6th Gen Chaining for shinies; does it work... or not?

[Hydralisk]

Hello peeps around PokeCommunity, I am so confused about the "chaining method". The chaining method should make the chance of encountering a Shiny Pokemon bigger than usual, but I am now in doubt if the method actually works or if it's just something people want to believe in.

I've been trying out this Chaining Method to hopefully find a shiny male Ralts. I want it to be a shiny male because I think shiny Gallade looks awesome! After making a chain of 400 it broke by some freaking Lillipup that appeared and spotted me. Bam. Chain broken and back to beginning. Didn't encounter ANY shiny Pokemon at all.

There has been some discussion going on the internet whether the chaining method does work or not. Some say it does, some say it's a waste of time. Now that I have an unlucky experience with this chaining method I start to have doubts about this. I really want a definetive answer and perhaps even a complete explanation on why it does or doesn't work.

Hopefully someone is able to answer this. Thanks in advance!

- Hydralisk

PS: If anyone wants to trade a shiny male Ralts I've been looking for so badly, I'd really love to trade!

 

[Sebastian_Sommer]

Hello peeps around PokeCommunity, I am so confused about the "chaining method". The chaining method should make the chance of encountering a Shiny Pokemon bigger than usual, but I am now in doubt if the method actually works or if it's just something people want to believe in.

I've been trying out this Chaining Method to hopefully find a shiny male Ralts. I want it to be a shiny male because I think shiny Gallade looks awesome! After making a chain of 400 it broke by some freaking Lillipup that appeared and spotted me. Bam. Chain broken and back to beginning. Didn't encounter ANY shiny Pokemon at all.

There has been some discussion going on the internet whether the chaining method does work or not. Some say it does, some say it's a waste of time. Now that I have an unlucky experience with this chaining method I start to have doubts about this. I really want a definetive answer and perhaps even a complete explanation on why it does or doesn't work.

I applaud you for getting a chain of 400 cause when I tried the pokeradar, I always mess up at around 10. Bulbapedia actually has a detailed explanation about the chaining method and also list the probabilities of finding shinies per chain length.
Here's the link: https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Poké_Radar

Generally speaking, finding shinies takes a huge amount of time and patience, so you should decide on whether you really want to catch that shiny ralts yourself or try to get one through trade.

 

[Charizard Gr]

Actually, finding shinies does not take a specifically long or short amount of time. It is possible that you encounter the shiny within the first 10 or 20 encounters or that the shiny appears after 500 consecutive encounters (chain). But once you complete the national dex and obtain the shiny charm it gets one bit easier to find them.

Patience is key though. The whole procedure of moving slowly with the circle pad is horribly boring, and not finding a shiny after a long chain can get pretty aggravating. For me, since I do consider myself a shiny hunter but do not have a lot of patience, I start over at 150-200 encounters.

One factor that you may want to know is that while dexnaving you may see at the top right corner the number of the Pokemon that you are hunting that you have already encountered! For example, if you come across a Zigzagoon (the most common POkemon in the game) 700 times, the top right corner would have that number up there. If this number is higher than 100-150 then it is said that there is a small chance of increasing the odds of you getting a shiny while chaining.

So don't stress yourself about not getting a shiny. I've been hunting for a Skorupi for like a month and when it finally appeared I just could not believe my eyes. Be patient and the blue headed Ralts will appear! (I have gotten mine at about 350 encounters totally, was a male with 3 iv's and named him Oberon! Not good for competitive, but definitely a trophy!)

 

[Darkrystal]

I'm curious about this as well. Yet to find a shiny using the dexnav, and I have the shiny charm now. Managed to find a shiny Wailmer yesterday and my chain couldn't have been any higher than 30. I would certainly say I have a lot more luck with chain fishing and hordes than any other method, but I'd like to diversify so that I have at least a few shinies that aren't water type!

I'm dexnav chaining on the first route at the moment, and I believe I'm currently at around 70, so will let you know if I do end up finding a shiny!

 

[KwazaR]

I strongly believe DexNav has fixed probability of finding a shiny like Friend Safari in X/Y. It makes sense since it encourages you to use this method of catching Pokemon instead of typical going into the grass and encountering random creature.

 

[Pepperton]

alrighty, next time use the quick questions & answers thread for stuff like this. no worries since you're new here, but keep that in mind for future inquiries you might have n__n