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Virizion, one of Unova's Swords of Justice, has been a part of Pokemon GO for a few years alongside Terrakion and Cobalion. It appears that the Pokemon will be making an appearance as a 5-star raid boss at the start of December's raid rotation.
While that's all well and good, some trainers are likely curious about whether Virizion has an obtainable shiny form in Pokemon GO. Fortunately, the answer is yes, as the Pokemon received its shiny form on May 12, 2020.
Trainers are fully capable of capturing a shiny Virizion if they're lucky. There are two primary ways to do so at the moment, thanks to Virizion's appearance as a raid boss.
Both methods can be quite tricky, and one is particularly resource-intensive, but that's never stopped trainers in the past.
How to encounter shiny Virizion in Pokemon GO in December 2022
At the moment, Pokemon GO trainers can capture a shiny Virizion in one of two ways. They can either defeat Virizion in 5-star raids or encounter it as a PvP reward upon reaching rank 20 and above.
It's important to note that both methods are connected to Virizion's current status as a 5-star raid boss. Once it is rotated out, the PvP reward will shift to whichever Pokemon replaces it as a raid boss.
It comes down to a Pokemon GO trainer to decide which method is best for them, as there are pros and cons to both.
It can take several raids for shiny Virizion to appear, and raid passes aren't easy to stockpile without spending plenty of Pokecoins and (potentially) real-world currency. However, this method is more consistent and less unpredictable, as one can counter Virizion effectively with each repetition.
If PvE isn't a Pokemon GO trainer's preference, they can take their chances with Season 13 of GO Battle League.
If players have a well-established meta team that they can accomplish win streaks with, achieving rank 20 in the new season shouldn't be too difficult. However, the drawback is that GO Battle League is considerably unpredictable, and loss streaks can happen on occasion, depending on the opponents the game's matchmaking chooses for trainers.
Either way, players may not have much time to work as the game's raid rotations refresh quite frequently. Once Virizion is out of the rotation, it may not reappear for quite some time.
Trainers will want to move quickly and start using their raid passes or assembling their PvP teams for the long haul. If the traditional meta isn't working in PvP, joining the Great League Remix may be more palatable, as the format bans the 20 most-used Pokemon of Ace rank or above.
If trainers miss out on the opportunity to catch shiny Virizion, they shouldn't worry. It may take some patience, but this member of the Swords of Justice will inevitably return on Niantic's calendar, though it's unclear when this might be.
Alternatively, it may not be a bad idea to trade for shiny Virizion with a fellow Pokemon GO player if you simply can't wait to add it to your collection.
