Can you catch a shiny Lapras wearing a scarf in Pokemon Go?

Lapras has a new form in Pokemon GO that sees it wearing a cute scarf to celebrate the 2022 Water Festival.

That has trainers wondering if this newly outfitted Lapras can come in its shiny variation. Shiny Lapras has been available in the game for some time, so trainers got their hopes up when the Water Festival announcement was made.

Well, their hopes can stay up because the scarf-wearing Lapras can, in fact, be captured in its shiny version. Trainers have a slight chance of seeing the purple Lapras instead of its standard blue color.

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Scarf Lapras can be shiny in Pokemon GO

A look at the official Pokemon GO blog confirming Shiny Lapras wearing a scarf (Image via Niantic)

The Pokemon GO Water Festival started on May 12, at 10 am local time, and will run until May 20, at 8 pm local time. This is the event that debuted Lapras wearing a scarf.

The official blog for the mobile game showcased what to expect during the Water Festival, and it confirmed that Lapras wearing a scarf has a chance to be shiny if trainers are lucky enough.

Lapras may have one of the best shiny forms in all of Pokemon, as its typical blue color changes to an intense purple that gives it even more of a personality than it already has.

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How to catch Lapras wearing a scarf

To obtain a shiny version of Lapras wearing a scarf, players will need to know how to encounter one. There are a few ways to come across the scarf-wearing Water/Ice-type during the Water Festival.

The most reliable way is to battle the Lapras in 3-Star Raids. Look for a Gym nearby and see if a 3-Star Raid with a Lapras wearing a scarf is currently taking place.

If it is, travel to it and use a Raid Pass. If going there isn’t an option, use a Remote Raid Pass to battle it from anywhere. This also works if a friend invites a trainer to a Raid far away.

It can be a reasonably tricky Pokemon to take on alone, so doing it with a group is recommended. While in that Raid, be sure to exploit the Lapras’ weaknesses by using Fighting, Rock, Grass, and Electric-type Moves.

There is also a slight chance that users will find Lapras wearing a scarf in the Water Festival Field Research task encounters. Niantic says only specific trainers will be that lucky, though.

This means the chances of finding a shiny one using that method are even lower because it will be hard to come across one in the first place. Just stick to the Raids and hope a shiny one pops up when it is over.