Pokémon Scarlet and Violet players share best advice to avoid disaster while Shiny hunting

With a bunch of new Pokémon added into Scarlet and Violet thanks to The Teal Mask DLC, there are even more options for Shiny hunting—and players have some advice on how to avoid every Shiny hunter’s worst nightmare.

In addition to the brand new DLC Pokémon like Ogerpon and Bloodmoon Ursaluna, we also saw the return of fan-favorite ‘mons like Snorlax and Milotic. This means there are more Pokémon to not only catch but also Shiny hunt if that’s your jam.

Shiny hunting isn’t always easy, though. As one fan pointed out on Sept. 20, certain Pokémon are a pain to catch because they have moves that can make them faint.

The begrieved player used the example of Litwick, one of the many Pokémon returning through The Teal Mask DLC. Litwick happens to learn the move Memento by level up, which harshly lowers the target’s Attack and Special Attack. In exchange, the user will automatically faint. This can be great and handy in a competitive setting, but it’s the absolute worst in a Shiny hunting situation. Unlucky Shiny hunters might’ve had to learn this the hard way.

Any move like Memento that makes the user faint is a huge problem while Shiny hunting, especially when you’re not aware of it. You may find a wild Shiny Litwick and start celebrating only to have it faint to Memento, thus losing your chance to catch it. That’s an absolutely heartbreaking way to lose your rare Shiny.

Piggybacking off of the Litwick PSA, players chimed in with other Shiny targets in the Gen IX games with moves that could make them faint before you have a chance to catch them. A few of those ‘mons are Poltchageist, Jumpluff, and Skuntank, but there are so many more that might know recoil moves or other self-damaging attacks.

Of course, it can be hard to keep track of every Pokémon’s move pool while Shiny hunting. So, when in doubt, it’s always best to save your game just before entering battle with a Shiny Pokémon. In this way, you can always reset your game and try again if the Shiny Pokémon accidentally faints or something else goes wrong. Otherwise, a Shiny Pokémon might just slip away before you can claim it as your own.

So keep this wise advice in mind the next time you Shiny hunt. You wouldn’t want your beloved Shiny Pokémon to explode and faint right before you throw those balls.