Can Spheal be shiny in Pokemon GO? (December 2022)

Pokemon GO's holiday event is right around the corner. It'll bring a wave of new wild encounters for trainers to find and collect to complete their Pokedex. Also set to return are the festive costumes from last year's event to give players a chance to catch these seasonal variants if they missed out during the year prior.

One of the creatures players can expect to see spawning around the world during this event is the Clap Pokemon, Spheal. Not only does this creature has a higher chance of spawning during the event, in addition to the impending weather boosts, players can find its holiday-costumed variant as well.

However, some Pokemon GO players may not be satisfied with just having the holiday or standard variant in their collection to fill the Pokedex. Some make it their goal to collect all of the rare alternate color pallets for every available creature in the game. These are known as shiny variants.

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Tips for finding Shiny Spheal in Pokemon GO

Thankfully, not only can players catch Spheal's shiny variant in Pokemon GO, but they will also be able to obtain its shiny variant in the holiday costume. Knowing that this version of the Pokemon is present in the mobile game, players can start their shiny hunt. But where should they begin?

A successful shiny hunt in Pokemon GO starts with a quick check of the weather. Though it may sound trivial, the conditions play a key role in determining which creatures spawn in a given area. They also determine the combat power of wild Pokemon in the area if their typing benefits from the weather boost.

Since Spheal is a Ice and Water-type Pokemon, it has a higher chance of spawning in rain and snowy weather. Given that the winter season is approaching the northern hemisphere, players should have no problem finding snowy conditions, making it all the more likely that they will encounter a Spheal while they play.

There are also two items that trainers can use to drastically decrease the time it would take for a Shiny Spheal to spawn. These are fairly common items as they can be found through Pokestops or purchased in the in-game store through the use of Pokecoins.

Starting with the Lure Module, players can use these by attaching them to various Pokestops or Gyms. Despite what some may think, the Glacial variant of the Lure Module does not increase the chances of a Spheal spawning nearby. For this reason, those looking for the Pokemon should stick to using the standard Lures.

Players can also opt to use Incense. Much like the abovementioned item, these greatly increase the spawn rate of Pokemon in the area. However, unlike Lure Modules, the Incenses work by attaching themselves to the player upon use. These will drastically increase the general spawn rate around trainers as long as they remain mobile.

The optimal strategy for finding any Shiny Pokemon in Pokemon GO is to wait for the right weather conditions, use Lures on various Pokestops in the area, and activate an Incense. From there, players should patrol back and forth between each of the Pokestops they have put Lures on. This will hopefully net a Shiny Spheal.