Can Houndour be shiny in Pokemon GO?

The last weekly Spotlight Hour event for Pokemon GO in the month of May is almost here. On this special occasion, the creature of interest will be Houndour, the Dark and Fire-type dog hailing from the Johto region. Houndour has become a much harder creature to come by with the game's expanding roster. However, it commonly sees an increase in spawn rate when it appears in events.

While many players will just be happy to have another evolutionary line filled out in their collection and Pokedex, others may be after something a bit more unique. Thankfully, there are rare types of creatures in the form of Shiny Pokemon that trainers can get their hands on.

These unique variants are held in high value among trainers. However, when it comes to Pokemon GO, Niantic has been known to be selective in releasing Pokemon with these rare color palettes on live servers. Thankfully, it has been confirmed that players will be able to find and catch Shiny Houndour during Pokemon GO's upcoming Spotlight Hour event. Here's everything they need to know about it.

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Tips for finding Shiny Houndour in Pokemon GO

Houndour as seen in the anime (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Despite what some players may have heard, Spotlight Hours do not increase the likelihood of a Shiny Pokemon appearing. With this in mind, you will need to strategize if you want to get your hands on the rare variant of the spotlight creature. Thankfully, shiny hunting in Pokemon GO is much simpler compared to other entries in the franchise. However, effectively hunting for a Shiny Pokemon requires the use of a couple of different items.

The first thing you need if you want to maximize your efficiency during a shiny hunt is to ensure that you're searching for the creature under the proper weather conditions. Much like the main series, the weather of an area dictates the creatures that can spawn there. Since Houndour is a Fire and Dark-type Pokemon, it has the highest chance of spawning in areas experiencing foggy or sunny weather conditions.

The next thing you will want to have on standby is an Incense. These items work by attaching to your overworld avatar and increasing the general spawn rate of the area around you. However, this effect is much more impactful if you remain mobile throughout the Incense's duration.

Finally, you need a few Lure Modules as well. These items are very similar to Incenses, but they attach to Pokestops and Gyms instead of your avatar. These items also increase the general spawn rate of the area in which they are present. Shiny hunters should use these items to establish a patrol route with stops that they can easily revisit.

Both Incenses and Lure Modules can be purchased from Pokemon GO's in-app store in exchange for Pokecoins. Although they are not mandatory when hunting for Shiny Pokemon, they make searching for these creatures in Niantic's mobile spin-off much easier.