Summary
- Pokemon Scarlet and Violet introduced over 100 new critters, bringing the total number of pocket monsters to 1,000+.
- While the games offer accessibility for hunting shiny critters, Gen 9 still has shiny-locked Pokemon yet to be released.
- It is unclear when these locked shiny Pokemon will be available, possibly in future Pokemon GO events or in future mainline games.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet introduced another 100+ critters to the series, bringing the total number of pocket monsters to over 1,000 and making a huge impact on the Pokemon franchise overall. While Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's Herba Mystica sandwiches are a great boon for accessibility when it comes to hunting for shiny critters all over Paldea, Gen 9 still introduced a great deal of shiny-locked Pokemon and didn't make some past ones available in their shiny form just yet, despite fans' hopes. This means that a handful of creatures from past games will remain unavailable in their shiny versions for a while, given that either Pokemon GO events need to appear for them or future mainline games get to fixing this.
There's a case for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet to have another shiny Zeraora event like Pokemon Gen 8 did, but this time for another Mythical or maybe a Legendary, making ones that are still waiting to be caught in their shiny forms available for the first time ever. However, most (if not all) of the new shiny-locked Pokemon introduced with Gen 9 are likely to stay unavailable for a little longer, possibly until Gen 10 Pokemon games or beyond.
All Special-Form Shiny-Locked Pokemon as of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet
While a big distribution event for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet has yet to happen, at least like it did for Pokemon Sword and Shield with all of Ash's Pokemon from the anime or the various Ash hat Pikachu, anything like it will likely not include shiny Pokemon. Special forms in Pokemon games can be hard to come by after their release, and most of the time they are not available as shinies. The current list of special-form shiny-locked Pokemon as of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet includes:
- Ash Cap Pikachu (This includes Original Cap Pikachu, Hoenn Cap Pikachu, Sinnoh Cap Pikachu, Unova Cap Pikachu, Kalos Cap Pikachu, Alola Cap Pikachu, and World Cap Pikachu)
- Ash-Greninja
- Poke Ball Pattern Vivillon
- Original Color Magearna
- Gigantamax Melmetal
- Dada Zarude
- Roaming Form Gimmighoul
- Bloodmoon Ursaluna
Partner Cap Pikachu was available for shiny hunting when it became available through a QR code in Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon. However, this shiny doesn't actually change in terms of color palette because it was never meant to become available as a shiny.
All Regular Shiny-Locked Pokemon as of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet
Recently, there was a giveaway for a shiny Lucario in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, something that players can still get their hands on. At the same time, there was another giveaway for Darkrai. Having a giveaway in Gen 9 for a shiny Mythical would be incredible to see, especially if the target is one of the still-missing critters whose shiny forms are locked across the board. The list of shiny-locked Pokemon as of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet includes:
- Victini
- Keldeo
- Meloetta
- Hoopa
- Volcanion
- Cosmog
- Cosmoem
- Magearna
- Marshadow
- Kabfu
- Urshifu (Both Single Strike and Rapid Strike Urshifu)
- Zarude
- Glastrier
- Spectrier
- Calyrex
- Enamorus
- Ting-Lu
- Chien-Pao
- Wo-Chien
- Chi-Yu
- Koraidon
- Miraidon
- Walking Wake
- Iron Leaves
- Okidogi
- Munkidori
- Fezandipiti
- Ogerpon
This list may change soon, however, as leaks surrounding Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's The Indigo Disk state that some Legendary Pokemon will be available to shiny-hunt. This includes Kabfu (and subsequently both versions of Urshifu), Glastrier, and Spectrier, which were all recently shown in the final trailer for the second DLC of Gen 9.
Ultimately, across special-form Pokemon and regular critters, the current number of shiny-locked Pokemon is 42. Among them, 13 are from Gen 9 games, including Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's Bloodmoon Ursaluna in The Teal Mask DLC, which can be found with different IVs, but never as a shiny.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 71 /100 Critics Rec: 48%
- Released
- November 18, 2022
- ESRB
- E For Everyone Due To Mild Fantasy Violence
- Developer(s)
- Game Freak
- Publisher(s)
- Nintendo, The Pokemon Company
- Engine
- Proprietary Engine
- Multiplayer
- Local Multiplayer
- Cross-Platform Play
- no
WHERE TO PLAY
The school that you’ve enrolled in as you play Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet hosts a special independent study project. The theme of this assignment is "A Treasure Hunt." Explore the world and seek out your very own treasure!
Three stories will be woven into your adventure while traversing the sprawling Paldea region. Along Victory Road, you will go to Gyms in different locations in order to to achieve Champion Rank. On the Path of Legends, you can join Arven in search of rare ingredients. And in ★ Starfall Street ★, you’ll challenge Team Star, a group of delinquents causing trouble for the school.
These stories are set in an open world, so where you go is all up to you. A world teeming with Pokémon and people to meet is waiting for you—traverse the Paldea region wherever you heart desires.
