Highlights
- The shiny forms of Iron Moth and Iron Treads lack significant changes and don't stand out, while Iron Hands has a clean and pleasing shiny design.
- Iron Bundle and Iron Jugulis both have shiny forms that offer a noticeable color change, with Iron Thorns and Iron Valiant showcasing powerful and visually superior designs.
Pokemon Scarlet & Violet introduces several striking innovations, from big changes in mechanics with the introduction of Terastallizing to farming Tera Raids for Herba Mystica. If you enjoy chrome-shaded shinies, then Pokemon Violet's future Pokemon will likely catch your fancy.
Whether you prefer shinies with subtle changes or ones that make sweeping alterations, the best shiny future Paradox Pokemon make use of an excellent base color to add to their chrome-shaded palette swaps.
Updated September 19th, 2023 by Andrew Scariati: Shiny Paradox Pokemon offer the pinnacle of the shiny hunting experience in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. With the release of The Teal Mask DLC, it's clear there are even more new Paradox Pokemon en route to Paldea.
While all shiny Paradox Pokemon are not currently available, there are some excellent choices to hunt while you wait for the rest to have their shinies unlocked.
7 Iron Moth
Let's be brutally honest for a moment: no matter how much you enjoy Iron Moth's original design or its unusual dual-typing, there's little to appreciate about its shiny form. You would absolutely be forgiven for struggling to spot the difference upon first glance – or even after a third look.
In case you still can't tell, Iron Moth loses its red and black markings in favor of a grayish chrome color swap. While subtle shinies can sometimes offer a compelling alternate color scheme, this one is the Pokemon equivalent of going from color TV back to black-and-white.
6 Iron Treads
Much like its moth companion, Iron Treads is somewhat of a puzzling shiny Paradox Pokemon design from Game Freak. The darker black in the original pops far better against the red accents than the lighter chrome coloring does, especially in the lighting of Area Zero.
Overall, both designs look pretty clean, but the shiny version leaves a lot to be desired. The consistent chrome color swaps are nice thematic tie-ins, but certain designs like the one given to Iron Treads suffer from the drab palette change that detracts from a solid base form.
5 Iron Hands
Iron Hands begins to right the ship for Pokemon Violet enthusiasts, as its silvery-chrome recolor gives it the clean look that the original lacked. The dark navy head and black pants come off in favor of the reflective silver and gray chrome – a pleasant change.
The shiny form keeps things simple, in what is a hit among a few misses for the Iron-themed shiny Paradox Pokmeon. Game Freak definitely adhered to a 'less is more' philosophy for all shiny Paradox Pokemon in Violet, which works for Iron Hands; some variety would still have been nice, though.
That said, Iron Hands does stay true to Hariyama's color scheme and makes some futuristic innovations.
4 Iron Bundle
Iron Bundle is easily one of the most powerful future Paradox Pokemon and it boasts a simple but beautiful shiny to boot. While the theme of every 'Iron' Paradox Pokemon turning chrome for their shiny is a bit tiresome, Iron Bundle's is fitting.
The chrome base pairs well with the blue-tinged accents this bundle of joy sports on its winter garb. The reflective nature of its appearance lets Iron Bundle shine brightest when it battles in a snowy environment, making for a wonderful treat when you're rematching Grusha in the snow-covered Glaseado terrain.
3 Iron Jugulis
Iron Jugulis actually benefits from the simplicity of Violet's shiny formula, as it already boasts eye-popping neon pink and blue shades on its head and collar. Jugulis ditches the black and blue color combo that originally belonged to Hydreigon, in favor of a grayish chrome body.
The contrast between the neon coloring and the more muted gray scheme is stark but compatible, as the simplicity offsets the brightness. In some designs, the chrome is almost impossible to spot, while Iron Jugulis offers an appreciated color change that shiny hunters will enjoy as they comb through hoards of this floating dragon.
2 Iron Thorns
Iron Thorns stands out from the other shiny Paradox Pokemon as both a powerful Tera Raid option and a strong visual superior to its non-shiny version. This future Tyranitar keeps the neon green that harkens back to the original and accentuates it with a bright chrome body.
The original pale green body is an excellent callback, but two diverging shades of green rarely work well together, which makes this Shiny's switch to green and chrome a great choice. Iron Thorns sets such a high bar for its counterparts. There's only one 'Iron' Pokemon that can stand head and shoulders above this mammoth creature.
1 Iron Valiant
Not all shiny Paradox Pokemon in Violet's chrome-dominated conundrum are underwhelming – after all, it's impossible to deny the tried-and-true power of contrast. Iron Valiant's base form takes a page out of Gallade's fantastic blue and green base palette, working surprisingly well with the pink arm blades.
However, this shiny Paradox Pokemon really kicks things up a notch when it loses the pastel colors and its formerly white body in favor of the dark gray chrome that gives it a sleek, intimidating appearance. The pink remains constant, which is the biggest win here – much like with Iron Jugulis.
There's just something about neon that fits these designs perfectly, particularly Iron Valiant's. While venturing through a dark cave, there's no doubt this Pokemon would be the most terrifying yet elating sight to behold as its pink eyes glitter brightly in the darkness.