11 best shiny Pokémon: Which shinies are the coolest?

By Joe Julians

Published: Monday, 19 December 2022 at 12:00 am

Collecting something shiny will always be an exciting moment no matter how old we are, and we can still remember the thrill of getting a shiny sticker from one of the many sticker books around during our younger days.

Pokémon has been getting in on the fun since the early days by giving us snazzy new looks for most Pokémon in the game – although fans of the franchise know how rare it is to actually catch one of them, and we are still on the hunt for a shiny Snorlax all these years into our time with Pokémon Go.

Some shiny Pokémon are better than others, especially considering some of them barely look any different to the point that having a shiny version is pointless – looking at you, Pidgey – but what are the best ones that you have an outside chance of being able to find?

Everybody will have a different list, of course, but here are our picks for the 11 best shiny Pokémon.

11 best shiny Pokémon

Ponyta

We love Ponyta here, and the fiery blaze that comes off it in the original form is cool enough. Swapping the orange flame for an ice blue one ups the badassery of Ponyta to another level – same too with its evolution, Rapidash – and this remains one of our favourite shiny Pokémon that the franchise has ever given us.

Galarian Zigzagoon

The regional Pokémon variations already give us a new look for the ones involved, but they too have shiny variations. One of the best of the bunch there is without question the fun, blue-tongued Galarian Zigzagoon.

Charizard

Sometimes a picture says all you need to say, and that is the case with shiny Charizard who has morphed from its traditional orange into this sleek and awesome grey/black design. This is the go-to version of this Pokémon for us; the original does not come close.

Vaporeon

First of all, look how happy shiny Vaporeon looks there – it fills our heart with joy. Even more so when it comes to the shiny version that looks super sweet in it’s pink/purple colouring – and that is saying something, as we love the original blue, too.

Gyarados

Gyarados is one of the coolest looking Pokémon from the original generation, even in its original form, but it’s blue look is nothing compared to how awesome it looks when it’s in race car red.

Dratini

Dear sweet Dratini. We have always loved this generation-one Pokémon and while we love the OG blue that it usually comes in, we have a soft spot for the shiny pink version – and just looking at it should tell you why.

Luxray

Luxray is a super cool Pokémon at the best of times, but just look at how awesome it looks all dolled up to impress with its shiny colouring of black and orange. Easily up there with the best of the best of Pokémon designs and a fantastic shiny.

Spoink

Little Spoink actually looks more mischievous when in its shiny form – we definitely get different vibes from it than we do with its standard colouring. Swapping the purple and grey for a yellow and grey scheme does wonders for Spoink, and we will always prefer this version to the original.

Lapras

A change to a larger Pokémon is always more notable, and one of our Pokémon Go catch highlights was the first time we went to catch a Lapras and were greeted with this shiny purple version – it’s one that will remain in our inventory, never to be sent back to the professor.

Wailord

Make sure that you have a lot of Wailmer candy stored up if you are on the hunt for a shiny Wailord, as you need 400 of them to make the evolution. You’ll be glad you did, though, as Wailmer looks seriously impressive when its blue colours are swapped out for purple.

Ditto

Ah, the elusive Ditto. A unique Pokémon in that you will never know if you have one until you catch a Pokémon that transforms into it – and getting hold of a shiny one can take a while and a lot of luck. You will be happy if you find one, though, as the switch from purple to blue helps this simple looking ‘mon look pretty slick.

Read more on Pokémon:

Pokémon Go friend codes – and how to find them
Pokémon natures guide – all you need to know
Pokémon type chart – strengths and weaknesses explained
Legendary Pokémon – the full list
Pokémon Emerald cheats – what you need to know
Pokémon Fire Red cheats – the codes you need
Best Pokémon gifts – the greatest merch
Pokémon Go Unova Stone guide – what is it?
Pokémon games in order – where to start

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