On March 5, Niantic revived the fighting-type focused Battle Showdown event in Pokemon GO. One of the more exciting aspects of this year's Battle Showdown event is the chance to catch some new shiny Pokemon in the form of shiny Machop and shiny Mankey, who join the growing list of shiny Pokemon in the game.

For the uninitiated, shiny Pokemon are extremely rare, palette-swapped Pokemon that are some of the most coveted creatures by hardcore fans. In Pokemon GO, it's very difficult to catch shiny Pokemon outside of Community Days or other special events, meaning Battle Showdown may be the only shot for some players to catch shiny Machop and shiny Mankey. Considering this, any Pokemon GO players who are concerned with catching all the shiny Pokemon will want to be sure to catch as many Machops and Mankeys as possible during the event.

Luckily for shiny hunters, the spawn rates for fighting-type Pokemon will be increased during Battle Showdown. This should greatly increase the odds one has of running into shiny Machop or shiny Mankey, but it will likely still be easier said than done.

shiny machop pokemon go
pokemon go shiny mankey

While the chance to catch shiny Machop and shiny Mankey may be the biggest selling point of this year's Battle Showdown event, there are other reasons to participate in it as well. For example, Pokemon GO fans can look forward to double XP (for getting gym badges) and double stardust (for catches, battling, and fighting in raids), plus the chance to get Rare Candy as a reward for participating in PvP trainer battles.

The Battle Showdown event is live now and will last until March 12 at 1:00pm Pacific time. So anyone looking to take advantage of the bonuses or catch some new shiny Pokemon should be sure to play as much as possible until then.

Pokemon GO is out now for iOS and Android mobile devices.

Source: Pokemon GO Hub