Can Clefairy be shiny in Pokémon Go?

If you find a Clefairy in the Pokémon Go wilds, does it have any chance to be shiny?

By Julia Lee

This article references relevant content from the polygon.com website. Original article link: [https://www.polygon.com/pokemon-go-guide/24144401/can-clefairy-be-shiny-cleffa-clefable]

Can Clefairy be shiny in Pokémon Go?
Graphic: Julia Lee/Polygon | Source images: Game Freak/Nintendo, The Pokémon Company

Clefairy, the fairy Pokémon from Kanto, can be found in the wild in Pokémon Go. Yes, Clefairy can be shiny in Pokémon Go!

Shiny Cleffa, Clefairy, and Clefable, with their regular forms. Each shiny gets green tipped ears.

The Clefairy family doesn’t see any use in PvE content (raids and gyms), but Clefable does see some use in PvP Ultra League for those interested.

Its shiny is a simple one, but it gets the point across. It gives more of an alien vibe to the Pokémon that comes from the moon.

What is the shiny rate for Clefairy in Pokémon Go?

As per old research by the now-defunct website The Silph Road (via Wayback Machine), the shiny rate for Pokémon on a regular day is approximately one in 500. Clefairy is not a confirmed Pokémon that gets a “permaboost” (meaning that it’s a rare spawn and thus gets a boosted shiny rate).

Not much, unfortunately. It appears to be random chance. Shiny Pokémon catch rates are set by developer Niantic, and they are typically only boosted during special events like Community Days or Safari Zones, or in Legendary Raids. There are no consumable items that boost shiny Pokémon rates.

LeekDuck keeps a list of currently available shiny Pokémon. It’s a helpful visual guide that illustrates what all of the existing shiny Pokémon look like.

For more tips, check out Polygon’s Pokémon Go guides.