Pokemon GO
John Hanke, creator of Pokemon Go and Chief Executive Officer of Niantic gestures during his keynote speech at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, February 28, 2017. Reuters/Paul Hanna

The quest for shiny Pokemon has begun and “Pokemon GO’s” latest event is making everybody a Magikarp fan. The event is celebrating water-type Pokemon of all kinds.

Players are most-excited about Magikarp though. However, the popularity is mainly because of the Water Festival event and not because of the Pokemon itself. Magikarp is Pokemon’s eternal punching bag and it is the first Pokemon in the game that comes in a shiny variant. The Shiny Pokemon are incredibly difficult to spot in the game and these rare recolours can transform a Pokemon’s entire look. They even have different colours and markings than standard Pokemon. Naturally, they are a great catch.

Magikarp evolves into the very powerful Gyarados and is much more than just a collector’s item. It evolves into Gyarados but retains its unique colouring to become red Gyarados. This Pokemon has appeared a number of times in “Pokemon Gold and Silver.” Finding Magikarp isn’t easy, but it’s easier in “Pokemon GO” than in other games, writes Polygon. The Water Festival has become an instant hit as its making water-type Pokemon very common, despite a player’s geographical location.

Players in landlocked areas can also find Magikarp because of the event. However, fans should not expect to catch it without some work. The discovery rate of 220 normal Magikarp to one shiny is not great. Players who are looking for the golden shiny Magikarp are being trolled by Niantic. Magikarp is one of those monsters that Ditto can use as disguise. Therefore, a lot of players who believe to have captured a shiny Magikarp are finding that it’s just a Ditto. Niantic is making its fans to believe that they have caught the rarest of Pokemon, only to find it to be something else. Reactions on Twitter have been amazing. Read them on Kotaku.

The “Pokemon GO” Water Festival event is ending on March 29, and players should make sure that they devote all their time in catching the shiny Magikarp as long as they are on the shore. No other Shiny Pokemon have been spotted. Thus, for the while, Magikarp is everyone’s darling. Niantic is finding unique ways to keep its fans glued to the game. Players are expecting Grass and Fire events after the Water Event. Lapras remains one of the rarest creatures in the game and most have got it only from a rare 10 k.m. egg.

Dragon-type Pokemon Dratini seems to be water-tied in “Pokemon GO” and Dragonite remains a Gym staple. Squirtle and Totodile are not that rare, though a player needs a lot of them to get third-tier evolutions, writes Forbes. Stay tuned on IBT AU for more updates on the game and its events.