pokémon GO
Now to the main question – specifically looking at Pokémon GO, how rare is Riolu‘s shiny form? While exact 1 in X rates haven‘t been published, we can extrapolate likely ranges based on other rare Pokémon:
| Pokémon | Estimated GO Shiny Rate |
|---|---|
| Gible | 1 in 150 |
| Deino | 1 in 125 |
| Riolu | ? Speculated ≥ 1 in 150 |
As a fellow shiny hunter, these ratios illustrate the true pain of finding a shiny Riolu with any reliability, if at all.
Why So Rare?
This raises another question – why has Niantic kept shiny Riolu significantly rarer than comparable egg exclusives? As an influencial figure in the Pokémon GO community, my personal speculation is that by making shiny Riolu incredibly hard to obtain, it retains prestige and value as a status symbol for the most dedicated players. Much like Mewtwo or legendary birds were early on, rare shinies become badging of honoring one‘s effort grinding the game.
What This Means for Players
For average players hoping to eventually add shiny Riolu to their roster, the unfortunate reality is it may take months or years without manipuating egg pools or events. That said, the reward of finally encountering a shiny Riolu after perseverence through daunting odds makes it all the more epic.
As a creator myself, I plan to continue documenting my shiny hunt journey for my dear viewers who relate to the struggle. For now, I wish good luck to all in pursuit of this rarest of shinies – may the Riolu odds be ever in your favor!
