If you saw Magikarp, the famously weak fish Pokémon, trending on Twitter last night it was for good reason. From January 1st through 3rd, Sword and Shield players will have a higher chance of encountering Shiny Magikarp in Max Raid Battles in the Wild Area to commemorate New Years. Magikarp in general will appear more frequently in Pokémon Dens during this limited time, giving players many opportunities to encounter Magikarp in its Shiny form.
Finding Shiny Pokémon is typically a rare occurrence—specifically, the chances are 1/4096. The Pokémon Company didn’t officially specify how much the odds have been increased, as they simply said players “have much higher chance than normal” of encountering Shiny Magikarp. However, Serebii.net, a popular Pokémon fan site, has calculated that players have an 8% chance of encountering Shiny Magikarp.
The increased chances appear to be working for many players already, as people reporting their Shiny Magikarp findings got Magikarp trending last night.
Shiny Magikarp is the latest in Sword and Shield’s various Dynamax and Gigantamax Pokémon who are more likely to appear for limited time. According to the official website, Gigantamax Butterfree, Corviknight, and Drednaw are all more likely to appear right now.