Dint Got the golden Magikarp???Don't Worry you can Still catch it...
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| Image by:Niantic |
Pokémon GO's Water Festival is finished to what seems to be a generally positive reaction from the community. The surprise event increased spawn rates for Water Pokémon rare and otherwise across all areas, even those that rarely saw them, and threw in a stylish Magikarp hat to boot. There was another twist, however: it also introduced a golden Magikarp and red Gyarados, two Pokémon with "shiny" color variants that quickly became the latest trophy to quest after in the game. Now that the festival is over, however, it seems that the shiny Pokémon will be sticking around. Here's the tweet from Niantic:
"The Water Festival has come to an end, but rare golden Magikarp are still out there. Keep an eye out, Trainers!"
If golden Magikarp and red Gyarados are just a part of the game going forward, it stands to reason that other shiny Pokémon are going to make their way into the mix as well. That's what happened in the main games, after all -- Gyarados introduced the concept, and the developer seemed to like it enough to keep it around. Since then, the rare Pokémon have been a series staple. It stands to reason that we'll see something similar happen here: maybe Niantic will throw in more shiny Pokémon in one at a time like the developer did with the Water Festival, or it might just unlock shiny variants for all types.
It serves as a pretty effective if simple, brass ring to throw at endgame players. People can reach level 40 and fill the Pokédex, sure, but collecting shiny variants of all those Pokémon will be next to impossible. Sought-after rare Pokémon are sure to become valuable if Niantic makes the thoroughly problematic decision to implement a trading system as well. That would mean, of course, that filling out your collection of shiny Pokémon would just mean forking over some cash to a bunch of strangers.
We'll see what happens in the coming weeks. Easter isn't too far off, which is sure to bring some sort of egg-oriented event, and we may see some more surprise events in the meantime. Pokémon GO is in something of a stable place right now as northern climes begin to thaw: spring is a big season for an outdoor game, and I hope that the developer gives us cause to come back.
