Starting the Grind for That Sweet Shiny Lizard
So I really wanted that black Charizard, you know? Figured I’d skip Charmeleon’s awkward phase entirely. Dug out my old copy of Pokémon Shield and started fresh. Grabbed a regular Charmander from Leon like everyone does. Was bummed it wasn’t shiny already, but whatever.
First step: Leveling this lil’ orange dude FAST. Tossed him into my first party slot for bonus XP. Grinded wild Pokémon near Motostoke for hours, spamming Ember till my thumbs hurt. Seriously, it was boring as heck. Got it to level 16 easy though – bam, Charmeleon time.
- Used EXP Candies from Max Raids – hoarded those suckers early
- Slapped a Lucky Egg on Charmeleon – doubled XP gains
- Camped, made curry – boosted friendship for quicker evolution
The Shiny Hunt Meltdown
Now for the nightmare part: getting that sparkle before evolution. Tried Masuda Method – bred my Charmeleon with a Japanese Ditto for days. Filled boxes with ordinary Charmanders, released ’em in bulk. Still no shiny hatch. Gave up after 500+ eggs.
Switched to Encounter Method instead. Went to Galar Mine, battled every wild Roggenrola I saw. Chained encounters for 10 hours straight. Eyes glazed over, almost missed a shiny one ‘cause I was zoning out. Finally got it – orange turned gold! Nearly threw my Switch.
Pro tip stuff that saved me:
- Shiny Charm – grabbed it by completing Dex first (total pain, but mandatory)
- Kept False Swipe on another ‘mon to avoid killing shinies by accident
- Turned off Autosave – prevented shiny despawning if I crashed
Final Stretch to Black Wings
Had my shiny Charmander now. Repeated the XP grind with candy spam and raids. Made sure NOT to let it evolve automatically at level 16! Hit B like crazy when it tried. Waited till level 36 for Charizard – wanted Blast Burn ready instantly. Fed it max Dynamax Candies too so it’d wreck raids. Took forever, but hearing that shiny roar? Worth every minute.
Honestly, getting it under a week felt like cheating. Without those candies and shiny charm, I’d still be crying in a cave somewhere.
