Shiny Pokemon with the Pokeradar

[Shuko]

Edit: Don't want to read the text? Watch the amazingly boring video!

There is a lot of dispute going around as to whether or not this method works. I believe it does, because most people who get a high enough chain and catch a shiny are able to keep the chain going, and catch more shinies within only a few minutes of each other. For that reason, I think it deserves its own topic.

First off, I'll assume that you know what both shinies and the Pokeradar are. If not, I'd suggest not reading this, as it'll only confuse you.

Second, I'd like to begin by letting you know a few things you'll need to begin this method. Be sure to have the following:
1. The Pokeradar.
2. Pokeballs (to catch the shiny with, of course)
3. LOTS of max/super repels. You'll need to buy a lot of these, hundreds in some cases. I'd suggest fighting the Socialite and Gentleman on Rt. 212 with the Vs. Seeker and an amulet coin until you have enough for some good repels. You're gonna need them!
4. A strong, high-level Pokemon with enough PP in high power moves to take out a bunch of Pokemon in one blow. You'll want to specialize this in some cases, depending on which Pokemon you'll be chaining.
5. A Pokemon that can whittle your shiny's health down for catching. Obviously, this is optional, but very helpful if you're not swimming in master balls.
6. PP Restoring items. (I prefer leppa berries, as they're easy to find).

Now that we know what we'll need, let's get started! The first thing you'll want to do is go to Sandgem town and find out from Dawn's/Lucas's sister what Pokemon are swarming that day (if you want to chain a swarming pokemon).

Once you know where the swarm is, go to that route, and find an ideal place to begin chaining. (If you don't want to chain a swarmer, go to where the pokemon you DO want to chain is located :p) An ideal spot is one where the grass nearly covers the screen. Once you're there, save the game.

Now, I'm going to introduce you to a method known as "chaining." Chaining is a process by which you "chain" multiples of the same species of Pokemon one after another by using the Pokeradar. When done correctly, you can get dozens of these things in a row, and an added bonus to doing so is that it boosts your chances at finding a shiny Pokemon dramatically.

So first, use a max repel, and then use your radar. Notice all the wiggling patches of grass? I tend to go for the ones that aren't sparkling, as they're harder to confuse with others.

Now it's time to let you know about the "Rules of Chaining."

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Rule 1:
Only choose a patch of grass if there are FOUR patches shaking. The reason for this is that if you don't see a fourth one, it might be hiding somewhere else, and it could be the one you were supposed to go to instead.

**Rule 2:
After the first patch you choose, all subsequent patches MUST shake in the same way. Choose any others, and you'll break your chain.

*Rule 3:
Never choose a patch of grass that forces you out of the radar's range.
(The range is dictated by whether or not you can see at least one of the patches of grass that wiggled.)

Rule 4:
ONLY choose a patch of grass that's farthest from you, and is at least four patches away.

Rule 5:
Never choose a patch of grass that's more than seven steps away. That's the steps you have to walk, by the way, by taking the shortest route. This is not a calculated distance; it's one you can count by actually walking it. (Someone in here warned us about this, but I can't track him down. If anyone can tell me who, I'd appreciate it; I need to credit him. Anyway, it's turned out to be true for me every time I tried it. If anyone can get it to not happen this way, I'll need to know that too. :p)

Rule 6:
NEVER choose a patch of grass that occurs on corners or edges. The fewer empty grass spots that surround your chosen patch, the greater its chance of breaking the chain.

Rule 7:
Avoid patches of grass if they are right beside other moving patches. See rule 5 for the same reason. ;)

Rule 8:
When in doubt, reset the radar and try again.

Rule 9:
If you see a patch of grass that sparkles twice dramatically, and seems to have a differently colored hue, it's a shiny Pokemon. Proceed there with caution! What the grass will look like (video courtesy of Pokerealm)

*Rule 10:
Never run away from the Pokemon, and never let it flee either.

*Rule 11:
Never use your bike.
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It's a lot to remember, but in time, it'll become second nature. Now, I should address one more thing before moving onto the tips and tricks. Resetting the radar.

Here's how you do it. The Pokeradar needs to recharge after every fifty steps. If you come across a set of wiggling grass that doesn't go by the rules, walk fifty steps in non-wiggling grass (taking care to stay in the radar's range), and use the radar again. This will not break your chain, so long as you are in range when you use the radar again. And believe me when I say this: you'll be doing a lot more resetting than running into Pokemon.

So now you have the basics. Is there anything else you should consider? Of course! Here are a few tips and tricks you might want to keep in mind before you begin:

1. Swarming Pokemon make easy chains. Swarming Pokemon, and also any other pokemon that are common in an area seem to be easier to keep the chain going. This may or may not be true, but It seems so in my experience.

2. Never enter the grass directly behind your character. Unfortunately, this grass is mostly hidden from view, and if it wiggles, you'll be hard pressed to see it. I make it a point never to enter this grass unless I can see all four of the wiggling grasses elsewhere.

3. It's good to have a Pokemon that knows super fang or false swipe in your team. They'll help make the Pokemon easier to catch. Any immobilizing statuses like sleep or paralysis are good too.

4. If you're hunting an electric Pokemon, put a Pokemon with static at the head of your party. This'll help ensure even more that you'll run into your chosen Pokemon (or so it is believed).

5. App. No. 20, the Pokeradar App, is very helpful. It will tell you how many pokemon you've chained, as well as your longest chains so far. This'll help you determine when you're ready to start resetting for shinies.

6. Register the Pokeradar. This'll help you out a lot.

7. Put your repels at the top of your item list.

8. At some point, stop chaining and start resetting. Most people say 40 is a safe number to start resetting, but as long as you have enough patience and repels, even 20 could work. It's all a matter of how far you're willing to go to raise your chances. A chain can break for seemingly no reason at all sometimes. It's best to be extremely cautious.

9. If you need a break, take one! But make sure you'll know where you are when you come back. I find it best to take breaks in the middle of a battle, or right before I reset the Pokeradar. But whatever works for you. Real time won't affect your chain, so take all the breaks you need. Just be sure to plug your DS in if you need to leave it on for a while, and putting it in sleep mode won't hurt either.

10. (New) While it would make since to think that increasing the chain to very high numbers would greatly increase the chance of encountering a shiny, this is not the case. The formula for chaining shows that the maximum chain number you can get is 40 before it doesn't matter how high the chain is. When the chain reaches 40, from that point onward, the chance of encountering a shiny is approximately 1/200.

And that's it! If you stick at it, you too should notice results. I've only been doing it for five days, and I already have five shinies to show for it!

* These rules, if broken, will most likely break your chain.
** I have seen it happen sometimes where your chain can "shift grass types." What I mean is, I may start out with non-glittery grass, then all of the sudden, the chain will shift to glittery grass, and it's all that appears. I've had chains successfully shift to the new type of grass and keep going. Be extra cautious if you suspect this has happened.

EDIT by Wiil: Put in tip 10 and edited the first *, seeing as on many occasions these rules can accidentally be broken and the chain continues.

[Evil Raichu]

Thanks for this topic. Some of the tips are helpful and I didn't know about them/think about them before. The largest chain I've been able to make so far was only 13.

About how long was your chain when you encountered a shiny pokemon?

[Kasumi]

I've been trying to get a shiny Roselia in the Mansion with no luck so far. Seems like I was doing things wrong because I didn't know about the 4 grass patches condition. Thanks a lot for the tips. :D

[Wiil]

Thank you so much for this. I love shiny Pokemon and I REALLY want one in Diamond. *Goes off for shiny hunting*

[Shuko]

Originally Posted by Slightly Immoral Azurill

Thanks for this topic. Some of the tips are helpful and I didn't know about them/think about them before. The largest chain I've been able to make so far was only 13.

About how long was your chain when you encountered a shiny pokemon?

I got it on my 49th chain pokemon, although I started resetting after about 40. :) When I began to run out of max repels, I started chaining some more, lol.

[Seth1]

I got to 30 Electrikes and a Shellos showed up. I almost threw my Ds at the wall. Don't think I have the patience for this.

[Shuko]

Originally Posted by Seth1

I got to 30 Electrikes and a Shellos showed up. I almost threw my Ds at the wall. Don't think I have the patience for this.

Maybe I should add a little disclaimer in there that it's not for the faint of heart. xD

I lost a chain of 35 Nosepass yesterday after trying for a second one. I was stupid and my thumb slipped on the wrong button. I was crushed. xD

[Geoffrey]

Is it just me or does this seem... fake?

[Shuko]

Originally Posted by Geoffrey2004

Is it just me or does this seem... fake?

I thought so too until I tried it. :p

But as it turns out, there's even a part in the game where it's alluded to. After so many different times talking to him and doing what he/she says, Lucas/Dawn will tell you that if you use the Pokeradar often, you may eventually see a patch of grass that is a different color from the others.

Were it not for the fact that many people who get their first shiny in a chain end up getting more of that same Pokemon within a few minutes of each other, I'd chalk it up to coincidence. But whether it's true or not, it works for me, so I'm going to keep doing it. :p

[Geoffrey]

Originally Posted by Shuko

But as it turns out, there's even a part in the game where it's alluded to. After so many different times talking to him and doing what he/she says, Lucas/Dawn will tell you that if you use the Pokeradar often, you may eventually see a patch of grass that is a different color from the others.

I think that's just to tell you what a patch of grass with a shiny in it would look like. It doesn't really say anything about chains.

I'm not trying to disprove you or anything, but it seems kind of... fishy. Sort of like something a troll would think up. It's really overcomplicated too. I'm not saying I don't believe you, as I haven't tried it myself. It just seems weird that this suddenly came out of the blue. Plus, you also have all those trolls making up fake crap, so you can't be too careful.

[Shuko]

Originally Posted by Geoffrey2004

I think that's just to tell you what a patch of grass with a shiny in it would look like. It doesn't really say anything about chains.

I'm not trying to disprove you or anything, but it seems kind of... fishy. Sort of like something a troll would think up. It's really overcomplicated too. I'm not saying I don't believe you, as I haven't tried it myself. It just seems weird that this suddenly came out of the blue. Plus, you also have all those trolls making up fake crap, so you can't be too careful.

Lol. I know what you mean. It does sound overcomplicated, but we Americans aren't the first ones to come up with it either. :P It's on a lot of the Japanese sites as well. That's where I first found out about it (I read some Japanese, as long as it's not too advanced). They've got the whole system worked out by now. In fact, the video I linked to is from a person who's one of the leading researchers on the subject. He set up his camera for a few hours taping himself chaining, and when he finally ran into a shiny, he caught it and the rest was history, lol.

There are others that have taped themselves, but few of them are American. I want to do it too, but I can't think of an elegant way of setting up my dad's video camera and keeping a good eye on the wiggling grass, lol.

[Umby]

AUGH!

I did exactly what you did, and it worked... for 37 rounds. I WAS SO CLOSE... For some reason, right after a battle with the Snubble I was trying to catch shiny, the chain suddenly stopped. Why's that?

Well, at least I was only doing it on swarming Snubble, they aren't the best pokes.

[Kasumi]

Geoff, did you bother checking the youtube link Shuko gave us in her/his first post? It's been done in a Japanese game. Purple Kecleon also mentioned about this in #bulbagarden with other links to videos on Youtube with the trick working (also Japanese game).

[Niele]

Okay, I'm normally more of a lurker, but I just had to post to say thank you so much for those tips!! :D I've been trying to do this for a long time without success, mainly because it was very difficult for me to get a long chain. But with your tips, I did a lot better. I just caught my first shiny on Diamond a few minutes ago - an Absol. Caught it after a chain of 17 (I guess I was just very lucky, since normally I've gone a lot higher without shinies appearing.)

And yes, you definitely can tell when there's a shiny in the patch of grass. I was really worried I wouldn't be able to notice the difference; but you'll know. It seemed to be more of a really bright... twinkle... thing.

[TTEchidna]

22 Farfetch'd and it died on me. DAMN GASTRODON.

Sigh. I want a pink one.