I’m starting to understand how unbalanced shiny hunting truly is in Pokémon Legends: Z-A. It always has been, considering its shiny retention system and a multitude of spots for AFK hunting, both scripted and rubber band-based. However, the Mega Dimension DLC has an unprecedented new mechanic; something that can put even the 7% shiny rate of USUM’s Ultra Wormholes to shame. With the right distortions and the right donuts, you can cut out the hunting process and get yourself a guaranteed shiny.
If you enter a distortion using a donut with a Lv. 3 Shining Power, it will force one random Pokémon that matches the donut’s type to be shiny. This will be signified by a “Catch shiny Pokémon“ objective appearing on your research tasks. Because I went into this distortion using a Psychic Shining Power donut, and there are no other Psychic-type Pokémon in the distortion, this would force the presence of a shiny Alolan Raichu.
Of course, if the Pokémon you’re after can’t be singled out through its typing, you can still play the chance game. If the guaranteed shiny you get isn’t the species you’re looking for, you can quit out and press X-B-↑ on the title screen to safely save-scum out and try your luck again. Considering how easy this method is, I wonder what bounties the professional shiny hunters are pursuing . . .