Poliwag, the tadpole Pokémon from Kanto, can be found in the wild in Pokémon Go. Yes, Poliwag can be shiny in Pokémon Go!
Poliwag has been available shiny for a while, and dedicated players will likely already have it shiny from a Poliwag Community Day in July 2023. It’s worth noting that Poliwhirl evolves into a Poliwrath by just using 100 Poliwag Candy, but it needs the candy and a King’s Rock specifically to evolve into Politoed.
What is the shiny rate for Poliwag 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. Poliwag is not a confirmed Pokémon that gets a “permaboost” (meaning that it’s a rare spawn and thus gets a boosted shiny rate).
What can I do to attract more shiny Pokémon?
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.
Where can I find a list of available shiny Pokémon?
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.
