What Happens if You Trade a Shiny in an In-Game Trade?
The short answer is: nothing special. If you’re hoping to receive a Shiny Pokémon in an in-game trade, you’re likely out of luck. In-game trades, which are trades with non-player characters (NPCs) within the Pokémon games, are fundamentally different from player-to-player trades. The Pokémon offered by NPCs are pre-determined and are not coded to have a chance of being Shiny. This means that the Pokémon you receive from an in-game trade will always be the standard, non-shiny version, regardless of whether you trade a Shiny or not.
Why You Can’t Get a Shiny from an In-Game Trade
Unlike wild encounters where the game generates random attributes (including the possibility of being a Shiny), in-game trades have fixed Pokémon. These Pokémon come with a set nature, IVs (Individual Values), moves, and ability. The game developers design the traded Pokémon with specific characteristics that are identical for every player. Therefore, the game does not have any mechanism to recalculate or re-roll the Shiny status of the NPC’s Pokémon when traded. Even if you trade a Shiny, it won’t influence the Pokémon you get back. It will be the exact same non-Shiny Pokémon every time. This makes in-game trades a reliable way to obtain specific Pokémon, but not a source for Shiny hunting.
In-Game Trade vs. Player-to-Player Trade
It’s important to understand the fundamental difference between in-game trades with NPCs and player-to-player trades. When trading with a friend, you’re dealing with dynamically generated Pokémon with their own random shiny status. These trades can be influenced by the game’s probability algorithm for Shiny Pokémon. Conversely, in-game trades are essentially pre-programmed events where the outcome is always the same. There’s no random generation process influencing the traded Pokémon’s characteristics in NPC encounters.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Shiny Pokémon Trades
1. Can you get a Shiny from a Mystery Trade?
Unlike in-game trades, Mystery Trades (or Surprise Trades in some games) involve trading with other players randomly through online connections. This does open the possibility of receiving a Shiny Pokémon, as every Pokémon traded this way has its chance to be a Shiny based on the game’s standard Shiny odds. However, the odds are still relatively low, and getting a Shiny from a Mystery Trade is still down to chance.
2. What are the odds of encountering a Shiny Pokémon in the wild?
The standard Shiny odds in most Pokémon games are roughly 1 in 4096. However, various in-game mechanics and items, such as the Shiny Charm, can increase these odds. Events and special circumstances can also boost Shiny encounter rates. The specific odds can vary slightly between games and generations.
3. Does having a Shiny Charm improve the Shiny odds in in-game trades?
No, a Shiny Charm only affects the odds of encountering Shiny Pokémon in the wild, through breeding (using the Masuda method), or via certain special encounters. It does not affect the Pokémon received from in-game trades. These are always non-Shiny.
4. Do Shiny Pokémon have better stats?
No, a Shiny Pokémon doesn’t have inherently better stats than its regular counterpart. The only difference is its color palette. Stats, abilities, and natures are generated separately from the shiny status.
5. Can you breed Shiny Pokémon?
Yes, Shiny Pokémon can be bred. The odds are the same as wild encounters, unless breeding with a Pokémon from another language region, which significantly increases the shiny odds through the Masuda method.
6. Can you trade a Shadow Shiny Pokémon?
In Pokémon GO, for example, Shadow Pokémon cannot be traded unless they are purified first. Therefore, you would need to purify a Shadow Shiny before it can be traded with another player. Once purified, it can be traded as a standard Shiny Pokémon.
7. What happens if you trade a Shiny in Pokémon GO?
Trading a Shiny in Pokémon GO incurs a hefty Stardust cost, especially if the other player doesn’t have the Shiny registered in their Pokédex. The cost decreases once both players have the Shiny. The level and stats of the traded Pokémon are also rerolled.
8. How many Shiny Pokémon can you trade per day in Pokémon GO?
In Pokémon GO, special trades, which include Shiny Pokémon and Legendary Pokémon, are limited to one trade per day per trainer. This limitation aims to balance the game and prevent too many rare Pokémon from entering the trading market at once.
9. What are the costs of trading a Shiny Pokemon in Pokemon GO?
Trading Shinies incurs Stardust costs. The amount is determined by the friendship level and whether the Pokemon is registered in the other player’s Pokedex. Ultra Friends get the best discount. For unregistered Shinies, the cost can be incredibly high (up to 80,000 stardust).
10. Why is Shiny trading so expensive in Pokémon GO?
The high Stardust cost for trading Shiny Pokémon is due to their rarity. It’s designed to maintain the exclusivity and value of these Pokémon within the game. The rarity and different color palettes add to the collector’s appeal and so the stardust cost makes sense.
11. Can you trade a Shiny Pokemon back to the original owner in Pokémon GO?
No, once a Pokémon is traded in Pokémon GO, it cannot be traded back to the original owner, regardless of whether it’s a Shiny or not. Trades are permanent and cannot be reversed.
12. Do Shiny Pokémon respawn if they run away in the wild?
If a Shiny Pokémon flees in the wild, it won’t respawn immediately. You would need to leave the area (or the game will need to reset the spawns) and have a new encounter for another shiny to generate. Shiny Pokémon have a slightly different spawn generation mechanic.
13. Is a Shiny Pokémon 100 percent catch rate in Raids?
If a Shiny Legendary Pokémon is encountered after completing a Raid in games like Pokémon GO, it indeed has a 100% catch rate. However, Shiny wild Legendaries, outside of a raid, will still have a very low catch rate and require a lot of effort.
14. Are Shiny Pokémon worth evolving?
The decision to evolve a Shiny Pokémon is purely based on personal preference. If you like the appearance of the evolved shiny version, you should evolve it. There are no statistical benefits for evolving a Shiny. The uniqueness is just the aesthetic aspect.
15. Can NPCs have Shiny Pokémon in battle?
Generally, no. The vast majority of trainers and NPCs in the games have pre-determined teams that are coded as non-shiny. However, in some specific cases where trainers use a random set of Pokémon in battles, then, theoretically, a Shiny version could be possible based on the random encounter mechanics of the games, but this is extremely rare.