Several Pokemon Go players have reported having to run away from Shiny Latias and Latios after using hundreds of Pokeballs and Berries due to their incredibly low catch rate.
Pokemon have varying degrees of rarity and subjective value based on myriad factors. These can be based on how powerful a Pokemon is, whether it’s a Legendary, Mythical, or Shiny.
When two or more of these factors combine, a Pokemon can leave players awestruck. Such is the case for Shiny Legendaries in Pokemon Go. These often require solid luck to encounter, as players either have to battle in challenging Raids or get lucky enough for one to spawn in the wild.
Even then, these only net players a single encounter, and it can sometimes take hundreds of encounters to find a Shiny Legendary in Pokemon Go. Despite their rarity, many trainers are reporting running away from wild Shiny Legendaries, and here’s why.
Pokemon Go players ditch Shiny Legendaries
Legendary Pokemon have incredibly low catch rates in most circumstances. If a Shiny Legendary is found after completing a Raid, it has a 100% catch rate. But in the wild, Legendary Pokemon are difficult to catch, even if they are Shiny.
That’s because a wild Shiny Legendary keeps its same high catch rate. But to negate this, a Shiny Legendary can’t run away from trainers. While this may sound like a blessing from Naintic, it’s actually led to heartache for trainers.
This was spotlighted by user jcptinio on the r/TheSilphRoad subreddit. The trainer claimed to have used 60 Gold Razz Berries, 40 regular Razz Berries, 20 Silver Pinap Berries, 70+ Ultra Balls, and 30 Great Balls but was still unable to capture a wild Shiny Latias.
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“I still can’t catch shiny Latias. Is this a bug?” they asked.
Unfortunately for jcptinio, this was not a bug, but instead an intended feature. Many trainers took to the comments to tell OP they weren’t doing anything wrong but that Latias and Latios have been programmed to be super hard to catch.
Later, jcptinio would report that after over 100 failed catches and wasted resources, they fled from the Shiny. However, JC was not alone, as several trainers reported similar experiences.
“I had 200 golden razz berries. I have 0 now,” one user commented. Another stated, “My son had one and threw all his 40 ultra balls and golden razzes and did have to give up.”
There were a few comments from users who did manage to capture the Shiny Legendary but not before giving up hundreds of their own resources in the process. So, if you plan on hunting for a Shiny Latias or Latios during the Pokemon Go Hoenn Tour, make sure you have a few hundred balls and berries to spare.
