Will Iron Leaves Be Shiny Locked? Everything You Need to Know
Yes, unfortunately for shiny hunters, Iron Leaves is shiny locked in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. This means that regardless of how many times you encounter it in the Tera Raid event, it will never appear as a shiny. This is a common practice for event Pokémon in the games, intended to preserve their rarity and prevent players from obtaining an infinite number of shiny versions. If you want to explore more of the learning aspects of games, take a look at the Games Learning Society.
Understanding Shiny Locks
What Does Shiny Locked Mean?
A shiny lock is a programmed restriction within a Pokémon game that prevents certain Pokémon from appearing in their shiny form. This applies even if you’re using methods that would normally increase your chances of encountering a shiny, such as the Shiny Charm or specific breeding techniques. The Pokémon’s code is simply set to never generate a shiny variant during that specific encounter.
Why Are Certain Pokémon Shiny Locked?
Game developers implement shiny locks for several reasons:
- Maintaining Rarity: Shiny Pokémon are intended to be rare and valuable. Allowing players to easily obtain shiny versions of event or legendary Pokémon would diminish their appeal.
- Event Exclusivity: Some events are designed to offer unique Pokémon experiences, and the developers might want to control how players acquire certain creatures.
- Preventing Exploits: In some cases, shiny locks can prevent players from exploiting glitches or unintended mechanics to mass-produce shiny Pokémon.
Iron Leaves and the Tera Raid Event
The Initial Release
Iron Leaves, the Future Paradox form of Virizion, was first made available in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet through a special Tera Raid event. This event allowed players to battle and catch this powerful Grass- and Psychic-type Pokémon.
Is It Still Available?
While the initial event period has passed, Iron Leaves and Walking Wake will appear again in future events. So keep an eye on the Poke Portal for announcements. The information that you need to know is that only one Walking Wake and one Iron Leaves can be caught per save file from this event.
Can You Get Multiple Copies?
Even though you can participate in the Tera Raid Battle event multiple times during the event period to get other rewards, you can only capture one Iron Leaves per game copy.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Is Iron Leaves Exclusive to Pokémon Violet?
Yes, Iron Leaves is exclusive to Pokémon Violet. Its counterpart, Walking Wake, is exclusive to Pokémon Scarlet. To obtain both, you would need to trade with someone who owns the other version of the game or participate in raids hosted by players with that version.
2. Are Iron Leaves Breedable?
No, Iron Leaves is not breedable. As a Paradox Pokémon, it shares this characteristic with other creatures like Walking Wake. Paradox Pokémon cannot be bred in the Pokémon games.
3. What Are Iron Leaves’ Weaknesses?
Iron Leaves is weak against Bug-, Dark-, and Ghost-type moves. However, its Bug-type move, Megahorn, will be super effective against Dark-type Pokémon, so be cautious when using them. It has a 4x weakness to Bug-type moves.
4. What’s the Best Strategy for Defeating Iron Leaves?
A common strategy involves using a Pokémon with high Special Attack and utilizing moves that lower Iron Leaves’ Special Defense. For example:
- Start with Metal Sound to reduce Iron Leaves’ Special Defense.
- Boost your Special Attack with Nasty Plot multiple times.
- Spam Shadow Ball until you have Iron Leaves at your mercy.
5. What Are the Best Pokémon to Solo Iron Leaves?
The best Pokémon to solo Iron Leaves are often those with strong Bug-type attacks or those that can effectively exploit its weaknesses. Some top choices include:
- Kingambit
- Gholdengo
- Scizor
6. Why is the Iron Leaves Raid So Difficult?
The Iron Leaves raid is challenging due to several factors:
- High Stats: Iron Leaves possesses impressive base stats, making it a formidable opponent.
- Electric Terrain: It can cast Electric Terrain, which, combined with its Quark Drive ability, boosts its stats.
- Swords Dance: It can use Swords Dance to further increase its Attack stat, leading to powerful attacks.
7. Who is Iron Leaves Based On?
Iron Leaves is the Future Paradox version of Virizion, a Grass- and Fighting-type Legendary Pokémon originally introduced in Pokémon Black and White (Generation 5).
8. Can I Catch Two Iron Leaves?
No, you can only catch one Iron Leaves per game copy. After catching it once, you can still participate in the Tera Raid Battle to earn other rewards.
9. Is Koraidon or Miraidon Better?
While both are powerful, Koraidon is often considered more adaptable. Miraidon’s Electric-type moves are only highly effective against Flying and Water types, which aren’t as prevalent in the current meta. However, both are valuable additions to any team.
10. What Makes Shiny Pokémon Rare?
Shiny Pokémon are very rare, and their appearance is determined randomly in the wild. In earlier generations, the chances of encountering a shiny Pokémon were as low as 1 in 8192. Modern games have increased these odds somewhat, especially when using methods like the Shiny Charm and the Masuda method.
11. Can a Shiny Ditto Breed Shinies?
Yes, breeding with a shiny Ditto increases the chances of hatching a shiny Pokémon. While the exact odds vary between game generations, using a shiny Ditto with a Pokémon from a different language region (Masuda method) can significantly improve your chances of hatching a shiny.
12. If I caught Iron Leaves the first time it was available, can I catch it again when it reappears?
No. These special Walking Wake and Iron Leaves can be caught only once per save data, so if you were able to catch them during their previous appearance, you won’t be able to catch them again.
13. What are some of the rarest shinies in Pokémon GO?
Some of the rarest shinies in Pokémon GO from Go Fest 2023 included:
- Unown
- Heracross
- Pawniard
- Shellos (East & West)
- Foongus
- Wurmple
- Joltik
- Fomantis
14. What are Iron Leaves’ weaknesses?
Iron Leaves has the following weaknesses:
- 4x Weak to Bug
- 2x Weak to Ghost
- 2x Weak to Dark
Iron Leaves resistances include the following:
- Resists Fighting
- Resists Ground
- Resists Water
- Resists Grass
- Resists Electric
- Resists Psychic
15. What is one of the strongest Pokemon in the game?
According to the documentation provided, Arceus is, without a doubt, the most powerful Legendary Pokémon.
Conclusion
While the inability to obtain a shiny Iron Leaves might be disappointing for some, it’s important to understand the reasons behind shiny locks and appreciate the rarity of shiny Pokémon in general. Keep an eye out for future events and opportunities to catch Iron Leaves, and focus on building a strong team to conquer the challenges it presents. And if you have a passion for gameslearning, make sure to check out the GamesLearningSociety.org to learn more!