Pokemon Go player learns lesson “the hard way” after failing Shiny Gardevoir

Cassidy Stephenson
Shiny Gardevoir in front of Pokemon Go logo

One Pokemon Go player realized their huge mistake when failing to catch Shiny Gardevoir after using Daily Incense in a fast-moving vehicle.

Introduced in Generation III, Gardevoir is the final evolution of the Psychic-type Ralts. In Generation VI, Gardevoir received a Psychic/Fairy dual-type and the ability to Mega Evolve by activating the Gardevoirite item.

In Pokemon Go, the average chance of someone encountering a Shiny is 1 in 500 or .2%. Therefore, the pain of one running away from trainers is indescribable. Here’s how one player’s hasty decision lost a Shiny Gardevoir.

Pokemon Go player blames car for not catching Shiny Gardevoir

Pokemon GO Tipped Mega Gardevoir

Reddit user DramaLlama695 shared their epic fail on the Pokemon Go subreddit. The post included a screenshot of several Pokemon running away from the player, including a Shiny Gardevoir.

“My guess is you’re driving too fast with Daily Incense,” splycedaddy wrote. “Going over 35-40mph, I cant catch anything.”

DramaLlama695 admitted to using Daily Incense in a car and found out “the very hard way” about the effects. While it’s unclear if the trainer was the driver or the passenger, Pokemon Go’s flee rate still increased to 90% due to the vehicle’s speed.

PancakeyKakes slammed Niantic for the higher flee rate feature while in a moving vehicle. “They really need to find a way to discourage playing and driving in such a way that doesn’t impact passengers,” the user wrote. “Really uncalled for.”

In response to their complaint, one player stood by the company’s decision as an essential safety precaution. “I don’t think there’s really a way around it,” rhysmorgan remarked. “If they make it possible to catch while driving, people will absolutely play Pokemon Go while driving.”

Despite DramaLlama695’s agony over a lost Shiny Gardevoir, at least it wasn’t a Legendary.

Recently, players have had to flee Shiny Latias and Latios encounters due to their ridiculously low catch rates. The Legendaries would not stay caught even after using hundreds of Pokeballs and Berries. This ultimately led to the trainers running away from the Shiny Legendaries instead of the Pokemon fleeing from them.

About The Author

Cassidy graduated from Concordia University Chicago in 2021 with a Bachelor's Degree in Media Communication. She's an expert in all things Pokemon, and her favorite games include Pokémon Crystal, Genshin Impact, and Fire Emblem: Three Houses. You can contact her at cassidy.stephenson@dexerto.com.