How to get Hisuian Samurott in Pokémon Go: Catch guide and Shiny odds

As of the season of Timeless Travels, Niantic is making more Pokémon from the Hisui region available in Pokémon Go. This includes Hisuian Samurott, a regional variant of the Unovan Water Starter, which is being introduced through a special Raid Day event—with a few key twists. 

First appearing during the Hisuian Samurott Raid Day on Dec. 3, players can now obtain the Water/Dark-type Starter for the first time in Pokémon Go. This is the second time Hisuian Samurott has been added to a game exclusively through raids outside of Legends: Arceus after appearing in Scarlet and Violet’s seven-star Tera Raids in November. 

If you want to get Hisuian Samurott on your team there are a few limitations that might make it harder for you, so here is a full catch guide to follow for the regional variant, along with details about the Formidable Pokémon’s Shiny. 

How to get Hisuian Samurott in Pokémon Go

As of its Dec. 3 debut in Pokémon Go, Hisuian Samurott is only available through those special raids and Niantic has not clarified any information about where else the regional variant will be appearing next. 

If this is a similar case to Pokémon like other Hisuian species like Kleavor, Hisuian Samurott will only be obtainable in special event raids for the foreseeable future. This means it can take months for the Pokémon to become available again—though because the current season is themed partially around the Hisui region, you should have more chances in the near future. 

Can you evolve Dewott into Hisuian Samurott in Pokémon Go?

Unfortunately, because Hisuian Samurott appears to follow Niantic’s typical approach to regional variant evolutions, Dewott can’t currently evolve into a Hisuian Samurott. If you use 100 Candy on a Dewott, even during the Raid Day, it will evolve into the usual Unovan Samurott. 

Niantic should announce if this feature changes, but this is the same approach some regional variants take in the main series games too—including Dewott being unable to evolve into Hisuian Samurott in Scarlet and Violet. 

Can Hisuian Samurott be Shiny in Pokémon Go? 

In a similar vein to the evolution method, because Shiny Samurott is already available to obtain in Pokémon Go, Hisuian Samurott can also be obtained as a Shiny. 

On its featured Raid Day, players have an increased chance to encounter a Shiny Hisuian Samurott. And, once the regional variant becomes available via other methods, its Shiny will remain available.