A recently discovered trick in Pokémon Legends: Z-A has sparked major excitement across the community, as players have found a way to duplicate shiny Pokémon. These rare, alternate-colored Pokémon are among the most sought-after in the franchise, and this exploit effectively allows players to clone them for trade or collection purposes.
The Rarity of Shiny Pokémon
Shiny Pokémon remain extremely rare in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, with a base encounter rate of just 1 in 4,096. Despite this, shiny hunting continues to be a popular activity, especially as the game includes several player-friendly mechanics that make spotting and preserving shinies easier. For example, shiny Pokémon in Legends: Z-A will not despawn if a player leaves the area, faints, or fails to catch it on the first attempt.
How the Trick Works
Players have reported that the shiny duplication trick requires specific steps that involve saving, restarting, and manipulating the Pokémon’s position relative to its spawn point. When executed correctly, the process results in a cloned shiny Pokémon with identical stats, nature, IVs, and moves.
This method has been widely discussed in the community and is already being used by some players to build impressive collections of shiny Pokémon. However, it also comes with potential risks.
Risks of Cloning Shiny Pokémon
While the trick is functional within Pokémon Legends: Z-A, cloned Pokémon may face detection and removal when transferred to Pokémon Home in the future. The service has systems in place that identify duplicated Pokémon, which can lead to them being deleted from a player’s account.
Since Pokémon Home support for Legends: Z-A is not expected until 2026, players have some time to experiment, but those planning to trade or store their shiny clones long-term should proceed with caution.
A New Chapter for Shiny Hunters
This discovery opens new possibilities for shiny enthusiasts, making it easier than ever to obtain multiple copies of rare Pokémon. However, as with previous exploits in the series, it remains to be seen whether future patches will remove or restrict the use of this duplication method.
For now, Pokémon Legends: Z-A players have found a powerful way to expand their shiny collections—just in time for the next round of community trading events.
