Pokemon GO player delighted with Shiny Legendary after completing Level 50 research

As some Pokemon GO players may know, the game rewards its dedicated player base by giving those who have reached level 50 a special questline. Completing it rewards trainers with an encounter with an original Legendary Pokemon, Mewtwo. However, what some players may not know about this specific encounter is that the creature can appear in its shiny variant.

Although the odds of this are extremely low, this has just happened to a lucky player on the Pokemon GO subreddit. As such, many users on the forum have flocked to the post in order to witness one of the first Shiny Mewtwos ever to be caught from this challenge. What certain newer players may not understand is how special and rare this occurrence is in the game. This article explores more on the matter.

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Reddit Reacts to Shiny Mewtwo in Pokemon GO

I guess finishing the Lvl 50 research was worth it. by u/Creepy-Phone in pokemongo

User Creepy-Phone on the Pokemon GO subreddit is the lucky player to have encountered this rare occurrence after completing their level 50 special research. This research can be unlocked by all players after they reach the max level on their account, which caps at 50. With this being only allowed once per account, finding a shiny variant of this Mewtwo is certainly a big deal.

Comment by u/Alfredwondo from discussion I guess finishing the Lvl 50 research was worth it. in pokemongo

But just how rare is this Mewtwo? It should come as no surprise to players that level 50 accounts are not as common as many would think, despite Pokemon GO being out for many years now.

The journey to level 50 requires a lot of grinding, and many mobile gamers do not have the time to dedicate to such a game, especially following Niantic's push for more players to leave their homes in order to play.

Comment by u/Creepy-Phone from discussion I guess finishing the Lvl 50 research was worth it. in pokemongo

Once players claim their Mewtwo, the game has already decided whether or not it will be shiny. There is no exploit to manipulate the spawn until a shiny has appeared. This means that if it is not shiny after the grind to level 50 and encountering Mewtwo, it never will be, ultimately dismissing any chance of a shiny hunt before it even starts.

Comment by u/jkwolly from discussion I guess finishing the Lvl 50 research was worth it. in pokemongo

However, there is a silver lining to this encounter. Thankfully, shiny rates in Pokemon GO are tied to a creature's species, not how they are encountered. This means that the Mewtwo encountered through this special research is just as likely to appear shiny as a Legendary Pokemon encountered through a raid.

For those who do not know, this shiny rate is around 5%. Although it isn't much, it is still higher than the average encounter.

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Tips for finding Shiny Mewtwo in Pokemon GO

Needless to say, there are much better ways to find a Shiny Mewtwo. The creature circulates around for the position of Five-Star Raid Boss on the game's live servers. And since the creature has made various appearances where its shiny form was available, it will almost always have a chance to appear as such when it returns.

With this in mind, most players will have a much easier time finding a Shiny Mewtwo through grinding Five-Star or Shadow Raids when it is available. However, with so many Legendary Pokemon circulating, it could be some time before we see it again.