Pokémon Scarlet and Violet have introduced Paradox Pokémon, which are brand-new ancient and future forms of existing creatures. Most of them are incredibly strong, so if you’re looking to Shiny hunt one, we understand why! We’ve put together a list of optimized Shiny hunting strategies for each individual Paradox Pokémon. If you’re ready to start tracking them down, then let’s begin!
Sandwich Setup
Paradox Pokémon can only be found in the wild. More specifically, they’re only present in Area Zero, a location in the Great Crater of Paldea. You won’t have access to this area until you beat the game, so keep that in mind before you try to Shiny hunt. Paradox Pokémon cannot breed or evolve, so you’ll need to track them down the old-fashioned way: wild encounters. Luckily, there’s an easy way to increase your odds other than the Shiny Charm: sandwiches.
For this guide, we’ll be using sandwiches that give out Sparkling Power Lv. 3 and Encounter Power Lv. 3. Each of these sandwiches requires at least one tomato, one onion, one green bell pepper, and one hamburger. That being said, each type of Pokémon requires two additional ingredients, and that’s going to depend based on the one you want to Shiny hunt. We’ll include the optimal sandwich recipe along with each individual Pokémon.
Regardless of which Pokémon you’re Shiny hunting, you’ll need at least two Herba Mystica of any kind for your sandwich. If you don’t have these already, you’ll have to grind out five- and six-star Tera Raid Battles until you have enough. We’d recommend saving before making your sandwich; it’s possible that you’ll go the full 30 minutes without finding a Shiny, which would waste your Herba Mystica. If that happens, simply close the game and you’ll have your ingredients back. From there, you can make another sandwich and try again.
Ancient Forms (Scarlet)
You can only encounter ancient forms of Pokémon if you’re playing Scarlet. There are seven to pick from, and each either requires the use of a different sandwich or are in two different locations within Area Zero. That is to say, you can’t really hunt two at once — you really have to pick one to hone in on. Here’s the list!
- Great Tusk’s optimal hunting area is outside of Research Station 4. Make your sandwich, teleport to Research Station 4, and head outside. Wait a moment for your spawns to kick in, and if none are Shiny, enter the building and leave again. Speaking of sandwiches, here’s your recipe to attract Fighting-type Pokémon: a tomato, an onion, a green bell pepper, a hamburger, and two servings of pickles. Then top it off with two Herba Mystica of your choosing. Great Tusk’s Shiny coloration would match a Dusk Ball, a Nest Ball, a Premier Ball, or an Ultra Ball. Plenty of options!
- Brute Bonnet is perhaps the easiest Pokémon to hunt. Its optimal hunting area is either outside Research Station 2 or down the slope by the rocks near the cave where Roaring Moon is found. Use a Dark-type sandwich; the recipe is a tomato, an onion, a green bell pepper, a hamburger, and two smoked fillets. Don’t forget to add two Herba Mystica as toppings! If you head toward the river area, you might find Bisharp instead, so try to stay in grassy areas. If you catch Brute Bonnet in a Great Ball, it’ll perfectly match its Shiny form!
- Sandy Shocks only appears on that rocky cliff right in front of Research Station 2. Make your sandwich, teleport there, and check the area around the base of the cliff. Then climb up the cliff using Koraidon and check those spawns too. Then go back down the cliff, and repeat. Use an Electric-type sandwich: a tomato, an onion, a green bell pepper, a hamburger, and two yellow bell peppers. Herba Mystica too, as always! Sandy Shocks’ Shiny coloration best matches a Luxury Ball or Premier Ball (but especially the former).
- Scream Tail appears in abundance around Research Station 4. It’s the same deal as with Great Tusk: enter and exit the station over and over again, making sure to check your spawns. The Fairy-type sandwich recipe is three tomatoes, an onion, a green bell pepper, a hamburger, and two Herba Mystica. A Heal Ball matches the Shiny form perfectly!
- Flutter Mane appears in the cave where Roaring Moon normally spawns. To get there, teleport to Research Station 2, exit, and take a right. Run down the slope across the river to a tree in the distance, and then check for a cave entrance behind the rocks. Flutter Mane will be the only Fairy-type in the cave, so use the same recipe as Scream Tail. An Ultra Ball matches Flutter Mane perfectly! If you’re feeling really ambitious, try using a Fast Ball.
- Slither Wing’s optimal hunting location is on a downward slope after Research Station 1. You’re best off making a Fighting-type sandwich here, as a Bug-type sandwich will just spawn loads of Venomoth instead. Here’s the Fighting-type recipe: a tomato, an onion, a green bell pepper, a hamburger, two servings of pickles, and two Herba Mystica. If you get your Slither Wing quickly, you can teleport to Research Station 4 and ride out the timer looking for Great Tusk! The best Poké Ball to use is either an Ultra Ball or a Repeat Ball.
- Roaring Moon is by far the most difficult Paradox Pokémon to hunt, even when you take Violet’s exclusives into account. You’ll have to make a Dragon-type sandwich, because the Dark-type sandwich will attract too many Sneasel. Unfortunately, the Dragon-type sandwich still spawns Zweilous and Gible, so expect to find a few of their Shiny forms first. The Dragon-type recipe is a tomato, an onion, a green bell pepper, a hamburger, two servings of avocados, and two Herba Mystica. Roaring Moon’s Shiny form matches a Dusk Ball, a Nest Ball, or an Ultra Ball. You can try a Friend Ball, but that probably won’t catch it.
Very important: when you see your Shiny, save! For the most part, Shiny Pokémon persist between loads, so if you fail it, you can reload your last save and try again. None of these Pokémon can make themselves faint from recoil damage, but they can run out of PP if you take too long. Try bringing a dedicated capture Pokémon like a Gallade with Hypnosis and False Swipe.
Future Forms (Violet)
For the most part, hunting Violet’s exclusive future forms is easier than in Scarlet. Unfortunately, several of these Pokémon have subtle Shiny forms that you might not immediately notice. Most of the time, the Shiny form will change part of the Pokémon’s colors to a metallic gray. Keep a close eye out!
- Iron Treads is a counterpart to Great Tusk, so you’ll find it right outside Research Station 4. Teleport there, check your spawns, and enter and exit the building to refresh them. The Steel-type sandwich recipe is a tomato, an onion, a green bell pepper, and three hamburgers. Two Herba Mystica as well! A Premier Ball or a regular Poké Ball matches Iron Treads’ Shiny colors well enough.
- Iron Moth appears on the downward slope near Research Station 1, and underneath the overhang as well. It’s quite difficult to tell if an Iron Moth is Shiny — look at the horns next to its head. If they’re gray instead of red, it’s a Shiny Iron Moth. The Fire-type sandwich recipe is a tomato, an onion, a green bell pepper, a hamburger, two red bell peppers, and two Herba Mystica. Try catching Iron Moth in a Repeat Ball or a Premier Ball to match its Shiny coloration!
- Iron Hands: another subtle Shiny. For this one, look at the triangle at the top of its head. If it’s gray instead of blue, it’s Shiny. You can find Iron Hands in cliffside areas near Research Station 1 or at the very bottom of the crater. The Electric-type recipe is a tomato, an onion, a green bell pepper, a hamburger, two yellow bell peppers, and two Herba Mystica. Catch it in a Premier Ball or Ultra Ball to match its colors!
- Iron Jugulis appears outside of Research Station 4. This one’s Shiny form is fairly obvious, as its entire body turns gray. The Dark-type sandwich recipe is a tomato, an onion, a green bell pepper, a hamburger, two smoked fillets, and two Herba Mystica. A Premier Ball, a Great Ball, a Heal Ball, or especially a Heavy Ball would match Iron Jugulis’ Shiny colors.
- Iron Thorns only appears in the rocky area near Research Station 2. Teleport there, run straight ahead, and check your spawns. Then, climb up the wall and check up there too. If nothing appears Shiny, fall back down and repeat the process. Use a Rock-type recipe: a tomato, an onion, a green bell pepper, a hamburger, two servings of bacon, and two Herba Mystica. A Premier Ball, Nest Ball, or Net Ball matches its colors well enough. You’ll definitely be able to tell if this one is Shiny from a distance!
- Iron Bundle’s Shiny form is all-gray save for some blue in its eyes. You can find it on the downward slope after Research Station 1. Use an Ice-type sandwich, which is a tomato, an onion, a green bell pepper, a hamburger, two Klawf sticks, and two Herba Mystica. A Premier Ball, Net Ball, or Heavy Ball matches.
- Iron Valiant is in the cave where Roaring Moon spawns in Scarlet. Teleport to Research Station 2, turn right, and head down the slope and across the river. Run up to the lone tree and check behind the rocks to enter this cave. Use a Fairy-type sandwich to lure them in: three tomatoes, an onion, a green bell pepper, a hamburger, and two Herba Mystica. Catch it in a Heal Ball, Premier Ball, or Love Ball for maximum match!
There you have it, then — locations for all of the Paradox Pokémon! As mentioned before, you’ll want to save before you make a sandwich. That way, if you don’t find a Shiny Pokémon in 30 minutes (when the sandwich’s effects wear off), you can reset the game and try again with fresh spawns. You can technically hunt these guys in multiplayer with friends, but it’s rather difficult — we’d recommend trading Paradox Shiny forms instead, if at all possible.
If you enjoyed this guide, we’ve got a bunch more available for Pokémon Scarlet and Violet! You can access those via the links below. You can also join our Discord server if you have any questions, or want to possibly set up some trades. In any case, thanks for reading — good luck with your Shiny hunting!
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