Can Trapinch be shiny in Pokemon GO? (April 2023)

Trapinch has attracted the attention of Pokemon GO's playerbase once again, thanks to its status as the next creature of interest for the weekly Spotlight Hour event. While many trainers will be taking this opportunity to grind encounters until they get enough candies to fully evolve Trapinch into Flygon, some may be looking for something rarer.

Shiny hunting has been a significant part of the Pokemon community since the variant's debut in the second generation. Players have always been looking for an easy way to get shiny Pokemon to add to their collections.

However, before trainers attempt to add a shiny Trapinch to their collection, they will first need to see if it is even possible to do so. Niantic is notoriously picky when it comes to creatures that can appear in this rare variety.

So, can players even find a shiny Trapinch in Pokemon GO?

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Shiny Trapinch is available in Pokemon GO

Trapinch as it appears in the anime (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Shiny Trapinch has been confirmed to be obtainable during the upcoming Pokemon GO event. Despite what some players may have heard, shiny odds are not increased during a Spotlight Hour. As the spawn rate of the creature of focus is increased, the event merely decreases the time it would take for a shiny variant to hypothetically spawn.

With this being the case, the best way to improve the chances of finding a shiny Trapinch during the upcoming Spotlight Hour is to find a way to increase the general spawn rate of an area. Alternatively, players can find a way to increase spawns for creatures of a particular element. Luckily, this is a lot easier than it sounds.

Weather plays a key role in determining which creatures can spawn in a given area in Pokemon GO. There are instances where certain creatures can spawn much more frequently if the player is in an area currently experiencing optimal weather conditions. Since Trapinch is a pure Ground-type creature, it has the highest chance of spawning in sunny weather.

The use of certain consumable items also increases the spawn rate in a general area, making finding a Trapinch even easier. The first of these items is Incense, which works by attaching itself to the player's avatar upon activation. Once used, wild Pokemon will begin to spawn more frequently around the trainer for as long as they remain mobile.

The other consumable item that players should aim to use when shiny hunting in Pokemon GO is the Lure Module. Much like Incense, this item works by attaching itself to an area to increase the spawn rate of that said area. However, what sets it apart from the Incense is that the Lure Module works by attaching it to Gyms and Pokestops.

Both of these consumables can be purchased from the Pokemon GO in-app store or found by spinning photo disks.