What Do Shiny Pokemon Do

The wise Greek philosopher Theophrastus once wrote, "Fourth dimension is the nearly valuable matter a person can spend." Every human being has a finite corporeality of time to spend however they wish. Some people jump off the faces of cliffs to fill their express time with the rush of adrenaline, while others spend hours a day watching someone else play video games. Simply there is a customs of people on the internet than spend a vast amount of fourth dimension participating in one of the most confounding hobbies: hunting Shiny Pokemon.

The amount of time people spend enjoying Pokemon content on a daily footing is incomprehensible, and a big portion of that time is fabricated up of people either hunting Shiny Pokémon or watching someone else hunt Shinies. While this subculture of hunters has apace grown over the past few years, a lot of Poke mon fans are request why people would spend then much time hunting Shiny Pokémon. We've interviewed three notable Pokemon content creators regarding why they hunt for Shiny Pokemon: Lewis "LewTwo," Matt "AbsolBlogsPokemon" Brandl, and Dallas "TheSupremeRk9s" MacDermant.

What is a Shiny Pokemon?

Before we get into why people spend their time hunting for Shinies, information technology'southward important to understand what a Shiny Pokemon is. Shinies by definition are Pokemon that look and behave the same equally a normal Pokemon, but they are a different colour. Shiny Pokemon do not accept boosted stats, they can't learn special moves, and they aren't any more than powerful than their normally colored counterparts. Regardless, these color variants are seen equally rare and valuable creatures.

Part of a Shiny Pokemon'south worth comes from the luck involved in finding them. In Generations 2 through 5, the odds of finding a wild Shiny are 1/8192. From Generation 6 onward, the odds were increased to one/4096. There are various methods, equally well every bit the Shiny Charm, that helps increase the odds farther, but it doesn't alter the fact that finding a Shiny is a roll of the dice on every encounter. Even with odds as low equally 1/300, it can take trainers weeks, months, or fifty-fifty years to find their target Shiny.

With and then much time spent searching for unlike colored digital creatures, 1 might assume that they concur inherent value.

Do Shiny Pokemon Have Real Value?

The value of a Shiny Pokemon is fairly subjective and really boils down to how much a person values their time. If y'all search for "Shiny Pokemon" on eBay, yous'll detect hundreds of listings. However, that doesn't mean a Shiny Charizard has an inherent value of $1.95 U.Due south. plus tax.

LewTwo is a Pokemon historian based out of the U.K. who creates in-depth video essays covering a wide range of topics for his 8.2k subscribers. If yous're interested in the history of Shiny Pokemon, I recommend you watch his video titled "Why Are Shiny Pokemon then Weird?". Lewis believes that Shiny Pokemon DO have an inherent value considering some Shinies are harder to obtain than others.

"It's your choice whether you lot care almost that or not," Lewis said. "People tin can invest in the inherent value of a Shiny every bit much as they want, only it doesn't actually make a difference. They practice technically take an inherent value because there are different rarities, but I think the value that you hold for that unique experience is more of import." He also stated that trainers value unlike Shinies based on personal preference and the amount of time spent hunting.

Matthew Brandl, aka AbsolBlogsPokemon, is a YouTuber (108k subs) and Twitch streamer who spends most of his time in Pokemon games hunting Shinies. Brandl agrees with the sentiment that a Shiny's value is based on one's personal experience.

"It sounds weird to say when you're doing the same thing thousands upon thousands of times, simply it really is more than almost the journey than it is the destination," he said. However, he besides believes that Shiny Pokemon have never had an inherent value. "That'southward something that a lot of people become hung up on. They worry whether Shiny Pokemon are getting devalued."

MacDermant's thoughts are closer to Brandl's, but his opinions are accompanied by a vicious backstory. Going by TheSupremeRk9s on YouTube (192k subs) and Twitch, Dallas MacDermant has feel devastatingly long hunts on more than one occasion. One of his latest hunts took nine months to consummate due to the abysmal luck he was dealt while hunting for all iii Regis in Pokemon Platinum. The entire quest took 115,000 encounters, with Registeel alone beingness a whopping 71,000 of them. And fifty-fifty with that much fourth dimension spent, MacDermant stated, "I really REALLY don't believe Shinies concur inherent value. A hacked Shiny Registeel is duplicate from the i I spent months hunting down — the difference is my personal ties! The memories I make along the way and the work I put into my hunts is what gives the shiny its value."

Why They Shiny Hunt

If a Shiny Pokemon doesn't hold an inherent value despite some taking months to observe, why chase in the first place? The act of hunting is mundane in and of itself, and yous can't sell the product once it's captured. Then, why "waste matter" time chasing different colored pixels?

Well, in talking with the three seasoned hunters, one commonality was discovered that might seem puzzling to outsiders. Hunting Shiny Pokemon is rarely about focusing on the chore at hand. Lewis and Brandl both stated that Shiny Hunting is something they do passively while doing something else. Whether that be hanging with friends, watching YouTube videos, or going on a long walk. MacDermant and Brandl stream some of their hunts to their communities and encourage viewers to hunt along with them. Information technology may non exist the act of hunting that gets them hooked, simply it'southward the journeying they take while hunting.

MacDermant has been hunting for nearly eleven years starting with the Gen 4 titles. He hunts nearly daily and can be constitute broadcasting his hunts on Twitch. That's a long fourth dimension to pursue whatever hobby, let alone ane every bit deadening and volatile every bit Shiny Hunting. He warns that the pastime might not be for anybody, and information technology can have negative furnishings on one'southward mental health if they focus too much on the Shiny at the terminate of the tunnel.

"So many friends of mine over the years have fallen victim to burnout, and the slippery gradient of a hobby, like shiny hunting, transforming into more of a task," MacDermant said. "Information technology'due south important to make certain you're hunting for the correct reasons — I find myself asking in my caput, 'Exercise I actually want to chase today? Am I truly enjoying myself? Do I demand a pause?'"

Nosotros've talked almost the "experience" that comes with Shiny hunting, and you're probably wondering what that feel is. Well, I can't tell yous that because everyone'southward Shiny Hunting experience is unlike. MacDermant has turned his hunts into an art form by putting together creative cosplays to fit his current chase.

"I think it's very important to come into your own and find what ways shiny hunting will be nigh rewarding for you, whether that be hunting full odds in costumes or just using raised rates (method hunts) to create a shiny dream team you've ever wanted to use," he said. Every hunt is fulfilling in its ain way once hunters detect what works for them.

"I've met some of the best friends I've fabricated in my entire life through Shiny Hunting, and I don't e'er see myself stopping." —Matt "AbsolBlogsPokemon" Brandl

Others hunt for the thrill and unique experience of finding a Shiny Pokemon, but exercise then without getting that dangerous tunnel vision.

"Finding a Shiny has always been shocking and memorable," Brandl said. "I was really interested in Shiny Pokemon from a young age, but I just thought I would never find them. Just the moment that I actually found one, years after… the feeling that I felt in that moment was unlike anything else I had ever experienced." And this feeling is what the majority of Shiny hunters are chasing: The euphoric moment when the Shiny sparkles appear and a rush of adrenaline courses through their veins. Simply when in that location are weeks or months with no Shinies, something else has to fill up that void.

What's kept Brandl going over the years is to never strictly be Shiny hunting. If you tune into his streams, you might be surprised to see that his Shiny hunt is shoved in a corner and the majority of the screen is occupied by a sandwich tier listing. Not everyone has a post-obit they tin stream to, but Brandl too hunts with his friends on Skype or Discord. His videos oft feature him hunting while taking walks or during "Anime Nights."

"I've met some of the best friends I've made in my entire life through Shiny Hunting, and I don't e'er see myself stopping," he said. "It'due south become an actress affair I tin do at any fourth dimension and I become to go on whatever journey the chase gives me."

"Meeting the whole super supportive community behind Shiny hunting and celebrating when people really observe Shinies, it starts to brand sense. Every hunt is its own journey, and you have no idea where it's going to take you lot. The excitement never gets onetime." —Matt "AbsolBlogsPokemon" Brandl

Or, you could be a hunter like Lewis who enjoys hunting for the sake of finding a Shiny you can't detect anywhere else. Each of Lewis' hunts is driven past the unique experiences that come with them. Shiny hunting boils downwardly to finding a dissimilar-colored Pokemon, but the way in which information technology is obtained can make hunts far more enjoyable.

"Some Shinies I try to find in the most tedious way possible," Lewis said. "Some Shinies I only endeavor to go far the wild." 1 notable hunt of Lewis' is the Shiny Charizard he plant in Pokemon Let's GO. This is the simply game where you can discover a Charizard in the wild, and so it's the just fashion to find that Shiny in the wild.

It's important to note that Lewis' post-obit is much smaller than Brandl'south or MacDermant's, and he doesn't often stream his hunts. Simply he doesn't hunt for others to see or because he has to detect a Shiny.

"It's the unique experience of finding a Pokemon that makes the hunt worth it," Lewis said. "People can tend to retrieve your Shinies are worthless if you lot become them in Pokemon GO, only the circumstances that I got it were special to me. I think the experience you have with a Shiny Pokemon is probably more of import than the destination."

Why Yous Should Shiny Hunt

If you're 1 of the many Pokemon fans that are contemplating starting their beginning hunt only don't know if you'll like hunting, here's a bit of encouragement from those who accept been hunting for a big portion of their Pokemon careers.

With a limited amount of time on our mortal clocks, some people feel that Shiny hunting is an utter waste of time. And one of our hunters doesn't disagree.

"To those who think Shiny Hunting is a waste matter of fourth dimension, I say 'yous're right,'" Lewis said. "But Shiny hunting is just one part of these games. You're correct in saying it's a waste product of time, but it's how I choose to spend it." Unless it's your job, the end goal of hunting Shiny Pokemon is self-gratification. Shiny hunting is a waste of time, but and then are a lot of other hobbies people partake in every mean solar day.

Some people (and this might be you lot) don't understand why people would desire to spend days, weeks, or years hunting for a Shiny, and you're not alone. Brandl has been hunting for years at present, only earlier the hunting began, he was as well a skeptic.

"I thought I would never come across myself putting that much fourth dimension in just to detect a Shiny Pokemon," Brandl stated. It wasn't until after he gave Shiny hunting a genuine chance that he was able to understand why people dedicated so much time to it. "Meeting the whole super supportive customs behind Shiny hunting and celebrating when people really find Shinies, information technology starts to make sense. Every chase is its own journey, and yous have no idea where it'due south going to accept you. The excitement never gets old."

In talking with Brandl, nosotros decided that Shiny Pokemon are like fourth dimension capsules. Each i holds a different story that transports players back to when the Shiny was found. Brandl said it all-time: "A hunt is actually the summation of what's happening around you more than so than what's happening in the game."

Fifty-fifty still, MacDermant understands that Shiny hunting isn't going to exist for anybody. Some people don't accept the patience to get the distance of finding a Shiny or are afraid of committing that much time to a hobby. Only his statement to those whose interests are piqued is reassuring.

"I recollect shiny hunting is a pastime everyone could relish if they tried it, but not everyone tin stick with information technology long enough to discover out. There is then much time and dedication that comes with information technology, that sometimes the fearfulness of a hunt taking too long outweighs the desire for a Shiny, and that's okay! Shiny Hunting was e'er more than of an 'if you know, yous know' kind of deal," MacDermant said. "Those of united states that hunt and have institute Shinies know why we exercise it, and maybe from the outside looking in it seems pointless, but when I realize yous could say the same virtually near things in life, other people's opinions nigh how I choose to relish my time suddenly stops mattering then much."

In brusque, how much a person enjoys Shiny Hunting is solely dependent on themselves. If yous want to dress as a garbage person while hunting Trubbish, go for information technology. Ride your bike or take a long walk while Masuda Method hatching. Play Pokemon GO in the pouring down pelting. At that place'south no correct or incorrect way to hunt Shiny Pokemon every bit long as you're enjoying the journey.

Do you chase for Shiny Pokemon? Which i means the nigh to you? Let us know in the comments below.