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Catching Ditto in Pokémon GO is a different process to catching any other species of Pokémon in the AR game. So what about catching its shiny variant? Is shiny Ditto even available in Pokémon GO? And, if so, how do you go about catching one? Let’s find out!
As you’ll find in our guide on how to catch Ditto in Pokémon GO, Ditto is a sneaky little Pokémon. The Transform Pokémon, Ditto has the ability – in Pokémon lore – to transform into any other Pokémon, and mirrors its moves and stats to boot. Niantic had to find a way to get this feature into Pokémon GO, and, in November, 2016, Ditto was released, but was hidden as other Pokémon. Only upon catching the Pokémon would Ditto reveal its true form. Read on to find out how that works when it comes to Ditto’s shiny variant.
Can Ditto by shiny in Pokémon GO?
Yes! Shiny Ditto was originally released to Pokémon GO as a Special Research encounter during the Pokémon GO Tour: Kanto in February 2021, before being vaulted again at the end of the event. Then, in September 2021, shiny Ditto was released permanently as a wild encounter, with the mechanics you’ll find below.
How to catch shiny Ditto in Pokémon GO
First, you’ll need to know Ditto’s current disguises in Pokémon GO. Once you’ve familiarised yourself with which Pokémon Ditto might be disguised as right now, go out and encounter them! To start with, it’s as simple as that.
So, Ditto can be disguised as a number of Pokémon, and will transform to its normal Ditto appearance after you have caught the Pokémon in question. but what about shinies? While you might expect a shiny Pokémon to transform into a shiny Ditto, it’s actually the opposite. If the original Pokémon species you encounter appears as a shiny, you know that it will not be a Ditto. This way, you won’t be disappointed. If, for example, you finally found that shiny Dwebble after months of hunting, you wouldn’t want it to turn into a Ditto and start your search all over again. Instead, if you encounter a non-shiny disguise Pokémon, and it is actually a Ditto, it has a chance of transforming into a shiny Ditto, meaning it’s a pretty rare sight. So to catch a shiny Ditto, you really will need to catch ’em all.
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