Like with the mainline games, there are plenty of shiny hunters in Pokemon GO. While shiny Pokemon have no mechanical advantage or benefit compared to their normally colored counterparts, many enjoy collecting them due to their unique appearances and rarity.
Shiny hunters have recently been thrown into action in Pokemon GO due to every Pokemon from the Kanto region now having their shiny forms implemented in-game. This also means the evolutions of all the Kanto Pokemon also have their shiny forms available with one of these Pokemon being Steelix.
Steelix is a dual Steel and Ground-type Pokemon from the Johto region. It is also the evolved form of Onix, a dual Rock and Ground-type from the Kanto region. Onix and Steelix have had their shiny forms in Pokemon GO for some time now, but not every player has them.
While players can find Onix in the wild, Steelix is much less likely to find this way, and it is even less likely for players to encounter a shiny Steelix in the wild. Because of this, if players want a shiny Steelix, they will need to evolve a shiny Onix.
Currently in Pokemon GO, the Kanto Celebration Event is active for all players for a limited time. While neither Onix or Steelix are among the increased spawn rates or raid bosses, Onix is offered as one of the rewards for the event's timed research tasks. This Onix, however, isn't guaranteed to be shiny, meaning that it isn't a reliable way to hunt for a shiny one.
If players want to actively hunt for a shiny Onix, the best item they can have is a Magnetic Lure Module. These lures can be obtained via various task rewards or can be directly purchased from the in-game shop for 200 Pokecoins each. What makes these lures so special is that they primarily attract Electric, Rock, and Steel-type Pokemon to the Pokestop they are attached to. This will make it more likely for a shiny Onix to appear.
While waiting for the Pokemon, players will not be able to tell if the Pokemon is shiny or not from the overworld screen. They will need to enter the encounter to see if the Pokemon is different. Players can tell the difference between a normal and shiny Onix due to a normal Onix being grey and a shiny Onix being green.
After players catch a shiny Onix, they can evolve it into a shiny Steelix. In order to do this, they will need at least 50 Onix candies and a Metal Coat evolution item in their inventory.
Pokemon GO is out now for iOS and Android mobile devices.