Scarlet & Violet: Most Difficult To Spot Shiny Pokemon

Pokemon Scarlet and Pokemon Violet are the first true open-world mainline Pokemon games in the franchise. Generation 9 does away with Random Encounters, which have been the only method of battling/catching wild Pokemon since Red/Blue/Yellow. Now, every Pokemon is visible in the overworld and must be physically approached to battle. This includes Shiny Pokemon, which can now be seen roaming freely, much as they could in Pokemon Legends: Arceus.

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However, these different-colored Pokemon won't sparkle or "chime" from a distance in Scarlet & Violet, making it difficult for trainers to spot them. Large Pokemon such as Dondozo can be seen a mile away, but smaller ones, such as Tynamo, are nearly impossible to see unless trainers are right next to them. It doesn't help that some species have barely any color differences from their regular counterparts.

Updated on January 15, 2024 by Renri Seong: Both parts of the expansion pass for Pokemon Scarlet & Violet are fully accessible as of December 14, 2023. The Teal Mask and Indigo Disk introduce multiple returning Pokemon from previous generations - including Legendary Pokemon. This potentially means more Pokemon to Shiny Hunt, but like the 400 Pokemon in Scarlet/Violet's base game, some of the species in Disk have underwhelming Shiny Forms. Unfortunately for avid Shiny Hunters, the Legendary and Mythical Pokemon in Indigo Disk are still Shiny Locked. Wild, Hatched, and Tera Raid Pokemon are still fair game in part 2 of the DLC. The following list has been updated to include several species of Pokemon from the Indigo Disk with hard-to-spot Shiny Variants, their most-common locations, and their type effectiveness.

19 Flabebe & Floette

Where to Find: South Province (Area One), North Province (Area Three)

The Flabebe-line are pure Fairy-type Pokemon, but they're also capable of learning Grass-type moves such as Magical Leaf. Aside from Florges, the final-evolved form, Flabebe and Floette are quite tiny, clocking in at 4 inches and 8 inches tall, respectively. To make this even more frustrating, Flabebe and Floette's Shiny Forms have subtle differences.

Pokemon fans may think it would be the flower that changes color for Shiny Flabebe/Floette, but it's not. In fact, it's the eyes, lower body, and eyebrows (for Floette) that change color. A regular Flabebe/Floette will have a green body and gray eyes. A Shiny Flabebe/Floette has a purple body, blue eyes, and purple eyebrows (Floette). Some players may not even see Flabebe or its evolution unless they accidentally run into one. Those Shiny Hunting for Flabebe/Floette may want to be on the lookout for the different-colored flowers they carry, as this will be the only indication that they're nearby.

18 Tadbulb

Where to Find: South Province

Tadbulb made its debut in Scarlet/Violet. It's an Electric-type Pokemon that evolves into the larger Bellibolt, but Tadbulb is, as fans may have guessed, a small Pokemon. Standing at 1 foot tall, it's a bit larger than Flabebe and Floette. Meaning they're not hard to miss. What holds Shiny Tadbulb from being noticed (by most) is its color. A regular Tadbulb has an orange-tipped tail and "foot contact." The Shiny Tadbulb has a red-tipped tail, "foot contact," and a red-outlined mouth and eyes.

Looking at them side-by-side, it's easier to spot the differences. However, that may not be the case when trainers are riding around on Koraidon/Miraidon. Fortunately, Tadbulbs are commonly found by rivers and bodies of water and are easier to spot than most small Shiny Pokemon. Its color variation, while not obvious, has enough of a difference to stand out for some.

17 Flittle

Where to Find: Asado Desert, East Province (Area Two)

Flittle is a Psychic-type Pokemon that's known for its weak stats compared to its evolution, Espathra. Trainers that are able to evolve it at level 35 may find a powerful fighter, Espathra's signature move, Lumina Crash. Flittle and Espathra are speedy and powerful Special Attackers. Perhaps less impressive is Flittle's Shiny Form, especially when compared to Espathra's.

The only difference between regular and Shiny Flittle is its pink "skirt." The Shiny Flittle has a neon green "skirt" instead and a dark brown lower body. Flittle's also 8 inches tall, meaning it's not going to be standing out any time soon. Perhaps the neon green of its skirt will make it stand out more to eagle-eyed gamers.

16 Tynamo

Where to Find: North Paldean Sea, West Paldean Sea, Timeless Woods (Teal Mask), Chargestone Cavern (Indigo Disk)

Tynamo is a small, tadpole Pokemon with an electric stripe running down its side. Tynamo's shallow movepool, inability to learn no more than 3 Moves via TMs, and meager stats means it's likely to be ignored by rookie trainers. However, it can evolve into Eelektrik and Eelektross, two Pokemon that have good Attack and Special Attack. Once it evolves, it can learn a variety of moves such as Flamethrower and Dragon Pulse (via TMs). Despite its Electric-typing, Tynamo can only be spotted in the water, and its tiny, translucent body doesn't make it easy to spot among the waves, either.

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While Shiny Eelektrik and Eelektross have strikingly different color variations from their regular counterparts, Tynamo is not as lucky. It not only stays the same color, but the only difference is the barely-visible stripe on its side. A regular Tynamo will have a yellow stripe, whereas a Shiny Tynamo will have an orange stripe. Maybe the orange coloring is bright enough for some trainers to notice, but for the majority, this is one Pokemon that will be difficult to spot.

15 Paldean Tauros

Where to Find: East Province (Area One)

Unlike the Kantonian, Normal-type Tauros, Paldean Tauros come in three different forms: Regular, Blaze Breed, and Aqua Breed. These Tauros are Fighting-type with the Blaze Breed (Scarlet exclusive) being Fighting/Fire-type, and the Aqua Breed (Violet exclusive) being Fighting/Water-type. These Tauros have black/gray fur with red and blue flecks in the Blaze Breed and Aqua Breed's mane, respectively. The Shiny Kantonian Tauros is a striking pale green compared to its regular form. One would think that the Paldean Tauros would stand out just as much.

However, the problem with Paldean Tauros' Shiny Form is the colors of the mane (black) and body (gray) are swapped. Tauros aren't nearly as small as Tynamo or Flabebe. Plus, they travel in hordes, meaning it's easier to run into more than one at a time. On the downside, Tauros are ruthless. They will charge the player character the minute they see them and can potentially lock them into one battle after another. Since they all rush trainers at the same time, it can be difficult even getting to the Shiny Paldean Tauros. Even then, the barely-there changes from regular Paldean Tauros to Shiny Tauros require a careful eye, especially when searching for them at night.

14 Slowpoke

Where to Find: Casseroya Lake

Kantonian Slowbro and Slowking have enough color variation in their regular vs. Shiny Forms. These two are the Water/Psychic-type evolutions of Slowpoke. If Slowpoke is leveled to 37, it will evolve into Slowbro. If it's traded while holding a King's Rock, it will evolve into Slowking instead. Unfortunately for Slowpoke, its Shiny coloring isn't as impressive as its final evolutions.

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A regular Slowpoke is pink with a pale muzzle and tail tip. A Shiny Slowpoke is the exact same, only the pink coloring is much less saturated. Back in Generation 2, Shiny Slowpoke was purple. Unfortunately, this did not carry over into later Generations, and this can be extremely frustrating for Shiny Hunters. To make matters worse, Shiny Slowpoke's pelt may be harder to distinguish depending on the time of day in-game.

13 Sunkern & Sunflora

Where to Find: South Province (Area One), South Province (Area Two)

Sunkern and Sunflora made their debut in Generation 2, and Sunflora even plays a role during the test for Brassius' Gym. While most trainers may pass over the Sunkern-line in favor of other Grass-type Pokemon, there are those that prefer to use it in battle simply for a challenge. These sunflower Pokemon can be caught in various provinces (ex: South Province) or in Tera Raids.

Shiny Sunkern has a darker, almost-orange body with brown stripes. The sprouting leaves are also paler than regular Sunkern. The petals of a Shiny Sunflora are less saturated than a regular Sunflora. Its lime-green stem/body may stick out more for Shiny Hunters than Shiny Sunkern. Not to mention that Shiny Sunflora is easier to spot since it's taller, albeit rarer. Despite these differences, their Shiny Forms aren't too striking compared to their originals.

12 Petilil

Where to Find: West Province (Area One), Wistful Fields (Teal Mask), Reveler's Road (Teal Mask)

Perhaps even worse than Sunkern/Sunflora's Shiny Form is Petilil. This little Pokemon evolves into Liligant when exposed to a Sun Stone. In Legends: Arceus, the Petilil in Hisui could evolve into the Grass/Fighting-type Hisuian Liligant. So far, the Petilil caught in Paldea only evolve into regular Liligant, which is unfortunate for those that preferred the Hisuian version.

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While Liligant's Shiny Form has more visible differences, Petilil's does not. Its body and head have a more yellowish look to them, and its eyes go from red to purple/gray (depending on who's asked). When spotting Petilil, this is hardly enough of a difference to go on, and Scarlet/Violet players may have to get close just to see if it's Shiny. It doesn't help that Petilil isn't exactly the tallest Grass-type, either.

11 Tandemaus

Where to Find: West Province (Area Two), West Province (Area Three), Pokemon League, Wistful Fields (Teal Mask), Paradies Barrens (Teal Mask)

Tandemaus is a unique Normal-type Pokemon with a unique evolution method. The mouse duo can be seen hopping about Paldea, particularly outside Medali, or they can be caught in Tera Raids. Because of their small stature, spotting the Shiny Tandemaus can be challenging for Shiny Hunters.

A regular Tandeamus will have pale blue "clothing" while the Shiny Tandeamaus has sandy brown "clothing." Since it's difficult to even see the faded colors on a regular Tandemaus, it's not going to be any easier spotting the Shiny Tandemaus. Most Scarlet/Violet players may find they'll need to be face-to-face with these mice Pokemon to see the difference. Fortunately, Tandemaus isn't aggressive, so trainers can approach without worrying about being dragged into battle.

10 Cutiefly

Where to Find: Kitakami Road (Teal Mask), Wistful Fields (Teal Mask)

Bug/Fairy-type Cutiefly and its evolution, Ribombee, first appeared in Pokemon Sun/Moon. Its name is quite fitting for its appearance, as it's a tiny, bee-like Pokemon with huge eyes. Fortunately for trainers, Cutiefly is a common Pokemon near the starting area of Kitakami.

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Cutieflys are yellow, but the Shiny Form is a pastel-pink. This normally wouldn't be an issue for a larger Pokemon, but Cutiefly is as small as a... Well, fly. It's difficult to see, and it's one of those Pokemon that trainers are going to accidentally bump into while speeding around on Koraidon/Miraidon. The worst time of day to Shiny Hunt Cutiefly is during the evening (in-game), as the sunset makes it harder to differentiate the yellow Cutiefly from the pink one. Trainers will have better luck sending out a Pokemon with a Type Advantage to Auto-battle the hordes of Cutieflys. If it doesn't attack one, then the Cutiefly might be Shiny.