Pokemon Go fans will need to pay close attention while hunting down Shiny Zapdos later today.
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Today is “Zapdos Day,” a new mini-event that will give players a chance to catch as many Zapdos as they can for a three hour window. Zapdos will appear as a Raid Boss at every gym, and players will get five free raid passes they can use to defeat this powerful Electric-Type Pokemon.
Pokemon Go confirmed earlier this week that players who beat Zapdos in a Raid Battle this weekend will have a chance to catch a Shiny version of the Pokemon. But players will need to pay attention when they get to the catch screen, as the Shiny version of Zapdos looks almost identical to it’s non-Shiny form.
Here’s what a Shiny Zapdos looks like (courtesy of Reddit):
Zapdos’s feathers are almost identical to a non-Shiny Zapdos, but its beak and feet are orange instead of yellow.
For comparison, here’s what a Shiny Zapdos looks like compared to a non-Shiny Zapdos (also courtesy of Reddit):
Luckily, players who find a Shiny Zapdos after a raid battle will have a much easier time capturing it than a non-Shiny Zapdos. While Zapdos normally has a catch rate of just 2%, a Shiny Zapdos has a capture rate of 100%. All you need to do is hit a Shiny Zapdos with a PokeBall and its yours.
According to early reports from overseas (Zapdos Day has already taken place in Asia, Australia, Africa, and Europe), it seems that more players are encountering Shiny Zapdos today. Early indications is that there’s about a 1 in 10 chance of encountering a Shiny Zapdos in a gym battle, which is far higher than usual Shiny rates for Raid Bosses.
The Zapdos Day events will start at 2 PM ET and last through 5 PM. You’ll be able to find a Zapdos at any gym, so be sure to find some fellow players and get to battling!
