How to get shiny Cyndaquil, Quilava, and Typhlosion in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet

Although Pokemon Scarlet and Violet didn't offer Cyndaquil and its evolutions at launch, trainers now have the opportunity to acquire the Generation II creatures. This includes their shiny variants, which are quite rare but well within reach for determined players.

Thanks to the availability of Typhlosion in Pokemon Scarlet/Violet's 7-star Tera Raids on April 14-16, 2023, and April 21-23, 2023, players can obtain shinies for the Gen II Fire-type starter. Doing so is tricky and time-consuming, but trainers who wish to have the rare variant in their collection will likely be willing to put in the time.

But how exactly do players acquire these shinies in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet? For the most part, they will need to rely on the breeding system.

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How to use the breeding system to obtain shiny Cyndaquil/Quilava/Typhlosion in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet

Though it's technically possible to find shiny Pokemon during Tera Raids, doing so is exceptionally rare. Considering that players don't have a ton of time to battle Typhlosion in raids due to the event schedule, they'll need to rely on other methods to acquire shinies.

Specifically, trainers will want to defeat 7-star raid boss Typhlosion, capture it, and then breed it until an egg hatches that contains a shiny Cyndaquil. The shiny Cyndaquil can then be trained and leveled up normally until it evolves into Quilava and Typhlosion, giving players access to the evolutionary line's shiny variants.

Here's how to obtain the shiny Cyndaquil line in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet:

1. First things first, you'll need to ensure you have access to 6- and 7-star Tera Raids. This is accomplished by winning the Academy Ace Tournament before beating eight to 10 4- and 5-star Tera Raids until you're contacted by Jacq, who warns you about even more powerful Tera Raids emerging.
2. From April 14, 2023, to April 16, 2023, and from April 21, 2023, to April 23, 2023, search your map for a black Tera Raid crystal. This will contain the Typhlosion 7-star raid you need to beat. It should also be possible to use the Poke Portal in your main menu and check for other players who are hosting a Typhlosion raid.
3. Defeat Tera Raid boss Typhlosion. It won't be easy, but by countering its Ghost Tera Type and avoiding its Fire-type arsenal, you should be victorious. It's highly advised to EV train your best counters and level them up to level 100 for the highest chance of success. You may need backup from other trainers as well.
4. Once you've caught the raid boss Typhlosion, find yourself a Ditto. You can find one in the wild in West Province Area Two and Three. It will be disguised as other Pokemon, so you'll need to encounter a bunch of different creatures until one reveals itself as a Ditto. Catch the Ditto during the battle.
5. Open your Pokemon storage box and leave Ditto and Typhlosion as the lone members of your party. Head out into the game world and find a nice flat surface to set up a picnic on.
6. Start a picnic in a location of your choosing and wait for a while. Every so often, check the basket at the end of your picnic table. Eventually, you'll notice that an egg has popped into the basket, which you can place in your Pokemon storage box. It's also advised during the wait to snack on a sandwich with the Egg Power effect, as you can increase your egg discovery odds over time, increasing your overall egg yields.
7. When you have plenty of eggs, place them in your party and then start traveling around Paldea. Hop on Koraidon/Miraidon and ride or glide around to add steps to incubate the egg. During this time, it's also helpful to have a Pokemon with the Flame Body ability in your party, as doing so will double the hatching time of eggs and cut down on how much you have to travel.
8. Eventually, you will be interrupted by a message that your egg is hatching. Since you used Ditto and Typhlosion as parents, a Cyndaquil will hatch from the egg.

Keep in mind that although this method will hatch Cyndaquil in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, hatching a shiny variant is still pretty rare. Since this is the case, players will need to hatch dozens to hundreds of eggs until the Cyndaquil they hatch emerges in its shiny form.

As previously stated, hatching a shiny Cyndaquil will be time-consuming unless players are pretty lucky. However, once trainers have their shiny variant, all they need to do is train and evolve it to obtain shiny Quilava and Typhlosion.