Can Zebstrika be shiny in Pokemon GO? (January 2023)

With the upcoming Tuesday bringing Pokemon GO's next Spotlight Hour event, trainers everywhere are wondering if the occasion will offer a chance to get another Shiny Pokemon. Blitzle and its evolution, Zebstrika, will be the main focus of Tuesday's Spotlight Hour.

With all the hype surrounding the new Spotlight Hour event hitting live servers, many players seem to forget that Niantic can be pretty finicky when it comes to the Shiny Pokemon they allow into the game. Even though a shiny variant of every Pokemon exists in the game's files, players' ability to encounter them is dependent on Niantic making them available in the wild.

Thankfully, it has been confirmed that players will be able to find shiny variants of both Blitzle and Zebstrika during the Spotlight Hour event. Players can prepare for the hunt by gearing up for the challenge of finding these rare varieties of Pokemon GO's next spotlight Pokemon. Here are some tips they should keep in mind when trying to catch one.

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Tips for finding Shiny Zebstrika in Pokemon GO

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

When it comes to the easiest way to get a Shiny Zebstrika, you should prioritize finding a Shiny Blitzle and then evolving it into a Zebstrika rather than just finding a Shiny Zebstrika. Evolved Pokemon are incredibly rare in the wild unless their spawn rate has been directly boosted by an event. Since the Spotlight Hour revolves around Blitzle and not Zebstrika, finding the former should be prioritized.

Thanks to Pokemon GO's Weather Boost mechanic, some creatures belonging to certain elements have a higher chance of spawning under certain weather conditions. Blitzle is a pure Electric-type Pokemon, so this means that the spawn rate of the creature will increase if you find an area experiencing rainy weather.

Next, you will want to make sure you have the resources to increase the general spawn rate of an area. Through the use of Incenses and Lure Modules, you can greatly increase the spawn rate of wild Pokemon around certain locations. Since you will be hunting for a Shiny Blitzle during the Spotlight Hour event, this will result in a drastic increase in the likelihood of Blitzle spawning.

Once you find your Shiny Blitzle in Pokemon GO, the next step is to evolve it. With the Spotlight Hour bonus being applied to transfer candies, you should have no problem quickly grinding for candies since you will only need to catch and transfer a maximum of 10 wild Blitzle to get the 50 candies required to evolve one into Zebstrika.

Finding a Shiny Zebstrika in the wild in Pokemon GO may be difficult, so it's recommended to focus on finding a shiny variant of its pre-evolution first and then evolve it.