The Official FR/LG Shiny Discussion/FAQ Thread
NOTICE to all that are new to the forums!
This thread is NOT for asking about avatars, sigs, Trainer Cards, or how to make friends! Please go to the Newbie section for that:
http://www.serebiiforums.com/forumdisplay.php?f=8
That is all.
This thread is for discussing shiny Pokemon in FR/LG: Any questions you have about them that aren’t answered in the FAQ, plus what shinies you own or want to own.
I’m going to let you all continue to discuss shiny Pokemon you’re trying to get, but please, for the love of God don’t spam. Unfortunately, if I see too many more spam posts of this nature:
“Hatched 5 Charmander Eggs, no shiny yet.”
“10 more Eggs, still waiting for my shiny Charmander.”
etc etc, I will have to change the rules to discussion on shiny Pokemon owned ONLY. Please be considerate of my sanity.

Updates every day of how many times you’ve soft-reset or how many Eggs you’ve hatched just isn’t fun for me. One post per shiny wanted per person, please.
Don’t post about all the shinies you’ve gotten through cheating. No one cares.
And without further ado:
SHINY POKEMON FAQ
The main site’s
SHINY PAGE
1.
Q: Shiny Pokemon? What are those?
A: Shiny Pokemon first appeared in the Gold and Silver games for the Gameboy Color. Basically, they are alternately colored Pokemon (for example, shiny Charizard is black instead of orange).
2.
Q: Wow! Are shiny Pokemon more powerful?
A: Unfortunately, no. The ONLY difference between shinies and regular Pokemon is the color. They’re pretty much just for bragging rights.
3:
Q: How can I find a shiny Pokemon?
A: Every Pokemon that you see in the wild, hatch from an Egg, get from an event (such as your starter, Eevee, etc) has the same chance of being shiny: 1/8,192. These are pretty high odds, so you need to be very lucky to come across one. There’s no place that they’re more common, and no surefire way to find one. You just need luck.
4:
Q: But I’ve seen over 10,000 Pokemon in my game and haven’t found a shiny yet! That can’t be right!
A: 1/8,192 is a probability. That doesn’t mean that after 8,192 Pokemon, you will automatically find a shiny.
A good example of this is when you roll dice. You have a 1/6 chance of getting any particular number when you roll, such as the number 2. That doesn’t mean that you will roll a 2 in six rolls, or that your second roll will be a 2, etc.
The same goes for shiny Pokemon. You may find a shiny on your first try, or within a hundred tries, or maybe not until 10,000 tries.
To delve in a bit deeper, picture that whenever you encounter a Pokemon, a random number between 1 and 8,192 is generated. Let’s say that the number 500 is the “shiny number.” If 500 happens to be the random number that’s generated, the Pokemon will be shiny. If the number is anything else, it will be a normal Pokemon. Nice odds, aren’t they?
5:
Q: If I breed a shiny Pokemon, will the baby from the Egg be shiny as well?
A: Unlike in G/S/C, where you had a higher chance of hatching shiny offspring when the parents were shiny, this is NOT true for any of the 3rd generation games. Every Pokemon has the same odds of being shiny, no matter what.
6:
Q: What is this “soft resetting” thing I’ve been hearing about?
A: Soft resetting is when you press Start + Select + A + B to reset your gameboy (just like turning the system off and on). It’s helpful when trying to find a shiny of a Pokemon you can save in front of, such as your starter at the beginning, legendaries like Articuno and Snorlax, etc. Save, soft-reset, see if the Pokemon is shiny, if not turn off your game and try again. Just like finding any shiny, this depends completely on luck, but if you’re patient you should eventually get your shiny. Keep in mind that this could take hours or days with luck, and months and months without.
7:
Q: What does a shiny _____ look like?
A: The Pokedex on the main site shows sprites of every Pokemon:
http://www.serebii.net/pokedex-rs/
Just look up the one you want.
8:
Q: How do I know if I have a shiny Pokemon?
A: Besides the change in color, a shiny Pokemon will sparkle when it comes into battle. There are also a couple changes on its summary page, which you can see on the main site’s shiny page (link above).
9.
Q: When will I know if I’ve gotten a shiny starter?
A: When you’re choosing your starter, the game will show you a picture of each Pokemon. This picture will NOT show you whether that Pokemon is shiny or not. You will have to choose it and check its summary, or use it in battle, to find out if it’s shiny or not.
10.
Q: Can I save before hatching my Egg, and reset until I have a shiny?
A: No. Unfortunately, everything about the Egg is set when you receive it, so you'll end up with the same Pokemon every time if you use this method. You can, however, save before you take the Egg from the Daycare man, hatch it, and reset until you have a shiny.
11.
Q: If my shiny Pokemon evolves, will it stay shiny?
A: Yes. Shininess isn't something that changes.
12.
Q: Do shiny Ditto transform into shiny versions of the opponent's Pokemon?
A: Yes.
If any more questions are asked multiple times, I’ll add them to the FAQ.