4th Gen Pokéradar and Chaining

[Dreg]

Tell me about your times with chaining. What is your highest chain? What shinies have you encountered through this system? Strategies to keeping the chain going? And even tell us about your most frustrating times through chaining.

My highest chain is currently at 42, Buneary and Shinx occupying both 1st and 2nd. I have gotten (in order): Budew, Starly, Geodude, Pachirisu, Buneary (3) and Shinx through chaining. Sometimes with chaining I will go in a bit reckless until I hit chain 30, at least, to make the repels last as well as they can (depending on the encounter rate).

My most frustrating times were not using a repel when I thought I had, running into an adjacent shaking patch, running out of control into a shaking patch and losing the chain, and with Shinx, waiting nearly 40 minutes at chain 40 to encounter the shiny.

 

[Khoshi]

I think I've only got around...14-15? I could barely use it, haha. I sucked at playing back when I had Diamond and Platinum originally, so I couldn't get the Pokeradar to work well with me due to my lack of knowledge. I managed to chain and capture a few rare Pokemon though, so I managed to get some use from it. xD

No shinies yet, unfortunately, but I hope to change that if I ever manage to get the games again.

 

[curiousnathan]

I can't remember my highest chain since it's been so long ago since I've played DPPt. Hmmm I remember my highest chain was for a Chatot...or a Graveller. But I didn't ever eventually find a shiny though, which was kind of disappointing. I suppose it just came down to my lack of patience and persistence, lol.

 

[Altairis]

I never got above a 30. My highest was mid-20s for like, a Machop or something. I really do have terrible luck with anything shiny-related.

 

[Guardian]

I was chaining for the first time today. It's a bit tricky, but not that tricky. Im so happy right now cos I just got Shiny Poochyena!

I got it to chain 40 and kept resetting the radar, my plan was to keep resetting till i get bunch of them but Im tired so I didnt pay attention and broke the chain. Actually Rhyhorn did it, but its ok ilu Rhyhorn, but I dont care man, shiny Poochyena!

This is my first shiny woot.

Anyway, I dont want to come off as cocky, but chaining is really not that hard. If you folow the basic rules about what not to do so you dont break the chain, and if you go to grass only when its four patches away, chances are at least 88 that you will get the same Pokemon. After the tenth one, I kept catching them so the chances of getting the same Pokemon were 98%! The only thing that can break the chain are these 16%. But anyway, if you are patient and have enough or repels and pokeballs, it's mnot that hard to chain. It felt like sudoku honestly xD

Shiny Poochyena woot!

 

[Dreg]

Anyway, I dont want to come off as cocky, but chaining is really not that hard. If you folow the basic rules about what not to do so you dont break the chain, and if you go to grass only when its four patches away, chances are at least 88 that you will get the same Pokemon. After the tenth one, I kept catching them so the chances of getting the same Pokemon were 98%! The only thing that can break the chain are these 16%. But anyway, if you are patient and have enough or repels and pokeballs, it's mnot that hard to chain. It felt like sudoku honestly xD

Shiny Poochyena woot!

The earliest shiny I got was at a chain of 6, and it was my very first kept shiny, which was a Budew. Thing is as well, I don't want to waste a lot of repels trying to get good formations for any chain under 20. After that, I go a bit more sensible.

 

[Hiatus]

I was never too fond of shiny-chaining, personally. as I found it to be quite a hassle. It was fun to some degree, but always wound up giving you a feeling of failure as soon as you'd break your chain. My longest chain would probably have to be somewhere around 15, haha. Haven't encountered any shinies with this method, though. Seriously wish I did, but I'm just not much of an expert in it as some people are.

 

[Sheep]

My highest chain was.. somewhere in the 40-60s, I think? Wish I still had my save file so I could check for myself. :( I managed to nab a few shiny Shinx that way as well as an awesome shiny Pichu which luckily was during a 10-20 chain.

remembering the times of chains being broken horrifies me......

 

[Guardian]

I had to pause my current chaining cos it's a good swarm day. And this is what I got today, in the morning.
Great way to start the day! :D
Pokemon Platinum, current chain: 45

Shiny Electrike, 5 of them for now, so awesome, my second long shiny chain, first being Poochyena. And Yeah I am milking this chain, a lot lol

 

[Dreg]

Incredible, Sven.

I managed to get these in 1 day:

I was going after a shiny Ditto but the chain broke twice near the 30's. The hardest pokemon to chain is a Trapinch. 2% chance, in a SANDSTORM. It's almost impossible.

 

[Guardian]

Yeah that's hard. Although if you do it patiently and go into the 4-tiles-away gras patches only its 88%.

Also, regarding the Electrikes, make that 6

I got one more before carelessly breaking the chain.

When you evolve Nincada make sure you have an empty spot and a pokeball. One shiny Nincada = Shiny Shedinja + Shiny Ninjask if done properly :)

I am going to clone Masterballs and catch myself some shiny Beldums because shiny Metagross ftw. But that's gonna wait, I have some other Pokes in plans first :D

 

[Ammako]

I feel that using the PokéRadar for shiny Pokémon is a little bit too easy, so I don't really do it anymore. I'm not sure if I remember exactly how many Pokémon I got through it since I don't have any of them anymore, but I do believe I had gotten Shinx, Zigzagoon and Bidoof.

I liked the mechanics of the PokéRadar where some Pokémon could be found in certain routes only by going into the special PokéRadar patches (the ones with the white lines).

 

[Guardian]

I feel that using the PokéRadar for shiny Pokémon is a little bit too easy, so I don't really do it anymore. I'm not sure if I remember exactly how many Pokémon I got through it since I don't have any of them anymore, but I do believe I had gotten Shinx, Zigzagoon and Bidoof.

I liked the mechanics of the PokéRadar where some Pokémon could be found in certain routes only by going into the special PokéRadar patches (the ones with the white lines).

Lol ofc it's easy if you were chaining for those :P

Try chaining for anything below 30-40%, in desert/snow, then let me know if it's easy
If it's still easy, then gj :D

 

[Ammako]

In the desert or in the snow it's going to be harder, but it would probably still be much faster to get a certain shiny that way than if you were to do random encounters until you found what you were looking for is what I mean.

 

[Guardian]

In the desert or in the snow it's going to be harder, but it would probably still be much faster to get a certain shiny that way than if you were to do random encounters until you found what you were looking for is what I mean.

Indeed, that is the purpose of PokeRadar and shiny chaining after all :)

 

[Yato]

Pretty sure I once reached ~30 chains before it broke. I was trying to get a shiny Shinx, so I had a Static Pikachu in my first slot. Was really disappointed when the chain broke :< Never encountered a shiny through chaining, unless you want to count the randomly encountered shiny Floatzel and Abomasnow. (I was using the PokeRadar to find rarer Pokemon and happened to encounter them when I entered a non-shining, shaking grass tile.) Strategy-wise, the only one I used to keep up my chains was to walk back and forth and avoid patches of grass until the PokeRadar was recharged so I could reset the areas Pokemon could be found without breaking my chain.

 

[Dreg]

The time when you may want to take it easy with chaining is 30, and hope that you have the sorts of patches appear, where they aren't bunched, in the same quadrant, going for the 4 away but as long as the patches is 2 away and 4 away only, in a line. Prime example in a smaller area:

4*2111*3*
4321x1234
432*11234

The 4 here has a strong chance of keeping the chain alive. Just keep resetting the chain at 30 and only hunt for these sorts of formations.

I also got a shiny Bidoof after trying for a very long time.

 

[Guardian]

Look what I got today!

Three shiny Beldums, chained on Platinum.
Also, three conclusions.

1. I was either very lucky, or Beldum is very easy to chain, of course with the right technique.
2. Sandstorm is a pain in the ass.
3. Despite being easy to chain, getting an actual shiny is not so easy.

Here are some tips for those who want to chain.

1. Tilt the DS Lite a bit to you. Sandstorm makes it hard to easy any patch shaking, but if you move it a bit forward, the screen gets a bit darker, sandstorm less visible, and grass much better.

2. Bring a lot of Repels. I needed a few super repels per a shiny Electrike, but I needed about 40 super repels per one shiny Beldum.

3. Get Master balls if you can. Catching one of these is like catching a legendary. It has a catch rate of 3 which is the least it can get. I cloned 30 master balls on Emerald and transferred them to platinum specially for Beldums.

4. Stay focused, due to its low appearance, you'll need a lot of time to see a shiny Beldum. Even the shiny patch isnt so easy to spot. One mistake and chain is broken (thanks Dugtrio)

5. Of I forgot, have a Pokemon with a Magnet pull with you, it can get very handy. I dont know how much are chances of continuing with it, but probably greater than the usual 88% (4 patches away).


Anyway,

So awesome! I'll definitely get more :D

 

[Pendraflare]

My highest chain is, sadly, not even 30. I'm really not very good with this, just when i'm thinking i'm gonna get a good streak it snaps to something stupid. >_> Poké Radar chaining is not for me, plain and simple.

 

[Guardian]

I dont know but there are some things you have to do if you want to get a better chances of not breaking a chain. You simply have to enter the patch that is four patches away. Also, you can catch Pokemon to get 10% more which would be 98% of continuing the chain. I ended with 2 boxes full of Poochys and Electrikes but it was worth it.
Also stuff like Magnet pulls etc are very useful as well.
The rest is luck and basic math.