How are shiny Pokemon ranked on this tier list?

By how dramatic and good-looking the shiny's color change is. A palette swap that completely transforms the Pokemon, like black Charizard or black Rayquaza , ranks at the top, while a barely-there recolor sits near the bottom. Community reception backs up the calls, so a shiny people flex in trades tends to place higher, but a dull swap stays low even on a beloved Pokemon. Battle strength, competitive viability, and base stats don't factor in at all.

What makes a shiny S Tier?

S Tier shinies have color changes you can spot from across the room. Think Rayquaza going from green to black, or Gyarados turning red. The new palette has to look intentional and either improve the original design or change it so completely that it feels like a different Pokemon.

What are the worst shiny Pokemon?

The ones sitting in D Tier, basically identical to their normal forms. The color shift is so slight that you can't tell them apart without the sparkle animation or the shiny icon. Gengar 's base shiny is the classic example. Went from purple to a marginally different purple for years until Mega Gengar finally gave it a white form worth chasing.

What are the odds of finding a shiny Pokemon?

Base odds sit at 1 in 4096 in Gen 6 and later. The Shiny Charm knocks that down to roughly 1 in 1365. You can push it further with specific methods. Masuda breeding (two parents from different real-world languages) lands around 1 in 683 without the Charm. Chain methods like mass outbreaks, chain fishing, and DexNav stacking improve the rate even more depending on the game.

Can every Pokemon be shiny?

Almost. Nine Pokemon can't be obtained as shiny in any game: Marshadow, Zeraora, Meltan, Melmetal, Zarude, Koraidon, Miraidon, Terapagos, and Pecharunt. These are shiny-locked across every release they've appeared in. Every other Pokemon has at least one game where its shiny is obtainable.

Do shiny Pokemon look different in every game?

No. A Pokemon's shiny palette is the same regardless of which game you catch it in. Shiny Charizard is always black whether you hatch it in Scarlet or find it in a Dynamax Adventure in Sword. What changes between games is how you can obtain the shiny and which hunting methods are available.

Every Shiny Form Ranked

Best Shiny Pokemon Tier List

All shiny Pokemon ranked from S Tier to D Tier by how good the alternate color palette looks. Black Charizard and golden Magikarp earned their spots at the top. Plenty of others are barely distinguishable from the original without the sparkle animation playing.

Every Tier List

64 rankings · one ranking engine

All Pokemon Tier List1,025 rankedView all

FormsMega Tier ListMega forms ranked on their own stats.

Top: Mega Mewtwo Y96 formsView ClassicsStarter Tier ListWhich starter line actually holds up.

Top: Rillaboom81 rankedView EvolutionEeveelutionsPick the right path for your Eevee.

Top: Vaporeon9 rankedView CollectorShiny Tier ListEvery shiny judged on looks alone.

Top: Ho-Oh1,016 rated PermadeathNuzlocke Tier ListWho survives when fainting is final.

Top: Gyarados918 rankedView

Browse all tier listsBy type, gen, game or category59

Legendary71 Mythical23 Pseudo-Legendary10 Ultra Beast11 Paradox22 Fossil25 Baby19 Regional Form57 Dynamax33

All game tier lists

COOLEST SHINY POKEMON

Not every shiny is worth the hunt. A few are jaw-droppers that collectors grind for months, like black Rayquaza or the black-wool Wooloo that took over Galar the week Sword and Shield launched. Most land in the messy middle, a recolor you'd notice in a trade window but forget by the next route. This list ranks every shiny form by how bold and good-looking the color swap is, not by battle power. Community reception backs up the calls, so a shiny people flex in trades usually earns its spot. But a dull swap stays low no matter how beloved the Pokemon is. Shiny Pikachu is barely a warmer yellow and lands in C, and shiny Gengar shifts by a hair straight into D. If you're sinking hundreds of encounters into one target, you want to know up front whether the payoff is there. To see how shiny palettes redistribute across the Pokedex, browse the Pokemon By Color hub and its migration maps.

Pokemon Spotlight

Ho-Oh

680

#1 Pick#0250

Ho-Oh

fireflyingSpD 154

Base Stat Total680/720

Silver body with deep blue tailfeathers replaces the iconic gold-and-crimson plumage entirely. Shiny Ho-Oh looks like a different legendary bird, and collectors have been chasing it since Gen 2. The Rainbow Pokemon in silver is one of those shinies people build entire hunts around.

Ho-Oh — S Tier, 680 BST

Silver body with deep blue tailfeathers replaces the iconic gold-and-crimson plumage entirely. Shiny Ho-Oh looks like a different legendary bird, and collectors have been chasing it since Gen 2. The Rainbow Pokemon in silver is one of those shinies people build entire hunts around.

Rayquaza

680

#2 Pick#0384

Rayquaza

dragonflyingAtk 150

Base Stat Total680/720

Green-to-black Rayquaza is the single most iconic shiny legendary in the franchise. The jet-black body with gold markings looks like it was designed as the premium version from day one. If you ask any shiny hunter for their number one grail, this name comes up more than any other.

Rayquaza — S Tier, 680 BST

Green-to-black Rayquaza is the single most iconic shiny legendary in the franchise. The jet-black body with gold markings looks like it was designed as the premium version from day one. If you ask any shiny hunter for their number one grail, this name comes up more than any other.

Lunala

680

#3 Pick#0792

Lunala

psychicghostSpA 137

Base Stat Total680/720

The purple-to-deep crimson color swap turns Lunala into a blood moon incarnate. Every wing surface shifts from twilight purple to rich red, and the contrast against the gold crescent is impossible to miss. One of the most dramatic legendary shiny reveals in the series.

Lunala — S Tier, 680 BST

The purple-to-deep crimson color swap turns Lunala into a blood moon incarnate. Every wing surface shifts from twilight purple to rich red, and the contrast against the gold crescent is impossible to miss. One of the most dramatic legendary shiny reveals in the series.

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Holy Grails 41 Pokemon

Complete color overhauls that transform the whole Pokemon. Everyone recognizes these on sight, and nobody trades one away without a fight.

#1
Ho Oh
FireFlying
WallbreakerPHYSICAL
Silver body with deep blue tailfeathers. The rainbow bird completely reimagined in cold metallic tones.
#2
Rayquaza
DragonFlying
WallbreakerMIXED
Green to jet black with gold markings. The universal grail of shiny hunting. No list leaves this out.
#3
Solgaleo
PsychicSteel
WallbreakerPHYSICAL
Crimson mane replacing cool blue on white steel. A sun lion about to go supernova.
#4
Lunala
PsychicGhost
WallbreakerSPECIAL
Blood-red wing membranes on a deep black body. The moon bat turned blood moon incarnate.
Kyogre
Groudon
Zacian
Mew
Celebi
Genesect
Chi Yu
Volcarona
Kingambit
Gyarados
Haxorus
Noivern
Charizard
Meowscarada
Umbreon
Armarouge
Ceruledge
Tyrantrum
Aurorus
Chandelure
Obstagoon
Steelix
Grimmsnarl
Aegislash
Escavalier
Reuniclus
Bisharp
Ferrothorn
Palossand
Trevenant
Galvantula
Alomomola
Ponyta
Sableye
Swablu
Wooloo
Magikarp

Fan Favorites 201 Pokemon

Strong, obvious color changes that stand on their own. They fall short of grail status, but collectors still chase them and a collection feels incomplete without a few.

Worth the Hunt 288 Pokemon

Solid color swaps that look good without being jaw-dropping. You won't regret grinding for these, but they don't carry the same clout as the tiers above.

Overlooked 304 Pokemon

Minor palette shifts that most players can't spot without a side-by-side comparison. Low demand from collectors and rarely shown off.

Disappointing 182 Pokemon

Nearly identical to the original. Nobody hunts these on purpose. If you stumble into one, cool, but it's not going to impress anyone.

FAQ

By how dramatic and good-looking the shiny's color change is. A palette swap that completely transforms the Pokemon, like black Charizard or black Rayquaza, ranks at the top, while a barely-there recolor sits near the bottom. Community reception backs up the calls, so a shiny people flex in trades tends to place higher, but a dull swap stays low even on a beloved Pokemon. Battle strength, competitive viability, and base stats don't factor in at all.
S Tier shinies have color changes you can spot from across the room. Think Rayquaza going from green to black, or Gyarados turning red. The new palette has to look intentional and either improve the original design or change it so completely that it feels like a different Pokemon.
The ones sitting in D Tier, basically identical to their normal forms. The color shift is so slight that you can't tell them apart without the sparkle animation or the shiny icon. Gengar's base shiny is the classic example. Went from purple to a marginally different purple for years until Mega Gengar finally gave it a white form worth chasing.
Base odds sit at 1 in 4096 in Gen 6 and later. The Shiny Charm knocks that down to roughly 1 in 1365. You can push it further with specific methods. Masuda breeding (two parents from different real-world languages) lands around 1 in 683 without the Charm. Chain methods like mass outbreaks, chain fishing, and DexNav stacking improve the rate even more depending on the game.
Almost. Nine Pokemon can't be obtained as shiny in any game: Marshadow, Zeraora, Meltan, Melmetal, Zarude, Koraidon, Miraidon, Terapagos, and Pecharunt. These are shiny-locked across every release they've appeared in. Every other Pokemon has at least one game where its shiny is obtainable.
No. A Pokemon's shiny palette is the same regardless of which game you catch it in. Shiny Charizard is always black whether you hatch it in Scarlet or find it in a Dynamax Adventure in Sword. What changes between games is how you can obtain the shiny and which hunting methods are available.

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