Summary
With shiny hunting and shiny hunters making up a sizeable portion of thePokemonfanbase, several content creators in the fandom often host themed shiny hunting events as a way to interact and somewhat unify the community every so often.This summer, running from August 2nd to the 11th, the Fossil Week event, hosted by content creators Tales of Taylor and Kwikpanik, focuses entirely on hunting one of the smallest Pokemon groups - fossil Pokemon.
Since fossil Pokemon have been around sinceRed and Blueandfeature inScarlet and Violet, there are plenty of ways to go about hunting these prehistoric monsters. And unlike the similar past paradox Pokemon, there are far more options than roaming around the overworld. From the most involved to the simplest, the options for shiny hunting any kind of fossil Pokemon are obvious.
While fossil Pokemon rarely appear in the wild, given their whole gimmick and theme, it is entirely possible to shiny hunt almost all fossil Pokemon in the overworld. In bothSword and Shield’s Crown Tundra andScarlet and Violet’s Blueberry Terrarium, players can find fossil Pokemon roaming around freely.
Although the Galar mismatched fossils aren’t included in this, players are able to find practically every fossil walking around the overworld between the four games.Sword and Shield’s chaining system andScarlet and Violet’s sandwichesmay speed up the process of finding an off-colored, formerly extinct Pokemon, but isn’t even close to being an efficient process.
One of the main mechanics ofLegends: Arceus’maps, the occasional space-time distortions offer players chances to catch Pokemon completely out of time, including Sinnoh’s two fossil lines. Certainly one of the most involved processes for shiny hunting given the inherent timer associated with the space-time distortions, and the often limited return for these events, the notable benefit to shiny hunting with these distortions is the chance for a shiny Alpha, or ShAlpha, fossil.
While the Alpha trait is hard enough to guarantee a shiny through the distortions, the chance of having a gigantic, red-eyed, and red-crowned Rampardos in a shiny collection is a hard offer to pass up. The chance at a ShAlpha fossil, whether Shieldon or Cranidos, is too good for shiny hunters to ignore.
With only two fossil Pokemon inScarlet and Violet, and with the usual option for reviving these prehistoric Pokemon not existing, the option for Cranidos and Shieldon to appear in mass outbreaks is a wonderful bonus compared to previous entries. Featuring effectively infinite chances at finding a shiny Pokemon, and with the ability to combine with the shiny-boosting powers of sandwiches,outbreaksare easily one of the fastest options for finding shiny fossils.
Since only two fossils can be found this way, it isn’t quite as useful for players wanting to hunt something beyond the Sinnoh fossils. For players that want Shieldon and Cranidos or otherwise don’t care, this is potentially the best method once the appropriate outbreak has been found.
4Revive Resets
The Classic Option
Depending on the game and the hardware used, reviving fossils at a given location and soft resetting when a shiny doesn’t appear is probably the fastest possible way to find a shiny fossil of any kind. For players withaccess to a 3DS, cycling through hundreds of revived Pokemon is a breeze, no matter what game they use, so long as they have enough fossils for their given hunt. For players on the Switch, the Sinnoh Grand Underground is just the place to search.
While certain games work best when resetting with five fossils and games such asXYandLet’s Gowork wonderfully with as many fossils as possible, all players have to do is find enough of their chosen Pokemon’s fossil item and save right before reviving. After that, it’s often a mindless and exceedingly simple process of checking either the team summary or PC for the rare find. Since this is the intended way of obtaining fossil Pokemon in general, shiny or otherwise, it is usually the go-to for shiny hunting the fossils, as it fits the theme perfectly and appeals to the general aesthetic of these extinct Pokemon.
Often the defacto option for shiny hunting given the ease, guaranteed capture, and increased odds,the Masuda methodis still one of the best options for trying to find a shiny fossil Pokemon. Possible with every single fossil Pokemon except Dracovish, Arctovish, Dracozolt, and Arctozolt, it’s also one of the most convenient choices as well.
Since this works across practically every Pokemon game, especially games post generation five for increased shiny odds and most notably inSword and Shield, and it only requires the revived fossil Pokemon and a Ditto, it’s very accessible for even the newest player. While not exactly as engaging as other choices, it is a tried and true method, and now that fossils can be in other Poke Balls beyond the classic, it’s even better.
