Full Odds, Methods and What Actually Matters
Recently, I had a discussion with a few friends about multi-hunting, and whether hunting across multiple systems should be considered full odds or method hunting. There are a lot of shiny hunters who feel the need to categorize themselves as either “method” or “full odds” hunters, and the mentality that sometimes follows is that full odds shinies carry more value.
Now, there is no denying the math. A full odds shiny is inherently rarer than one found using a method. But the value of a shiny Pokémon is not defined by its rarity, it is defined by the joy the hunt, or the hunt’s completion, brings to the player.
There is nothing wrong with method-found shinies. There is nothing wrong with full odds shinies. There is something wrong with belittling someone because their shiny was found “incorrectly.”
Enjoy the game the way you want to enjoy it, and don’t let someone else’s definition of value take that away from you.
So, are multi-hunters playing at full odds, or are they using a method?
To put it simply: yes.
Let’s say you have two copies of Pokémon FireRed and you’re playing both at the same time. Both copies happen to trigger an encounter at once. What are the odds that one of those Pokémon is shiny?
Simple. Each encounter still has a 1 in 8192 chance of being shiny.
So, what changed? Not the odds, just the speed. Multi-hunting increases how quickly you encounter Pokémon, but it doesn’t alter the shiny rate itself.
You might hear the counterpoint: “Horde battles in Pokémon X, Y, Omega Ruby, and Alpha Sapphire are considered method hunting, not full odds.”
Again, yes, but I think horde battles are often misunderstood or miscategorized. Horde battles are still full odds, you’re just seeing five independent full-odds encounters at the same time.
Take it one step further. In modern Pokémon games, shininess can be visible in the overworld, and multiple Pokémon can appear at once. Despite that, these encounters are still considered full odds. Seeing more Pokémon at once, or encountering them faster, doesn’t change the probability of any single Pokémon being shiny.
And that’s really the point. Multi-hunting doesn’t redefine the odds, it just changes how efficiently you reach them.
The Problem With My Setup
So, call it full odds, call it a method, or don’t label it at all. What matters is that you’re enjoying the hunt.
And speaking of enjoyment, you know what I didn’t enjoy? Retiring my Nintendo Switch. At least, that’s how it felt when I unboxed my Nintendo Switch 2. While I was excited to have the newest thing, I was also a little sad, because it felt like I was losing the console I was attached to, not upgrading. Even while playing exclusive games like Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza, I felt a twinge of guilt every time I saw dust settling on my original Nintendo Switch.
But with the Nintendo Switch 2’s backwards compatibility, I didn’t see a reason to dust off the original console, so there it sat.
Nintendo, however, hasn’t forgotten about the original Nintendo Switch, and they’ve continued to support it with compatible releases like Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream and Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen.
I was especially excited when Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen were released on the Nintendo Switch. I thought it would be a great way to include them alongside my Nintendo DS systems in my setup. Because yes, I multi-hunt. And there’s nothing wrong with that.
However, I quickly realized that transitioning between the Switch 2 Pro Controller and the Nintendo DS felt… cumbersome. I wasn’t getting the sense of efficiency I was looking for.
So, reluctantly, I decided to single-hunt throughout my Shiny Badge Quest, even though I would have preferred to multi-hunt.
And that’s when I noticed my poor, forgotten Nintendo Switch, and it got me thinking.
About the Author
Scott (Scotty) Greenhalgh is the founder and owner of Input Lag, an independent Nintendo-focused publication. Scotty brings a player-first perspective informed by years of hands-on experience with Nintendo games to his reviews, rankings, and editorial coverage. His writing focuses on how games feel to play, their long-term value, and the impact Nintendo’s creative and business decisions have on players.
Outside of Input Lag, he also creates Pokémon-focused content online under the name Gr3atScotty.
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The Multiviewer Solution
Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen have very simple controls on the Switch, and the game is fully playable with a single Joy-Con… which means that if I pair a left Joy-Con and a right Joy-Con to different systems, I could play both games at the same time. A simple solution, but I immediately saw a glaring problem…
The multiviewer effectively splits my monitor into four screens, saving valuable desk space.
My efficiency just doubled.
So far in the Shiny Badge Quest, my Pokémon FireRed file has progressed beyond Misty. I’ve picked up two gym badges with a growing team of five shiny Pokémon, and while I’ve met the requirements to challenge the next gym with Revali the shiny Pidgeot or Cleocatra the shiny Meowth, I decided to break in the multiviewer a different way…
We’re bringing Pokémon LeafGreen into the Shiny Badge Quest, and I think we should introduce it in style.
I booted up Pokémon LeafGreen on the original Nintendo Switch and loaded a separate Pokémon FireRed file on the Nintendo Switch 2 so I wouldn’t risk losing my save data, with the intention of double-hunting Charmander. The second FireRed file is mostly just insurance. My hope is to find the shiny Charmander in Pokémon LeafGreen, but if it shows up on FireRed, I can always trade it over.
With the setup complete, our journey resumes.
Showdown FireRed LeafGreen
And just in time, because Showdown FireRed LeafGreen begins in a few days, and I’d really like to complete some soft resets in Celadon City for Clefairy or Abra so I can earn a participation badge for ShinyDex.
This makes my path and goals clear:
Step One: Obtain Shiny Charmander before Showdown FireRed LeafGreen
Step Two: Speed-run to Celadon
Step Three: Max out on coins
Step Four: Exchange coins for Abra or Clefairy
Step Five: Find a shiny for Showdown and secure a badge
Simple… in theory.
However, I had a formidable opponent: school.
That poem really resonates with me.
I won’t lie, I have my reservations about the plan. On one hand, dual hunting theoretically means I’ll find the shiny Charmander faster, but… the odds are still against me. Even though the hunt is progressing more quickly on two systems, it’s estimated I won’t even reach odds until after the showdown event. On top of that, the forecast has been predicting a severe drought ever since we found Deku Baba, our shiny Bulbasaur.
That said, shiny hunting only takes one encounter… so there’s always a chance.
I completed around 1,500 Charmander encounters before Showdown FireRed LeafGreen began, with no luck. That’s fine, because honestly, finding the shiny during the event would still secure the participation badge.
Showdown FireRed LeafGreen was a competition-style event running from April 7, 2026, through April 12, 2026. Five days. Five days to lock in. Five days to secure my team, Team FireRed, a victory.
Day 1: Feeling fine. Still, plenty of time. 2,416 encounters. Team FireRed takes the lead.
Day 2: No stress yet… Charmander officially becomes the longest hunt of this playthrough. Team FireRed holds the lead.
Day 3: Middle of the event. There’s still a chance. 3,296 encounters.
Day 4: Time is running out… Team FireRed keeps a decisive lead.
Day 5: It all comes down to this.
I could only afford a few hours of hunting on the final day, and the forecast suggested I wouldn’t even reach half odds before the event ended.
My friends were finding shiny Pokémon left and right, and here I was, staring down what could be the first drought of the Shiny Badge Quest…
6 hours to go.
Maybe I should pivot at the last minute to Abra resets in Celadon City?
3 hours to go.
After trying a few Abra resets in FireRed, I didn’t like the rhythm of juggling Charmander and Abra at the same time. On top of that, Team LeafGreen ties the score for the first time since Day 2.
1 hour to go.
Somehow, Team FireRed is down by 5 points, and it looks like I’m about to lose the match, along with my chance to earn a badge for the event.
10 minutes to go.
Now, 5 minutes to go…
Stranger things have happened. Call me an optimist.
Finding a shiny in the final moments wouldn’t secure Team FireRed a victory at this point, but at least I could count myself among the contributors…
And then it was over.
3,700 encounters. No shiny. No badge. No bragging rights.
The Final Encounter
With Showdown FireRed LeafGreen officially behind us, the next shiny hunting event I’m looking forward to is Maydar. It doesn’t feature FireRed and LeafGreen, so there’s nothing stopping us from continuing the Shiny Badge Quest in the meantime. Honestly, this shifts my goals quite a bit.
Step One: Complete 500 Charmander encounters per day.
Step Two: Find the shiny Charmander.
Step Three: Party, I guess?
When you’re doing these kinds of hunts, I think it’s important to set bite-sized goals, and I’ll admit that 500 Charmander encounters a day might be a little unrealistic… still, I was determined.
As for this hunt, I know one thing for certain: we’re going over odds. The drought forecast hasn’t changed. If anything, it’s only become more convincing. The stars are aligned, the outlook is set, it feels practically written in stone.
And honestly, I’m okay with that. We’ve been incredibly lucky during this run, so if this ends up being our first hunt that goes over odds, that’s perfectly fine. I can be patient.
Truthfully, I was really enjoying myself, which is a good thing, because after finding shiny Bulbasaur, completing the Kanto starters in FireRed and LeafGreen feels inevitable. That means we might be spending quite a bit more time with Professor Oak, even after Charmander shines.
I was streaming this hunt frequently, and it seemed like my community was enjoying it just as much. They were also predicting this hunt would go over odds. We were all in for a surprise.
With deadlines in mind, I decided to wrap up stream a little early so I could spend more time working on [redacted]. It actually worked out perfectly. I was sitting at around 5,480 encounters, and ending at 5,500 would give me a clean stopping point and a little extra time to handle my other responsibilities.
At around 5,490 encounters, I started looking for another ShinyDex ambassador to raid once I hit 5,500 and closed out the stream. Because I was dual hunting, one reset equals two encounters, so I had about five resets left.
5,498…
I found someone I was excited to raid. It was time for the final encounter of the stream.
I booted up the game. Skipped the nickname. Opened the menu to check if the Charmander I just received from Professor Oak was shiny…
And it was.
On the literal last encounter of the stream.
The scream that escaped my soul…
Shock. Excitement. Gratitude.
Disbelief.
Wasn’t I supposed to go over odds? Wasn’t I supposed to end stream?
I had seen too many friends recently fail their shiny starters in Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen. I knew exactly what I needed to do.
Save the game…
And just like that, it was done.
I can’t believe my luck. Rudania, the shiny Charmander, was found in my LeafGreen copy, so there’s no need to trade it to a different save file.
Rudania also happens to be Adamant in nature, which means that Rudania would be a perfect physical attacker. And while we’re at it, Rudania might as well be speedy, right?
Looks like yet another trip to Route 22, where we’ll be frying up some Spearow and Mankey.
Still… I’m not sorry.
Until next time!
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Love it, quite a story! Hope you find a shiny Spearow on your journey 😉