A dedicated player has completed an incredible challenge to capture a shiny version of every Pokémon in Pokémon: Let’s Go, Eevee!. Shiny Hunting is a popular pastime for many fans that can take hours for even a single encounter.
YouTuber encounters are rarer than a Shiny Pokémon, and even then only due to the rarity of their particular circumstances.
Pokémon Shiny Hunting Challenge Took Two Years To Complete
As any experienced player can imagine, this is something that has taken Johnstone a very long time to complete. The simpler, non-shiny version of the challenge, known as a ‘Prof. Oak’s Challenge’, is something that Johnstone has plenty of experience in, having played through most Pokémon games like this. Johnstone was previously able to complete the Prof. Oak’s Challenge in 15 hours for the game. However, the Shiny version has been exponentially more time-intensive; Having only just finished after beginning in 2020, he has spent close to 1,400 hours in pursuit of his goal, even when using every possible method to increase the Shiny odds in Let’s Go, Eevee.
Ever since Shiny Pokémon were first introduced to the franchise in Gold and Silver, various methods to increase the chance of a Shiny encounter have also been included. As the base rate is 1/4096, this is obviously heavily desirable for any aspiring Shiny Hunter. In the Let’s Go games, for example, players are able to use Catch Combos (repeatedly capturing the same species of Pokémon in a chain) in order to dramatically lower the odds in their favor. A combo of 31 or higher will make the odds of encountering any shiny Pokémon approximately 1/341. Items such as Lures or the Shiny Charm better the odds even further. Taking advantage of guaranteed encounters can also help to cut down on time, with one Let’s Go player outwitting the notorious Magikarp NPC with soft resets to obtain a Shiny version of the near-helpless Fish Pokémon.
There are many challenges that players can impose on themselves in order to make Pokémon games more difficult. Perhaps the most famous of these is the Nuzlocke Challenge, which considers a fainted Pokémon dead and only allows the first encounter on any route to be captured. Another such challenge, one more in line with the franchise tagline ‘gotta catch ‘em all’ is the target of creating a living Pokédex; having an example of each Pokémon in a Regional or National Dex. The latter is known as a Living Master Dex, and Pokémon fans completing this immense undertaking naturally have great cause for celebration.
The sheer amount of time and effort that Johnstone has put into completing this challenge is monumental. Spending 1,400 hours working towards this shows just how dedicated the YouTuber is to achieving his goals. The Shiny mechanics of Pokémon: Let’s Go, Eevee, whilst less punishing than older titles, are clearly still something to contend with. Of course, much of this time period is due to the precise nature of the challenge, preventing Johnstone from taking full advantage of the Shiny Charm or many other odds-altering methods as most Shiny Hunters do. Luck naturally also plays a part; one Pokémon fan found a Shiny after 14 years of playing the games. It is clear that this is a feat unlikely to be repeated any time soon, and something that Johnstone can be proud of.
Source: Johnstone/YouTube
