Pokemon Scarlet & Violet players reveal simple trick to capture shiny Riolu on first try

Niladri Sarkar
pokemon scarlet and violet teal mask dlc species shiny riolu encounter in the game

Shiny Pokemon are the most sought-after species in Scarlet and Violet so no one wants to have a shiny encounter fail, especially that of a fan-favorite like Riolu. Check out some clever tricks shared by Pokemon players to guarantee a shiny Riolu capture in the Teal Mask DLC.

With Riolu and Lucario available in the Teal Mask DLC of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, catching their shiny versions has become a priority for every fan.

But it looks like many players are failing to catch a shiny Riolu as the Baby Pokemon has a trick up its sleeve: Final Gambit, a Fighting-type move that makes the user deal damage equal to its HP to the opponent and then faint.

With this self-KO (knockout) attack in Riolu’s Teal Mask DLC moveset, most players are frustrated with failing to capture the extremely rare shiny Riolu.

Now, a few Pokemon Scarlet and Violet fans have shared some simple tips to avoid this situation and guarantee a shiny Riolu capture when you encounter it again.

Pokemon Scarlet & Violet fans explain how to counter shiny Riolu with Final Gambit

User ‘kanna172014’ shared a Reddit post showing a shiny Riolu encounter in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Teal Mask DLC and wrote, “Good thing I saved because it used Final Gambit.”

Saving the game during shiny hunting is crucial, as a user put it, “The shiny stays but ends up being in a different location in your spawn radius when you save before it kills itself.”

That said, doing this before a shiny Riolu encounter is only half the job done. Final Gambit only makes catching it more frustrating as you might have to reset the game repeatedly to grab it.

But fellow Pokemon Scarlet and Violet players unveiled a clever yet simple trick to nullify Final Gambit entirely:

“If you have a Ghost-type at the front of the party Final Gambit won’t hit and won’t kill the Pokemon. Final Gambit is reliant on its hitting, unlike Explosion.”

pokemon scarlet and violet teal mask dlc riolu litakami map locations
Riolu can be found in Teal Mask DLC locations like Wistful Fields, Kitakami Hall, and Fellhorn Gorge.

Other players added that using Ghost-types like “False Swipe Ceruledge” and “Gholdengo with its Ability Good As Gold” can also avoid losing shinies that use Final Gambit as well as Memento, a move that also makes the shiny faint.

“I had False Swipe Ceruledge fronting my party and a random Annihilape collided and tried Final Gambit but didn’t die.”

Ghost-type Pokemon are immune to Fighting-type moves like Final Gambit and using them after saving the game will make sure that you catch a shiny Riolu.

If you’re going shiny hunting for Riolu, check out how to catch Ghost-types like Gholdengo and Ceruledge in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet.

About The Author

Niladri is a Writer who specializes in Pokemon Go, Scarlet and Violet, and competitive VGC battles. With more than seven years of experience in copywriting and SEO content writing, Niladri has previously written for Pokémon GO Hub and Smogon. He has been covering Pokemon for CharlieIntel since June 2023. Niladri can be contacted at [email protected].