How to Get a Shiny Articuno in Pokemon Go

Articuno Day is here, and that means that Pokemon Go players will have a chance of catching a Shiny Articuno.

Earlier this week, Pokemon Go announced that players unlocked an Articuno Day as a reward for completing four Global Challenges the previous weekends. Articuno will return to gyms for a three hour window, and players who defeat Articuno in raid battles will have a chance to find and capture a Shiny Articuno.

Shiny Pokemon have alternate coloration than their non-Shiny forms and are prized due to their incredible rarity. This is the first time that Shiny Articuno has appeared in the game and players estimate that there's about a 1 in 20 chance of finding him after a successful Raid Battle.

Luckily, Articuno Day is optimized to help players maximize their chances of finding this otherwise rare Legendary Pokemon. Players can get up to five free raid passes by spinning Photo Discs at gyms. The raid passes are distributed one at a time, so players will need to complete a raid and then spin a Photo Disc to get their free raid passes.

Also - every gym will have an Articuno raid that lasts for the full three hour period. So, it makes sense to find an area with a high concentration of gyms, and then meet up with other players who will eventually flock to that area. If you don't have a regular raid group, be sure to head out early, as most players will likely quit raiding once they've gotten their Shiny Articuno.

The Articuno that appears in gyms is a weaker Articuno than the ones that popped up last summer. Articuno's stats are equivalent to that of a Tier 4 Raid Boss. It'll still be too powerful to battle alone, but a small group of trainers should be able to defeat it without much problem.

Articuno's main weakness is to Rock-Type attacks, so Pokemon like Golem and Tyranitar are your ideal attackers. Luckily - players should have at least one Tyranitar thanks to June's Community Day, so Raid Groups should have plenty of firepower to attack and defeat Articuno. A Raid group of 3-4 high level players should be enough to defeat Tyranitar.

If you do find a Shiny Articuno, you'll be able to catch it automatically. Shiny Raid Bosses have a 100% capture rate, so don't worry about missing out on your chance if you're not very good at Curve Balls or accurate throws.

Articuno Day lasts in the United States (and the rest of North and South America) from 2 PM ET to 5 PM ET. Good luck trainers!